I actually got into history through visual sources and maps, like Colin McEvedy&#x27;s &quot;Penguin Atlas of Medieval History.&quot; But the history books that I remember really changing my life include Simon Schama&#x27;s &quot;The Embarrassment of Riches&quot; (a fantastic history of the rise and fall of the Dutch empire), Alfred Crosby&#x27;s &quot;Ecological Imperialism&quot; (similar to 1491, but more wide-ranging), and Fernand Braudel&#x27;s Civilization and Capitalism series (the best history books of the 20th century, in my view).<p>I also remember loving John Brewer&#x27;s &quot;The Pleasures of the Imagination: English Culture in the 18th Century&quot; and Mario Biagioli&#x27;s &quot;Galileo Courtier.&quot; Also &quot;Mad Blood Stirring&quot; by Edward Muir, which tackles the question of why 16th century Italian street life was so incredibly violent.<p>Edit: seems apropos to mention that a couple friends of mine are about to launch a site for historians to curate lists of their favorite books on key topics, called Backlist: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;backlist.cc" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;backlist.cc</a>