Read by Dan Carlin
What books does Dan Carlin recommend?
Every episode of Hardcore History leaves a research trail, and Dan Carlin's book recommendations are essentially that trail laid bare, the sources behind the podcast that turned meticulous storytelling into a phenomenon. His 38 titles are drawn from the reading lists behind series like Blueprint for Armageddon and Supernova in the East, his Twitter feed, and his website, and, as you would expect, they are dominated by history and society and politics, with strong showings in biographies and memoirs and science and technology. His top picks lean toward war and its machinery: Fred Kaplan's The Wizards of Armageddon, Adam Tooze's The Wages of Destruction, Martha Gellhorn's The Face of War, and Annie Jacobsen's Nuclear War: A Scenario. Carlin is also the author of The End Is Always Near, which extends his fascination with catastrophe and human resilience across the sweep of history.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
The Wizards of Armageddon
The Untold Story of the Men Who Devised the Plans and Shaped the Policies on How to Use the Bomb
byFred Kaplan
1991456 Pages“It's great. Also check out his other fantastic book... which details the attempts to get great intelligences together to try to formulate how to deal with these unbelievably powerful weapons.”
— Dan Carlin
Source: Dan Carlin's Twitter (@HardcoreHistory)
Read by Elon Musk, Dan Carlin
The Wages of Destruction
The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy
byAdam Tooze
2006848 Pages“This book is important because there are still a lot of misconceptions that Hitler improved Germany's economy... This idea is 100% false, and it is thoroughly torn apart in the book.”
— Dan Carlin
Source: Hardcore History Addendum: Ep 17 'Engineering Victory with Elon'
Read by Dan Carlin
byMartha Gellhorn
2018512 Pages“Her book 'The Face of War' is a great read. I remember her saying something like: politicians and generals are the same in every nation (personality-type wise) regardless of the type of political system.”
— Dan Carlin
Source: Dan Carlin's Twitter (@HardcoreHistory)
Read by Dan Carlin
byAnnie Jacobsen
2024400 PagesSource: https://dancarlin.com/product/ep-29-the-handmaidens-of-the-apocalypse/
Read by Elon Musk, Dan Carlin
The Storm of Steel
From the Diary of a German Storm-Troop Officer on the Western Front
byErnst Jünger
1920289 PagesSource: Hardcore History: Blueprint for Armageddon Research List
The Guns of August
The Outbreak of World War I
byBarbara W. Tuchman
1962511 Pages(84,763)
Source: Hardcore History: Blueprint for Armageddon Research List
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
At Peleliu and Okinawa
byE. B. Sledge
2007384 Pages“In my opinion is one of the best Second World War combat memoirs ever written by an American”
— Dan Carlin
Source: https://dancarlin.substack.com/p/tales-from-the-son-of-sledgehammer
Read by Dan Carlin
The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945
The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945
byJohn Toland
2003976 Pages(6,167)
Source: Hardcore History: Supernova in the East Research List
Read by Dan Carlin
Rubicon
The Last Years of the Roman Republic
byTom Holland
2005464 Pages“Rubicon by Tom Holland is fantastic”
— Dan Carlin
Source: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hollandansandbrook/id1326393257?i=1000571417574
Read by Dan Carlin
byMarius B. Jansen
2002936 PagesSource: Hardcore History: Supernova in the East Research List
Read by Dan Carlin
Persian Fire
The First World Empire and the Battle for the West
byTom Holland
2005418 Pages(11,855)
Source: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hollandansandbrook/id1326393257?i=1000571417574
Read by Dan Carlin
The World Crisis, 1911-1918
Abridged and Revised Edition
byWinston Churchill
1931880 PagesSource: Hardcore History: Blueprint for Armageddon Research List
Read by Dan Carlin
The Arc of Boxing
The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science
byMike Silver
2008240 Pages“I highly recommend 'The Arc of Boxing' by Mike Silver”
— Dan Carlin
Source: https://dchhaddendum.libsyn.com/ep23-boxing-with-ghosts
Read by Dan Carlin
A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918
The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918
byG.J. Meyer
2006704 Pages(9,071)
Source: Hardcore History: Blueprint for Armageddon Research List
Read by Dan Carlin
The Great War: A Combat History of the First World War
A Combat History of the First World War
byPeter Hart
2013544 PagesSource: Hardcore History: Blueprint for Armageddon Research List
Read by Dan Carlin
Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World
Six Months That Changed the World
byMargaret MacMillan
2003624 PagesSource: Hardcore History: Blueprint for Armageddon Research List
Read by Dan Carlin
byEri Hotta
2013352 PagesSource: Hardcore History: Supernova in the East Research List
Read by Dan Carlin
The Conquering Tide
War in the Pacific Islands, 1942–1944
byIan W. Toll
2015656 Pages(7,145)
Source: Hardcore History: Supernova in the East Research List
Read by Dan Carlin
byJonathan Parshall, Anthony Tully
2005640 PagesSource: Hardcore History: Supernova in the East Research List
Read by Dan Carlin
The Storm Before the Storm
The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic
byMike Duncan
2017352 Pages(28,000)
Source: Dan Carlin's Official Website: Book Mentions
Read by Dan Carlin
Stalingrad
The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943
byAntony Beevor
1999493 Pages(42,000)
Source: Hardcore History: Ghosts of the Ostfront Research List
Read by Dan Carlin
The Empire of the Steppes
A History of Central Asia
byRené Grousset
1970718 Pages(2,240)
Source: Hardcore History: Wrath of the Khans Research List
Read by Dan Carlin
byAmin Maalouf
1984320 PagesSource: Hardcore History: Wrath of the Khans Research List
Read by Dan Carlin
Dynasty
The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar
byTom Holland
2015512 PagesSource: Hardcore History Addendum Interview
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Dan Carlin recommend?
His 38 recommendations include The Wizards of Armageddon by Fred Kaplan, The Wages of Destruction by Adam Tooze, The Face of War by Martha Gellhorn, and Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen, heavy on war and geopolitics.
What is Dan Carlin's favorite history book?
Fred Kaplan's The Wizards of Armageddon ranks among his top picks. Carlin calls it 'great' and points readers toward Kaplan's related work on the effort to gather great minds to grapple with nuclear strategy.
Where do Dan Carlin book recommendations come from?
Many are pulled from the research reading lists behind Hardcore History series such as Blueprint for Armageddon, Supernova in the East, and Wrath of the Khans, plus his Twitter feed and official website.
Has Dan Carlin written a book?
Yes. He is the author of The End Is Always Near, which explores apocalyptic moments, collapse, and human resilience throughout history, extending the themes of his long-running podcast.
What genres does Dan Carlin read most?
His recommendations are dominated by history and society and politics, with additional focus on biographies, memoirs, and science and technology, especially where war and weapons are concerned.
All 38 Books Dan Carlin Has Recommended
- The Wizards of Armageddon · Fred Kaplan
- The Wages of Destruction · Adam Tooze
- The Face of War · Martha Gellhorn
- Nuclear War: A Scenario · Annie Jacobsen
- The Storm of Steel · Ernst Jünger
- The Guns of August · Barbara W. Tuchman
- With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa · E. B. Sledge
- The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945 · John Toland
- Rubicon · Tom Holland
- The Making of Modern Japan · Marius B. Jansen
- Persian Fire · Tom Holland
- The World Crisis, 1911-1918 · Winston Churchill
- The Arc of Boxing · Mike Silver
- A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918 · G.J. Meyer
- The Great War: A Combat History of the First World War · Peter Hart
- Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World · Margaret MacMillan
- Japan 1941: Countdown to Infamy · Eri Hotta
- The Conquering Tide · Ian W. Toll
- Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway · Jonathan Parshall
- The Storm Before the Storm · Mike Duncan
- Stalingrad · Antony Beevor
- The Empire of the Steppes · René Grousset
- The Crusades Through Arab Eyes · Amin Maalouf
- Dynasty · Tom Holland
- Powers and Thrones · Dan Jones
- The Pursuit of the Millennium · Norman Cohn
- The Radical Reformation · George Huntston Williams
- Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C. · Peter Green
- The Persian Expedition (Anabasis) · Xenophon
- The Histories · Herodotus
- The Lessons of History · Will Durant
- Aftermath: The Remnants of War · Donovan Webster
- Inside the Third Reich · Albert Speer
- The Hard Stuff · Wayne Kramer
- The Fall of the Roman Empire · Peter Heather
- Children of Ash and Elm · Neil Price
- The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages 400-1000 · Chris Wickham
- At Dawn We Slept · Gordon W. Prange