The History Shelf
The whole human story first, then the periods that shaped the world. A path, not a ranking — a place to start, not the whole field.
8 books, in the order to read them
Sapiens
Start here. The whole human story in one book.
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Why some societies came to dominate.
The Peloponnesian War
Ancient Greece. Athens against Sparta.
SPQR
Ancient Rome, without the myths.
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
The Mongols. The largest land empire in history.
The Guns of August
World War I. How the world stumbled into it.
The Second World War
World War II, on every front.
The Cold War: A New History
The Cold War. Half a century of standoff, in one short book.
Read it through in Leafin.
In the app, this collection sits in Discover. Add its books to your Want to read shelf in one go, and watch it fill in as you read them.
Coming soon to the App Store
Follow @leafinreads to hear the day it arrives.