Never underestimate spite as a motivator for genius.
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the ElementsYou can't do much for the poor, as they are not in with the right people.
The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody: Great Figures of History Hilariously HumbledAmerica's civilization perturbs the trajectories of all other civilizations just by existing.
Freedom Just Around the Corner: A New American History: 1585-1828The factor that made him so powerful was also his greatest liability.
The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the BarbariansThenceforth they thought that, rationally concluded, doubt could become an instrument of knowledge.
The Historian's Craft: Reflections on the Nature and Uses of History and the Techniques and Methods of Those Who Write It.