An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

By Episodes

630. Tchaikovsky: LIVE at the Royal Albert Hall

December 29, 2025

What are the complex origins of Russia’s most renowned composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky? What inner conflicts and private contradictions lay behind his romantic music, and how did these...
0 books
629. WWI: The Christmas Truce

December 25, 2025

Did the Christmas Truce - which saw a number of unofficial ceasefires between the combatants of the First World War, during the Christmas of 1914 - really occur, or was it a myth? What is the real...
5 books
628. Jack The Ripper: The Killer Unmasked (Part 5)

December 22, 2025

Who are the prime suspects for the identity of Jack the Ripper? Why did he suddenly halt his hellish killing spree, and never strike again? And, once and for all, who really was Jack the Ripper…?...
6 books
627. Jack The Ripper: From Hell (Part 4)

December 18, 2025

Why was Jack the Ripper’s final murder the most appalling of all? Who was the mysterious Mary-Jane Kelly, his unfortunate victim? And, what enduring impact would his crimes have upon the cultural...
9 books
626. Jack The Ripper: The Killer Strikes Again (Part 3)

December 15, 2025

How did Jack the Ripper manage to strike twice in the same night without getting caught? Did he have an accomplice? And, what chilling clues did the police discover in the wake of the murder…?...
6 books
625. Jack The Ripper: Horror in Whitechapel (Part 2)

December 11, 2025

Who was Jack the Ripper’s second victim, and why was their murder considered the true starting point of his terrifying killing spree? How did the police investigation unfold? And, when and how did...
3 books
The Beatles: The British Invasion, with Conan O’Brien (Part 2)

December 10, 2025

| This episode is available a week early for members of The Rest Is History Club | What happens when fame, drugs, and genius collide? How did the Beatles survive John Lennon’s “more popular than...
0 books
624. Jack The Ripper: History’s Darkest Mystery (Part 1)

December 08, 2025

Was Jack the Ripper the first serial killer of all time? Who was his first victim, and why was the murder so shocking? And, what did the Ripper phenomenon reveal about the anxieties of Victorian...
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5 books
623. The Nazis at War: Churchill’s Finest Hour (Part 4)

December 04, 2025

With Adolf Hitler at the apex of his power during the Second World War, how did he move on Britain? How did Winston Churchill respond? And, would Britain’s airforce triumph over Hitler’s Luftwaffe...
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6 books
The Beatles: The Band that Changed the World, with Conan O’Brien (Part 1)

December 03, 2025

How did four Liverpool teenagers become the most influential band on earth? What made their music and charisma irresistible to a generation? And, how did their ambition and timing spark a cultural...
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2 books
622. The Nazis at War: The Fall of France (Part 3)

December 01, 2025

How did the Battle of Dunkirk unfold in 1940? Why was it one of the key turning points of the Second World War for Hitler and his Nazi regime? And, how did the Allies manage to evade the jaws of...
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6 books
621. The Nazis at War: Blitzkrieg (Part 2)

November 27, 2025

When Hitler’s eye fell on Norway and Denmark, how did he and the Nazis enact their terrible plan of conquest? How did the Allies respond to this western campaign? And, how did the French fare...
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4 books
620. The Nazis at War: Hitler Strikes West (Part 1)

November 24, 2025

What was Adolf Hitler’s next move, after occupying Czechoslovakia in March 1939, and brutally invading Poland that September? Why did the Allies fail to act, despite the Nazis shocking offensive?...
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5 books
619. Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen (Part 4)

November 20, 2025

How was Elizabeth I finally crowned Queen of England, after long years of perilous waiting? Why was her early reign so fraught with danger? Who was William Cecil, Elizabeth’s new secretary, and...
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3 books
618. Elizabeth I: The Shadow of the Tower (Part 3)

November 17, 2025

Why did Elizabeth I’s brother, Henry VIII’s heir, Edward VI, choose his cousin Jane Grey to succeed him, rather than either of his wily Tudor sisters? Later, how did Elizabeth survive the reign of...
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4 books
617. Elizabeth I: Anne Boleyn's Bastard (Part 2)

November 13, 2025

What happened to the infant Elizabeth I following the bloody execution of her mother Anne Boleyn? How did her father Henry VIII and his next four wives treat her? And, what became of Elizabeth...
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3 books
616. Elizabeth I: The Fall of the Axe (Part 1)

November 10, 2025

How did Elizabeth I’s tumultuous early life in the court of her wife murdering father, Henry VIII, influence the rest of her life? What was the nature of the Tudor world she was born into? Why did...
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4 books
RIHC: Disney's Legacy, with Bob Iger

November 07, 2025

What’s the first question people at Disney ask themselves when they have a great idea? How does Bob Iger view his legacy, and does he think Walt Disney would approve of his record? How did Bob...
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0 books
615. Disneyland: The Modern American Utopia

November 06, 2025

Why is Disneyland one of the most influential architectural creations of the 21st century? How did the Second World War impact Disney? And, how is Disneyland inextricably intertwined with the...
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7 books
614. Walt Disney: The Great American Storyteller

November 03, 2025

How did Walt Disney come to found the company that still bears his name, and would change the world forever? How did Disney help to establish American culture as the most dominant culture in the...
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6 books