History fans,
As we approach Christmas break, I’m already picking out where I’ll walk to in the City to enjoy a good sandwich, and sit and read. I’ve read a few great books this past semester that I thought you might enjoy too.
The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson The story of London’s 1854 cholera epidemic and how a doctor used a map to figure it out
Longitude, by Dava Sobel A fun story, describing the “longitude problem” and how it was ultimately solved by a simple watch-maker spurred on by an 18th century version of the X-prize.
The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson A little macabre, it’s the story of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair: those who built it, and the serial killer who haunted the city at the time.
1493, by Charles C Mann This is a great, wide-ranging explanation of the Columbian Exchange. It’s taking me a while to get through; it’s long and dense — but it’s good! (You’ve probably already read Mann’s earlier work 1491; most History teachers have.)
Happy History reading!
