Can someone suggest a good history of Germany?

'The Course of German History' by A.J.P. Taylor springs to mind.

Try "Das Weimar Republic " (cannnot remember the name of the Author.)
" Mein Kampf " Adolf Hitler.

In a few words; you can try translating into English -

" Natzi "

" Ein Volk ! Ein Partei ! Ein Staat ! Ein Fuhrer ! "
" Zeig ! Hiel !"

In other words - the National Socialist Party of Germany was like every other Communist/ Socialist/Fascist Party - anti-democratic, non- democractic and un-democratic.

But then, that would take you into understanding Democracy !!!

For an insight into German Life between the Wars try and get copies of the UK Standard German "O" Level School Books in the 1930s -1950s-

" Deusches Leben Eins" " Deusches Leben Zwei" and " Deusches Leben Lese Buch "

If you want something about WW2 try "Hitler: A Study In Tyrrany" pretty much the definitive work on Adolf Hitler and a terrifying look into the mind of the Fuhrer.

If you're looking for a history of Germany as background, then there are three authors to consider. The first is Mary Fulbrook; her "Concise History of Germany" offers probably the best introduction to the span of German history, while her "Divided Nation" offers a more focused introduction to Germany in the 20th century. If you want something with more depth, then I HIGHLY recommend the two volumes on Germany in the Oxofrd History of Modern Europe series: James Sheehan's "German History, 1770-1866" and Gordon Craig's "Germany 1866-1945."

Actually, having just watched Band of Brothers, I've decided I want a good book about WW2 -- something with a good mix social history as well as military stuff, but not too obssessed with all that Nazi arcana mythology (i.e. Burleigh). Any ideas?

What you might like depends on what specifically you're looking for. If you want a general history of World War II, then I'd recommend "A World at Arms" by Gerhard Weinberg. If you're looking for more of a social history of Germany in the war, then I would suggest looking at Richard Grunberger's "The Twelve-Year Reich," which is the best social-history of Germany, both before and during the war.

One final book that I would recommend is Christopher Browning's "Ordinary Men." It's a look at a battalion of German reservists which participated in the execution of thousands of Jews during the war. What makes it worth reading is the question Browining tackles -- how these average Germans coped with and justified their participation in the Holocaust. The books makes for sobering reading that answered many of my questions about how people could have done such terrible things.

while the Third Reich is very interesting, I think it is over-served by books. It is annoying to go into a bookshop and find shelves and shelves of "SEX SECRETS OF THE NAZIS" style books, and nothing about the DDR or mediaeval Germany or whatever.

Yeah, I'm kind of looking for a non German-centric book about the war (if such a thing is possible)

what do you mean? the second world war was very centred on Germany. I suppose there are books that look at the Pacific war or the home front in various countries other than Germany, but that's getting away from the original search for a good history of Germany.

I'm greatly enjoying David Clay Lodge's book "Berlin", which is about Berlin from about 1870 to the 1990s. The city has lived through some very extreme experiences.

RE: DV's earlier point, I couldn't agree more. The problem is that with new bookstores they're going to offer what moves, and books on thinks like Fredrich Barbarossa and 19th century German liberalism sadly don't sell as well as "Hermann Goering's Mating Habits". For me it's like a socio-cultural experiment to go to a B&N or a Borders and and see what's popular in German history among the reading public.

I also agree with DV's second point -- you can't find a general history of World War II that doesn't center around the Germans; it's like writing about the Civil War and not discussing the Confederates. Most of the general histories are very Euro-centric; one of the great failings of Keegan's history of the war is its cursory treatment of the Pacific front. Still, Weinberg's book is pretty balanced in its coverage, as is Peter Calvocoressi's "Total War" (which was recently reissued as the "Penguin History of the Second World War").

If you are interested in german history in a more average way, you could try: Golo Mann, The history of Germany since 1789 (1958).
The historian Golo Mann was the third son of Thomas Mann. His history of Germay was written during his exile in the U.S. 1942-1958, where he was teaching history at several universities. The book covers the time from 1789 to the late 1950s. It has been discussed controversley because of Mann's novellistic style of writing history. I would suggest this complementary to the above noted newer studies. The time before 1789, the idea of Germany is more or less an invention through the ideas of the french revelution, is another topic, concerning the medieval history and the time of renaissance and reformation, more a history of Europe than of Germay.