References for readers of classics and historical fiction
Explore our curated list of classic and historical fiction books—essential references for readers seeking timeless literature and immersive historical narratives.
Book
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew
by Daniel Pool
Essays provide a view of British life during the nineteenth century.
Book
An Elegant Madness
by Venetia Murray
The Regency period was one of the most turbulent ages in British history, one that spanned the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, that witnessed …
Book
English Society in the 18th Century
by Roy Porter
This text offers a picture of eighteenth-century England. It ranges from princes to paupers, and from the metropolis to smallest hamlet. It offers vivid images …
Book
The Regency Underworld
by Donald A. Low
This is the second revised edition of 'Thieve's Kitchen: Regency Underworld', detailing the underworld, where crime and vice flourished, in Regency England. The book presents …
Book
1700
by Maureen Waller
More than a capital city, Londoners had witnessed the unthinkable - the public execution of a king at Whitehall. Thousands had died in the Plague …
Book
Tudor Women
by Alison Plowden
"In this book the women of the royal family are the central characters; the royal women set the style and between them they provide a …
Book
The Victorian Underworld
by Donald Thomas
William Makepeace Thackeray once wrote that the wonders of the Victorian underworld "have been lying by your door and mine ever since we had a …
Book
In the Wake of the Plague
by Norman F. Cantor
The Black Death was the fourteenth century's equivalent of a nuclear war. It wiped out one-third of Europe's population, takingmillion lives. And yet, most of …
Book
Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages
by Frances Gies
From bestselling historians Frances and Joseph Gies, authors of the classic “Medieval Life” series, comes this compelling, lucid, and highly readable account of the family …
Book
Castles and Fortresses
by Robin S. Oggins
Leads the reader on a tour through the history of the castle, from Europe in the early Middle Ages to North America in the twentieth …
Book
Anatomy of the Castle
by John Gibson
This volume traces the origins of castles -- the fortified structures that were built by nobility in Europe and the Middle East, during the Middle …
Book
The Medieval Cathedral
by William W. Lace
This book discusses the history of the medieval cathedrals, products of more than a thousand years of both religious and architectural evolution, that were built …
Book
The Medieval Castle
by Don Nardo
Describes how medieval castles were built and examines the daily lives of those inhabiting them.
Book
Life in a Medieval Castle
by Joseph Gies
Learn about the facts behind the myths of what castle life in the Middle Ages was all about.
Book
Life in a Medieval City
by Frances Gies
For students, researchers, and history lovers, a look at day-to-day life in a rarely explored era. "About life and death, midwives and funerals, business, books …
Book
Medieval and Early Renaissance Medicine
by Nancy G. Siraisi
Western Europe supported a highly developed and diverse medical community in the late medieval and early Renaissance periods. In her absorbing history of this complex …
Book
Magic in the Middle Ages
by Richard Kieckhefer
How was magic practised in medieval times? How did it relate to the diverse beliefs and practices that characterised this fascinating period? In Magic in …
Book
The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome
by Chris Scarre
More than fifteen centuries after its fall, the Roman Empire remains one of the most formative influences on the history of Europe. Its physical remains …
Book
Life, Death, and Entertainment in the Roman Empire
by David Stone Potter
"Life, Death, and Entertainment in the Roman Empire gives those who have a general interest in Roman antiquity a starting point informed by the latest …
Book
Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome
by Lesley Adkins
This handy reference provides full access to the 1,200 years of Roman rule from the 8th century B.C. to the 5th century A.D., including information …
Book
The Ancient City
by Peter Connolly
Recreates the public buildings, temples, shops, and houses of ancient Athens and Rome, providing a window through which to look at the development of the …
Book
Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves
by Sarah Pomeroy
"The first general treatment of women in the ancient world to reflect the critical insights of modern feminism. Though much debated, its position as the …