I’m looking for interesting books that are first hand accounts of history. Mainly things like journals or diaries.
Ex) journal of Privateer Jean Lafitte (its been translated into english)
can anyone give me some other good suggestions? perhaps any well known journals kept by spanish conquisadors as they explored the new world or south america?
perhaps many other books that I have no idea about.
William Bradford! The whole Thanksgiving vs. Communism part is the best.
Xenophon, The Persian Expodition
Julius Ceasar, The Gallic Wars
George Orwell - Homage to Catalonia
his first hand experience of the Spanish civil war.
Leo Tolstoy - Hadji Murad
mostly true about his experience fighting in the Caucusus against the Chechens.
Jean Froissart - Chronicles
the first type of journalism; about the 100 years war between England and France
Josephus - Jewish Wars
first hand account of Jewish vs. Roman battles around the time of Jesus.
Frederick Douglass - Narrative of the Life of…
self explanatory
Marjane Satrapi - Persepolis I and II
war between Iran and Iraq; generally account of this time period in Iran.
Karl Hess - Mostly On the Edge
from the mid sixties Republican party to IWW anarchism and beyond. Similar to Rothbard’s “Betrayal of the Right”, but without lamenting anything and he was very close to political power. And a slightly more hippy approach for a time; less economics. Still, very interesting sets of stories. Also comes with the classic essay “Death of Politics”.
Malcolm X autobiography