"Essential Authors for Periods" Topic

Hi y'all,

Turning to the hive mind. I am looking for more authors to read because honestly my thirst for history is never quenched. Military history in particular. I also want to broaden my horizons. In the past 10 years I've read most of the works of:
Adrian Goldsworthy-Roman history
Allen Guelzo and James Mcpherson-ACW
Alistair Horne-Modern European history
Barbara Tuchman-Various events and eras
John Keegan, Peter Caddick Adams-WWII

For these eras or eras you're passionate about who are your essential authors that I need to go hunt down and read?

Mark Bowden, modern era.

George MacDonald Fraser, Victorian era. Just because it's fiction doesn't mean it isn't true.

You'd think a wargamer with a history degree would be able to remember a few more, so I guess I'm having a senior moment.

Christopher Duffy 18th Century Military History

I like Christian Cameron and his ancient Greek books, The Long War series. Very detailed and enthralling.

For WWII I like the 'Over the Battlefield' books by Ian Daglish.

A seconded for Adrian Goldsworthy Roman books as well.

I have tried to find interesting authors and made a (small !) list:
Dark Age:
- Chris Peers
- Jim Storr
Medieval:
- Jim Bradbury
- Chris Brown
- Richard Brooks
- Kelly DeVries
- Philip A. Haigh (also a wargamer !)
- Steven Runciman
Renaissance:
- Peter Ackroyd
- Christopher Hibbert
- Ian Mortimer
- Stuart Reid
- Stephen Turnbull
17e/18th century:
- Virginia Aksan
- Jeremy Black
- James Falkner
- William J. Wood
Napoleonic:
- David Chandler
- Charles Esdaille
- David Gates
- Henry Lachouque
- Sir Charles Oman
American Civil War:
- Bruce Catton
- Shelby Foote
- Philip Katcher
- Stephen W. Sears
- Michael & Jeff Shaara
- Philip Thomas Tucker
- Eric J. Wittenberg

19th Century general:
- Michael Barthorp
- John Shelton Curtiss
- William Dalrymple
- David Saul
- Mike Snook
Colonial:
- Sir William Churchill
- Byron Farwell
- Richard Holmes
- Ian Knight
- John Laband
- Thomas Pakenham
- Bryan Perrett
First World War:
- Paddy Griffith
- Holger H. Herwig
- Adam Hochschild
- Arthur J. Marder
- Annika Mombauer
- Douglas Porch
- Dennis Showalter
- William Philpott
Interbellum:
- Anthony Beevor
- Robert Lynch
- Robert K. Massie

Of course miles from complete, but perhaps interesting. Suggestion: search for the authors on Amazon for more information !

For Rome, look at Barry Strauss. For Rome and Greece, Anthony Everitt.

For 19th Century – Quintin Barry.

Agree with Duffy.
For Am Civil War James McPherson. Earl Hess.

Marsden E.W. 1969: Greek and Roman artillery. Historical Development. Oxford. Reprinted by Sandpiper, 1999. Indispensable, masterly survey of the historical background and defensive systems.
Marsden E.W. 1971: Greek and Roman artillery. Technical Treatises. Oxford. Reprinted by Sandpiper, 1999. Excellent editions, with English translations and discussion, of the Greek texts of Heron and Philon. Marsden's early death prevented his intended revision of the sections on Vitruvius and the Cheiroballistra.

Modern US military manuals on weapons and organizations, a basic set of primers for wargame designers.

Rifle platoon, Mortar platoon, M204 grenade launcher, Gap crossing (wet and dry), mine clearing to mention but a few.

James R. Arnold for Napoleonic
Gabrielle Esposito seems good for Ancients
Simon Elliot for Ancient Romans.

I like history books by Martin Dougherty, though I cannot vouch for his authenticity. He appears to be someone who can write well and writes about whatever he desires.

Jeff Shaara is my favorite historical fiction writer! I have all of his books. He is historically accurate while writing great stories filled with historical characters.

Richard Holmes wrote some very readable books, mostly about the British army. He was a Colonel in the Territorials and a lecturer at Sandhurst, so he knew his stuff…

link

I would add a few

ACW
Wiley Sword

Colonial
Ian Knight
Michael Barthorp
Phillip Haythornthwaite
Michael Snook
and Donald Featherstone

Samurai
Stephen Turnbull

Novel wise – recommend
Conn Iggulden for Greece, Rome, WoR and Genghis Kahn

+1 Mollinary. Don't forget Kronoskaf for the WSS ( link still building up the information data base ) and the SYW ( link ). In disclosure I'm a member of the Kronoskaf group, so may be extremely biased.

WWII: Antony Beevor and Max Hastings.

General Military History – John Keegan, Barbra Tuchman

AWI- Richard Ketchum, Rick Atkinson, John Buchanan, Christopher Ward, Matthew Spring.

Age of Napoleon – David Chandler, Mike Robinson, Paul Austin, Charles Oman, David Gates, Christopher Duffy.

ACW – Gary Gallagher, Stephen Sears, James McPherson, John Hennessy, Michael Priest, William Davis, David Potter, Edward Porter Alexander, Bruce Catton.

2nd Boer War – Thomas Pakenham, Byron Farwell, Eversley Belfield.

French North Africa – Douglas Porch, Gavin Maxwell, Martin Windrow,

WWI – John Keegan, Barbra Tuchman, Adrian Gilbert, Ian Senior, Jonathan Sutherland, Karl Helfferich.

Interwar: William Shirer

WWII – Rick Atkinson, Richard Frank, Stephen Ambrose, John C. McManus, Jonathan Parshall, William Shirer, Alistair Horne.

Ancient galleys (Mediterranean):

• The Age of Titans by William M. Murray
  
• The Age of the Galley: Mediterranean Oared Vessels Since Pre-Classical Times, a collection of essays by experts in the field, Naval Institute Press, edited by Robert Gardiner
  
• Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World by Lionel Casson. Get the latest edition (1995); this book was originally published in 1971, but updated at least twice with new information.

This topic morphed considerably due to scholarship, archaeology, and experimental archaeology from the 1970s onward, so newer scholarship is usually better informed and more likely to be accurate.

16th C. galley warfare:

Gunpowder and Galleys by John Francis Guilmartin. This is the definitive work on the subject of oared warfare of the Lepanto era, and still hasn't been superceded or even matched elsewhere. Also check out Guilmartin's essays on this topic on his Angelfire homepage while it still exists (he passed away some time ago).

Warships and naval technology in the age of armored warships:

• Literally anything by Norman Friedman or David K. Brown. Pick a book, it's a robust and definitive treatment of its topic.
  
• French Warships in the Age of Steam, 1859-1914 by Stephen S. Roberts is the best English language resource on French ships of the ironclad and pre-dreadnought era I know of. I waited decades for a book like this. Get it before it's out of publication and the price skyrockets.

Warships of the Age of Sail:

• Any book in the Warships in the Age of Sail series, all titled <Nation> Warships in the Age of Sail XXXX-YYYY: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Various authors, various publishers, series still expanding. These are compendiums of descriptions of the various classes and individual ships of the age of broadside-armed sailing warships, and generally include as much specific technical data as can be had about any of them.

Marsden E.W. 1969: Greek and Roman artillery. Historical Development. Oxford. Reprinted by Sandpiper, 1999. Indispensable, masterly survey of the historical background and defensive systems.
Marsden E.W. 1971: Greek and Roman artillery. Technical Treatises. Oxford. Reprinted by Sandpiper, 1999. Excellent editions, with English translations and discussion, of the Greek texts of Heron and Philon. Marsden's early death prevented his intended revision of the sections on Vitruvius and the Cheiroballistra.

These are now on my "must get" list, but… holy cow they're hard to find! And thus, expensive. <grump> Collectibility is an impediment to education.

AWI (American War of Independence):

• With Zeal and With Bayonets Only by Matthew H. Spring. Anglophile but important detailed examination of tactics in the AWI.
  
• Almost A Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence by John Ferling

On the English Civil War, the most readable book I have read is "The King's War" by Dame Veronica Wedgwood. May not be military enough for everyone, but it looks at all the characters and is a beautiful read.