The Oxbridge History Reading List

The Oxbridge History Degree is, to quote Shrek, like an onion – it has layers. The first layer is long, caffeine-fuelled nights sifting through weighty tomes; the second layer is racing to finish your weekly 3,000-word essay before your 6 o’clock deadline; but the third layer is where you finally get to the flavour. This is the chance to sit with leading academics, dissect your ideas, and receive personal feedback on the essays you have poured your soul into.

While initially tear-inducing, a history degree is a rewarding (and delicious) path. If this still sounds like the degree you wish to pursue, book a consultation with Avalon today to receive personal feedback and advice tailored to your specific circumstances.

If, however, the introduction to this article has done nothing but confuse you (and give you a strange craving for onions), fear not! You can head over to our Course Information page for further details.

Due to the vastness of both universities’ history syllabuses, this reading list only covers historiographies and some key texts on European and British history. If, however, you are convinced that these are not areas you wish to study, we recommend looking at your aspiring college’s reading list and to pick some titles from areas that tickle your fancy. Additionally, extra reading related to the topics you are currently studying in school is always well-received by tutors.

Remember – in interviews and personal statements, don’t just regurgitate these historians' views. Offer your own thoughts, criticisms, and perspectives to really demonstrate the evaluative and critical skills historians need.

Start with the historiography

"Most history is guessing, and the rest is prejudice."

Will and Ariel Durant, The Lessons of History

1. J. H. Arnold – History: A Very Short Introduction

“The past itself is not a narrative.”

A compact but intellectually sharp essay, it is particularly good on how historical knowledge is constructed and contested. An ideal first read.

2. E. H. Carr – What is History?

“History is an unending dialogue between the present and the past.”

A foundational provocation that launched a century of debate about objectivity and is the starting point for every historiography reading list.

3. John Tosh – The Pursuit of History

“The past is not simply there, waiting to be discovered; it has to be reconstructed.”

The most practical and comprehensive introduction to how historians actually work – covering sources, methods, and the evolving agenda of the discipline.

4. David Cannadine – What is History Now?

“We are the sceptics and the disbelievers, constantly in rebellion against the tyranny of present-day opinion.”

Revisits Carr’s famous question forty years on, with leading historians each addressing how their own field has been transformed.

5. Keith Jenkins – Re-Thinking History

“History is a discourse about but categorically different from the past.”

A deliberately destabilising postmodern argument that history tells us more about historians than about the past itself. It is both bracing and contentious.

General Reading – British and European Histories

Although a History Degree offers a vast scope of topics to study, both Oxford and Cambridge’s curriculums place a particular emphasis on British and European history, simply because it is what many of their academics are experts in. It thus never hurts to familiarise yourself with some seminal texts on both.

1. E. P. Thompson – The Making of the English Working Class

“The working class did not rise like the sun at an appointed time. It was present at its own making.”

One of the most influential works of social history ever written with ramifications far beyond the realm of British history. The introduction alone is worth its weight in gold.

2. Christopher Dyer – Making a Living in the Middle Ages: The People of Britain 850-1520

“Lords and kings made the headlines. But peasants made the bread.”

A ground-level social and economic history of medieval Britain that puts ordinary people at the centre.

3. Chris Wickham – The Inheritance of Rome: A History of Europe 400-1000

“The fall of Rome was not a catastrophe. It was a transformation.”

A magisterial account of how the Roman world gave way to medieval Europe, with a focus on the entirety of the continent.

4. Diarmaid MacCulloch – Reformation: Europe’s House Divided 1490-1700

“The Reformation was not one movement but many”

The definitive single-volume account of the Reformation.

5. Robert Gildea - Barricades and Borders: Europe 1800-1914

“Europe in the 19th century was a continent perpetually in revolution”

A concise and analytically sharp survey of the age of nationalism, revolution, and industrialisation.

A reminder that this list is just a preliminary road map of some good places to start when preparing for an application to Oxbridge or any top university. It is by no means definitive and, it should be stressed, all reading (within reason) is good reading!

Beyond the books

• Podcasts – The Rest Is History, Short History Of… and Hardcore History. Some personal favourites which offer a more unique spin are Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History and Tim Harford’s Cautionary Tales – these differ to conventional history podcasts but raise interesting questions surrounding historiography, perspective, and memory.

• Publications – History Today, BBC History Magazine, and Past & Present are excellent, history-focused publications.

• Current affairs - like other subjects, it is important to keep up to date with current affairs, especially how these are rooted in historic circumstances. The FT, Economist, and CityAM (akin to a free version of the FT) will help you stay up to date.

• Lectures and Debates – both Cambridge and Oxford have many public lecture series, like Oxford’s Faculty of History’s University of Oxford Podcasts and the online Public Lectures that are available on the Cambridge Faculty of History website.

• Extracurriculars – although all kinds of extracurriculars are well-received, history stresses skills like argumentation and critical thinking. Activities like debating or creative writing will therefore teach you to present your arguments and defend your views.

At Avalon Education, we have helped countless Oxbridge History hopefuls build the curiosity, confidence, and critical thinking skills that make tutors take notice. Get in touch today if you would like us to guide you through everything you will need for your application.

Happy reading - you will certainly have to get used to it!