The Origins of American Slavery (Betty Wood)

Role of English colonies in slave trade.

Victory: An Island Tale (Joseph Conrad, 1915)

European businessman living in Indonesia travels to a town on some island to do whatever business; saves a girl (playing in the hotel band) from an attacker and takes her back to the island where he lives; they fall in love.  The attacker seeks revenge, including via sending three guys to the protagonist's island to kill him. 

The Bridge at No Gun Ri (Charles Hanley et al)

Difficult situation in Korean War.

A Brilliant Solution (Carol Berkin)

Constitutional convention.  The Constitution as written is a marvel.

August 1914 (Alexander Solzenitsyn)

Battle of Tannenbaum.  Solzenitsyn writes wonderfully.

Lords of the Horizons (Jason Goodwin)

Introductory re Ottoman Empire.

Hard Times (Charles Dickens, 1854)

Charles Gradgrind insisting on "facts" to his children; Josiah Banderby exposed. 

Hirohito and the making of modern Japan (Herbert Bix)

Biography.  Ordinary person; treated as divine; surrender message; cooperation with Allies; relationship with MacArthur.

The First Salute: A View of the America Revolution (Barbara Tuchman, 1988)

Saint Eustatius was a Dutch-held island somewhere in the Caribbean; it was a place where the American colonies were able to purchase arms for their struggle against Britain.  Tuchman writes about a November 1776 incident where somebody in charge at S.E. fired a cannon in salute to an American vessel - this was the first international acknowledgment of the independence of the United States.

Among other consequences:  Britain was quite displeased, leading to problems for the Netherlands (including a temporary takeover of S.E.)

Victorian America (Tom Schlereth)

American history - 1876-1915.  Book touted at Notre Dame.  OK, not great. 

Empire's End (John Keay)

Far East from colonialism to Hong Kong turnover to China.

Africa - a Biography of the Continent (John Reader)

From prehistory to present; thought-provoking and interesting throughout.  But what a mess . . .