The age of revolution, 1789-1848.

One of the most informative, best-written histories I have ever read. Hobsbawm takes on the Herculean task of summarising over half a century of general European history and pulls it off. His socialist perspective on history is invaluable, as he transforms historical materialism from theory to actual analysis. This book is dry and dense, yet engaging it in its interface of the impact of Hobsbawm's “dual revolution” to class development.