LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845 - 1849

Cecil Woodham-Smith

5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier

More like it

Same elegiac register, still history

1 more ↓

  • Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution 1863-1877

    Eric Foner

    A detailed history of the United States from 1863 to 1877. It tracks the political and social shifts following the end of the Civil War.

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    elegiac → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

  • Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison

    Michel Foucault

    A philosophical history examines the shift from public torture to modern prison surveillance. It analyzes how power controls the body.

    elegiac → clinical, still history

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • The Annals of Imperial Rome

    Tacitus1956

    A Roman historian chronicles the reigns of emperors from Tiberius to Nero. He focuses on the corruption of power and the decline of political liberty.

    elegiac → sardonic, still history

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Apollo 8

    Jeffrey Kluger2017

    A chronological account of the 1968 mission to send three men around the moon for the first time.

    elegiac → propulsive, still history

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-3

  • Salt

    Mark Kurlansky2002

    A history of the world told through the production and trade of salt. It covers engineering, taxation, and the rise of empires.

    elegiac → earnest, still history

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-3

  • Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May to September 1787

    Catherine Drinker Bowen1966

    A narrative history of the 1787 Constitutional Convention. It follows the daily debates and personalities of the delegates over one summer.

    elegiac → earnest, still history

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-3

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

    Neil deGrasse Tyson2017

    A summary of the origin of the universe, the laws of physics, and the nature of space and time.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3

  • Steal Like an Artist

    Austin Kleon2012

    A series of short, illustrated principles for creative work. It focuses on remixing existing ideas and establishing productive daily habits.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3

  • Poke the Box

    Seth Godin2011

    A short manifesto encouraging readers to start projects and take initiative. It argues that the greatest risk is staying in place.

    elegiac → earnest

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3

Slower

3 more ↓

  • The Frontier in American History

    Frederick Jackson Turner1920

    A series of essays arguing that the American character and democracy were shaped by the continuous expansion into the western wilderness.

    elegiac → clinical, still history

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-3

  • The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson & Abigail & John Adams

    Lester Jesse Cappon

    The collected letters between three founders over fifty years. They discuss philosophy, politics, and their personal lives as they age.

    elegiac → meditative, still history

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-3

  • The Souls of Black Folk

    W.E.B. Du Bois1903

    A collection of 1903 essays examining the psychological and social effects of racism in America through the concept of double consciousness.

    Same elegiac register, still history

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1