For many, 2022 was a year of momentous change and loss, marked by events that will undoubtedly be discussed in history books for generations to come. Russia invaded Ukraine, launching a war that shows few signs of slowing. Elizabeth II, the long-reigning British queen, died at age 96, marking the end of an era for a once-unparalleled empire. The global death toll for Covid-19 surpassed six million, and in June, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, dealing a significant blow to reproductive rights across the United States.
This year, the ten history books we’ve chosen to highlight serve a dual purpose. Some offer a respite from reality, transporting readers to such varied locales as Renaissance Italy, the Nile River and Yellowstone National Park. Others reflect on the fraught nature of the current moment, detailing how the nation’s past—including the military’s racist treatment of Black World War II soldiers and the government’s collaboration with a Mexican dictator—informs its present and future. From a searing exploration of slavery’s lasting consequences to a dual biography of two European queens, these are some of Smithsonian magazine’s favorite history books of 2022.
