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The eye of Justinian

   Popular history books - TESTING

About us

Last modified 22 March 2022

We read history books for fun!

With no affiliation to any publishers, booksellers, authors, librarians, bookbinders, or papermakers we can write independent reviews.

Our mission is to find and review history books that might otherwise get overlooked - hence Emperor Justinian's beady eye peering out at the top of the website 🤨.

Want a bit more detail? Our FAQ page can be found at this link.

📧 Or feel free to email us at: popularhistorybooks@gmail.com

...or keep scrolling down for reviewer bios.

Justinian's beady eye
(Image by Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Meet the reviewing team

Picture of Anthony Webb

Anthony Webb

Founder and Chief Website Officer of popularhistorybooks.com Anthony received his university education at the hands of (arguably) some of the greatest historians of the noughties, before branching out into a totally unrelated actuarial career. His favourite history books are:

After The Ice: A Global Human History, Steven Mithen

Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, Tom Holland

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive, Jared Diamond

Picture of Andy Salisbury

Andy Salisbury

A founding member of the site, Andrew studied not only history but also economics before deciding that both were less rewarding than serving the public as a corporate lawyer. But history literally runs in his veins: Andrew is a distant great nephew of the famous Victorian statesman Lord Salisbury. His favourite history books are:

The English and Their History, Robert Tombs

History of Western Philosophy, Betrand Russell

The World of Late Antiquity, Peter Brown

Picture of Maddox von Ranke

Maddox von Ranke

Although his first love was numbers, history was always a close second for Maddox. He could often be seen darting into a maths lecture with a copy of “Secret missions of World War 2” or “SOE Tactics” poking out of the pocket of his duffel coat. This concealed obsession continues through to today as he looks to grapple with new history books on our readers’ behalf. Favourite history books:

Byzantium: The Apogee, John Julius Norwich

Silk Roads, Peter Frankopan

Massacre At Montsegur, Zoe Oldenbourg

Picture of Adrian Webb

Adrian Webb

Lawyer by day, musician by night, family man in the morning, and one-time amateur squash sports-journalist, Adrian was first introduced to contemporary history through a powerful but ultimately debilitating Beatles obsession in the mid-1990s. After completing a history degree he spent two decades in the historical wilderness, before returning to form with this website. Favourite books (and other key links) are:

Churchill: A Biography, Roy Jenkins

Winston Churchill, Henry Pelling

Winston Churchill Quotations, Winston Churchill

Ade Webb music, (🎵 on YouTube)

Amateur squash sports-journalism, (🎾 unofficial archive)

Picture of Jenny Blakeley

Jenny Blakeley

Jenny has always had a keen interest in the past, having lived there for almost all of her life. Moreover she enthusiastically indulges in several pastimes including knitting, rope craft and dungeons & dragons. She also enjoys the occasional history book.