Category: Free history books

Download Free history books pdf online here – All Free history books are available for free download.

History (from Greek ἱστορία, historia, meaning “inquiry; knowledge acquired by investigation”)[2] is the study of the past.[3 Free history books][4] Events occurring before the invention of writing systems are considered prehistory. “History” is an umbrella term that relates to past events as well as the memory, discovery, collection, organization, presentation, and interpretation of information about these events. Historians place the past in context using historical sources such as written documents, oral accounts, ecological markers, and material objects including art and artifacts. Free history books[5] 

History also includes the academic discipline which uses narrative to describe, examine, question, and analyze a sequence of past events, and investigate the patterns of cause and effect that are related to them.[6][7] Historians seek to understand and represent the past through narratives. They often debate which narrative best explains an event, as well as the significance of different causes and effects. Historians also debate the nature of history and its usefulness by discussing the study of the discipline as an end in itself and as a way of providing “perspective” on the problems of the present.[6][8][9][10]

Stories common to a particular culture, but not supported by external sources (such as the tales surrounding King Arthur), are usually classified as cultural heritage or legends.[11][12] History differs from myth in that it is supported by evidence. However, ancient influences have helped spawn variant interpretations of the nature of history which have evolved over the centuries and continue to change today. Free history books The modern study of history is wide-ranging, and includes the study of specific regions and the study of certain topical or thematic elements of historical investigation. History is often taught as part of primary and secondary education, and the academic study of history is a major discipline in university studies.

History books pull together the facts of events at the time they occurred and can draw us into that time. Not only learning about the events but also providing some very interesting stories. Most of us will have studied some historical texts at school but likely never picked up a book since.

The ebooks in this category cover a huge range of topics and the theme that ties them together is that they tell factual accounts of the time they cover. We can’t know everything about the past as the further back we go there are fewer records but authors try to pull together the evidence that is available and may make some assumptions to fill in gaps. Some books will provide discussion and opinion from the author. Free history books

Herodotus, a 5th-century BC Greek historian is often considered (within the Western tradition) to be the “father of history”,[13] or, the “father of lies”.[14][15] Along with his contemporary Thucydides, he helped form the foundations for the modern study of human history. Their works continue to be read today, and the gap between the culture-focused Herodotus and the military-focused Thucydides remains a point of contention or approach in modern historical writing. In East Asia, a state chronicle, the Spring and Autumn Annals, was known to be compiled from as early as 722 BC although only 2nd-century BC texts have survived.

 

Regions

  • History of Africa begins with the first emergence of modern human beings on the continent, continuing into its modern present as a patchwork of diverse and politically developing nation states. Free history books
  • History of the Americas is the collective history of North and South America, including Central America and the Caribbean.
    • History of North America is the study of the past passed down from generation to generation on the continent in the Earth’s northern and western hemisphere.
    • History of Central America is the study of the past passed down from generation to generation on the continent in the Earth’s western hemisphere.
    • History of the Caribbean begins with the oldest evidence where 7,000-year-old remains have been found.
    • History of South America is the study of the past passed down from generation to generation on the continent in the Earth’s southern and western hemisphere.
  • History of Antarctica emerges from early Western theories of a vast continent, known as Terra Australis, believed to exist in the far south of the globe.
  • History of Australia starts with the documentation of the Makassar trading with Indigenous Australians on Australia’s north coast.
  • History of New Zealand dates back at least 700 years to when it was discovered and settled by Polynesians, who developed a distinct Māori culture centred on kinship links and land. Free history books
  • History of the Pacific Islands covers the history of the islands in the Pacific Ocean.
  • History of Eurasia is the collective history of several distinct peripheral coastal regions: the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe, linked by the interior mass of the Eurasian steppe of Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
    • History of Europe describes the passage of time from humans inhabiting the European continent to the present day.
    • History of Asia can be seen as the collective history of several distinct peripheral coastal regions, East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East linked by the interior mass of the Eurasian steppe.
      • History of East Asia is the study of the past passed down from generation to generation in East Asia.
      • History of the Middle East begins with the earliest civilizations in the region now known as the Middle East that were established around 3000 BC, in Mesopotamia (Iraq).
      • History of India is the study of the past passed down from generation to generation in the Sub-Himalayan region.
      • History of Southeast Asia has been characterized as interaction between regional players and foreign powers.

 

References

  1. ^ George Santayana, “The Life of Reason”, Volume One, p. 82, BiblioLife, ISBN 978-0-559-47806-2
  2. ^ Joseph, Brian; Janda, Richard, eds. (2008) [2004]. The Handbook of Historical Linguistics. Blackwell Publishing. p. 163. ISBN 978-1-4051-2747-9.
  3. ^ “History Definition”. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  4. ^ “What is History & Why Study It?”. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  5. ^ Jump up to:a b Arnold, John H. (2000). History: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 019285352X.
  6. ^ Jump up to:a b Professor Richard J. Evans (2001). “The Two Faces of E.H. Carr”. History in Focus, Issue 2: What is History?. University of London. Archived from the original on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  7. ^ Professor Alun Munslow (2001). “What History Is”. History in Focus, Issue 2: What is History?. University of London. Archived from the original on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  8. ^ Tosh, John (2006). The Pursuit of History (4th ed.). Pearson Education Limited. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-4058-2351-7.
  9. ^ Peter N. Stearns; Peters Seixas; Sam Wineburg, eds. (2000). “Introduction”. Knowing Teaching and Learning History, National and International Perspectives. New York & London: New York University Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-8147-8141-8.
  10. ^ Nash l, Gary B. (2000). “The “Convergence” Paradigm in Studying Early American History in Schools”. In Peter N. Stearns; Peters Seixas; Sam Wineburg (eds.). Knowing Teaching and Learning History, National and International Perspectives. New York & London: New York University Press. pp. 102–115. ISBN 978-0-8147-8141-8.