For January, 1book140 Gets Historical

We've been talking about a history month for much of 2011, and January seems like an opportune time, doesn't it? What goes better with snow and blustery winds than a hot cup of cocoa and a damn'd thick, square book? So what kind of history book are we talking about? I'm inclined toward an open interpretation of the theme. Would Vidal Gore's best-seller, 1876, count? Why not? (Actually, I can think of a reason or two, but I'll keep those to myself.) Or perhaps you prefer the recently published Niall Ferguson polemic, Civilization: The West and the Rest? Fair game. For what it's worth, my Platonic ideal of a history book is the Barbara Tuchman classic, A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century. It's rigorously researched, widely acclaimed by other historians, and accessibly written. (Consider it nominated.) But when it comes to nominating, I like to see folks cast a broad net.

Nominations will close on Tuesday, December 27th, and we'll begin voting on Wednesday, December 28th. I know we're running late this month. I apologize for the sloth, bookies. Chalk it up to the egg nog.