Best History Books of 2023

Just Announced: The Children's & YA Book Awards Winners Explore Now

Home 1
Books 2
Awards 3
Barnes & Noble's Best History Books of 2023 4

Browse the Best Books of 2023

Barnes & Noble's Best Fiction of 2023
Barnes & Noble's Best Mysteries of 2023
Barnes & Noble's Best Fantasy of 2023
Barnes & Noble's Best History of 2023
Barnes & Noble's Best Cookbooks of 2023
Barnes & Noble's Best Teens & YA Books of 2023
Barnes & Noble's Best Young Reader Books of 2023
All Barnes & Noble's Best Books of 2023
All Best Books of the Year 2023
Best Books of the Year Home

Standard Order

Prices

$10 - $25
$25 - $50
Over $50

Formats

Audiobook
Hardcover
eBook
Paperback
Signed Book

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!

1- 20 of 43 results

Best Sellers
Newest to Oldest
Oldest to Newest
Price - Low to High
Price - High to Low
Title - A to Z
Title - Z to A

Best Books of 2023

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The World: A Family History of…

by Simon Sebag Montefiore

Narrated by Simon Sebag Montefiore, Full Cast

Audiobook (Unabridged)

$55.00

. Price is $55.0 . You save %.

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Title: The Story of Art Without Men, Author: Katy Hessel

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Story of Art Without Men

by Katy Hessel

Hardcover $45.00

Available Online

Best Books of 2023

Title: The Story of Art Without Men (Signed B&N Exclusive Book), Author: Katy Hessel

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Story of Art Without Men…

by Katy Hessel

Signed Book $45.00

Unavailable Online

Best Books of 2023

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

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The World: A Family History of…

by Simon Sebag Montefiore

Hardcover $40.50 $45.00 Current price is $40.50, Original price is $45.00.

Available Online

Best Books of 2023

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

King: A Life (Pulitzer Prize…

by Jonathan Eig

Narrated by Dion Graham

Audiobook (Unabridged)

$40.49 ~~$44.99~~

. Current price is $40.49 . Old price was $44.99 . You save %.

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

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

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck…

by David Grann, Dion Graham (Read by), David Grann (Read by)

Audio CD $40.00

Available Online

Best Books of 2023

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

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Emperor of Rome: Ruling the…

by Mary Beard

Hardcover $39.99

Available Online

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Emperor of Rome: Ruling the…

by Mary Beard

Signed Book $39.99

Available Online

Best Books of 2023

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

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Blood Memory: The Tragic…

by Dayton Duncan, Ken Burns

Hardcover $36.00 $40.00 Current price is $36.00, Original price is $40.00.

Available Online

The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History (National Book Award Winner)

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Rediscovery of America:…

by Ned Blackhawk

Narrated by Jason Grasl

Explore Series

Audiobook (Unabridged)

$31.49 ~~$34.99~~

. Current price is $31.49 . Old price was $34.99 . You save %.

FREE with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription trial!

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

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

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

November 1942: An Intimate…

by Peter Englund, Peter Graves (Translator)

Hardcover $32.00

Available Online

Best Books of 2023

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck…

by David Grann

Large Print $32.00

Available Online

Best Books of 2023

Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Black AF History: The…

by Michael Harriot

Narrated by Michael Harriot

Audiobook (Unabridged)

$28.79 ~~$31.99~~

. Current price is $28.79 . Old price was $31.99 . You save %.

FREE with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription trial!

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

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

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

King: A Life (Pulitzer Prize…

by Jonathan Eig

Hardcover $31.50 $35.00 Current price is $31.50, Original price is $35.00.

Available Online

Best Books of 2023

Title: The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History (National Book Award Winner), Author: Ned Blackhawk

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Rediscovery of America:…

by Ned Blackhawk

Explore Series

Hardcover $31.50 $35.00 Current price is $31.50, Original price is $35.00.

Available Online

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Rediscovery of America:…

by Ned Blackhawk

Narrated by Jason Grasl

Explore Series

Audiobook (Unabridged)

$31.49 ~~$34.99~~

. Current price is $31.49 . Old price was $34.99 . You save %.

FREE with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription trial!

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Story of Art Without Men

by Katy Hessel

eBook $30.49 $40.51 Current price is $30.49, Original price is $40.51.

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

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

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Black AF History: The…

by Michael Harriot

Hardcover $29.25 $32.50 Current price is $29.25, Original price is $32.50.

Available Online

Best Books of 2023

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

Black AF History: The…

by Michael Harriot

Narrated by Michael Harriot

Audiobook (Unabridged)

$28.79 ~~$31.99~~

. Current price is $28.79 . Old price was $31.99 . You save %.

FREE with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription trial!

Available Immediately After Purchase

Best Books of 2023

Add to Wishlist

QUICK ADD

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck…

by David Grann

Hardcover $27.00 $30.00 Current price is $27.00, Original price is $30.00.

Available Online

Pagination Links

No Previous Page
Active Page1
Page 2
Page 3
Next Page

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!