An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List
Barbara Tuchman
2 books referenced
Books by Barbara Tuchman
Referenced in 3 episodes
August 27, 2025
Context:
Tom mentions this was the first book he read about WWI as a child and still holds a candle for it, though he acknowledges historians of the First World War despise it and consider it basically 'a brilliant work of fiction.'
July 25, 2024
Context:
Described as 'her incredibly popular book that JFK loved'; referenced to note that the assassination of Franz Ferdinand gets only about two sentences in it because the focus is on Belgium
July 14, 2024
Context:
Referenced in discussion of how JFK was obsessed with learning lessons from WWI during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Described as a book Kennedy was fascinated by.
Referenced in 2 episodes
April 10, 2023
Context:
Referenced when discussing the arrival of the Black Death in Europe, specifically mentioning 'the description in Barbara Tuchman's book' about a ship pulling into Messina with dead men at the oars. Later cited again regarding her assessment that King John II 'could have served Machiavelli as the model for the anti-prince.'
February 21, 2022
Context:
Dominic mentions this book when introducing the Ballet des Ardents story, saying 'it's been seared on my mind ever since I read Barbara Tuchman's Distant Mirror years and years ago. One of my favorite books when I was about 12.'