Gift Suggestions for
HISTORY BUFFS

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 FORESTER, C.S. The Horatio Hornblower series  is action-adventure on the high seas during the Napoleonic era and its aftermath, chronicling the rise of a courageous, always inventive hero from a raw recruit to the highest rank.

1 = Mr. Midshipman Hornblower.
2 = Lieutenant Hornblower.
3 = Hornblower and the Hotspur
4 = Hornblower During the Crisis.
5 = Hornblower and the Atropos.
6 =  Beat to Quarters.
7 = Ship of the Line.
8 = Hornblower:Flying Colours.
9 = Hornblower: Commodore Hornblower.
10 = Lord Hornblower.
11 = Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies.

The Hornblower Companion, with maps and drawings by Samuel H. Bryant, is useful for visualizing Hornblower's battles and travels. Don't read the notes facing the maps until you've finished the book in question: now and then they give away a plot twist. Pages 69-140 include Forester's very interesting account of how he developed the Hornblower character and series.

The six episodes made by A&E, packaged as Horatio Hornblower - The Complete Adventures, are a fine adaptation of the first book in the series. 

GORDON, John Steele. A Thread Across the Ocean: The Heroic  Story of the Transatlantic Cable. In the 1850s, doing business abroad still meant traveling there, since there was no overseas communication. Gordon tells the fascinating story of the laying of the first transatlantic cable in 1866, which was the engineering feat of the century (little was known about the ocean’s floor or about the type of cable necessary to withstand its pressures), as well as one of the most expensive business projects to that time.

GREENE, Liza M. New York for New Yorkers: A Historical  Treasury and Guide to the Buildings and Monuments of Manhattan. 2nd ed. Tracks the history of architecture in New York City from its foundation in the early 17th century to the present, through a chronological survey of New York’s important monuments, buildings and sculptures. Over 600 small color photos with 2-3 sentences about each item.

LOON, Willem van. The Story of Mankind. An entertaining, well-written narrative history of the human race, from 500,000 BC to the present. Although aimed at children, it's written in such an engaging way that it's useful for adults who want to fill in the gaps in their education. (I used it as a homeschool history text with my 8-year-old daughter, and we both benefited.) The Story of Mankind won the Newbery Medal for children's books in 1922, the first year the Medal was awarded.

MANCHESTER, William. A World Lit Only by Fire. Brilliant, gripping and startlingly vivid view of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance.