Popular European Historical Books
Find historical books written by authors from Europe for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (121)
61.
Renia's Diary : A Holocaust Journal by Renia Spiegel EN
PolandDescription:
The long-hidden diary of a young Polish woman's life during the Holocaust, translated for the first time into English Renia Spiegel was born in 1924 to an upper-middle class Jewish family living in southeastern Poland, near what was at that time the border with Romania. At the start of 1939 Renia began a diary. “I just want a friend. I want somebody to talk to about my everyday worries and joys. Somebody who would feel what I feel, who would believe me, who would never reveal my secrets. A human being can never be such a friend and that’s why I have decided to look for a confidant in the form ... continue
Russia63.
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay EN
FranceDescription:
Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours. Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from... continue
Norway65.
Speak : A Short History of Languages by Tore Janson EN
SwedenDescription:
How does a language come into being, and when does it disappear? What actually happened to Latin? When was English created? Will all people on Earth speak English or Chinese in 200 years from now? These are a few of the questions discussed in A Short History of Languages. It is about how historical conditions shape languages and how languages influence the course of history. The book starts with a discussion of the period of gatherers and hunters, when there was a huge number of languges.It moves on to Greek and Latin, to French and Italian, and naturally includes a full discussion of English.... continue
66.
67.
Tauben im Gras : Roman by Wolfgang Koeppen DE
GermanyDescription:
»Koeppens Werk besteht, wie das von allen Schriftstellern, aus Büchern von sehr unterschiedlicher Bedeutung. Ich schätze besonders den frühen Roman Eine unglückliche Liebe, den Roman Der Tod in Rom und das Fragment Jugend. Für das allerwichtigste Buch von Koeppen halte ich den herrlichen Roman Tauben im Gras, veröffentlicht 1951 und nach wie vor viel zu wenig bekannt. Wer diesen Roman nicht gelesen hat, der solle nicht glauben, er kenne die deutsche Literatur nach 1945.« Marcel Reich-Ranicki
68.
The Atom Station by Halldór Laxness EN
IcelandDescription:
From the Nobel Prize–winning author of Independent People: A biting satire of post-WWII Iceland caught between superpowers at the dawn of the Nuclear Age. When the Americans make an offer to buy Icelandic land to build an atomic war base, a storm of protest is provoked throughout the country, and it is here that Laxness finds the catalyst for his story. Told by a country girl from the north, the novel follows her experiences upon taking up employment as a maid in the house of her Member of Parliament. She finds herself in a world very different to that of her upbringing and, marvelling at the ... continue
69.
The Black Sheep by Honore de Balzac, Honore Balzac EN
Description:
Philippe and Joseph Bridau are two extremely different brothers. The elder, Philippe, is a superficially heroic soldier and adored by their mother Agathe. He is nonetheless a bitter figure, secretly gambling away her savings after a brief but glorious career in Napoleon’s army. His younger brother Joseph, meanwhile, is fundamentally virtuous - but their mother is blinded to his kindness by her disapproval of his life as an artist. Foolish and prejudiced, Agathe lives on unaware that she is being cynically manipulated by her own favourite child, but will she ever discover which of her sons is t... continue
70.
The Body-Snatcher (Fantasy and Horror Classics) by Robert Louis Stevenson EN
Country: Europe / 
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Description:
Author of the timeless Treasure Island (1883), Robert Louis Stevenson is a hugely popular author, and one of the most translated in the world. First published in Pall Mall magazine in December of 1884, 'The Body-Snatcher' is based on characters in the employ of Robert Knox, around the time of the famous Burke and Hare murders. Many of the Gothic romance and horror stories, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and a... continue