Reading List
Start exploring History at degree level
You don't have to do any extra reading before you start your degree, but if you're on the lookout for some reading to help you prepare, why not explore these resources?
Once you've read something, why not share your thoughts on OurWarwick with other prospective future students, and maybe get to know a few of the class of 2021 in advance?
Meanwhile you can also enjoy our Taster Lecture video playlist to get a taste for our teaching.
The Yellow Wallpaper: a 19th-century short story of nervous exhaustion and the perils of women’s ‘rest cures’
The Yellow Wallpaper is a nineteenth-century short story which explores nervous exhaustion and the perils of women’s ‘rest cures’.
In this article in the online journal The Conversation, Professor Hilary Marland shows how a short story written in 1892 sheds light on the relationship between women and mental illness in the late nineteenth century.
Read Hilary Marland on The Yellow Wallpaper
If you liked this, you might also like Hilary Marland's article on Margaret Atwood's novel Alias Grace.
Weighing on us all? Quantification and cultural responses to obesity in NHS Britain
Professor Roberta Bivins, who has been writing a cultural history of the NHS, recommended this article she wrote that sets the current ‘obesity crisis’ into a historical context.
She asks, how do cultures of self-quantification intersect with the modern state, particularly in relation to medical provision and health promotion?
Read Roberta Bivins on obesity in NHS Britain
If the history of medicine is your thing, you can explore more free articles in The Social History of Medicine journal.
See Roberta's Cultural History of the NHS
What Do the Hohenzollerns Deserve?
This article is about the ongoing attempts by members of the German Hohenzollern dynasty to claim compensation for property and artworks lost during World War Two.
Their legal case depends on showing that the family had not ‘given substantial support’ to the Nazis—so historians have proved crucial to both sides.
It’s a really interesting read and shows how disagreements among historians are directly relevant to current political disputes.
Read the 'What Do the Hohenzollerns Deserve?' article
If this interests you, another great book about the twentieth century is Mark Mazower’s Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century (New York, 1999).
A History of Modern Uganda
David Anderson, an expert on the history of Kenya, suggested this book by Richard J. Reid. He writes:
Africa is a continent of more than 50 counties. Its history is rich, complex and immensely varied. Start by getting to know the story of one of Africa’s most important country’s with this lucid and evocative book.
From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation
Dr Lydia Plath, who teaches the history of the USA, recommended Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor’s From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation which comes in a variety of electronic formats.
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
If you’d prefer a novel you may like this ridiculous kitsch melodrama set during the Mexican Revolution. Professor Rebecca Earle, Head of Department, is fond of it because each chapter begins with a recipe, and because Esquivel is an interesting character in her own right; at age 62 she was elected to the Mexican congress.
Voices of Morebath: Reformation & Rebellion in an English Village
Beat Kümin, who teaches a module on the history of taverns, describes this book by Eamon Duffy as:
"A fascinating bottom-up/fly-on-the-wall account of how a small Devon village coped with the many religious transformations of the Tudor period’.
You can also listen to the author talking about his research.
The Birth of the Modern World: Global Connections and Comparisons, 1780-1914 (2004) by CA Bayly,
Remaking the Modern World, Global Connections and Comparisons 1900-2015 (2018) by CA Bayly,
Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History by Michel-Rolph Trouillot
Free Online History of China Module
Professor Anne Gerritsen, one of our experts on Chinese history recommended this free online history of China module, offered through the Harvard University Extension Programme.
Start exploring History at degree level
You don't have to do any extra reading before you start your degree, but if you're on the lookout for some reading to help you prepare, why not explore these resources?
The Yellow Wallpaper: a 19th-century short story of nervous exhaustion and the perils of women’s ‘rest cures’
The Yellow Wallpaper is a nineteenth-century short story which explores nervous exhaustion and the perils of women’s ‘rest cures’.
In this article in the online journal The Conversation, Professor Hilary Marland shows how a short story written in 1892 sheds light on the relationship between women and mental illness in the late nineteenth century.
Read Hilary Marland on The Yellow Wallpaper
If you liked this, you might also like Hilary Marland's article on Margaret Atwood's novel Alias Grace.
Weighing on us all? Quantification and cultural responses to obesity in NHS Britain
Professor Roberta Bivins, who has been writing a cultural history of the NHS, recommended this article she wrote that sets the current ‘obesity crisis’ into a historical context.
She asks, how do cultures of self-quantification intersect with the modern state, particularly in relation to medical provision and health promotion?
Read Roberta Bivins on obesity in NHS Britain
If the history of medicine is your thing, you can explore more free articles in The Social History of Medicine journal.
See Roberta's Cultural History of the NHS
What Do the Hohenzollerns Deserve?
This article is about the ongoing attempts by members of the German Hohenzollern dynasty to claim compensation for property and artworks lost during World War Two.
Their legal case depends on showing that the family had not ‘given substantial support’ to the Nazis—so historians have proved crucial to both sides.
It’s a really interesting read and shows how disagreements among historians are directly relevant to current political disputes.
Read the 'What Do the Hohenzollerns Deserve?' article
If this interests you, another great book about the twentieth century is Mark Mazower’s Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century (New York, 1999).
A History of Modern Uganda
David Anderson, an expert on the history of Kenya, suggested this book by Richard J. Reid. He writes:
Africa is a continent of more than 50 counties. Its history is rich, complex and immensely varied. Start by getting to know the story of one of Africa’s most important country’s with this lucid and evocative book.
From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation
Dr Lydia Plath, who teaches the history of the USA, recommended Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor’s From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation which comes in a variety of electronic formats.
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
If you’d prefer a novel you may like this ridiculous kitsch melodrama set during the Mexican Revolution. Professor Rebecca Earle, Head of Department, is fond of it because each chapter begins with a recipe, and because Esquivel is an interesting character in her own right; at age 62 she was elected to the Mexican congress.
Voices of Morebath: Reformation & Rebellion in an English Village
Beat Kümin, who teaches a module on the history of taverns, describes this book by Eamon Duffy as:
"A fascinating bottom-up/fly-on-the-wall account of how a small Devon village coped with the many religious transformations of the Tudor period’.
You can also listen to the author talking about his research.
The Birth of the Modern World: Global Connections and Comparisons, 1780-1914 (2004) by CA Bayly,
Remaking the Modern World, Global Connections and Comparisons 1900-2015 (2018) by CA Bayly,
Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History by Michel-Rolph Trouillot
Free Online History of China Module
Professor Anne Gerritsen, one of our experts on Chinese history recommended this free online history of China module, offered through the Harvard University Extension Programme.
Once you've read something, why not share your thoughts on OurWarwick with other prospective future students, and maybe get to know a few of the class of 2021 in advance?
Meanwhile you can also enjoy our Taster Lecture video playlist to get a taste for our teaching.