The Ten Best History Books of 2025

by Smithsonian Magazine

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10 books

Our favorite titles of the year resurrect overlooked histories and examine how the United States ended up where it is today

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See the source list and commentary at www.smithsonianmag.com

We the People

A History of the U.S. Constitution

Jill Lepore, 2025

The Stolen Crown

Treachery, Deceit, and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty

Tracy Borman, 2025

The Gales of November

The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald

John U. Bacon, 2025

The Trouble of Color

An American Family Memoir

Martha S. Jones, 2025

The Last Dynasty

Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra

Toby Wilkinson, 2025

The Rembrandt Heist

The Story of Criminal Genius, a Stolen Masterpiece, and an Enigmatic Friendship

Anthony M. Amore, 2025

Unabridged

The Thrill of (and Threat to) the Modern Dictionary

Stefan Fatsis, 2025

Medicine River

A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools

Mary Annette Pember, 2025

The Aviator and the Showman

Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon

Laurie Gwen Shapiro, 2025

The Fate of the Day

The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780

Rick Atkinson, 2025