[blueconstellation]

Just wondered. At the moment, I quite like S.J Gunn. David Starkey is an excellent writer, but his occasional sexism, although not affecting how good at he is at his job, is still off-putting.

[daviddd!1994]

My new fav is Roger Moorhouse simply also because he is an excellent writer in that he can put across a complex problem simply

[kittyb99]

I personally can't stand Starkey I find him a little patronising, and his books I find tend to skimp on detail. I do quite like Maurice Keen and Christopher Dyer though- the both write really well and make quite good bed time reading!

[King Kebab]

I like Ian Kershaws work on Hitler and the Third Reich. Very accomplished historian.

[MrHayden]

I've always found the enthusiasm of Neil Oliver very infectious, although I don't know if he technically qualifies. The preferred authors I can think of off the top of my head are Ian Mortimer and Else Roesdahl, I love their books! Tout is quite good fun too, I found a 1929 edition of his "Advanced History of Great Britain" which I'm enjoying at the moment.

[When you see it...]

Historians are... well known enough for people to have a favourite? Wow.

[kittyb99]

(Original post by King Kebab)
I like Ian Kershaws work on Hitler and the Third Reich. Very accomplished historian.

Ah he's good- I had to use his two massive volumes of Hitler's biography for my coursework this year, and it was very easy to get along with

[Becca94]

Borris Johnson

[LETSJaM]

(Original post by King Kebab)
I like Ian Kershaws work on Hitler and the Third Reich. Very accomplished historian.

Yeah but nemesis is DENSE! I needed serious will power to get through that.

<3 x

[Jack-Jimmison]

Yeah i've always enjoyed Ian Kershaws writing style, i do like Antony Beever books as well. oh and Norman Davies

[Historophilia]

He appears to have gone off his trolley but some of my favourite books are by Orlando Figes.

And Simon Sebag Montefiore is excellent as well.

William H. McNeill is also brilliant.

[CUFCDan]

(Original post by Historophilia)
He appears to have gone off his trolley but some of my favourite books are by Orlando Figes.

I was going to say him. His book on the Russian Revolution (A People's Tragedy) is quite something. On the other hand, he claims to use all these letters/personal stories within it without actually referencing them (maybe just academic snob?) and it has recently come out that his translations leave a lot to be desired, and some are merely fictitious in other books, primarily The Whisperers. As a story and basic facts it's very well written, but his real historical undertakings in primary sources is dubious.

[Pitt1988]

Couldn't really name many but Gaddis was invaluable while doing a research project related to the Cold War, enjoyed strategies of containment.

[Historiana]

I really don't like David Starkey - I find his manner rude, and his books are mediocre at best.

I really like Helen Rappaport, Simon Sebag Montefiore (who I've met - charming man!) and some Niall Ferguson (although, his attempt to say imperialism was justified because those colonies wouldn't have reached modernity without European influences, is hard to swallow and verging on racist. His Pity of War book is interesting though).

[hyakushiki1234]

My favourite two are Marius Jansen (for his work on the Meiji Restoration in Japan) and Ian Kershaw. Both are absolute masters at what they do.

[Teofilo]

(Original post by Historiana)
I really don't like David Starkey - I find his manner rude, and his books are mediocre at best.

I really like Helen Rappaport, Simon Sebag Montefiore (who I've met - charming man!) and some Niall Ferguson (although, his attempt to say imperialism was justified because those colonies wouldn't have reached modernity without European influences, is hard to swallow and verging on racist. His Pity of War book is interesting though).

I really enjoyed Montefiore's book on Stalin's court. He also has the coolest name of any historian I have come across.

Detlev Peukert and Marc Bloch are undoubtedly the two most influential historians I have read. Thinking about it, Peukert's Weimar Republic is probably one of the most important books I have ever read.

[khaiser turian]

Neil Oliver or David Starkey

[gutenberg]

Recently, I enjoyed Helen Castor's book on England's medieval queens. After that, for modern history, I find Richard Evans, John Lewis Gaddis, Martin Gilbert, and Saul Friedlander's works interesting.

I'm primarily an early modernist though, and I love Eamon Duffy, John Morrill, Tim Harris, Diarmaid MacCulloch, and Christopher Hill's (to name but a few!) works.

[Martyn*]

Gibbon. Of course.

[amberjenkins]

David Irving...

JOKES

I liked Kershaw too he was well balanced and his argument on the 'weak dictator' is the backbone to my stance on Nazi Germany