There are parts of the library’s collection that are (rightfully) popular with many library members. However, there is one section of the Library’s collection that is, in my humble opinion, severely underrated, and that is: the history section. 

 Not everyone likes these books. Some have explained to me that as students, they had to read history texts they didn’t like for school and so in personal reading time have little interest in returning to the subject. Others have said that they found the idea of history books dull and lifeless. Despite (perhaps because of) having spent a lot of time reading these books, I am also acutely aware that until recently, historians cared very little about whether their readers fell asleep while reading their prose. Some history books have the most interesting topics and ask fascinating questions yet have the driest writing you have ever experienced in your life.    

Despite all of that, I’m here to tell you that this section is extremely deserving of your perusal for a few reasons.  

First off, let’s get the cliché out of the way – if you don’t know your history you are bound to repeat it. Very few phenomena are entirely new by this point, and so when you have questions about ‘what if this happened or these choices were made,’ there is likely to be proof of concept somewhere in these books. Engaging with history, both the good and the bad, is an important tool in understanding the present and working towards more equitable and sustainable futures.  

Additionally, the roadblock of dry history writing is becoming less and less of a problem in most libraries these days. Now, instead of wading through dusty tomes of academic language that makes your eyes glaze over, you have the option of getting the information you’re looking for narrated in a way that keeps you engaged and invested in the subject.  

Finally, history is full of some truly amazing stories, as interesting or more so than what you can find in the fiction section. Humans are a wild bunch, and there’s so much that people have done that has left a mark on their own societies and those that came after them. Additionally, while time changes things and sometimes the past seems like a totally different world, people have always been people, and you’d be surprised at how relatable someone from hundreds of years ago can be. It’s incredible that we have the opportunity to learn about these individuals and moments in time that are both so foreign and so familiar, and that still have an impact on the modern world. 

Here are just a few examples of what The Library has to offer:  

• Vikings are everywhere in media these days so if you would like to learn more about what real Vikings were like, look at: Children of ash and elm : a history of the Vikings by Neil Price. 

• Do you like Egyptian history? Try: When women ruled the world : six queens of Egypt by Kara Cooney  

• I can’t have been the only person who was more into the Titanic at age 9 than a 3rd grader had any right to be, so for anyone else who had a Titanic phase: Titanic : a journey through time by John P. Eaton and Charles A. Haas.  

• An Illustrated collection of historical ladies from all over the world who kicked butt, what’s not to like:  Rejected princesses : tales of history’s boldest heroines, hellions, and heretics by Jason Porath. 

• If you’d like to learn about some of the little-known but truly incredible Black history to come out of Pittsburgh, check out:  Smoketown: the untold story of the other great Black Renaissance by Mark Whitaker 

• Also centered in PA, check out some local queer history:  Out in central Pennsylvania : the history of an LGBTQ community by William Burton with Barry Loveland. 

• For anyone interested in the Crusades, this is very highly rated: The Crusades : the authoritative history of the war for the Holy Land by Thomas Asbridge. 

• What do you know about Persian history? Probably not a lot, because it’s not widely taught, which is too bad because it’s super interesting! So, take a gander at: Persians : the age of the great kings by Lloyd Llewellyn Jones.    

If none of these titles strike your fancy but you are inclined to peruse the rest of DCLS’s historical nonfiction offerings, you can find the bulk of the books in the 900’s, but there are also a few select subjects in the 300s. Please always feel free to ask library staff if there is something more specific you are interested in.