We asked eight much-loved authors to each recommend a couple of historical books for Christmas 2024 to give, receive, or treat yourself to — fiction and non-fiction. There are ideas for history-loving children and teens as well. We hope these suggestions help to inspire your Christmas reading.
Sharon Bennett Connolly
For fiction, it has to be Arthur by Giles Kristian. It is everything you would expect of the legendary King Arthur. The ending is spectacular. You ride with Arthur. You fight with Arthur. You are screaming Arthur’s name as you charge the enemy. It is perfection. If there is only one book you read this year, make sure it is Arthur by Giles Kristian.
And for non-fiction, I can highly recommend Historic Building Mythbusting by James Wright. A fabulous tome that debunks some long-held belief, such as the reason for spiral staircases, witches’ marks, secret tunnels and the use of boiling oil in siege warfare. Forget everything you knew — or thought you knew — about medieval buildings, James Wright firmly dispels the myths in this thoroughly entertaining and informative book.
Sharon Bennett Connolly is an author and historian specialising in the medieval period, with a particular focus on women’s lives. Her previous books include Ladies of Magna Carta: Women of Influence in Thirteenth Century England and Women of the Anarchy. Heroines of the Tudor World was published on 15 June, 2024, and Scotland’s Medieval Queens: From Saint Margaret to Margaret of Denmark comes out on 30 January, 2025. Sharon presents the A Slice of Medieval podcast with Derek Birks.
Tony Bradman
For children’s books, I’d recommend anything any the brilliant Tom Palmer, especially his latest title, The Angel of Grasmere, a thoughtful and gripping tale of the Second World War. I’m also a fan of Hilary Mckay’s The Skylarks’ War, a beautiful story set against the background of the First World War.
And of course, everyone should read Rosemary Sutcliff’s historical fiction at any stage of life. If you haven’t read her yet, start with The Eagle of the Ninth and just keep going…
Tony Bradman has been writing children’s books for longer than he can remember, and these days mostly writes historical fiction, among them Viking Boy, Anglo-Saxon Boy (winner of a Young Quills Award from the Historical Association), and Roman Boy, published earlier this year. He’s currently working on a story set in ancient Greece, so also recommends “the peerless Mary Renault” and her The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea for the teens and grownups.
Jemahl Evans
For the 17th century history buffs among you, I have two fabulous non-fiction books published in the last year that are perfect stocking fillers.
Spycraft: Tricks and Tools of the Dangerous Trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration by Nadine Ackerman and Pete Langman is a perfect guidebook to the techniques used by early modern spies. From invisible ink and secret codes to poisons and nefarious killings, it is a brilliantly-researched and detailed piece of history that I have been pilfering from shamelessly for my novels!
The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England by Jonathan Healey traces the political, religious, social, and technological change that revolutionized British society in the 17th century. Healey’s love of his subject really shines through as he retells the history, high and low, in exquisite detail, whilst making his delightful prose accessible to even the most casual reader.
Jemahl Evans is a novelist and teacher. He’s the author of the Blandford Candy series, which follow the (mis)adventures of a rake and spy through the 1640s to the Restoration. Jemahl’s putting the finishing touches to his next book. He also wrote the Beckett trilogy about the 12th-century chancellor and martyr. When not working, he’s listening to the Delta Blues and walking his border collie up a Welsh mountain.
Essie Fox
The Invention of Charlotte Brontë: Her Last Years and the Scandal That Made Her by Graham Watson. This highly-acclaimed biography of the later years of Charlotte Brontë’s life — and how her legend was formed by others after her death — has been on my shelf for months. I can’t wait to have the time to settle down by the fire and discover all its secrets.
The Haunted Wood. A History of Childhood Reading by Sam Leith. Ancient myths and fairy tales are so often at the core of our darkest adult fictions, and have certainly inspired some novels of my own — which is why I’ll be immersed in its references to the Victorian and Edwardian golden age of children’s stories, along with later modern classics.
Essie Fox is an author and public speaker. She’s particularly interested in ghost stories and the Victorian Gothic, which are in evidence in her novels, including her latest, The Fascination, a Sunday Times bestseller published in paperback on 6 June, 2024. Essie’s other books include Elijah’s Mermaid, The Somnambulist and The Last Days of Leda Grey. She lives in Windsor.
Matthew Harffy
King’s Enemy by Ian Ross. King’s Enemy is the final book in the wonderful de Norton trilogy. Set in the 13th century against the backdrop of Simon de Montfort’s rebellion, Ian Ross masterfully conjures the medieval world in all its rich nuance. There is plenty of action, wonderful heroes and odious villains, and all the while, the world that the characters inhabit just feels real. Starting with Battle Song, the whole trilogy is fabulous with each of the books stand-out novels of the genre.
The Vengeance of Merlin by Steven A McKay. I always look forward to Steven’s books. In the last couple of years, he took a pause from his Warrior Druid of Britain series to pen a trilogy of novels about King Alfred the Great. Good as that trilogy is, it is wonderful to be back in the world of Bellicus the Druid. This is book six of the series and whilst it could be read on its own, I heartily recommend reading all of the stories so far. It is great fun and packed with the action, adventure and the memorable characters we’ve come to expect from McKay. Hopefully I won’t have to wait too long for book seven!
Matthew Harffy is the author of the Bernicia Chronicles, the 10th of which, Shadows of the Slain, was published on 5 December, 2024. He’s also written the A Time for Swords series and a Western, Dark Frontier, out on 4 July, 2024. Matthew also presents the Rock, Paper, Swords! podcast with Steven A McKay. He lives in Wiltshire with his wife, their two daughters, and a slightly mad dog.
Liz Hyder
One of my all-time favourite books for younger readers is A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley. A cracking timeslip historical novel, it tells of Penelope, a teenage girl, who goes to stay in an old country farmhouse and slips back in time to Elizabeth I’s reign, becoming involved in the plot to free Mary Queen of Scots from a nearby manor. It’s thrilling and fascinating, tense but with a dash of romance, and will likely inspire your younger reader to go off and find out more about the real-life facts — and hurrah for that!
I’d also highly recommend Sawbones by Catherine Johnson. One of our finest writers for young people, Johnson’s Sawbones is a masterclass in tension and juicy plot. Set in 18th-century London, it sees young Ezra, a 16 year old rescued from a live of enslavement, apprenticed to a respected surgeon — until his master suddenly dies. He teams up with the wildly charismatic Miss Loveday Finch, daughter of a magician, who is likewise searching for answers about her father’s death. Their journey takes them across London and is a juicy, dark and intriguing mystery, filled with grave-robbers, intrigue, and more. I absolutely loved it.
Liz Hyder is a writer and creative workshop leader. Her latest book is a novel for young adults, The Twelve, published on 12 October, 2024. It’s been shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards Children’s Fiction prize; the winner will be announced on 14 January, 2025. Liz is also the author of the award-winning Bearmouth and of two historical novels for adults, The Gifts and The Illusions. Born in London, she now lives in South Shropshire.
Douglas Jackson
The Hidden Storyteller by Mandy Robotham is an intricately woven tale of a female war correspondent’s search for the truth amid the ruins of post-war Hamburg. The tension is palpable as Georgie Young negotiates the streets of the bombed out city and is drawn into the lives of those who survive amid the rubble. But who can she trust when the shadow of war still hangs over occupier and occupied alike? A superbly-researched, haunting and lyrical read.
Warsaw 1944: Hitler, Himmler and the Crushing of a City by Alexandra Richie. I’ve read a lot of books about wartime Warsaw in the past couple of years, but of all of them this is the most complete. Alexandra Richie paints a picture of a thriving, cosmopolitan city and its inhabitants, who refuse to be cowed by years of brutal Nazi occupation, and then describes in harrowing detail through the testimonies of survivors on both sides how the flawed uprising resulted in massacre and the obliteration of the city, despite unparalleled heroism and sacrifice.
Douglas Jackson is a journalist and the author of 19 novels across three genres, including the acclaimed nine-book Valerius series. His latest project, The Warsaw Quartet, is set against the city’s brutal occupation by the Nazis. The first was Blood Roses, and the latest, Blood Sacrifice, during the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, was published on 14 November, 2024. Doug lives in Scotland.
Sean Lusk
The Glutton by AK Blakemore. A suitable theme for Christmas – this rich, often disturbing, and beautifully written novel set in revolutionary France is inspired by the true story of Tarare, a poor peasant who gains notoriety for his capacity to eat anything at all. A picaresque adventure through the period, framed by scenes with our misunderstood protagonist, ill and confined, watched over by a nun. It’s a glorious read but possibly not recommended on an unduly full stomach!
The King’s Mother by Annie Garthwaite. The superb sequel to Cecily, this follows the four leading women of the Wars of the Roses, telling the fascinating history of their rivalry, and life-or-death struggle for power. Enthralling and moving, readers who enjoyed Cecily will enjoy Annie’s second book even more. But it is absolutely a standalone novel, too, and historical fiction at its best.
Sean Lusk is an award-winning short story writer, winner of the Manchester Fiction Prize among others. His debut historical fiction, the bestselling The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley was featured in BBC Two’s Between the Covers. His second, A Woman of Opinion, about the pioneering writer and feminist Mary Wortley Montagu, was published on 4 July, 2024, and comes out in paperback on 1 May, 2025. He lives in Forres.
I hope you’ve enjoyed our authors’ suggestions for the best historical books for Christmas reading.
If you’d like some ideas for books to read next year, come back on 1 January when we’ll be publishing our round-up of books by HWA authors coming out during 2025. There were over 200 of them in 2024!
Thank you to all the authors who gave their time to suggest Christmas reading books!
You may be interested in some of the Historia features they’ve written about the background to their own books.
Click on their names to see them all; these are just examples.
Sharon Bennett Connolly: Magna Carta’s inspirational women
Tony Bradman: Historical Fiction for Children
Jemahl Evans: Stealing the secret of silk: the first international industrial spies?
Essie Fox: The Victorian theatrical world of mystery and illusion
Matthew Harffy: Battling with history: how to write fight scenes and battles in historical fiction
Liz Hyder: Magicians and film-makers, masters of illusions
Douglas Jackson: Vanity project or lasting legacy – was Hadrian’s Wall worth all the effort?
Sean Lusk: The strange death of the Levant company (and how a clock taught me about it)
Image:
Detail from Interiør med en ung læsende kvinde (Interior with a young woman reading) by Robert Panitzsch, 1930: Wikimedia (public domain)
