Published Books by Charles King

Every Valley by Charles King recent books

Every Valley

From a New York Times bestselling historian and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, a sweeping chronicle of the restless lives that made Handel’s Messiah and the struggles over faith, politics, and truth that shaped our own anxious times.

Cover view two for Gods of the Upper Air, How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century

Gods of the Upper Air

From an award-winning historian comes Gods of the Upper Air, a dazzling history of the birth of cultural anthropology and the adventurous scientists who pioneered it — a sweeping chronicle of discovery and the fascinating origin story of our multicultural world.

Cover view two for Midnight at the Pera Palace, The Birth of Modern Istanbul

Midnight at the Pera Palace

At midnight, December 31, 1925, citizens of the newly proclaimed Turkish Republic celebrated the New Year. For the first time ever, they had agreed to use a nationally unified calendar and clock. Yet in Istanbul—an ancient crossroads and Turkey’s largest city—people were looking toward an uncertain future.

Cover view two for Odessa, Genius and Death in a City of Dreams

Odessa

The story of one of Europe’s great cosmopolitan cities — home to many nationalities and religions — and its descent into the heart of darkness during the Holocaust.

Cover view two of Extreme Politics: Nationalism, Violence and the End of Eastern Europe

Extreme Politics

A knowledgeable and intelligent excursion through the politics of nationalism, violence, postcommunism, and the relationship between historical analysis and social scientific inquiry.

Cover view two for The Ghost of Freedom, A History of the Caucasus

The Ghost of Freedom

The Ghost of Freedom recounts how tsars, highlanders, revolutionaries, and adventurers contributed to the fascinating history of the Caucasus, from the origins of modern disputes to debates over oil from the Caspian Sea and its impact on world markets.

Cover view two for The Black Sea, A History

The Black Sea

The lands surrounding the Black Sea share a rich and fascinating past. Though in recent decades they have experienced ethnic conflict, economic collapse, and interstate rivalry, their common heritage and common interests run deep.

Cover view two for The Moldovans: Romania, Russia, and the Politics of Culture

The Moldovans

The first English-language book to present a complete picture of this intriguing east European borderland, The Moldovans illuminates the perennial problems of identity politics and cultural change that the country has endured.