Not only are the colder months a great time to dive into historical nonfiction, they’re also when we want to find the perfect gift for lots of different readers. Today we’re bringing you some fantastic history and biography titles for nature lovers, art history majors, beauty enthusiasts, and more.
Stay tuned here on the blog for even more recommendations of memoir and narrative nonfiction titles coming soon. Paired with this list, we hope you find the perfect title for every reader on your list. (That includes you, of course!)
12 histories and biographies for every nonfiction lover
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The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World
For the nature lover. Wulf captures Alexander von Humboldt as endlessly passionate, progressive, and impactful in this biography. Though you may not recognize his name, von Humboldt was the father of modern environmentalism and the most famous scientist of his age. Born in the late 18th century, he had a deep love for outdoor exploration and traversed the globe in search of unusual environments. Von Humboldt was friends with Thomas Jefferson, inspired Darwin and Thoreau, and was passionate about helping humans understand our relationship to the natural world. Team members Will and Ginger RAVED about this book! More info →
Ninth Street Women: Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler: Five Painters and the Movement That Changed Modern Art
For the art history major. You don't have to be an art expert to appreciate the way Gabriel weaves the stories of five groundbreaking women artists into a powerful narrative. At a time when women were mainly muses or collectors in the art scene, these artists entered the male-dominated world of abstract art and opened the art world to a new generation of women. Gabriel connects their stories to the larger cultural shifts of post-war America and shares inspiring accounts of what happens when you're brave enough to break all the rules. This 2018 release quickly became required reading for art enthusiasts: I’ve seen it cited frequently in new book acknowledgements as an indispensable source. More info →
Eyeliner: A Cultural History
For the beauty enthusiast. I didn’t know I wanted to read a history account of eyeliner but this proved to be a fascinating read. Hankir traces the role of this cosmetic in our ideas about beauty and power from Nefertiti to Amy Winehouse. Its uses even go beyond make-up, like shielding eyes from the sun or warding off the evil eye. She profiles geishas, drag queens, and nomads, illustrating what eyeliner means to different cultures and the commonality between us all. Don’t be surprised if you feel inspired to up your eyeliner game after reading! More info →
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball
For the sports fan. This lauded biography offers an in-depth look at the life and career of Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose. While it’s an obvious choice for Cincinnatians and Reds fan, this story has much to offer any baseball lover. This March release is especially timely right now because Rose’s death on September 30 of this year reignited conversations about whether he should be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, something that his lifetime ban from baseball made impossible. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Ellen O’Dair. More info →
The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America
For the English major. This entertaining biography doubles as a profile of a fascinating woman and a niche history of the publishing industry from WWII through the early 21st century. While best known for her work with food writers, particularly Julia Child, Jones’s author roster ran deep and wide: she plucked Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl from the slush pile and developed close working relationships with Madhur Jaffrey, Edna Lewis, M.F.K. Fisher, and many more. Meticulously researched and engagingly written, this will hold special appeal for lovers of true tales of formidable women and anyone wishing to understand the editor credited with shaping the contemporary cookbook landscape and an entire generation of food writers. More info →
Giant Robot: Thirty Years of Defining Asian American Pop Culture
For the pop culture nerd. This enormous in-depth coffee table book about Giant Robot, a website and former magazine that celebrates and redefines Asian-American pop culture is beautiful, browsable, and unique. Chronicling their history from zine to store, this features the best articles from the magazine, alongside behind-the-scenes photos and tributes from contributors. Of course this would make a perfect gift for a specific kind of nerd (a term we employ with great affection around here), but it's also a treasure trove of interesting nuggets for nerdy readers of all stripes. Rae Alexandra put it well in her review: this compendium “might look like a coffee table book on the outside, but on the inside, it’s a reflection of how we used to read." More info →
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space
For the history buff. In his 2024 Kirkus Prize-winning narrative, Higginbotham provides a detailed account of the events leading up to and after the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster, which killed all seven people on board. Witnessed by millions on TV, it was a history-defining tragedy and yet much of what happened that day was obscured or forgotten. Higginbotham introduces us to the seven members of the crew, along with others who played an important role, be they whistleblowers, engineers, or those who ignored the warning signs. This is important and engaging reading for those who wish to better understand one of the defining events of a generation. More info →
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
For those seeking vicarious adventure on the high seas. On July 12th, 1776, infamous British explorer Captain James Cook set sail on the HMS Resolution. He would not return: he was killed while trying to take the Hawaiian chief hostage less than three years later. Unlike many of his peers, Cook was known for respecting Indigenous people so how did this happen? Hampton Sides details the thrills and perils of 1700s exploration, Cook’s changing personality on this final voyage, and why his actions led to his demise, leaving a controversial legacy behind. More info →
Smoke and Ashes: Opium’s Hidden Histories
For the biography lover. Opium may be a small plant but it has ties to colonialism, corporations, powerful families and institutions in the US, and contemporary globalism. In this “object biography” of opium, Ghosh explores its economic and cultural impact on Britain, India, and China, and how those effects still linger today. With sweeping scope and intricate detail, Ghosh lays out how the British Empire exported opium from India to China as a way of sustaining the Empire, regardless of the cost of addiction to those they exploited. Literature lovers will notice many cameos of authors through the ages in these pages (Orwell, Kipling, Dickens, and more); R. F. Kuang’s historical fantasy Babel would make an excellent fictional companion to Ghosh’s nonfiction work. More info →
National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home
For the foodie. Not a conventional food history by any means but there’s enough food and history for my taste here (pun intended!). Where do our ideas come from about what constitutes certain cuisines? Von Bremzen sets out to answer that question about the history and future of food from France, Italy, Japan, Spain, Mexico, and Turkey by visiting myriad, restaurants, bars, and family kitchens. Whether talking to Michelin-starred chefs or street vendors, National Dish tells the story of how food traditions are made. The beautiful illustrations really elevate this tasty read. More info →
The Sisterhood: How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture
For the literary insider. Did you know Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Ntozake Shange, June Jordan, Audre Lorde, Margo Jefferson, and other Black women writers were a part of a group known as The Sisterhood? It all began after a gathering in February 1977; the group then went on to meet monthly for the next two years, discussing literature and liberation. They championed each other’s work and ultimately changed the face of writing and institutions in the US. The group was short-lived—disbanding just over two years later in 1979—but its influence is still felt in literary circles and beyond today. More info →
The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA
For the lover of little-known histories (or the Madam Secretary fan!). This sweeping, suspenseful history explores the crucial roles women have played in American spycraft—a story that's gone too long untold. The CIA began in 1947 as a male-dominated institution. Women were hired to type memos, manage expense accounts, and, above all else, keep secrets. These employees used sexism to their advantage, able to move unnoticed wherever intelligence was needed. And they proved that they could do even more, making critical contributions during the Cold War through 9/11. More info →
What are your favorite histories and biographies? Please share in the comments.
P.S. Nerdy nonfiction for readers who love to learn, Informational nonfiction that made a real difference in my life, and 15 absorbing nonfiction books to inspire your inner scientist.
10 comments
Personal History by Katherine Graham though autobiography is excellent as is Theodore Rex about Teddy Roosevelt. Two older books to check out!
Came here to recommend the Katharine Graham book! One of my favorite books
I can’t say how much I loved Ninth Street Women! It is long, but extremely interesting and compelling. I’ve read it twice.
I love this list! I would recommend Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo, which is the story of an enslaved couple in the mid-1800s who disguised themselves and escaped from the South. I also read a couple Jon Krakauer books this past year and found those stories fascinating.
I just started the Friday Afternoon Club, A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne about the life and times of the Didion and Dunne clan. Fascinating.
“The Editor” reminds me of another giant in the publishing world, Ursula Nordstrom of Harper and Row. Her letters were compiled by Leonard Marcus, in “Dear Genius”. Nordstrom was the editor of many children’s books now considered classics:Goodnight Moon, Charlotte’s Web, Where the Wild Things Are, Harold and the Purple Crayon, and The Giving Tree. A fascinating look at a very interesting life!
Anything by Erik Larson.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Keens Goodwin
I am enjoying reading Fabric: The Hidden history of the Material World by Victoria Finlay.
As a sewist, I found Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Clare Hunter fascinating.
Two of my favorites focus on the history of domesticity and eating: Bill Bryson’s At Home and Bee Wilson’s Consider the Fork.
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