Best books … chosen by Niall Ferguson
British historian Niall Ferguson is a professor at Harvard and the best-selling author of The House of Rothschild and The Pity of War. His latest work, The Ascent of Money, has just b
British historian Niall Ferguson is a professor at Harvard and the best-selling author of The House of Rothschild and The Pity of War. His latest work, The Ascent of Money, has just been published.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Penguin, $16). The best historical novel ever, War and Peace seamlessly moves from great events to private lives, always illuminating the human condition. I first read it as a schoolboy and remember thinking, This man is asking the question I want to address in my life: What is the power that moves nations?
At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O’Brien (Dalkey Archive, $14). The funniest book ever written in English (and a bit of Irish). This sustained exercise in literary parody never falters. My uncle gave it to me for Christmas when I was a teen, but I didn’t get it until my first summer as an Oxford undergraduate, when I cycled around Ireland, subsisting largely on Guinness.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Last Days of Mankind by Karl Kraus (out of print). The play that changed my life: One man’s astonishingly prescient vision of the First World War as a media circus. I’ve seen it staged once—by the Citizens’ Theatre at the Edinburgh Festival—but it works perfectly well on the printed page. After this, I knew I had to learn German and study 20th-century Central Europe.
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon (Everyman’s Library, $60). The greatest work of historical writing, and a master class in irony. It will take Gibbon to do justice to the decline and fall of the American Empire, when it finally comes. Perhaps this future Gibbon will take a similar view of Christianity’s role in the imperial denouement.
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg (Canongate, $11). Everything you want to know about the split personality of Calvinism. It gave me a distinctly uncomfortable insight into my own predicament. A sense of belonging to the predestined godly elect doesn’t necessarily make you a nice person.
Gold and Iron by Fritz Stern (Knopf, $25). We all need role models, and when I started to work on financial history, this book, about “Bismarck, Bleichröder, and the Building of the German Empire,” was mine. Seldom, if ever, has the financial back story of great historical events been so brilliantly illuminated.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Four key tax changes to prepare for in April
The Explainer With time running out, a last-minute checklist could help you make the most of your allowances
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Covid four years on: have we got over the pandemic?
Today's Big Question Brits suffering from both lockdown nostalgia and collective trauma that refuses to go away
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Katespiracy: is the media to blame?
Talking Point Public statement about cancer diagnosis followed weeks of wild speculation and conspiracy theories
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Keith O'Brien's 6 must-read books about significant moments in sports history
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Eig and more
By The Week US Published
-
Lauren Oyler's favorite collection of essays that will leave you deep in thought
Feature The author recommends works by Elif Batuman, Mark Greif, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Rebecca Serle's 6 favorite books about interpersonal relationships
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by J.D. Salinger, Dolly Alderton, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Cristina Henríquez's 6 popular books with historical themes
Feature The novelist recommends works by Min Jin Lee, Kurt Vonnegut, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Mark Greaney's 6 favorite suspenseful books about espionage
Feature The author recommends works by Tom Clancy, John le Carré, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Hisham Matar's 6 favorite books that are part of a collection
Feature The Pulitzer Prize-winning author recommends works by Jean Rhys, Michael Ondaatje, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Yangsze Choo's 6 favorite works about love and human connection
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Cho Nam-Joo, Hiro Arikawa and more
By The Week US Published
-
Kwame Alexander's 6 must-read books about the art of poetry
Feature The poet recommends works by E.E. Cummings, Clint Smith and more
By The Week US Published