ABOUT RECOMMENDED HISTORY BOOKS

(Excerpted froma longer list)

“Empires, Nations, and Families: A New History of the North American West, 18001860” (2011) by Anne F. Hyde. Winner of the 2012 Bancroft Prize, Hyde’s work is a must-read book for American history buffs. Eschewing the East Coast for the supposed wilds of the West, “Empires, Nations, and Families” explains that the common understanding of Americans moving west to tame an untapped wilderness is amyth, plain and simple. … Hyde’s command of relevant theory is so brilliant that you don’t even realize you are being taught important concepts as you breeze through her historical narrative.

“Rage for Order: The British Empire and the Origins of International Law, 1800–1850” (2016) by Lauren Benton and Lisa Ford. Nowhere else will you find the logic of the British Empire explained so clearly and with such precision, such vigor! The book is short by history standards, too, so you shouldn’t feel intimidated when scooping it up. “Rage for Order” explores— and the exploratory vibe rather than pedantic tone that most history books often take is why this book is the best of the decade— British efforts at imperial constitutionalism. … One thing to take away fromthis book, and the list in general, is that international lawis in our immediate future. The imperialists and corporatists paved theway, the nationalists (disguised as anarchists) have combated the trend, and the federalists— led by James Madison and F.A. Hayek— have sought an alternative route.