History lovers: Who are your favorite historians?

Question

I enjoy Alison Weir and Antonia Frazer although I totally disagree with Weir's demonization of Richard III and also was bored with Frazer's book about the gunpowder plot (the name escapes me. Faith and Treason, maybe?).

I couldn't wait to read some Simon Schama when I saw him in a documentary based on his history of Britain but find his actual writing to be a tad dry. What say you?

Answer 1

I liked Harold Lamb.  Especially his "Hannibal one man against Rome"

Don't know if it is still in print but after reading that I read over 30 more books about Hannibal his was by far the best.

sid

I don't know if the book is still in print I read it in 1973

Answer 2

I enjoy Alison Weir, and I totally agree with her view of Richard III.  I like some of Antonia Fraser's books, especially Mary, Queen of Scots.  I also like Alison Plowden, who has written a lot of books about the Tudors, and Alison Sim, whose book 'The Tudor Housewife' is really interesting.

I like the historical biographies of Joan Haslip, her books on Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, Madame du Barry and Elizabeth of Austria are all really good.

I love Terry Jones's book 'Medieval Lives' which is brilliant, also 'Medieval Women' by Eileen Power, which is a great book, and 'Women in the Medieval Towns' by Erica Uitz.

'The Naked Olympics' by Tony Perrottet is a really fascinating book about ancient Greek Olympic Games, which I have read several times.  and 'Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity' by Sarah B. Pomeroy is another book about the ancient world that I really enjoy.

I like Simon Schama's History of Britain too, especially the first volume.

Answer 3

Robert Service - his biographies of Lenin and Stalin were masterful.

I like Alison Weir - she makes easy reading of some very heavyweight aspects of History.

Schama - again, for making history accessible for millions, I loved his Power of Art series (I'm a bit of an Art buff) - I haven't read any of his stuff, just seen his TV work.

Max Hastings brings WW2 alive - his Das Reich was a brilliant book - I read it in France, more or less following their route (coincidentally not deliberately, I'm not that sad)