William Penn would be a good start Pennsylvanian has a rich history

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Are you looking for a general history of PA or a by topic kind of thing? For example, I'm sure plenty of people would say "Killer Angels" by Jeff Shaara is a great rundown of Gettysburg albeit a still slightly fictional account.

Curious about Indigenous history in the colonial period? I haven't read it yet and I assume it's on the slower side, but "Covered by Night" by Nicole Eustace sounds intriguing! "Path Lit by Lightning" by David Maraniss is quite chunky, but also covers an indigenous topic-that being Jim Thorpe. I haven't gotten into that one yet, but have heard good things-one being that it isn't a typical dry history book.

If you dig environmental history, I quite enjoyed "The Johnstown Flood" by the late David McCullough. It's tragic and written at a good pace, especially for being written by an esteemed historian.

Medical history? Gotta toss it in, "Dr. Mütters Marvels" by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz. This was another one written at a decent pace and gives a rundown of Philadelphia's own Thomas Dent Mütter, whose name is lent to the curious medical museum in that city.

"Sandlot Seasons" by Rob Ruck is about sport in black Pittsburgh. I am not one to be interested in sports unfortunately so I cannot vouch for it BUT it can go hand in hand with the play "Fences" which is about the same topic.

On the topic of plays, if you can manage reading them, "Sweat" by Lynn Nottage is a rundown of the downfall of industry in Reading, PA. I saw it performed once and oof. Shakespeare would blush at that tragedy. If you want to understand how industry leaving a once booming city affects the people, it's a pretty solid description.

In the end, you'll find a TON of Gettysburg books and a TON of the Arcadia Press "Images of America" books. They're fine if you just want old pics. Unfortunately though, other than textbooks, I've got nothing for a general history of Pennsylvania. I'd recommend just looking at the Wikipedia page and getting the general schtick. Then look up topics from that that interest you.

Also, a pointer from a historian, the less dry history books are usually written by journalists. That's my general rule of thumb.

(Sorry for formatting/spelling. I'm on mobile. CHEERS)

Interested to see what you come up with. You would almost have to go region by region.

If you want a deep history, there's The Geology of Pennsylvania...

https://shoppaheritage.com/collections/conservation-and-natural-resources

I am not to interested in sports either and all your recommendations sound great. On a side note we have toyed Gettysburg and that is just so horrific. Not only for the soldiers but for the people living in the area.

I hadn’t considered this. Thanks.

My daughter would like this.

Yeah, totally understandable. If you aren't into the tactical side of things with not just Gettysburg, but the whole US Civil War, that kinda just leaves you with the cultural parts which as interesting as it is as far as how far we've come medical-wise, it's still terrifying to constantly read about.

There is a book series, of which I only have one, called Pennsylvania Fireside Tales, by Jeffrey Frazier. Not a thick book. Interesting reading.

The Swedes and the Dutch were in the Delaware decades before Charles II settled his debt to Penn's father by granting him a land patent to Sylvania in 1861. There were other people here before then, too.

There has been no "good history book" about PA for at least 20 years, and that one is more academic and out of print (although I see used listings for it on Abe Books for about $50.00).

Looking topically and regionally is the only way to get a real sense of PA history. And that includes the Arcadia series.

Not exactly a “history” book, but if you want an interesting and funny read, check out “Flatlanders And Ridgerunners”.

http://paheritage.wpengine.com/article/flatlanders-ridgerunners-oral-folklore-north-central-pennsylvania/

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"allodial title"

It's good you deleted that comment. What a bunch of blockfi bullshit.

We are direct ancestors of the Moons who sailed with him.

What is the name or author of the book?

Try this from the "Hidden History" collection: https://www.amazon.com/History-Northwestern-Pennsylvania-Jessica-Hilburn

Also, https://www.amazon.com/Backroads-Byways-Pennsylvania-Weekend-Excursions/

The book referenced in the earlier post is Pennsylvania: A History of the Commonwealth by Miller and Pencak.

hijack: thanks for the 'covered by night' tip. have you read 'into the american woods' by merrill? this is an amazing book. I've been obsessed with george croghan of late, and this one pushed me into it to the point that i'm friendly with the owners of his cabin in camp hill.

Of course! I saw it came out and am really looking forward to reading it.

I haven't heard of the book, but the author's name sounds familiar. I'll have to look into it!

If you want a good start, on archive.org and search in the "metadata highlighted. "Bucks county" history in the search bar. W.W.H. Davis was a saint for Bucks. There are numerous other counties in the state done by authors and are free to read on Archive.org; I just used Bucks as an example.