Historical Fiction
From To Kill a Mockingbird to The Things They Carried, from The Pillars Of the Earth to Post Captain,
we can help you find the historical fiction books you are looking for. As the world's largest independent marketplace for new, used and rare books, you always get the best in service and value when you buy from Biblio, and all of your purchases are backed by our return guarantee.
Top Sellers in Historical Fiction
To Kill a Mockingbird is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful and has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on the author's observations of her family and neighbors, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 10 years old. The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with serious issues of rape and racial inequality.
Margaret Mitchell only published one complete novel, but it was quite the book - Gone With the Wind earned her the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 and National Book Award for 1936. The epic romance tale set in and around Atlanta, Georgia during the American Civil War has remained a bestseller, even before the equally popular film starring Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh was made in 1939.
Beloved (1987) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Toni Morrison. Morrison was inspired to write the story after finding a newspaper article about the legal case of Margaret Garner. Garner escaped slavery in Kentucky to the free State of Ohio when U.S. Marshals captured her. To spare her children from being returned to slavery, she killed her two-year-old daughter and attempted to kill her other children. Morrison's novel is set after the Civil War in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sethe was born a slave...
Read more about this item
An epic story of two retired
Texas Rangers on a cattle drive to Montana that is loosely basedon historic
events from the 19th century, the original Lonesome Dove story was written to
be a screenplay called "The Streets of Laredo.” The 1970s film was to be
directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring John Wayne, James Stewart, and Henry
Fonda. However, due to casting issues, the movie was abandoned. Larry McMurtry
later turned the Lonesome Dove script into a full-length Pulitzer Prize-winning
novel. The...
Read more about this item
Jane Eyre is a famous and influential novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre, an Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell". Orphaned as a child, Jane felt like an outcast during her childhood. She was sent by her cruel aunt to a boarding school where she was met with further torment. After the devastating loss of a friend, she finds herself enrolled under a new headmaster at the Lowood School...
Read more about this item
An orphaned young woman working as a maid is swept off her feet by a wealthy widowed Englishman, and quickly married him. But when she arrives at his estate she learns she pales in comparison with his seemingly perfect deceased first wife Rebecca, especially in the eyes of the sinister housekeeper Mrs. Danvers. When Rebecca’s body is found on her shipwrecked boat the dark secrets held by the husband are discovered as well. Rebecca has had many adaptations in film, radio, and television,...
Read more about this item
East of Eden is a novel by John Steinbeck, published in 1952. It tells the multi-generational story of two families, the Hamiltons and the Trasks, in California's Salinas Valley. The novel explores themes of good and evil, love and hate, and the human capacity for both. It also delves into the nature of family dynamics, inheritance, and the American dream. The characters are complex and nuanced, and the novel's narrative structure allows for a deep exploration of their motivations and emotions. East of...
Read more about this item
Wuthering Heights, the only book written by Emily Brontë, and originally published in 1847 by Thomas Cautley Newby under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, is a classic work of English literature. The Brontë sisters are known for classical and important literature, such as Jane Eyre (by Charlotte Brontë) and Agnes Grey (by Anne Brontë). The first edition of Wuthering Heights was first published in three volumes, the first two composed of Wuthering Heights, with the third volume containing Anne...
Read more about this item
by Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. The story was originally serialised in the children's magazine Young Folks under the title The Sea Cook over a period of several months from 1881-82.Traditionally considered a coming-of-age story, Treasure Island is the classic pirate tale, known for its superb atmosphere, character and action. It is one of the most frequently dramatised of all novels. The influence of Treasure Island on popular perception of...
Read more about this item
Written by Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel that follows Manette, a French doctor imprisoned for 18 long years in Paris’s Bastille. Following his release, he goes to live in London with his daughter Lucie, who had never met him and believed him to be dead. Set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution and Reign of Terror, A Tale of Two Cities is a fictitious story that falls both into the historical and adventure genres. The famous book is one of the...
Read more about this item
A Game of Thrones is the first of seven planned novels in A Song of Ice and Fire, an epic fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published in August 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award and was nominated for both the 1998 Nebula Award and 1997 World Fantasy Award. The novella, Blood of the Dragon, comprising the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella. In January 2011 the novel became a New York...
Read more about this item
All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel by German author Erich Maria Remarque. The book is narrated by Paul Bäumer, a young soldier who enlists in the German army during World War I. It follows the experiences of Bäumer and his comrades as they confront the harsh realities of trench warfare and struggle to cope with the physical and psychological trauma of the war. The novel is a powerful and poignant critique of the futility and brutality of war, and its impact on the lives of soldiers who are often...
Read more about this item
Many consider For Whom the Bell Tolls to be author Ernest Hemingway’s finest work. Inspired by Hemingway’s time as a war correspondent for The North American Newspaper Alliance during the Spanish Civil War, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a stark and brutal commentary on the nature of war, sacrifice, and death. In fact, many believe his work is among the best depictions of the Spanish Civil War written. As with some of Hemingway’s other work, many of the characters, experiences, and...
Read more about this item
War and Peace, a Russian novel by Leo Tolstoy, is considered one of the world's greatest works of fiction. It is regarded, along with Anna Karenina (1873–7), as his finest literary achievement. Epic in scale, War and Peace delineates in graphic detail events leading up to Napoleon's invasion of Russia, and the impact of the Napoleonic era on Tsarist society, as seen through the eyes of five Russian aristocratic families. First titled '1805' the first installment was published in the January...
Read more about this item
Outlander is a historical romance novel by Diana Gabaldon. The time-traveling twist made it a popular book (and series) when it was first released in 1991, and it recently regained an audience after a Starz adaptation that premiered in 2014. Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another.In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she innocently touches a boulder in one of...
Read more about this item
Great Expectations is a classic novel by Charles Dickens, published in 1861. It tells the story of Pip, a young orphan boy brought up by his abusive sister and her blacksmith husband in rural England. Pip dreams of becoming a gentleman and escaping poverty, but his life takes a dramatic turn when he receives a large fortune from an anonymous benefactor. As he rises in society, he becomes involved with a host of colorful characters, including the eccentric Miss Havisham and her adopted daughter Estella,...
Read more about this item
The Pillars of the Earth is an historical novel by Welsh author Ken Follett that centers on the building of a Gothic cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England in the mid-twelfth century. Set against the backdrop of The Anarchy after the sinking of a ship containing King Henry I’s only legitimate heir, the story interweaves themes of intrigue, conspiracy, politics and religion as master builder Tom Builder and the visionary Prior Philip build a cathedral over 50 years. An Oprah Book Club...
Read more about this item
The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas, often considered one of Dumas' most popular works alongside The Three Musketeers. The story takes place in France, Italy, and islands in the Mediterranean during the historical events of the Bourbon Restoration through the reign of Louis-Philippe of France. It tells an incredible story of vengeance, following the journey of a wrongfully imprisoned man.
The New York Times #1 Bestseller. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her foster father, learns to read. Soon she is...
Read more about this item
Anna Karenina is a novel by Leo Tolstoy, published in 1877. The story is set in 19th-century Russia and follows the life of Anna Karenina, a married woman who embarks on an affair with the wealthy Count Vronsky. As their affair becomes more passionate, Anna must grapple with the societal norms and expectations of her time, which view infidelity as a serious transgression. The novel explores themes of love, desire, societal expectations, and the consequences of our actions. It is considered one of the...
Read more about this item
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, is a popular 1876 novel about a young boy growing up in the antebellum South on the Mississippi River in the town of St. Petersberg, based on the town of Hannibal, Missouri.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini tells a captivating story of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, whose lives intertwine amidst the turbulent backdrop of Afghanistan's history. Hosseini's evocative prose takes us on a compelling journey, exploring themes of love, friendship, and resilience in the face of adversity. As the women navigate the oppressive patriarchy, war, and loss, they find solace and strength in their unwavering bond. Through their experiences, the novel sheds light on the harsh...
Read more about this item
The Scarlet Letter: A Romance (1850) is considered the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'masterwork.' A work of historical fiction set in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Puritan settlement of 1642-1949 itells the story of Hester Prynne, who after having a child as a result of an extra-marital affair attempts to live a life of repentance and dignity although she is marked by having to wear a Scarlett A on her person. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and...
Read more about this item
"The Things They Carried" is a powerful and moving collection of interconnected short stories about the experiences of American soldiers during the Vietnam War. Written by Tim O'Brien, a Vietnam veteran himself, the book explores the physical and emotional weight that soldiers carry with them into battle, and the lasting effects that war can have on individuals and society as a whole.Through a series of gripping and often heart-wrenching vignettes, O'Brien delves into themes of memory, trauma, loss, and...
Read more about this item
Historical Fiction Books & Ephemera
The Pillars of the Earth is an historical novel by Welsh author Ken Follett that centers on the building of a Gothic cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England in the mid-twelfth century. Set against the backdrop of The Anarchy after the sinking of a ship containing King Henry I’s only legitimate heir, the story interweaves themes of intrigue, conspiracy, politics and religion as master builder Tom Builder and the visionary Prior Philip build a cathedral over 50 years. An Oprah Book Club...
Read more about this item
Master and Commander is a historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. First published in 1969 (US) (1970 in UK), it is first in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin.
The Killer Angels is a historical novel by Michael Shaara that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975. The book tells the story of four days of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War: June 30, 1863, as the troops of both the Union and the Confederacy move into battle around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and July 1, July 2, and July 3, when the battle was fought. The story is character driven and told from the perspective of various protagonists.
Margaret Mitchell only published one complete novel, but it was quite the book - Gone With the Wind earned her the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 and National Book Award for 1936. The epic romance tale set in and around Atlanta, Georgia during the American Civil War has remained a bestseller, even before the equally popular film starring Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh was made in 1939.
The Plains of Passage is an historical fiction novel by Jean M. Auel published in 1990. It is the sequel to The Mammoth Hunters and fourth in the Earth's Children series.
Ken Follett has 90 million readers worldwide. The Pillars of the Earth is his bestselling book of all time. Now, eighteen years after the publication of The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett has written the most anticipated sequel of the year-World Without End.
JEAN M. AUEL is an international phenomenon. Her books have sold 34 million copies worldwide. Her extensive research has earned her the respect of archaeologists and anthropologists around the world. She lives with her husband, Ray, in Oregon, where she is at work on the next book in the Earth’s Children® series.
Sharpe's Tiger is Bernard Cornwell's return to the Richard Sharpe series of novels, set during his early years in India. This is Cornwell's device to find prequel material for his hero. First published in 1997, more novels were to follow, both in India and the Western theatre of the Napoleonic Wars.
“A glorious example of romance in its most classic literary sense: exhilarating, exuberant, and rich with the jeweled tones of England in the 1300s.” —Austin Chronicle Katherine is an epic novel of a love affair that changed history—that of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the ancestors of most of the British royal family. Set in the vibrant fourteenth century of Chaucer and the Black Death, the story features knights fighting in battle, serfs...
Read more about this item
This historical fiction of the lives of the Boleyn family in the Court of King Henry VIII was published in 2001 by historian Philippa Gregory.
Told through the eyes of Mary Boleyn, Anne's sister, this tale unfolds some of the intrigue and power struggles that filled the Tudor legacy. Heavy on the romance and political intrigue, betrayal and drama, this story was made into a film in 2008.
From Bernard Cornwell, the New York Times bestselling author whom the Washington Post calls "perhaps the greatest writer of historical adventure novels today," comes a saga of blood, rage, fidelity, and betrayal that brings to center stage King Alfred the Great, one of the most crucial (but oft-forgotten) figures in English history. It is King Alfred and his heirs who, in the ninth and tenth centuries, with their backs against the wall, fought to secure the survival of the last outpost of Anglo-Saxon...
Read more about this item
The Far Side of the World (1984) is an historical novel and tenth in the Aubrey-Maturin series. It was first published by HarperCollins in 1984. The novel provided part of the title and some of plot-structure for the 2003 Peter Weir film, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
Jean M. Auel is an international phenomenon. Her Earth's Children® series has sold more than 45 million copies worldwide and includes The Clan of the Cave Bear, The Valley of Horses, The Mammoth Hunters, The Plains of Passage, The Shelters of Stone, and The Land of Painted Caves. Her extensive research has earned her the respect of archaeologists and anthropologists around the world. She has honorary degrees from four universities and was honored by the French government's Ministry of Culture with...
Read more about this item
Unabridged, 24 CDs, 31 hours Read by TBA Ken Follett's World Without End was a global phenomenon, a work of grand historical sweep beloved by millions of readers and acclaimed by critics. Fall of Giants is his magnificent new historical epic.
The bestselling saga that has sold more than 5 million copies. The books that inspired the smash-hit television miniseries. Beautifully repackaged for the Dutton hardcover release of On Secret Service--John Jakes's long-awaited return to the Civil War years...
The true story of the bastard son who made himself a king and the woman who melted his heart.The stirring history of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, who invaded England and became the King. His victory, concluded at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, is known as the Norman Conquest.Known for her exhaustive research and ability to bring past eras to life, bestselling author Georgette Heyer tells the story of William the Conqueror, who became King of England in 1066, and his queen Matilda, the...
Read more about this item
The splendor and danger of ancient Egypt continues in the second volume of this magnificent saga. For Ramses, the Son of Light, the coronation has arrived. Now he will learn whether the friends of his youth--people such as Moses and the aging Greek poet, Homer--can truly be trusted. Shaanar, the young king's scheming older brother, still has designs on the crown, and in the shadows, the machinations of a mysterious sorcerer threaten the throne.