The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution

The Origins of Political Order: From prehuman times to the French Revolution by Francis Fukuyama https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origins_of_Political_Ord... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origins_of_Political_Order) The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York By Robert Caro https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_Broker

The Secret of Our Success on the co-evolution of humans and human culture. The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution on what are states, where do they come from, and how do they work? The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life is just what it says on the tin. The Strategy of Conflict is the original book on game theory which stands up pretty well. Consciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts on the modern science of what we know about what consciousness is.

The best history book I've read is The Origins of Political Order. Disguised as an academic political science book it is a sweeping history of human civilization starting in China and going through Arab and European states. It is chock full of intersting facts and surprising theories and implications for today.