If you want some history book recommendations to read during spooky season, then I’ve got some suggestions for you. I have included links to buy copies, but as always do check your local independent bookshops first, if you have them.
Trigger Warning: All these books discuss death and some also discuss extreme violence.
Burying the Dead by Lorraine Evans
*Kindly gifted by Pen & Sword History.
I
will be posting a full review of this book next month, so I won’t give too much
away! Using archaeology to look at burials around the world, this book explores how attitudes, practices and beliefs surrounding death
have continually changed throughout the ages. It also looks at how future burials may take place,
with space on our planet becoming scarce. Link to buy.
Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess
Erzsébet Báthory, Second Edition by Kimberly L. Craft
A book not for the
faint hearted, it discusses torture and violence in detail. We’ve all heard of
the myths surrounding Erzsébet Báthory, the Countess who supposedly bathed in the blood
of her murder victims to stay young. However, this book removes fact from
fiction, and I believe it is the closest we’ll get to knowing what really
happened. Impeccably researched, this biography tells us about the life of Erzsébet and the horrific crimes she and her accomplices committed. Link to buy.
Tollund Man: Gift to the Gods by Christian
Fischer
Tollund Man met a tragic end and was placed in a Danish bog, which preserved
him almost perfectly for thousands of years. Written by the
director of the museum where Tollund Man’s body has resided since his
discovery, it details the latest research undertaken on him and other bog
bodies. This
book is a must have if you are interested in bog bodies, it is packed full of information, photographs, and illustrations. Link to buy.
Famous Last word by Chris Wood
*Kindly gifted by Pen & Sword History.
I took
part in the Bookstagram tour for this book back in August, if you would like to read my full review, it is on my Instagram: @historyart10
This fascinating book is full
of both famous and lesser-known names, how they met their end and what their final
spoken words were. Because it is split up into small sections, it’s the
perfect book to dip in and out of. Famous Last Words is a very enjoyable and sobering read! Link to buy.
Bog Bodies Uncovered by Miranda Aldhouse-Green
A fantastic book that explains the amazing properties of bogs, which have kept the ancient bodies placed into them frozen in time. As well as telling us about the bog bodies discovered so far, it also explains the scientific studies undertaken to learn more about them. Bog Bodies uncovered also explores the theories put forward as to why these people died in such horrific circumstances and why the bodies were placed into the bog after death. Link to buy.
England’s Witchcraft Trials by Willow Winsham
I bought this book a few years ago, it is a really great place to start if you want to learn more about the victims of the witchcraft trials that took place in England and the witchfinders who sought them out. Tip: Don’t skip the notes at the end of the book, they are packed full of information and make for very interesting reading! Link to buy.
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