In the German language, the word Geschichte means history.

But it also means story.

People are interested in history because it is the story of where we all came from, of how we got here, and why things are the way they are today. In its widest sense, the story of history explains how human beings evolved from bacteria, formed civilisations, and voted for Brexit.

Here are three great books about history.

I think reading them would equip any person interested in the human story with decent and wide ranging knowledge. Importantly, you’ll get a broad and balanced perspective for the short, long, and evolutionary time scales.

These perspectives comes from curious and intelligent minds, who, between them, cover many different academic disciplines that extend far beyond just “history”.

1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

We start with the most readable book first. It’s also a profound book with many original ideas that will get you thinking.

My favourite thing about this book, though, is how it is written. It’s hard to write informative, great, and easy-to-read books.