Paris 1919

The six months of the Paris Peace Conference — Wilson, Lloyd George, Clemenceau — and the borders they drew across Europe and the Middle East that are still being contested.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the “best history book” thread. The clearest available account of how much of the twentieth century was decided in a handful of rooms by exhausted people.

Where I saw it: In Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note, recovered from the reply thread to @typesfast asking “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 5, 2025). The full recovered list lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet).

Published in the UK as Peacemakers.

Connections

• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
• World War I — the war this settled, badly.