Book Riot 50 Must Read MicroHistory Books

1.
Rain: A Natural and Cultural History
Rain: A Natural and Cultural History 3.82 avg rating — 1,992 ratings
2.
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature 3.37 avg rating — 126 ratings
3.
Wanderlust: A History of Walking
Wanderlust: A History of Walking 3.90 avg rating — 6,237 ratings
4.
Bicycle: The History
Bicycle: The History 3.86 avg rating — 229 ratings
5.
Crude: The Story of Oil
Crude: The Story of Oil 3.82 avg rating — 187 ratings
6.
Coal: A Human History
Coal: A Human History 3.72 avg rating — 2,248 ratings
7.
Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World
Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World
by: Aja Raden
4.09 avg rating — 3,434 ratings
8.
Empire of Cotton: A Global History
Empire of Cotton: A Global History 3.89 avg rating — 3,594 ratings
9.
Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat
Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat 3.85 avg rating — 10,086 ratings
10.
Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World
Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World 3.92 avg rating — 24,362 ratings
11.
Salt: A World History
Salt: A World History 3.75 avg rating — 75,175 ratings
12.
Curry: Eating, Reading, and Race
Curry: Eating, Reading, and Race 3.75 avg rating — 459 ratings
13.
Spice: The History of a Temptation
Spice: The History of a Temptation 3.64 avg rating — 2,540 ratings
14.
Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World
Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World 3.81 avg rating — 5,279 ratings
15.
Sugar: A Bittersweet History
Sugar: A Bittersweet History 3.73 avg rating — 415 ratings
16.
Butter: A Rich History
Butter: A Rich History 3.85 avg rating — 1,086 ratings
17.
White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf
White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf 3.63 avg rating — 814 ratings
18.
Milk! A 10,000-Year Food Fracas
Milk! A 10,000-Year Food Fracas 3.62 avg rating — 1,823 ratings
19.
Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World
Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World 3.69 avg rating — 2,998 ratings
20.
Tea: The Drink that Changed the World
Tea: The Drink that Changed the World 3.71 avg rating — 570 ratings
21.
Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol
Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol 3.86 avg rating — 905 ratings
22.
Champagne: How the World's Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times
Champagne: How the World's Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times 4.05 avg rating — 663 ratings
23.
The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell
The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell 3.95 avg rating — 5,151 ratings
24.
At Home: A Short History of Private Life
At Home: A Short History of Private Life 3.99 avg rating — 97,411 ratings
25.
Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born
Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born 4.05 avg rating — 2,939 ratings
26.
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex 3.85 avg rating — 59,578 ratings
27.
Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy
Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy 3.82 avg rating — 478 ratings
28.
Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation
Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation 3.71 avg rating — 1,712 ratings
29.
Blood: An Epic History of Medicine and Commerce
Blood: An Epic History of Medicine and Commerce 4.06 avg rating — 659 ratings
30.
Heart: A History
Heart: A History 4.08 avg rating — 3,424 ratings
31.
The Gene: An Intimate History
The Gene: An Intimate History 4.36 avg rating — 54,020 ratings
32.
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life
by: Ed Yong
4.18 avg rating — 30,338 ratings
33.
Pox: An American History
Pox: An American History 3.68 avg rating — 856 ratings
34.
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer 4.34 avg rating — 111,145 ratings
35.
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 9,425 ratings
36.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers 4.06 avg rating — 234,455 ratings
37.
Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History
Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History 3.89 avg rating — 6,818 ratings
38.
Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing
Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing 3.87 avg rating — 2,277 ratings
39.
The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History
The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History 3.71 avg rating — 2,484 ratings
40.
Gulag: A History
Gulag: A History 4.28 avg rating — 12,841 ratings
41.
Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News
Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News 3.17 avg rating — 1,068 ratings
42.
The History of White People
The History of White People 4.07 avg rating — 3,174 ratings
43.
Red: A History of the Redhead
Red: A History of the Redhead 3.50 avg rating — 1,487 ratings
44.
Color: A Natural History of the Palette
Color: A Natural History of the Palette 3.80 avg rating — 71,298 ratings
45.
Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World
Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World 2.98 avg rating — 553 ratings
46.
Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World
Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World 3.67 avg rating — 1,876 ratings
47.
Paper: Paging Through History
Paper: Paging Through History 3.82 avg rating — 2,853 ratings
48.
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary 3.84 avg rating — 120,606 ratings
49.
The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance
The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance 3.81 avg rating — 641 ratings
50.
The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography
The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography 4.30 avg rating — 28,488 ratings
51.
Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace
Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace 3.45 avg rating — 1,143 ratings