I am looking to read historical non-fiction. I want to learn encyclopedic information about bygone eras, but I don't want a boring read and I don't want strictly-factual literature. If it exists, I want some kind of writer who will tell me about the culture and the feeling of the people of those times, so I can get a sense for the average person's life in ancient china, etc. I don't want to feel like I am reading wikipedia, because then I might as well just read wikipedia.
Can Veeky Forums recommend me some educational, historical non-fiction writers with some flare? I am interested in ancient greek culture and mythology right now, as well as ancient china/japan/russia.
later but ibn Fadlan and ibn Khaldun are good for learning about Turks, Vikings, and Berbers. Marco Polo has some doubt as to his veracity, but archive.org/stream/textsversionsofj00hakluoft#page/6/mode/2up is a good summary of two westerners who definitely got to the Mongol territories early. The English bits come after the Latin originals, dw but it's not wholly contemporary English either.
Owen Adams
Shit, ibn Batutah for China too. More ducks pls
Connor Rodriguez
Symposium is an entertaining account of a dinner party of intellectuals in ancient Greece, written by and including Plato. The topics mainly focus on ideas of love and is the main source of what we know about love in ancient Greece
Xavier Phillips
post more ducks
Xavier Russell
The things Polo reports directly are trustworthy. It's pretty clear which parts are local legends and which are testimony
Isaiah Jenkins
Some of the doubt is because he doesn't report shit. Iirc he also claims to have friends in high places that don't exist in Chinese records, but he's a good read anyways. He's a bit like Herodotus. You're safer if you're just reading to enjoy the ride, though some of the stuff they report is spot on accurate even where doubt has been cast. This. More ducks.
Lincoln Gomez
...
Isaac Taylor
Here.
Ryder White
:3 >:(
Luis Hernandez
Maybe next time you'll know better to specify living ducks.
Enjoy your dead duck.
Jordan Martin
OP specified cute ducks, it doesn't matter if they're dead and cute. You just don't know cute.
Jason Scott
Well but, I guess you could get a mignon de canard out of that...
Christopher Martin
no, that's you being cute not the duck.
Brody Wright
Second this, it's good fun. Hiccups cures included
Hunter Powell
What about pic related is this any good meant to be about Templars altogether not a secret code
Juan Murphy
...
Nathan Mitchell
I'm loving Coplestone's History of Philosophy.
Ayden Richardson
>down payment sensiblechuckle.gif
Camden White
Henry Pirenne.
Jack Murphy
Now that's a good duck! Anyone got more of them?
As for OP: Maybe you'll find Casanovas Memoirs entertaining.
Eli Garcia
...
Jacob Williams
>being this edgy
Levi Roberts
A rare non-fiction thread appears! Sorry OP, got nothing for you. The Good Earth offered good insight into the life of a peasant in China, but it's fiction.
If I know very little of Philosophy to begin with, would it be a terrible idea to read this?
Cameron Williams
I cried
Logan Torres
...
Jose Cooper
kys
Jacob Wilson
East of Eden if rural Cali gives you a boner.
Seriously though, Vlad Dracula Dragon Prince was refreshing for myself who is picky about historical lit.
