Best Dark History Books
History is far darker than any textbook will ever admit. These are the best dark history books — unflinching accounts of atrocities, cover-ups, and the brutal realities of the past — ranked by readers who wanted the full truth.
- 1
Anne Frank
(62,000 reviews)Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl is among the most enduring documents of the twentieth century. Since its publication in 1947, it has been read by tens of…
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Corrie ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill, John Sherrill
(45,000 reviews)This 35th anniversary edition of a bestselling book recounts Corrie tenBoom's horrific experiences in Hitler's concentration camps, explains how she survived, a…
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Vincent Bugliosi, Curt Gentry
(25,000 reviews)The prosecution of Charles Manson and his followers for the murders of Sharon Tate and six other people was a defining event in American history. Vincent Buglio…
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Stephen E. Ambrose
(24,000 reviews)In the summer of 1942, 506 young men from across America came together in the hills of Georgia to form E Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airbo…
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Stephen E. Ambrose
(8,500 reviews)Now illustrated with an extraordinary collection of over 125 photos, Stephen E. Ambrose’s D-Day is the definitive history of World War II’s most pivotal bat…
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Iris Chang
(5,000 reviews)The shocking story of the Japanese invasion of the ancient city of Nanking, where more than 300,000 Chinese civilians were tortured, raped, and killed, is told …
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Christopher R. Browning
(4,200 reviews)In March 1942, approximately 75 to 80 percent of all victims of the Holocaust were still alive. Eleven months later, 75 to 80 percent were dead — the result, …
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Daniel Jonah Goldhagen
(3,800 reviews)This groundbreaking international bestseller lays to rest many myths about the Holocaust: that Germans were ignorant of the mass destruction of Jews, that the k…
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Skriuwer.com
(75 reviews)Japan spent centuries in deliberate isolation, developing one of the most distinctive civilizations on earth, and then in the space of a few decades transformed…
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Skriuwer.com
(74 reviews)This is not a children's dinosaur book. It's a look at prehistoric life as it actually was: violent, bizarre, and far more frightening than anything Hollywood h…
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Skriuwer.com
(73 reviews)America teaches its own history better than most countries. The problem is what gets left out. This book covers the episodes that don't fit neatly into the nati…
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Skriuwer.com
(70 reviews)Greek mythology is often presented through its heroes, quests, and epic battles. This book looks at the other side: the cruelty, punishment, betrayal, and moral…
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Skriuwer.com
(68 reviews)The Vikings didn't just raid. They traded across three continents, founded cities, established legal systems, discovered North America 500 years before Columbus…
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Skriuwer.com
(67 reviews)The Bible is the most printed book in human history, and most people who own one have never been told the full story of how it was actually assembled, what was …
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Skriuwer.com
(66 reviews)The Talmud is one of the most studied and debated religious texts in history, and certain passages within it have sparked controversies, censorship battles, and…
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