Non-Fiction: History

Homebound services pages:

Breaking the Da Vinci Code: Answers to the Questions Everyone's Asking
by Darrell Bock, PH.D.

Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics
by Eleanor Herman

The Jesus Family Tomb: The Discovery, the Investigation, and the Evidence That Could Change History
by Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino

High Noon in the Cold War: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Cuban Missile Crisis
by Max Frankel

Across the Great Divide: Robert Stuart and the Discovery of the Oregon Trail
by Laton McCartney

Mayflower: a Story of Courage, Community, and War
by Nathaniel Philbrick [bestseller]

Blood and Thunder: an epic of the American West
Hampton Sides
The true accounting of Kit Carson's flaws and virtues.

The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid: a Memoir
by Bill Bryson

1776
by David McCullough, winner of the Pulitzer Prize & now a bestseller

A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America
by Stacy Schiff

Sea of Glory: Americas Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842
by Nathaniel Philbrick
In 1838, an enormous expedition headed by the young, brash Lieutenant Charles Wilkes set out for the Pacific Ocean with 6 ships on what would turn out to be a journey of adventure, discovery and controversy.

Robert E. Lee
by Roy Blount, Jr.
Blount delves into Lee's illustrious, scandal-clouded ancestry and why Lincoln's first choice to lead the Union went instead to command the Confederates.

The Right Man: the Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush
by David Frum

Agent 146: the True Story of a Nazi Spy in America
by Erich Gimpel

Measuring America: How an Untamed Wilderness Shaped the United States and Fulfilled the Promise of Democracy
by Andro Linklater

Fraud of the Century: Rutherford B. Hayes, Samuel Tilden, and the Stolen Election of 1876
by Roy Morris, Jr.

To Conquer The Air: The Wright Brothers and the Great Race For Flight
by James Tobin
For years the Wright brothers labored in obscurity, supported only by their family. At that same time, Samuel Langley acquired a rich contract from the U.S. War Department and Smithsonian Institution. Who won?

The Battle of the Atlantic: Hitler's Gray Wolves of the Sea and the Allie's Desperate Struggle to Defeat Them
by Andrew Williams

The Gangs of New York: an Informal History of the Underworld
by Herbert Asbury
Brutal gangs literally swarmed all over NYC in the early 19th century.

The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-Day Sacrifice
by Alex Kershaw
On June 6, 1944, nineteen boys from Bedford, Virginia died in the first bloody minutes of D-Day on the sands of Normandy.

The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror
by Bernard Lewis
Lewis examines the historical roots of the resentments in the Islamic world that are increasingly being expressed in acts of terrorism.

A Hanging Offense: The Strange Affair of the Warship Somers
by Buckner F. Melton, Jr.
The results of an 1842 mutiny gone awry gripped the nation and changed the course of maritime history, leading to the foundation of the U.S. Naval Academy.

The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945
by Michael Beschloss

Let's Roll: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage
by Lisa Beamer with Ken Abraham
Go behind the scenes with United Flight 93 hero Todd Beamer and his wife, Lisa, who were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice...

To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian
by Stephen E. Ambrose
One of the country's most influential historian reflects on his career and celebrates America's spirit.

For Which It Stands: an Acecdotal Biography of the American Flag
by Michael Corcoran

Among The Heroes: United Flight 93 and the Passengers and Crew Who Fought Back
by Jere Longman

The Cell: Inside the 9/11 Plot, and Why the FBI and CIA Failed To Stop It
by John Miller and Michael Stone

September 11: an Oral History
by Dean E. Murphy
Reporter Murphy presents vivid eyewitness accounts to the day that gripped the nation.

Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad That Crossed an Ocean
by Les Standiford

Bush At War
by Bob Woodward
More than one hundred sources and four hours of exclusive interviews with the president reveal his sweeping vision for remaking the world.

Around America: A Tour of Our Magnificent Coastline
by Walter Cronkite

Justice: Crimes, Trials, and Punishments
by Dominick Dunne
Writing about the crimes of the rich and famous for Vanity Fair, Dominick Dunne has borne witness to the often bizarre personalities who surround high-profile cases.

Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team
by Christopher Whitcomb
With breathtaking clarity, Whitcomb describes his journey from civilian to FBI agent and then into the highly competitive Hostage Rescue Team.

See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War On Terrorism
by Robert Baer

Bias: a CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News
by Bernard Goldberg

The Souvenir: A Daughter Discovers Her Father's War
by Louise Steinman
Steinman presents a powerful view of how WWII in the Pacific changed one generation and shaped another.

The Bureau And The Mole
by David A. Vise
The Unmasking of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Dangerous Double Agent in FBI History

Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II
by Jennet Conant

My America: What My Country Means To Me
by 150 Americans from all walks of life

Fire Lover: a True Story
by Joseph Wambaugh
John Leonard Orr was a deviant personality, one of "the most prolific American arsonist of the 20th Century," ...an arson investigator by trade.

Sputnik: the Shock of the Century
by Paul Dickson
In October 1957 as Leave It to Beaver premiered on American TV, the Soviet Union launched the first man-made object into space.

The Flag, the Poet, and the Song: The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner
by Irvin Molotsky
Molotsky brings both legendary and unknown events and figures to vivid life from the flag's seamstress to military heroes.

Profiles in Courage For Our Time
introduced and edited by Caroline Kennedy
". . .for it is in words that deeds live on."

Disaster! The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906
by Dan Kurzman
Drawing on meticulous research and eyewitness accounts, Kurzman re-creates one of the most horrific events of the 20th Century.

The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology
by Simon Winchester
In 1793 William Smith began a 20-year journey to map a world-changing geological discovery that would first land him in debtors prison and later honored by King William IV.

Jefferson's Pillow: The Founding Fathers and the Dilemma of Black Patriotism
by Roger Wilkins
Wilkins explores how class, education, and personality allowed for slavery in a nation where "all men are created equal."

War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals
by David Halberstam
In fascinating detail, Halberstam describes how the Cold War still hangs over American foreign policy and our role as a world power.

The USS Arizona: The Ship, the Men, the Pearl Harbor Attack, and the Symbol That Aroused America
by Joy Waldren Jasper, James P. Delgado, Jim Adams

Love Stories of World War II
Compiled by Larry King
These are the moving stories of men and women who met amid chaos and became the love of one another's lives.

Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages That Shaped Our Recent History
by Kati Marton
Marton explores how both the personal dynamics and public faces of White House marriages have shaped our history.

Islam: A Short History
by Karen Armstrong

Down the Great Unknown: John Wesley Powell's 1869 Journey of Discovery and Tragedy Through the Grand Canyon
by Edward Dolnick

The Englishman's Daughter: A True Story of Love and Betrayal In World War I
by Ben Macintyre

Born To Fly: The Untold Story of the Downed American Reconnaissance Plane
by Shane Osborn with Malcolm McConnell

Medal of Honor: Profiles of America's Military Heroes From the Civil War to the Present
by Allen Mikaelian, with commentary by Mike Wallace

The Floating Brothel: The Extraordinary True Story of an Eighteenth-Century Ship and Its Cargo of Female Convicts
by Sian Rees

Thanks For The Memories, Mr. President
by Helen Thomas
The dean of the White House press corps presents a vivid and personal chronicle covering nine administrations.

Stagecoach: Wells Fargo and The American West
by Philip L. Fradkin
From 1852 to 1918, Wells Fargo served as the principal communications conduit between East and West, contributing to the Union victory in the Civil War and shipping fresh produce via refrigerated express.

Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen
by Bob Greene
More than 6-million weary WWII soldiers en route to their ultimate destinations were treated with the comforts of home by a tiny town.

Salt: a World History
by Mark Kurlansky
Salt has shaped civilizations from the beginning of humankind.

The Natural: the Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton
by Joe Klein
The first work to cut through the gossip, scandals, media hype and emotional turbulence that Clinton always engendered.

Lusitania: an Epic Tragedy
by Diana Preston
On May 7, 1915 the pride of the Cunard Line became the target of a German submarine. The Lusitania sank in 18 minutes, taking 1200 lives, and hastening the U.S. entry into WWI.

The Sea Shall Embrace Them
by David W. Shaw
Eerily similar to the sinking of the Titanic comes the narrative of the frightful loss of life between the Arctic and a smaller vessel

Lincoln's Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural
by Ronald C. White, Jr.
On March 4, 1865, President Lincoln did not offer the North the victory speech it yearned for...he offered a moral framework for peace and reconciliation.

Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden
by Peter L. Bergen
Start reading here for insight into bin Laden's horrific plans!

Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center
by Angus Kress Gillespie
The towers were the tallest man-made structures in New York City when completed in 1976. Here is their story...to 2000.

Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil & Fundamentalism in Central Asia
by Ahmed Rashid
Rashid offers English language readers an authoritative account of the Taliban terrorist organization.

Love, Greg & Lauren
by Greg Manning
On Sept. 11 at One World Trade Center, Lauren Manning was burned over 82.5% of her body. Here is husband Greg's daily journal of e-mails recording Lauren's struggle.

Firehouse
by David Halberstam
Come to understand the culture of the firestation when we follow a crew of 13 on September 11, 2001! Only one survived the day.

Navajo Code Talkers
by Nathan Aaseng
During WWII in the Pacific, a small select group of Navajos communicated in the first unbreakable code in U.S. history.

Citizen McCain
by Elizabeth Drew
Drew is granted unique access to Senator McCain and his closest aides, offering new insights into this complex personality.

Getting Home Before Dark: Stories of Wisdom for All Ages
by Peter J. Dyck

Nickel and Dimed
by Barbara Ahrenreich
How can anyone survive on six to seven dollars an hour? One can if they have more than one job.

Raising The Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the Lost Confederate Submarine
by Brian Hicks and Schuyler Kropf

Diana and Jackie: Maidens, Mothers, Myths
by Jay Mulvaney
The author compares the lives of these 2 twentieth-century icons.

Last Man Down: A Firefighter's Story of Survival and Escape From the World Trade Center
by Richard Picciotto

Joseph Smith
by Robert V. Remini
Smith has remained an enigma to many both inside and outside the Mormon Church he founded.

Taps: Notes From a Nation's Heart
by Richard H. Schneider
No song is more intrinsically woven into the American tapestry than "Taps." Schneider examines the gift of a Union officer to his brave, battle-weary troops.

What Kind of Nation: Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, and The Epic Struggle To Create a United States
by James F. Simon

Heart Of a Soldier: A Story of Love, Heroism, and September 11th
by James B. Stewart

A House In Corfu
by Emma Tennant
This book chronicles island life, celebrating the joy of belonging to a timeless world: the world of vine, olive and sea.

The American Revolution
by Gordon S. Wood