Best History Books of 2023

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Barnes & Noble's Best History Books of 2023

From military history to natural history (and everything in between), read the best history books of the year!

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Best Books of 2023

Title: The World: A Family History of Humanity, Author: Simon Sebag Montefiore

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The World: A Family History of…

by Simon Sebag Montefiore

eBook $13.99

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Best Books of 2023

Title: Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America, Author: Michael Harriot

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Black AF History: The…

by Michael Harriot

eBook $13.99

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Best Books of 2023

Title: A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them, Author: Timothy Egan

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A Fever in the Heartland: The…

by Timothy Egan

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Best Books of 2023

Title: November 1942: An Intimate History of the Turning Point of World War II, Author: Peter Englund

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November 1942: An Intimate…

by Peter Englund, Peter Graves (Translator)

eBook $14.99

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Best Books of 2023

Title: Blood Memory: The Tragic Decline and Improbable Resurrection of the American Buffalo, Author: Dayton Duncan

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Blood Memory: The Tragic…

by Dayton Duncan, Ken Burns

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Best Books of 2023

Title: The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder (2023 B&N Author of the Year), Author: David Grann

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The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck…

by David Grann

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Best Books of 2023

Title: King: A Life (Pulitzer Prize Winner), Author: Jonathan Eig

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King: A Life (Pulitzer Prize…

by Jonathan Eig

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A Fever in the Heartland: The…

by Timothy Egan

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Title: The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History, Author: Ned Blackhawk

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by Ned Blackhawk

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Best Books of 2023

Title: Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World, Author: Mary Beard

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Emperor of Rome: Ruling the…

by Mary Beard

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Best Books of 2023

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder (2023 B&N Author of the Year)

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The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck…

by David Grann

Narrated by Dion Graham, David Grann

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Best Books of 2023

A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them

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A Fever in the Heartland: The…

by Timothy Egan

Narrated by Timothy Egan

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Best Books of 2023

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A Fever in the Heartland: The…

by Timothy Egan

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Best Books of 2023

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The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck…

by David Grann

Narrated by Dion Graham, David Grann

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King: A Life (Pulitzer Prize…

by Jonathan Eig

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Best Books of 2023

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The Story of Art Without Men

by Katy Hessel

Narrated by Katy Hessel

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Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World

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Emperor of Rome: Ruling the…

by Mary Beard

Narrated by Mary Beard

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Best Books of 2023

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The Story of Art Without Men

by Katy Hessel

Narrated by Katy Hessel

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Best Books of 2023

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Emperor of Rome: Ruling the…

by Mary Beard

Narrated by Mary Beard

Audiobook (Unabridged) $24.99

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Best Books of 2023

November 1942: An Intimate History of the Turning Point of World War II

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November 1942: An Intimate…

by Peter Englund

Narrated by Mark Bramhall

Audiobook (Unabridged) $25.00

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History comes to life in the Barnes & Noble list of the Best History Books of 2023! From long-awaited biographies such as King: A Life - depicting the life of influential minister and monumental civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - to natural history books such as Blood Memory - the poignant and epic story of near mass extinction and unlikely comeback of the American Buffalo. The often-overlooked stories of marginalized groups come to the forefront in the Rediscovery of America and Black AF History, which offer hard-hitting looks into Native American & Black history, respectively. One of the best and most widely-known classicists, Mary Beard, regales us with a fantastic exploration of quotidian life in Roman times in Emperor of Rome. War buffs will love November 1942, which examines the most important month in WWII. Pore over America’s dark past in A Fever in the Heartland, a historical thriller which explores the KKK’s plot to take over America at the height of their influence. No matter what your historical passion, there is something for everyone from military history to natural history (and everything in between) in the Best History Books of the Year 2023!

Set sail on a high seas adventure with Book of the Year Finalist, The Wager, an 18th century real life "Lord of the Flies" intrigue from David Grann, the bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon and the Barnes & Noble Author of 2023. Rousing and downright savage, it is the fateful tale of a shipwreck, the subsequent descent into madness and the gripping courtroom drama that followed.

View art history in a whole new light thanks to The Story of Art Without Men, a reframing of past events with the focal point shifted on the other half. Glittering and astonishing, take a comprehensive glance at previously overlooked female artists from the Renaissance to the present day and have your eyes opened to a whole new side of art history.

Mary Beard gives us a bird’s eye view on the sexual, social and political world of Ancient Rome in Emperor of Rome. A foremost scholar in Roman History, Beard takes us inside the arena of the emperors starting with Caesar, covering 30 emperors and spanning nearly three centuries, to give us a complete look into what Rome was like during its most prosperous and powerful time.

American History unfolds in full color in Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America. Acclaimed columnist and political commentator, Michael Harriot, gifts us with a meticulously researched and complete portrayal of U.S. History – the version they left out of the history books. Sprinkled with a dash of humor and devoid of white sugarcoating, this history is Black AF.

Seasoned historians and new history buffs alike will rejoice in our complete selection of the popular and bestselling history books at Barnes & Noble. We have the best history books on featured wars such as World War II, the U.S. Civil War & American Revolution in our Military History section. Browse our monthly non-fiction picks, bookseller favorites and new releases and start reading now!