A tree of knowledge
81 books · 17 gaps · from the Big Bang to the twentieth century
Reading paths
Threads that cut across deep time — thematic syllabi within the tree.
The Scandinavia Syllabus
3 booksThe Norse world across a thousand years — from Viking raiders and the river-kings of the eastern trade routes to the myth and reality of the modern Nordic model.
The Slave Power
6 booksThe through-line of American racial control — from the antebellum Slave Power and the Civil War, through Reconstruction's betrayal and convict leasing, to mass incarceration.
Patriotic America
10 booksAmerican history told from a Whiggish, triumphant angle — the nation as an unfolding promise.
Indigenous America
5 booksThe through-line of Indigenous America, from the first waves of settlement to the last polities standing against the United States.
The Great Divergence
3 booksHow Europe pulled economically ahead of the rest of the world.
The Invention of Europe
5 booksHow Europe colonized itself — the internal frontier — before it began colonizing the world.
Imperial History
6 booksHow Europe went on to colonize the world.
