I don't think I even have 50 unread books that I own.

I think Georgette Heyer’s books are terrific. After reading The Conqueror, I started reading about that time period. I find her writing so good. She grabs the reader from the start. Her The Infamous Army is very good as well.

Love your videos!

I read The Last Days of Pompey! I liked it.

Another wonderful historical fiction book is King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett and of course her Niccolo and Lymond series. Top notch writing and research.

I read Epitaph earlier this year based on previous recommendations by you in some videos. I knew it would be really good, but, like you, I was completely blown away by just how fantastic it was.

I loved The Makioka Sisters. Wonderful book!

I just finished Ivanhoe and i was surprised how entertaining it is. I was expecting a dry and boring experience since it is 200 years old but there was so much action and drama in it. It felt a lot like a good game of thrones season and i think GRRM definitely was influenced by Ivanhoe. The language is antiquated but in my opinion this added to the experience, in this case. I can absolutely recommend the book.

I have House of Government with your quote on it!

Another great video. I love historical fiction, and I got so many recommendations off of this video.

These all sound great!

When my mom passed I got her “library”. Not in the hundreds, but quite a few. My conundrum is that since I didn’t pick any of these I don’t know which to pass on. It’s like being afraid of giving up a real “gem” of a read.

Confession: I absolutely loved the Masters of Rome series as a teenager. Mostly because it was the first time I exposed to the stories of Marius and Sulla, Cicero and Cato, etc, and I was just fascinated by the grand sweeping historical narrative. Even though I agree with you that the dialogue in these books can be really strange. As you say, all the characters do just talk like suburban housewives.

So many great recommendations. I have Pompeii by Robert Harris, per your recommendation, and it's very good.

I've got Ivanhoe on my list. I remember Shogun being a big thing when I was younger because of the Richard Chamberlain TV adaptation. Richard Chamberlain seems to be a common thread on this, what with mention of The Thorn Birds too. That Yuri Slezkine book sounds fascinating.

Really Loved Pompei by Robert Harris and Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire ..could not get into Walter Scott's Rob Roy.. will try again with Ivanhoe. Edith Pargeter /Ellis Peter book are great Historical Fictions. Love the Brother Cadfael series. Also tried reading Bernard Cornwell's Uhtred, could not then.Will try again someday .

I noticed there was no mention of Ancient Egypt on this list! Are there works of historical fiction that you'd put alongside Schiff's Cleopatra?

I really like Sir Walter Scott "The Antiquary" is a great favourite, as isc. I had a Scottish father, so the dialect is seldom a problem, although a new edition with notes is useful. I am slowly working through his works. It is well past time that I reread that two volume biography. Clavell is a gripping writer that I haven't read in decades, something I should remedy.

Antiquated or not, I still love a Walter Scott novel!

Burr by gore vidal is a great historical novel I am re reading it now its very interesting it's vidal at his best

Stop it with the personal attacks! I’ll read my damn books, geez!😂

I could never get into the Masters of Rome series. Not sure if it’s her writing style or the time period…

What about Flashman?