Micro-Histories

What's a microhistory? Basically, it's a study of the past on a very small scale. Looking at the book titles will give you a sense of how small the scale can be! Microhistories have also been described as focusing 'on small incidents, insignificant in themselves, which reveal larger structures.'


Seattle Picks: Microhistories (Seattle PL, WA): About 25 staff-picked books, with author, title, year (almost all were published in 2015 or 2016), and webcat link. Includes Darjeeling: The Colorful and Precarious Fate of the World's Greatest Tea by Jeff Koehler, Lift: Fitness Culture, From Naked Greeks and Acrobats to Jazzercise and Ninja Warriors by Daniel Kunitz, and The Soul of An Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery.

50 Must-Read Microhistory Books (Pierce Alquist, Bookriot): Author, title, summary, and link to buying options for books including Rain: A natural and cultural history by Cynthia Barnett, and perhaps its companion book, Broliogy: A history of the umbrella in life and literature by Marion Rankine, as well as Banana: The fate of the fruit that changed the world by Dan Koeppel and Blood: An epic history of medicine and commerce by Douglass Starr. Nov 2018.

Zeroing In (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Author, title, and webcat link for about 35 "amazing microhistories and intensive historical investigations of intriguing topics." Includes You Could Look It Up: The Reference Shelf from Ancient Babylon to Wikipedia by Jack Lynch, The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum, The Heights of Fashion: A History of the Elevated Shoe by Elizabeth Semmelhack, and The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean. Jan. 2017.

Microhistories (Los Angeles PL, CA): Author, title, book cover, summary and webcat link for about 35 books, in order by title alphabetically, from Banana: the fate of the fruit that changed the world by Dan Koeppel to  Zero: the biography of a dangerous idea by Charles Seife. Updated Dec. 2015.

Microhistories (Waukegan PL, IL): Author, title, book cover, summary, and webcat link for more than 30 titles, including Palimpsest: A History of the Written Word by Matthew Battles, Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott, and Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, With Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas by Brad Thomas Parsons. Updated March 2019.

Microhistories: Histories on a Small Scale (Indian Prairie PL, Darien IL): Author, title, summary, book cover, and webcat link for about 20 books, including The wave: in pursuit of the rogues, freaks, and giants of the ocean by Susan Casey, On the map: a mind-expanding exploration of the way the world looks by Simon Garfield, and Bottlemania  how water went on sale and why we bought it by Elizabeth Royte.

Microhistories and Their Microtitles (Lynn Lobash, NYPL): Author, title, book cover, and webcat link for about 20 books, with a focus on Mark Kurlansky's (Birdseye, Nonviolence, 1968, Salt, and Cod) and Mary Roach's (Grunt, Gulp, Bonk, Spook, Stiff) books. July 2016

Microhistories (Rachel Underwood, Spokane County Library District, WA): 10 books with author, title, summary, and webcat link, including The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff, From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty, and The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World’s Most Coveted Fish by Emily Voigt. May 2019. 

Microhistories: History on a Small Scale (Cecil County PL, Elkton, MD): Author, title, book cover, summary, and webcat link for 9 books, including The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea by Jack E. Davis and Behemoth: A History of the Factory and the Making of the Modern World by Joshua B. Freeman. Summer 2019.

Microhistories: One Topic, One Book, Millions of Details (Hewlett-Woodmere PL, Hewlett, NY): Author, title, summary for about 15 books, including Rust: the longest war by Jonathan Waldman and Color: a natural history of the palette by Victoria Finlay. March 2015.

Microhistories (Falmouth PL, Falmouth, MA): Author, title and some webcat links for about 15 books, including The Marketplace of Revolution : how consumer politics shaped American independence by T.H. Breen and Tears of Mermaids: The Secret Story of Pearls by Stephen G. Bloom. Includes a few titles for kids. 

Library Thing Books Tagged 'Microhistory' (Library Thing): List of books tagged as microhistories, from people's private collections, with links to more information on each book.