This December, we’re taking a look back at the many fascinating history books that published this year. From axe murderers to the history of rope, from the biography of Mt. Rushmore to a diverse array of WWII stories, the 2025 Holiday Gift Guide has a book recommendation for every history lover. Organized by general topic, don’t blame us if you find yourself adding both gifts and books to keep to your shopping cart!
History of a Singular Subject
Two-time National Outdoor Book Award-winning author Buddy Levy’s thrilling narrative of polar exploration via airship―and the men who sacrificed everything, including their lives, for science, country, and polar immortality. Named one of Amazon’s Best History Books of 2025!
A brilliant and bloody examination of the axe’s foundational role in human history, from prehistoric violence, to war and executions, to newspaper headlines and popular culture.
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Carpet specialist Dorothy Armstrong tells the stories surrounding twelve of the world’s most fascinating carpets.
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A unique and compelling adventure through the history of rope and its impact on civilization, in the vein of single-subject bestsellers like Salt and Cod.
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From the Pulitzer finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Cobalt Red, The Zorg is the astonishing yet little-known true story of the most consequential slave ship that ever crossed the Atlantic. Named one of Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s Best History Books of 2025!
From the bestselling co-author of Apollo 13 comes the thrilling untold story of the pioneering Gemini program that was instrumental in getting Americans on the moon.
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Just in time to celebrate the monument’s 100th anniversary, A Biography of a Mountain combines history with reportage, bringing the complicated and nuanced story of Mt. Rushmore to life.
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For readers of Thomas Piketty, David Graeber, and Jared Diamond: A bold, provocative, wide-ranging argument about the human idea of progress that offers a new vision of our future.
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World War II History
The incredible untold story of four women who spun the web of deception that helped win World War II.
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Award-winning author Keith Lowe’s newest critical deep-dive into the history of Naples during WWII.
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After decades of silence, the last surviving World War II spy operating in the deadly world of Nazi France, reveals the real, untold story of her time as a secret agent.
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From New York Times bestselling author of Les Parisiennes and That Woman: A Life of Wallis Simpson, this is a powerful and vivid portrait of the women who came together to form an orchestra in order to survive the horrors of Auschwitz.
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From New York Times bestselling author Tom Clavin comes the true story of the deadliest submarine in World War II and the courageous captain who survived torture and imprisonment at the hands of the enemy. Named one of Barnes & Noble’s Best History Books of 2025!
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Historical Figures
A New York Times Editor’s Choice, a biography of Charles Chesnutt, one of the first American authors to write for both Black and white readers.
Timed for the 250th anniversary of America’s revolution and founding: Paul Revere’s heroic ride, newly told with fresh research into little-known aspects of the story Americans have heard since childhood but hardly understood. A USA Today bestseller and one of Barnes & Noble’s Best History Books of 2025!
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanov Sisters comes the story of a courageous young Imperial Grand Duchess who scandalized Europe in search of freedom.
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From the New York Times bestselling Kennedy historian and author of Jackie: Public, Private, Secret comes the other side of the story—her husband’s: JFK: Public, Private, Secret. Named one of Amazon’s Best History books of 2025!
New from the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Nine, a “narrative of unfathomable courage” (Wall Street Journal) about the two women who fell in love in the Ravensbrück concentration camp at the risk of their lives.
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The first major biography of Jeannette Rankin, a groundbreaking suffragist, activist, and the first American woman to hold federal office.
Military/Espionage History
Award-winning author Michael Walsh looks at twelve momentous battles that changed the course of Western history.
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The first literary biography of Tim O’Brien, the preeminent American writer of the war in Vietnam and one of the best writers of his generation, drawing on never-before-seen materials and original interviews.
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The story of a Green Beret commander’s heroism during the Vietnam War, and the long fight to recognize his bravery.
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The inside story of the CIA’s secret mind control project, MKULTRA, using never-before-seen testimony from the perpetrators themselves.
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