Histories of the Everyday

1.
Salt: A World History
Salt: A World History 3.75 avg rating — 75,168 ratings
2.
At Home: A Short History of Private Life
At Home: A Short History of Private Life 3.99 avg rating — 97,412 ratings
3.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies 4.04 avg rating — 445,011 ratings
4.
A Short History of Nearly Everything
A Short History of Nearly Everything 4.22 avg rating — 412,811 ratings
5.
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 — 120,599 ratings
6.
A History of the World in 6 Glasses
A History of the World in 6 Glasses 3.81 avg rating — 32,777 ratings
7.
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way 3.91 avg rating — 43,554 ratings
8.
Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World
Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World 3.92 avg rating — 24,359 ratings
9.
The Book on the Bookshelf
The Book on the Bookshelf 3.75 avg rating — 1,475 ratings
10.
A History of the World in 100 Objects
A History of the World in 100 Objects 4.19 avg rating — 9,173 ratings
11.
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
by: Sam Kean
3.93 avg rating — 54,820 ratings
12.
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time 3.99 avg rating — 75,016 ratings
13.
Spice: The History of a Temptation
Spice: The History of a Temptation 3.64 avg rating — 2,540 ratings
14.
The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History
The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History 3.71 avg rating — 2,484 ratings
15.
Color: A Natural History of the Palette
Color: A Natural History of the Palette 3.80 avg rating — 71,296 ratings
16.
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World 4.06 avg rating — 58,652 ratings
17.
Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World
Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World 3.81 avg rating — 5,278 ratings
18.
An Edible History of Humanity
An Edible History of Humanity 3.77 avg rating — 6,021 ratings
19.
Home: A Short History of an Idea
Home: A Short History of an Idea 3.93 avg rating — 1,651 ratings
20.
The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology
The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology 3.82 avg rating — 13,927 ratings
21.
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
22.
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English 3.83 avg rating — 7,107 ratings
23.
The Evolution of Useful Things: How Everyday Artifacts-From Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers-Came to be as They are
The Evolution of Useful Things: How Everyday Artifacts-From Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers-Came to be as They are 3.53 avg rating — 1,359 ratings
24.
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language 4.23 avg rating — 12,064 ratings
25.
The Story of English
The Story of English 4.09 avg rating — 2,388 ratings
26.
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life In Nineteenth-Century England
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life In Nineteenth-Century England 3.85 avg rating — 5,733 ratings
27.
A People's History of the United States: Highlights from the Twentieth Century
A People's History of the United States: Highlights from the Twentieth Century 4.10 avg rating — 473 ratings
28.
A History of Reading
A History of Reading 3.99 avg rating — 5,411 ratings
28.
The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters
The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters 4.02 avg rating — 2,604 ratings
30.
The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance
The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance 3.81 avg rating — 641 ratings
31.
And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails
And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails 4.04 avg rating — 2,956 ratings
32.
Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash
Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash 3.82 avg rating — 451 ratings
33.
The True History of Chocolate
The True History of Chocolate 3.80 avg rating — 1,521 ratings
34.
The Calendar : The 5000 Year Struggle to Align the Clock and the Heavens and What Happened to the Missing Ten Days
The Calendar : The 5000 Year Struggle to Align the Clock and the Heavens and What Happened to the Missing Ten Days 3.84 avg rating — 1,101 ratings
35.
The Smithsonian Book of Books
The Smithsonian Book of Books 4.18 avg rating — 271 ratings
36.
The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide
The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide 3.92 avg rating — 655 ratings
37.
Tea: The Drink that Changed the World
Tea: The Drink that Changed the World 3.71 avg rating — 570 ratings
38.
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3,185 ratings
39.
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World 3.89 avg rating — 55,256 ratings
40.
Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus
Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus 3.72 avg rating — 11,392 ratings
41.
Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History
Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History 3.82 avg rating — 5,238 ratings
42.
The Library: A World History
The Library: A World History 4.41 avg rating — 471 ratings
43.
The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Obsession, Commerce, and Adventure
The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Obsession, Commerce, and Adventure 3.81 avg rating — 1,132 ratings
44.
The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century
The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century 4.01 avg rating — 25,924 ratings
45.
The Devil's Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee
The Devil's Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee 3.64 avg rating — 2,026 ratings
46.
How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World
How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World 4.11 avg rating — 15,320 ratings
47.
Outliers: The Story of Success
Outliers: The Story of Success 4.19 avg rating — 845,711 ratings
48.
The Social Life of Coffee: The Emergence of the British Coffeehouse
The Social Life of Coffee: The Emergence of the British Coffeehouse 3.80 avg rating — 119 ratings
49.
The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring
The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring 4.12 avg rating — 8,852 ratings
50.
The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain
The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain 4.15 avg rating — 393 ratings
51.
Books: A Living History
Books: A Living History 3.98 avg rating — 430 ratings
52.
Clay: The History and Evolution of Humankind's Relationship with Earth's Most Primal Element
Clay: The History and Evolution of Humankind's Relationship with Earth's Most Primal Element 3.67 avg rating — 60 ratings
53.
Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality
Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality 3.98 avg rating — 31,318 ratings
54.
Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors
Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors 3.91 avg rating — 1,240 ratings
55.
Sex in History
Sex in History 3.90 avg rating — 1,174 ratings
56.
Food in History
Food in History 3.97 avg rating — 1,596 ratings
57.
One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw
One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw 3.68 avg rating — 761 ratings
58.
The Tiger in the House: A Cultural History of the Cat (New York Review Books Classics)
The Tiger in the House: A Cultural History of the Cat (New York Review Books Classics) 3.54 avg rating — 278 ratings
59.
The Discoverers: A History of Man's Search to Know His World and Himself
The Discoverers: A History of Man's Search to Know His World and Himself 4.11 avg rating — 11,776 ratings
60.
The Battle for Christmas: A Cultural History of America's Most Cherished Holiday
The Battle for Christmas: A Cultural History of America's Most Cherished Holiday 3.93 avg rating — 1,105 ratings
60.
Cats are not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics
Cats are not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics 3.79 avg rating — 97 ratings
62.
A Natural History of the Senses
A Natural History of the Senses 4.15 avg rating — 7,852 ratings
63.
Rum: The Epic Story Of The Drink That Conquered The World
Rum: The Epic Story Of The Drink That Conquered The World 3.73 avg rating — 83 ratings
64.
Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing
Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing 3.87 avg rating — 2,277 ratings
64.
Pizza: A Slice of American History
Pizza: A Slice of American History 3.51 avg rating — 92 ratings
66.
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus 4.05 avg rating — 93,174 ratings
67.
Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind
Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind 3.82 avg rating — 621 ratings
68.
Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages
Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages 3.62 avg rating — 550 ratings
68.
Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It
Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It 3.72 avg rating — 5,014 ratings
70.
The Riddle of the Compass: The Invention that Changed the World
The Riddle of the Compass: The Invention that Changed the World 3.34 avg rating — 497 ratings
71.
The Coffee House: A Cultural History
The Coffee House: A Cultural History 3.66 avg rating — 175 ratings
72.
Origins and Ancient History of Wine
Origins and Ancient History of Wine 4.11 avg rating — 9 ratings
73.
Victorian London: The Tale of a City 1840-1870
Victorian London: The Tale of a City 1840-1870 4.03 avg rating — 1,432 ratings
74.
Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West
Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West 3.81 avg rating — 234 ratings
75.
Tastes of Paradise
Tastes of Paradise 4.06 avg rating — 1,315 ratings
76.
Bittersweet: The Story of Sugar
Bittersweet: The Story of Sugar 3.52 avg rating — 142 ratings
77.
A Social History of Tea
A Social History of Tea 4.01 avg rating — 140 ratings
78.
Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human 3.88 avg rating — 4,044 ratings
79.
Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos
Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,252 ratings
80.
A History of the Wife
A History of the Wife 3.84 avg rating — 1,635 ratings
81.
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen 4.30 avg rating — 228,771 ratings
82.
The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Human Brain
The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Human Brain 4.01 avg rating — 2,883 ratings
83.
The Eye
The Eye 4.04 avg rating — 187 ratings
84.
99 Drams of Whiskey: The Accidental Hedonist's Quest for the Perfect Shot and the History of the Drink
99 Drams of Whiskey: The Accidental Hedonist's Quest for the Perfect Shot and the History of the Drink 3.39 avg rating — 289 ratings
85.
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
86.
Pagan Britain
Pagan Britain 4.19 avg rating — 452 ratings
87.
The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi, from Samurai to Supermarket
The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi, from Samurai to Supermarket 3.78 avg rating — 2,597 ratings
88.
Civilization and Capitalism 15th-18th Century, Vol. 1: The Structures of Everyday Life
Civilization and Capitalism 15th-18th Century, Vol. 1: The Structures of Everyday Life 4.35 avg rating — 1,711 ratings
89.
The Ties That Bound: Peasant Families in Medieval England
The Ties That Bound: Peasant Families in Medieval England 4.06 avg rating — 461 ratings
89.
On Paper: The Everything of Its Two-Thousand-Year History (ALA Notable Books for Adults)
On Paper: The Everything of Its Two-Thousand-Year History (ALA Notable Books for Adults) 3.93 avg rating — 379 ratings
91.
Coffee: A Dark History
Coffee: A Dark History 3.49 avg rating — 320 ratings
91.
Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating
Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating 4.18 avg rating — 570 ratings
93.
The Man Who Made Lists: Love, Death, Madness, and the Creation of Roget's Thesaurus
The Man Who Made Lists: Love, Death, Madness, and the Creation of Roget's Thesaurus 3.24 avg rating — 677 ratings
94.
The Mead-Hall: The Feasting Tradition in Anglo-Saxon England
The Mead-Hall: The Feasting Tradition in Anglo-Saxon England 4.34 avg rating — 73 ratings
95.
The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England
The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England 4.09 avg rating — 5,667 ratings
96.
Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation
Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation 3.71 avg rating — 1,712 ratings
97.
Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England, 1650-1750
Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England, 1650-1750 3.99 avg rating — 1,810 ratings
98.
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
99.
Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History
Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History 3.97 avg rating — 7,042 ratings
100.
The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World
The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World 3.61 avg rating — 556 ratings
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