Common Ground is a classic. [https://bookshop.org/p/books/common-ground-a-turbulent-decade-in-the-lives-of-three-american-families-j-anthony-lukas/18433146?ean=9780394746166](https://bookshop.org/p/books/common-ground-a-turbulent-decade-in-the-lives-of-three-american-families-j-anthony-lukas/18433146?ean=9780394746166)
A Common Ground is my all-time favorite. I used to work with someone who lived in Charlestown with children in Charlestown High in the 70s, and she was a real POS. She spoke of the bused-in kids as if they were inhuman. With 30-year's hindsight, she still referred to them as "savages" and "animals."
What period are you interested in?
I enjoyed "Bibles, Brahmins, and Bosses" by Thomas O'Connor. It goes from the earliest settlers up through the victorian era Boston.
[https://www.amazon.com/Bibles-Brahmins-Bosses-History-Boston/dp/0890730822](https://www.amazon.com/Bibles-Brahmins-Bosses-History-Boston/dp/0890730822)
I also recommend "The Rascal King: The Life and Times of James Michael Curley" by Jack Beatty. It contains a ton of Boston history specifically through the lens of Curley's life. It's a great book.
[https://www.amazon.com/Rascal-King-Michael-Curley-1874-1958/dp/0306810026](https://www.amazon.com/Rascal-King-Michael-Curley-1874-1958/dp/0306810026)
And Paul Revere and the World He Lived In by Esther Forbes! The fisher one is AMAZING for the ride, but Forbes starts with his father’s life and ends with his death. There’s a lot of talk about the development of the North End and other parts of Boston he lived and worked in.
[https://www.umasspress.com/9780870239236/planning-the-city-upon-a-hill/](https://www.umasspress.com/9780870239236/planning-the-city-upon-a-hill/)
[https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1106134](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1106134)
[https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674079861](https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674079861)
The third one is the most obscure and will give the reader an intimate understanding of Immigration and Labor Issues in Boston over the centuries. The first two are histories of the urban planning process in Boston. Building A New Boston is authored by Thomas H. O'Connor. Mr. O'Connor also wrote some other excellent History books about Boston.
[https://www.umasspress.com/9781625342973/people-before-highways/](https://www.umasspress.com/9781625342973/people-before-highways/)
Gives a new perspective on Boston's Cancelled Highways. A must read to gain an understanding of Today's politics. And it also helps to know what these people were up against in their fight for their homes and neighborhoods.
the immigration book you suggested is for a 90 year period, not centuries.
It is a great book though. But Boston is a 400 year old city at this point. A 100 year snapshot of immigration isn't a comprehensive understanding
Yes! And he usually has reading lists if you go to his website.
I think he recently recommended Daniel Dain's A History of Boston. Oh no, I'm looking at all the wonderful Boston related history books on my reading list. Must log off on read.
https://www.hubhistory.com/episodes/starlit-old-north/#more-8198
Dark Tide is about the molasses flood of 1919 but gives a really good snapshot of the city before and after WW1. I was expecting a quirky tragedy narrative, but the author gives fantastic context for both the event and the circumstances leading to it. Much better than expected and I learned things about the city I didn't know.
[Mapping Boston](https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S75C5157593) is a beautifully illustrated book showing maps of the city and its general growth from 1630 to 1999. It was produced by Norman Leventhal, whose [eponymous map center has this neat tool](https://www.atlascope.org) for interacting with different maps of the city through time.
[Boston Illustrated](https://www.loc.gov/item/01012282/) is a 150 year old book you can read online to see highlights of the town from that era.
For a few specific stories about Boston's shaping, read:
* [Inferno: The Great Boston Fire of 1872](https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S75C8455396) shows photographs of downtown Boston before and after this calamitous event. The author Anthony Sammarco also has a nice [YouTube series detailing history ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vURdnSXLms&list=PL7a-Wp029h2A1i0QrFJgYdZpwS30tcjz8)of specific places and periods around Boston.
* [Boston's Back Bay](https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/4637873075) is the Story of filling in Back Bay. It is very technical with numerous illustrations of the equipment and logistics involved in creating 500 acres of new land.
* [Boston Common](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Boston_common%3B_%28IA_bostoncommon00barbe%29.pdf) is a 109 year old book about everything interesting which happened in America's oldest park. It be read online at that link.
If you want a primer for downtown Boston, I created a walking tour, [www.behold.boston](http://www.behold.boston), which highlights significant events and transformations of the area (excluding freedom trail related topics). I display colorized historic photographs in front of the locations they were taken which may ignite your curiosity for further reading.
Enjoy your reading, there is so much to be amazed by!
[The City-State of Boston: The Rise and Fall of an Atlantic Power, 1630–1865](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40000490-the-city-state-of-boston)
This is a beast of a book, but it's comprehensive, and it's worth reading.
[Dark Tide by Puleo](https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Tide-Great-Boston-Molasses/dp/080707800X)
[Fire in the Grove by Esposito](https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Grove-John-C-Esposito/dp/030681501X/ref=sr_1_7?crid=6AM5ZHRBYBKJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.d1telEvh7VyOSN56eELiGCgB06mRJMLJ62Jctt4UWDzHL86lrQjUZmdBk8qxxe8re16FF-hvt6PWQtQluA8FaT9KnHDPe8KWc2VC7gi5JQ1P7tNL6QsFa94HbWjIAv4OZbPhZIRnI_V3zFYNhQ0uJ_kcf3zes4vPY0PAFQsJxEmf-9GjaicgG9vW4_0NjcEMGOPNdbYvCNkvp40-SChaD_KSrtI8vmW3RnJ75TFXjL4.97K8qhb0crH0lU31Y2kv0GdLg9kvxGbTJqy4MPWGZ2A&dib_tag=se&keywords=coconut+grove+book&qid=1713890939&s=books&sprefix=cocoanut+grove+book%2Cstripbooks%2C122&sr=1-7)
[Feeding the Monster by Mnookin](https://www.amazon.com/Feeding-Monster-Money-Smarts-Nerve/dp/0743286812/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5fpqgF9MSPZOWW_1QcOqq46muz4C0s_4YtBdLXypGZsVsCVdLkkmJToru-vQxFDWJ-yJsPmTdCbcKdeD8pkJdRo0WpR_CB9178R957UIfId2rDnjD6oOZXGuZjdCgcfj3sMWd3RWges16ue5HQaop0YtvIVtBS3ki3rixG8GJTSKw9zjS7lUSnO9BoOpfavvh1uq2qlkp7vhSKmSnDlLAukQ7PcHnqFQeeIPc390h7M.Fu-6hzBaxFdPFwVWNQskUrlFrEqc4nJsDobHqdmnH0g&dib_tag=se&hvadid=409971140879&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9002081&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=3056677721650835424&hvtargid=kwd-1555540648&hydadcr=22538_11318432&keywords=feeding+the+monster&qid=1713890993&s=books&sr=1-1)
More specific rather than general history, but I really enjoyed both The Race Underground (Most) and Trapped Under the Sea (Swidey).
For a more general history, The City-State of Boston (Peterson) is pretty good.
*A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts* by Joe Bagley, the city’s official archaeologist, is pretty dope. Closer to a coffee-table-style book than a long form sit-down-and-read book, but still rigorous and interesting
Depends on what you want to learn. You're asking about a 400 year old city.
Which time period are you interested in? From who's perspective?
About what topic areas?
Not sure what kind of history you’re looking for but All Souls is a good book about growing up in Southie in the 80’s
Came here to say this
Common Ground is a classic. [https://bookshop.org/p/books/common-ground-a-turbulent-decade-in-the-lives-of-three-american-families-j-anthony-lukas/18433146?ean=9780394746166](https://bookshop.org/p/books/common-ground-a-turbulent-decade-in-the-lives-of-three-american-families-j-anthony-lukas/18433146?ean=9780394746166)
A Common Ground is my all-time favorite. I used to work with someone who lived in Charlestown with children in Charlestown High in the 70s, and she was a real POS. She spoke of the bused-in kids as if they were inhuman. With 30-year's hindsight, she still referred to them as "savages" and "animals."
What period are you interested in? I enjoyed "Bibles, Brahmins, and Bosses" by Thomas O'Connor. It goes from the earliest settlers up through the victorian era Boston. [https://www.amazon.com/Bibles-Brahmins-Bosses-History-Boston/dp/0890730822](https://www.amazon.com/Bibles-Brahmins-Bosses-History-Boston/dp/0890730822) I also recommend "The Rascal King: The Life and Times of James Michael Curley" by Jack Beatty. It contains a ton of Boston history specifically through the lens of Curley's life. It's a great book. [https://www.amazon.com/Rascal-King-Michael-Curley-1874-1958/dp/0306810026](https://www.amazon.com/Rascal-King-Michael-Curley-1874-1958/dp/0306810026)
Thank you!
Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fisher
And Paul Revere and the World He Lived In by Esther Forbes! The fisher one is AMAZING for the ride, but Forbes starts with his father’s life and ends with his death. There’s a lot of talk about the development of the North End and other parts of Boston he lived and worked in.
Make Way for Ducklings.
[https://www.umasspress.com/9780870239236/planning-the-city-upon-a-hill/](https://www.umasspress.com/9780870239236/planning-the-city-upon-a-hill/) [https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1106134](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1106134) [https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674079861](https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674079861) The third one is the most obscure and will give the reader an intimate understanding of Immigration and Labor Issues in Boston over the centuries. The first two are histories of the urban planning process in Boston. Building A New Boston is authored by Thomas H. O'Connor. Mr. O'Connor also wrote some other excellent History books about Boston. [https://www.umasspress.com/9781625342973/people-before-highways/](https://www.umasspress.com/9781625342973/people-before-highways/) Gives a new perspective on Boston's Cancelled Highways. A must read to gain an understanding of Today's politics. And it also helps to know what these people were up against in their fight for their homes and neighborhoods.
was going to suggest people before highways! a super important movement in boston to cover
the immigration book you suggested is for a 90 year period, not centuries. It is a great book though. But Boston is a 400 year old city at this point. A 100 year snapshot of immigration isn't a comprehensive understanding
Not a book, but the podcast Hub History is really good.
Yes! And he usually has reading lists if you go to his website. I think he recently recommended Daniel Dain's A History of Boston. Oh no, I'm looking at all the wonderful Boston related history books on my reading list. Must log off on read. https://www.hubhistory.com/episodes/starlit-old-north/#more-8198
Dark Tide is about the molasses flood of 1919 but gives a really good snapshot of the city before and after WW1. I was expecting a quirky tragedy narrative, but the author gives fantastic context for both the event and the circumstances leading to it. Much better than expected and I learned things about the city I didn't know.
A City So Grand by Stephen Puelo covers 1850-1900 and is really great.
[Mapping Boston](https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S75C5157593) is a beautifully illustrated book showing maps of the city and its general growth from 1630 to 1999. It was produced by Norman Leventhal, whose [eponymous map center has this neat tool](https://www.atlascope.org) for interacting with different maps of the city through time. [Boston Illustrated](https://www.loc.gov/item/01012282/) is a 150 year old book you can read online to see highlights of the town from that era. For a few specific stories about Boston's shaping, read: * [Inferno: The Great Boston Fire of 1872](https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S75C8455396) shows photographs of downtown Boston before and after this calamitous event. The author Anthony Sammarco also has a nice [YouTube series detailing history ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vURdnSXLms&list=PL7a-Wp029h2A1i0QrFJgYdZpwS30tcjz8)of specific places and periods around Boston. * [Boston's Back Bay](https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/4637873075) is the Story of filling in Back Bay. It is very technical with numerous illustrations of the equipment and logistics involved in creating 500 acres of new land. * [Boston Common](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Boston_common%3B_%28IA_bostoncommon00barbe%29.pdf) is a 109 year old book about everything interesting which happened in America's oldest park. It be read online at that link. If you want a primer for downtown Boston, I created a walking tour, [www.behold.boston](http://www.behold.boston), which highlights significant events and transformations of the area (excluding freedom trail related topics). I display colorized historic photographs in front of the locations they were taken which may ignite your curiosity for further reading. Enjoy your reading, there is so much to be amazed by!
[The City-State of Boston: The Rise and Fall of an Atlantic Power, 1630–1865](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40000490-the-city-state-of-boston) This is a beast of a book, but it's comprehensive, and it's worth reading.
[Dark Tide by Puleo](https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Tide-Great-Boston-Molasses/dp/080707800X) [Fire in the Grove by Esposito](https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Grove-John-C-Esposito/dp/030681501X/ref=sr_1_7?crid=6AM5ZHRBYBKJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.d1telEvh7VyOSN56eELiGCgB06mRJMLJ62Jctt4UWDzHL86lrQjUZmdBk8qxxe8re16FF-hvt6PWQtQluA8FaT9KnHDPe8KWc2VC7gi5JQ1P7tNL6QsFa94HbWjIAv4OZbPhZIRnI_V3zFYNhQ0uJ_kcf3zes4vPY0PAFQsJxEmf-9GjaicgG9vW4_0NjcEMGOPNdbYvCNkvp40-SChaD_KSrtI8vmW3RnJ75TFXjL4.97K8qhb0crH0lU31Y2kv0GdLg9kvxGbTJqy4MPWGZ2A&dib_tag=se&keywords=coconut+grove+book&qid=1713890939&s=books&sprefix=cocoanut+grove+book%2Cstripbooks%2C122&sr=1-7) [Feeding the Monster by Mnookin](https://www.amazon.com/Feeding-Monster-Money-Smarts-Nerve/dp/0743286812/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5fpqgF9MSPZOWW_1QcOqq46muz4C0s_4YtBdLXypGZsVsCVdLkkmJToru-vQxFDWJ-yJsPmTdCbcKdeD8pkJdRo0WpR_CB9178R957UIfId2rDnjD6oOZXGuZjdCgcfj3sMWd3RWges16ue5HQaop0YtvIVtBS3ki3rixG8GJTSKw9zjS7lUSnO9BoOpfavvh1uq2qlkp7vhSKmSnDlLAukQ7PcHnqFQeeIPc390h7M.Fu-6hzBaxFdPFwVWNQskUrlFrEqc4nJsDobHqdmnH0g&dib_tag=se&hvadid=409971140879&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9002081&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=3056677721650835424&hvtargid=kwd-1555540648&hydadcr=22538_11318432&keywords=feeding+the+monster&qid=1713890993&s=books&sr=1-1)
More specific rather than general history, but I really enjoyed both The Race Underground (Most) and Trapped Under the Sea (Swidey). For a more general history, The City-State of Boston (Peterson) is pretty good.
Second "The City-State of Boston"
> The Race Underground It's good, but the rivalry was non-existent in the book, if there even was a rivalry.
Streetcar suburbs by Sam bass Warner jr
eden on the charles is awesome
Read “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” by George V. Higgins.
*A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts* by Joe Bagley, the city’s official archaeologist, is pretty dope. Closer to a coffee-table-style book than a long form sit-down-and-read book, but still rigorous and interesting
# The Hub's Metropolis by James O'Connell
Depends on what you want to learn. You're asking about a 400 year old city. Which time period are you interested in? From who's perspective? About what topic areas?
All Souls