Good books to read in preparation for studying history

I was wondering if there’s any undergraduate or postgraduate history students that have any recommendations for good historical non-fiction books?

What are some of the best books you have read in preparation for your history degree or whilst you’ve been on your history course?

What are some of your favourite history related books? These could also be autobiographies or biographies of leaders in history, important social figures, politicians etc.

I know for some it’s quite a cliche, but one of my favourite books is ‘Malcolm X’, not just because I find Malcolm very interesting; but for the sheer amount of information on the civil rights movement, racial tensions and social issues, in that book.

I also adore Herbert Asburys ‘The Gangs of New York’, as it captures perfectly the social and cultural history of New York City during the 1800s. Plus, I’m very interested in the history of street gang culture.

I love all history, however my specific areas of interest in the study of history are; The Great War and world war 2- how this affected Britain afterwards, European Revolution and unrest (french revolution, Russian revolution etc), American history: Race Relations, The Civil Rights And Black Panther Movement. I also, have a keen interest in social and cultural aspects of history.