Welcome to History Book Reviews! If you love reading and you love history, you have come to the right place. You won't find your typical, book-report style reviews here, these fun and engaging reviews make it easy to find your next favorite history book. Jennie Erikson, the author of this site, is a passionate history enthusiast with an extremely entertaining and humorous writing style that makes her reviews a joy to read. However, she's not afraid to pull any punches and she will be the first to point out a book's flaws and will always be honest in her opinions and recommendations. New reviews are added regularly, so make sure to visit often and don't forget to follow History Book Reviews on Facebook. Enjoy!
Latest Reviews
Washington: A Life
Reviewed September 2, 2018By Ron Chernow
I recently visited Mount Vernon, George Washington's prized estate and residence in Northern Virginia. It was beautiful, elegant in its simplicity and cunning in its attempts to appear richer than it really was. The mansion still stands exactly as George... Read Review!
The Lazy Historian's Guide to the Wives of Henry VIII
Reviewed July 8, 2018By Jillianne Hamilton
I am always thrilled to read anything about Henry VIII and his wives, one of my earliest historical interests! I read The Lazy Historian's Guide to the Wives of Henry VIII in just a few short hours, and I found myself unexpectedly charmed by it. This "short romp"... Read Review!
First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War
Reviewed June 27, 2018By Joan Cashin
It always makes me sad to read a biography of a person who seems to have experienced far more misery and heartbreak in their lives than they did joy and love. I really hope I'm wrong in this case, that Varina Davis actually felt inner peace and happiness, but after... Read Review!
Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War
Reviewed May 6, 2018By Brian Matthew Jordan
Lately I have been caught in the grip of another wave of Civil War obsession, and I desperately wanted to know about the adjustment of Civil War soldiers back to normal life after the war was over and their struggles with PTSD and reintegration into... Read Review!
The Normans: From Raiders to Kings
Reviewed January 21, 2018By Lars Brownworth
Everybody knows about the Norman conquest of England in 1066, of the Battle of Hastings and King Harold getting shot in the eye with an arrow (though this is now being hotly debated). The name William the Conqueror is known to school children and... Read Review!
The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World
Reviewed December 26, 2017By David Anthony
My journey through this book, not unlike the prehistoric Eurasian steppe cultures' journey south to the Mesopotamian world, was long, fascinating, and sometimes... Read Review!