The History Channel Presents the Book Sense 76 Top 10 History Books - Spring 2003

Unique and provocative selections from a great diversity of voices...all personally recommended by the independent booksellers of America.

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
by Erik Larson
"Larsen tells the parallel stories of two men racing to meet their destinies: one creating the 1893 Chicago World's Fair against incredible odds, and one becoming America's first real serial killer. The otherworldly beauty and utopian vision of the fair make a stark contrast to the harsh realities of life just a few blocks away where on dark, dirty streets young women were disappearing by the dozens. A completely fascinating read." -- Michele Sulka, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH

• A Top Ten March/April 2003 Book Sense 76 pick!

Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling
By Ross King
"The intersecting worlds of art, war, religion, politics, and personality of 16th century Rome come alive in King's compulsively readable account of Michelangelo's painting of the Sistine Chapel. It's a marvelously detailed portrait of a gifted artist, a changing world, and an astounding work of art." -- Dale Szczeblowski, Concord Bookshop, Concord, MA

• The #1 January/February 2003 Book Sense 76 pick!

The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World
By Ken Alder
"In 1792, two quixotic French astronomers head out from Paris to forge the exact measure of the meter. Too bad one of them made a mistake in his calculations and covered it up, his guilty knowledge driving him crazy. His partner sealed all evidence of the error in a vault at the Paris Observatory, until Alder now reveals this fascinating bit of science and history." -- Barbara Peters, Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale, AZ

• A September/October 2002 Book Sense 76 pick!

Salt: A World History
By Mark Kurlansky
"Leave it to Kurlansky to take an ordinary item like salt and make it utterly fascinating. Who knew how much of our world was shaped by the need for salt? Wars were fought over it, and civilizations rose and fell because of it. True to form, Kurlansky's book is accessible, far-reaching, and all but un-put-downable." -- Peggy Hailey, BookPeople, Austin, TX

Blue Latitudes: Going Boldly Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before
By Tony Horwitz
"Horwitz provides a fresh look at the at best forgotten, at worst maligned, explorer Captain James Cook. In tracing Cook's voyages around the Pacific and his return home to Yorkshire and London, Horwitz not only educates you about a great man, but entertains you every page of the way." -- Barry Johnson, Books at Stonehenge, Raleigh, NC

• A September/October 2002 Book Sense 76 pick!
• Read our interview with Tony Horwitz!

An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943
By Rick Atkinson
"A detailed history of the American army in its first battle on the shores of North Africa. It is not a part of World War II history that is often told, and the author makes the misjudgments made by Eisenhower, Marshall, and their subordinates, very vivid." -- Pat Kehde, The Raven Bookstore, Lawrence, KS

• A January/February 2003 Book Sense 76 pick!

The Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Building of the Railroad That Crossed the Ocean
By Les Standiford
"Flagler invested his riches in a fantastic dream: to build fabulous hotels and a railroad down the coast of Florida, all the way to Key West. The story of the men and women who aided in this dream and the harsh landscape they had to overcome is fascinating." –– Barbara Hoagland, The King's English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT

• A November/December 2002 Book Sense 76 pick!