This month’s best new history

Don’t miss the best new history from the past month, hand-picked by our editors! Check out this month’s history picks — which include a gripping look at a 19th-century financial crisis, a riveting true story of spies during World War II, and more!

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	A Pulitzer Prize–winning author chronicles the world’s first major financial crisis WHY IT’S READWORTHY: In the 1850s and ’60s, the growth of the bond market led to an unprecedented economic boom — but when the bubble finally burst, the damage was catastrophic Named a most anticipated book of 2026 by Literary Hub, this “exemplary work of economic history” (Kirkus Reviews starred review) sheds new light on a global crisis and the famous family at its center “Contains a wealth of sobering insights that ought to sound a warning in our own hyper-speculative era” (Ron Chernow, author of Alexander Hamilton) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers A landmark history of American division, told through two 17th-century vessels WHY IT’S READWORTHY: With praise from top historians including Jon Meacham, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Brenda Wineapple The White Lion and the Mayflower arrived in North America just a year apart — one carrying enslaved Africans, the other helmed by Pilgrims seeking religious freedom “Captivating… A wonderfully original take on US history” (Publishers Weekly starred review) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers Learn how a vast network of spies helped to carry out one of history’s most consequential murders WHY IT’S READWORTHY: By 1937, an exiled Leon Trotsky thought he was safe in Mexico City — but Soviet agents operating across North America were determined to take him down With unprecedented access to classified documents and unpublished letters from Trotsky’s bodyguards, two espionage experts offer a fresh perspective on a notorious crime Includes dozens of archival photographs, maps of Trotsky’s compound, an exclusive story about the infamous ice axe, and more Learn more... GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers In 1898, a violent insurrection transformed a Southern city for generations to come WHY IT’S READWORTHY: This “powerful new book” (The New York Times) chronicles the white supremacist coup that terrorized the flourishing Black community of Wilmington, North Carolina A New Yorker staff writer interweaves the stories of four families over 125 years, working in collaboration with the living descendants of both victims and perpetrators “An urgent, unsettling history that we need now” (National Book Award–winning author Tiya Miles) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers A lively look at how two storied families have mirrored each other over the years WHY IT’S READWORTHY: “Hallemann’s deeply researched and engaging debut book intertwines the histories of the iconic Kennedy and Windsor dynasties and captivates with its literary quality” (Library Journal starred review) With compelling new details about each family’s scandals, deaths, social calendars, and more, this dual portrait breaks new ground “A meticulous feat of research and reporting that’s also incredibly entertaining to read” (New York Times bestselling author Kate Storey) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers When the Nazis set out to steal priceless artifacts, American scholars teamed up to fight back WHY IT’S READWORTHY: Discover the little-known exploits of the Greek Desk: a group of classicists and archaeologists who went undercover to protect ancient relics A renowned New York Times bestselling author delivers “a cloak-and-dagger World War II tale that reads like an Indiana Jones saga” (New York Times bestselling author Christine Kuehn) “Just when you think you know where this story is going, it grabs you with a surprising conclusion. I was riveted” (New York Times bestselling author Howard Blum) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers A masterful narrative history of the Soviet Union after Stalin WHY IT’S READWORTHY: In the wake of the dictator’s death, the USSR remained autocratic while also granting citizens new political, social, and economic freedoms “Deeply informed… A significant book for anybody who seeks to understand modern Russia” (The Sunday Times) Explores lesser-known aspects of Soviet life that emerged under Khrushchev and beyond, including mass media, leisure, and consumer culture Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers Witness the upheaval of World War II from the vantage point of one famed Parisian hotel WHY IT’S READWORTHY: Follow the Hotel Lutetia’s transformation from bohemian enclave to German military intelligence headquarters to refuge for Holocaust survivors “Extraordinary… An almost cinematic account that will, for many readers, connect figures and episodes in a new way” (Financial Times) An award-winning author offers “a striking immersion into the trauma caused by the Nazi machine” (Publishers Weekly) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers Meet ‘one of the most fascinating figures you have probably never heard of’ (The New York Times Book Review) WHY IT’S READWORTHY: Hampton Sides, author of The Wide Wide Sea, calls this a “thrilling biography-cum-adventure story” Immerse yourself in the life of 18th-century naturalist George Forster, who traveled the seas and wrote passionately against white supremacy and slavery From his beginnings as a 10-year-old botanist to his adventures in the islands of the South Pacific, Forster became an early leading voice in favor of universal human rights Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers
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