(I wrote book, but I often mean e-book, pdf, etc.)
Type: Book
Topic: Jewish History
Title & Author:
Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus
Link:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2848/2848-h/2848-h.htm (free)
Language: English translation
Bias: This is very valuable, though the author sometimes embellish and omit things.
His greatest work,
Antiquitates Judaicae (The Antiquities of the Jews), completed in 20 books in AD 93, traces the history of the Jews from creation to just before the outbreak of the revolt of AD 66–70. It was an attempt to present Judaism to the Hellenistic world in a favourable light. By virtually ignoring the Prophets, by embellishing biblical narratives, and by stressing the rationality of Judaic laws and institutions, he stripped Judaism of its fanaticism and made it appealing to the
cultivated and reasonable man. Historically, the coverage is patchy and shows the fatigue of the author, then in his middle 50s. But throughout, sources are preserved that otherwise would have been lost, and, for Jewish history during the period of the Second Commonwealth, the work is invaluable. -
Encyclopedia Britannica
Type: Book
Topic: Jewish History
Title & Author:
Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus
Link:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2850/2850-h/2850-h.htm (free)
Language: English translation
Bias: He is valuable. He was popular among Christians (though not a Christian himself), but not very popular among the Jews who viewed him as a traitor. This book is good for knowledge of the history of the Jews from the 1st Century B.C. to 1st Century A.D. He is biased in favor of the romans. There are some errors, but in general reliable.
Josephus’ first work,
Bellum Judaicum (History of the Jewish War), was written in seven books between AD 75 and 79, toward the end of Vespasian’s reign. The original Aramaic has been lost, but the
extant Greek version was prepared under Josephus’ personal direction. After briefly sketching Jewish history from the mid-2nd century BC, Josephus presents a detailed account of the great revolt of AD 66–70. He stressed the invincibility of the Roman legions, and apparently one of his purposes in the works was to convince the Diasporan Jews in Mesopotamia, who may have been contemplating revolt, that resistance to Roman arms was pure folly. The work has much narrative brilliance, particularly the description of the siege of Jerusalem; its fluent Greek contrasts sharply with the clumsier
idiom of Josephus’ later works and attests the influence of his Greek assistants. In this work, Josephus is extremely hostile to the Jewish patriots and remarkably
callous to their fate. The
Jewish War not only is the principal source for the Jewish revolt but is especially valuable for its description of Roman military tactics and strategy. -
Encyclopedia Britannica
Type: Book
Topic: Church History
Title & Author:
Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers second series, vols. I, II, III., XIV (Eusebius of Caeserea, Socrates, Sozomen, Theodoret, Jerome, Gennadius, Church Councils)
Links:
(all free)
en.wikisource.org
en.wikisource.org
en.wikisource.org
en.wikisource.org
Language: English translation
Bias: Obviously, written from a Christian point of view. Eusebius is valuable, but some caution must be exercised. It is interesting in that it is the history of the first three centuries, from a Christian view and quotes many old sources. His life of Constantine is more rhetorical than factual. Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret cover the history of the fourth and partially of the fifth centuries. Socrates is the best of them, as he tries to be more factual and is more fair towards other sects, though some caution must be exercised. Sozomen is more superstitious. Theodoret, I'm not sure. There are short biographies by Gennadius and Jerome. Expect some bias (Jerome can sometimes be uncivil in some of his works, though probably not here). Gennadius is said to be Semi-Pelagian Volume XIV is interesting for anyone interested in Church Councils.
Type: Book
Topic: Church History
Title & Author: History of the Church by Evagrius
Links (free):
https://archive.org/details/ecclesiasticalhi0000evag/page/n7/mode/2up
Language: English translation
Bias: Very biased, read with caution.
Type: Book
Topic: Mongolian History
Title:
The Secret History of the Mongols
Links: (Free):
https://altaica.ru/e_SecretH.php (contains the original in Chinese characters along with English, Spanish, Czech, French, Russian, Buriat, Turkish, and Bulgarian translations)
Bias: Very important primary source of history and culture of the Mongolians during the time of Genghis Khan
Type: Book
Topic: Church History (Councils)
Title & Author: A History of the Councils of the Church by Karl Josef von Hefele
Language/Links (english translations, free):
https://archive.org/details/councils00hefeuoft,
https://archive.org/details/ahistoryofthecou02hefeuoft,
https://archive.org/details/cu31924092369598,
https://archive.org/details/historyofcouncil04hefeuoft,
https://archive.org/details/historyofcouncil05hefeuoft
Bias: Written by a Roman Catholic priest.
Type: Book
Topic: American History (Reconstruction Era)
Title & Author: The Facts of Reconstruction by John R. Lynch
Language/Links (English):
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16158
Bias: This is a very important book on the Reconstruction Era written by an African-American politician who lived in that era.
Type: Book
Topic: Medieval History (prob. Church History)
Title & Author: Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa
Language/Links:
https://archive.org/details/ChronicleMatthewEdessa/mode/2up (English translation),
https://archive.org/details/chroniquedematt00mattgoog/mode/2up
https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_YlkuAAAAQAAJ (French translation)
Bias: Medieval Armenian Christian
Type: Books
Topic: Puritan History
Titles & Authors: The History of the Presbyterians by Peter Heylin, The History of the Puritans by Daniel Neal
Language (English, rather archaic):
https://archive.org/details/aeriusredivivuso00heyl_0/mode/2up
Bias: Heylin was a High Church Anglican and is very biased against the Puritans/Presbyterians, Neal was a Congregationalist and is very biased in favor. Use caution (it reminds one of media bias today, right or left). "Heylin, in his History of the Presbyterians, blackens them as so many political devils; and Neal, in his History of the Puritans, blanches them into a sweet and almond whiteness" - Isaac D'Israeli
Type: Books
Topic: Biographies of Lincoln
Authors: William Herndon, John Nicolay & Hay, Ward Hill Lamon, Ida Tarbell, Albert Beveridge, Doris Kearns Goodwin (Team of Rivals)
Language (English)
Links:
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlincolntr01hern/page/n5/mode/2up,
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlincolntr02hernrich (Herndon)
https://archive.org/details/lifeofabrahamlin00lamouoft (Ward Hill Lamon)
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlinco2119nico,
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlincoln03nico,
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlincoln2121nico,
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlincolnh10nico,
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlincoln08nico,
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlincolnh05nico,
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlincoln2116nico,
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlincoln2117nico,
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlincolnh07nico,
https://archive.org/details/abrahamlincoln2124nico (Nicolay & Hay)
https://archive.org/details/lifeofabrahamlin01iltarb,
https://archive.org/details/lifeofabrahamlin02iltarb,
https://archive.org/details/lifeofabrahamlin03iltarb,
https://archive.org/details/lifeofabrahamlin04iltarb (Tarbell)
https://archive.org/details/BeveridgeAlbertAbrahamLincoln/Beveridge, Albert - Abraham Lincoln Vol 1/ (Beveridge)
https://www.amazon.com/Team-Rivals-Political-Abraham-Lincoln/dp/0743270754 (Goodwin)
Bias: Herndon and Ward Hill Lamon were acquaintances of Lincoln. Nicolay & Hay were secretaries of Lincoln. Tarbell is the muckraker journalist who wrote an expose of Standard Oil. Beveridge is a congressman, and has checked the congressional records. Kearns Goodwin's book is not only a biography of Lincoln, but of Seward, Chase, and Bates and has used material not used before.
Type: Books
Topic: Church History
Author: Procopius
Language: English translation
Titles/Links: History of the Wars, The Secret History/https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Procopius/Wars/home.html;
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Procopius/Anecdota/home.html
Bias: The History of the Wars is written favorably of Justinian. The Secret History is the exact opposite. The latter might be more reliable, but has wild tales of Justinian being a demon, etc.
Type: Book
Topic: Ancient History
Title: The Library of History
Author: Diodorus Siculus
Language: English translation; Links:
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/home.html; http://www.attalus.org/info/diodorus.html
Bias: Very interesting history written by an Ancient Greek writer
Type: Book
Topic: Autobiography/American History
Title/Author: The autobiography of Martin van Buren
Link:
https://archive.org/details/annualreportofam0002john/page/n7/mode/2up (Vol II)
Type: Book
Topic: English Civil War
Title: History of the Rebellion
Author: Edward Hyde,1st Earl of Clarendon
Links:
https://archive.org/details/historyofrebelli0000clar_l8x2/page/n5/mode/2up,
https://archive.org/details/historyofrebelli0002clar/page/n5/mode/2up,
https://archive.org/details/historyofrebel03clar/page/n5/mode/2up,
https://archive.org/details/historyofrebel04clar/page/n5/mode/2up,
https://archive.org/details/historyofrebelli05clariala/page/n5/mode/2up,
https://archive.org/details/1888historyofreb06claruoft/page/n5/mode/2up
Bias: Written from a royalist view. Very biased against the Puritans
There is also this website that has a bunch of ancient & medieval histories:
Sources for Hellenistic history and the Roman Republic, from 323 to 30 B.C.
www.attalus.org
These links to various interesting books (a lot of historical books, though rather archaic):
Ancient History - Works In Public Domain (Published Before 1923) Part Two For more books see Parts One, Three and Four: Ancient History - Works In Public...
archive.org
Ancient History - Works In Public Domain (Published Before 1923) Part Four For more books see Parts One to Three: Ancient History - Works In Public Domain...
archive.org
Ancient History - Works In Public Domain (Published Before 1923) Part Three Ancient History - Works In Public Domain (Published Before 1923) For more books...
archive.org