We’re rounding up the Best Books of 2019 across all genres and categories – scroll down to see our favourites in history!
The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company
by William Dalrymple
This much-hyped book tells the story of the relentless rise of the East India Company in the late 1700s in India. It’s a story of capitalism, corporate power and empire, and is a chilling and powerful reflection on our current age from the past. Believe the hype.
Buy it here
James Cook: The Story Behind the Man who Mapped the World
by Peter FitzSimons
As Peter FitzSimons himself has said – if Fitzy hasn’t done it, then it hasn’t been done. This is the story of one of the figures who looms largest in Australian history. The Cook that FitzSimons uncovers through his trademark brand of meticulous primary source research is a cipher, and even though his story is fascinating the man himself is shown to be a blank canvas upon which Australia has projected its own identity.
Buy it here
The Woman Who Cracked the Anxiety Code
by Judith Hoare
This is the little known story of Dr. Claire Weekes, who is largely responsible for the way we treat and think about anxiety in contemporary society. Her original book, Self-Help for Your Nerves, has re-entered the bestseller lists this year off the back of this history, and it’s well worth a look if you’ve never heard of her story.
Buy it here
How to be a Dictator: The Cult of Personality in the Twentieth Century
by Frank Dikötter
In a year dominated by political unrest and fears of a return to authoritarianism, it’s the right time to read How To Be a Dictator. This fascinating history of some of history’s most famous dictators – from Hitler and Stalin to Kim Il-Sung and Duvalier of Haiti – Dikötter explores the cult of personality and how authoritarianism rises (and how it ends).
Buy it here
Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown
by Anne Glenconner
A memoir from the close, personal friend of the late Princess Margaret, this is the perfect accompaniment to the latest season of The Crown on Netflix. Lady Glenconner writes with humour and genuine warmth about her time in this fascinating period in British and global history.
Buy it here
The End is Always Near
by Dan Carlin
From the blockbuster podcaster Dan Carlin (of Hardcore History fame) comes this history of apocalyptic narratives – how from the beginning of time we have been thinking about the end of it. Absolutely fascinating!
Buy it here
The best books we read in January 2020 
Finished The Crown season 3? Read these books!
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