Tired of reading history as a list of dates and battles? This curated selection offers a fresh perspective! Embark on a captivating journey through time, with books that take curious journeys into world history through ever-evolving experiences and key binding elements. From time, motion, language and colour, to oil, food and historic walking— our list of books reveals a past that’s rich, complex, and utterly fascinating.
The Dictionary People by Sarah Ogilvie
Ogilvie’s “The Dictionary People” unearths the fascinating story behind the illustrious and iconic OED: Oxford English Dictionary. Dive into the lives of the unlikely crowd who built this monumental work. From housewives to murderers, it chronicles the interesting and unexpected places that built the language we use today. From the everyday formal, to slang and jargon, as well as forgotten words, this captivating history reveals the quirky characters and surprising origins that define the English Language.
The World According to Colour by James Fox
Immerse yourself in a vibrant exploration of human history through the lens of colour in James Fox’s “The World According to Colour.” This captivating book delves into the symbolic meaning of colours across cultures and periods. From the mourning rituals of ancient Egypt to the scientific breakthroughs of the Renaissance, Fox reveals how colours like red, green, and blue have shaped art, literature, and even our understanding of the world. Prepare to see history in a whole new light, filtered through the fascinating spectrum of colour.
The Hungry Empire by Lizzie Collingham
Forget battleships and flags! “The Hungry Empire” reveals a surprising driver of British imperialism: food. This book explores how Britain’s insatiable appetite for spices, tea, sugar, and hearty meals fueled its global reach. Discover how cod fishing in Newfoundland, vast wheat fields in Canada, and sheep pastures in New Zealand became staples of the British diet, all thanks to the empire’s far-flung network. It’s a fresh perspective on history, showing how a nation’s hunger can reshape the world.
About Time: A History of Civilisation in Twelve Clocks by David Rooney
“About Time” by David Rooney unveils a captivating history of humanity through the fascinating lens of clocks. Travel across continents and centuries, from intricate sundials of Ancient Rome to the atomic clocks guiding our GPS. Witness how these timekeeping marvels not only shaped empires and navigation but also fueled revolutions and even flirted with destruction. Rooney’s exploration of twelve iconic clocks promises a fresh perspective on how we’ve measured, wielded, and even been controlled by time.
Flâneuse: Women Walk the City by Lauren Elkin
“Flâneuse” reclaims the streets for women, as historic spaces defined by historic women and the art that made them just as much as it makes us. Author Lauren Elkin redefines the flâneur, the classic male wanderer, as a “flâneuse” – a resourceful woman exploring the city on foot. Elkin blends memoir with cultural explorations, journeying through Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice, and London. Along the way, we meet inspiring flâneuses like George Sand and Agnes Varda, who defied expectations and found liberation in the urban landscape. This book celebrates the act of walking as a catalyst for creativity and self-discovery and explores our cultural past through the great walks taken by great women.
The Stone Tower by Riaz Dean
Unsolved for millennia, the riddle of the Stone Tower on the Silk Road is tackled in Riaz Dean’s book. This landmark, mentioned by Ptolemy, marked the halfway point for merchants travelling between East and West. Combining history, geography, and ancient maps, Dean attempts to pinpoint the tower’s location and unlock the secrets of this long-lost Silk Road icon.
A Pipeline Runs Through It by Keith Fisher
Dive into the murky depths of oil’s history with “A Pipeline Runs Through It.” This book chronicles humanity’s relationship with oil, from its ancient uses to the dawn of the 20th-century oil industry. Uncover how a natural resource transformed economies, sparked conflict and fueled the rise of empires. Author Keith Fisher explores the dark side of oil’s rise, exposing the exploitation and environmental damage that accompanied its global dominance.
A Brief History of Motion by Tom Standage
Buckle up for a whirlwind ride through history in “A Brief History of Motion.” Author Tom Standage zooms from the revolutionary wheel to the world-changing car, exploring how each transport innovation reshaped our societies and cities. He delves beyond the engine, exploring the social resistance to cars and the environmental impact of our love affair with them. With self-driving vehicles on the horizon, Standage challenges us to reimagine the future of transportation, using the past as our guide.
Pick up any one of these 8 Alternate Histories That Take Curious Journeys Through World History from any Kunzum store or WhatsApp +91.8800200280 to order. Buy the book(s) and the coffee’s on us.