To help spark further interest and discussion on the topics presented in the History Lecture Series, we have compiles a list of resources for you to enjoy.
2025: River Histories
This series explores the intertwining of human and ecological history through some of the most monumental and important rivers.
The Nile
Nile: River of the Gods (Discovery Channel, 1992-95)
This documentary explores the Nile, its history, and its wildlife. It is a voyage through time from the pharaohs to the present.
Rivers of Life: The Nile (PBS, 2021)
The first episode in PBS’s Rivers of Life series examines the wildlife and people of the world’s longest river, the Nile.
100 Hieroglyphs: Think like an Egyptian, Barry Kemp (Penguin, 2005)
Egyptologist, Barry Kemp, takes readers on a journey through the Egyptian mind. Through the scope of hieroglyphs, Kemp examines day-to-day life in ancient Egypt and builds a picture of the historical and mythological references that were the cornerstone of Egyptian thought.
"What Crocodile Mummies Tell Us about Life, Death, and Taxes Thousands of Years Ago" (History Unplugged; June 10, 2021)
This episode of the History Unplugged podcast takes a look at the 1899 discovery of crocodile mummies in Northern Egypt and the invaluable knowledge they contained about daily life in ancient Egypt.
Rivers of Power: How a Natural Force Raised Kingdoms, Destroyed Civilizations, and Shapes Our World, Laurence C. Smith (Little, Brown, Spark, 2020)
Geographer Laurence C. Smith explores the relationship between rivers and civilization and their profound importance to our past and future.
The Ganges
Holy (un)Holy River (Mountainworld Productions, 2016)
Living River (Vinit Parmar, 2015)
The Ganges in Myth and History, Steven G. Darian (Motilal Banarsidass, 2010)
Darian writes of the human experience and legendary myths surrounding the Ganges.
Ganges: The Many Pasts of an Indian River, Sudipta Sen (Yale, 2018)
Sen chronicles the geography, politics, religious history, and people that have shaped the identity and ecology of one of the world’s largest and most densely populated river basins.
The Rio Grande
A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico, Amy S. Greenberg (Knopf, 2012)
The author tells the story of an often overlooked war, the U.S.-Mexican War, that featured false starts, atrocities, and daring back-channel negotiations that divided the nation, paved the way for the Civil War, and launched the career of Abraham Lincoln.
The U.S. War with Mexico: A Brief History with Documents, Ernesto Chávez (Bedford/St. Martins, 2007)
Through popular and official documents, Chávez explores the events and politics leading up to the U.S.-Mexico War and its long-term impact on both nations.
Habsburgs on the Rio Grande: The Rise and Fall of the Second Mexican Empire, Raymond Jonas (Harvard University Press, 2024)
This book tells the story of how nineteenth-century European rulers conspired with Mexican conservatives in a plan to control the rising U.S. colossus by establishing an Old World empire on its doorstep.
The Columbia
The Organic Machine: Remaking of the Columbia River, Richard White (Hill and Wang, 1995)
This work explores the relationship between the natural history of the Columbia River and the human history of the Pacific Northwest.
“The Changing Experience of Nature: Historical Encounters with a Northwest River”, Linda Nash (Journal of American History, Vol. 86.4)
Nash investigates the changing experience of nature along the Skagit River in western Washington.
Strong Winds and Widow Makers: Workers, Nature, and Environmental Conflict in Pacific Northwest Timber Country, Steven Beda (University of Illinois Press, 2022)
This work explores the complex relationship between timber communities and the health and future of the lands surrounding them.
The Code: Silicon Valley and the remaking of America, Margaret O'Mara (Penguin Press, 2019)