Understanding Boston: Background and History Reading List
by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher
There are many different aspects of Boston and, therefore, different perspectives and resources are needed to understand the city. Boston has a long and rich history; a fascinating geographical and topographical development; strong educational, technical, and medical components; a history of activism, politics, protest, and organizing; a current and past mix of vibrant social and cultural groups; and a collection of distinctive neighborhoods.
One of the best ways to understand Boston is to walk around the city and its neighborhoods and engage in conversations with residents who have lived here for some time.
Felton, Robert Todd. Walking Boston: 34 Tours Through Beantown's Cobblestone Streets, Historic Districts, Ivory Towers and Bustling Waterfront, 2nd edition. Birmingham, Ala.: Wilderness Press, 2013.
Although this guide does not cover all neighborhoods, it has walks in quite a number of Boston’s neighborhoods.
Sloane, Robert, editor. WalkBoston: Walking Tours of Boston's Unique Neighborhoods. Boston: Appalachian Mountain Club, 2003.
Although this book is now aging, the active organization has a website – www.walkboston.org – with maps of the walks and other resources.
Books and other sources can also be helpful in broadening one’s perspective.
Top Five Books
Lukas, J. Anthony. Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families. New York: Vintage Books, 1985.
O’Connell, Shaun, editor. Boston Voices and Visions. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2010.
O'Connor, Thomas. The Hub: Boston Past and Present. Boston: Northeastern Univ. Press, 2001. Vrabel, Jim. A People’s History of the New Boston. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2014.
Whitehill, Walter Muir, and Lawrence Kennedy. Boston: A Topographical History. 3rd edition. Cambridge: Harvard; Belknap Press, 2000.
RELATED: Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston
General and History
Allison, Robert J. A Short History of Boston. Beverly, Mass.: Commonwealth Editions, 2004.
Berenson, Barbara. Boston and the Civil War: Hub of the Second Revolution. Charleston, S.C.: The History Press, 2014.
Bostonian Society and Old South Association (now merged to become Revolutionary Spaces) The website - https://www.revolutionaryspaces.org/ - has videos related to Boston history and information on the Old State House and Old South Church. The organization holds important archival collections on Boston history.
Carr, Jacqueline Barbara. After the Siege: A Social History of Boston, 1775-1800. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2005.
Howland, Llewellyn, III. A Book for Boston. Boston: David R. Godine, Publisher, 1980. Essays, stories and poems by various authors in honor of the city’s 350th anniversary.
Kay, Jane Holtz. Lost Boston. Expanded edition. Amherst, Mass.: University of Massachusetts Press, 2006.
In addition to 350 rare photos, this book contributes to understanding the history, development, and built environment of Boston through its narrative text.
Kirker, Harold, and James Kirker. Bulfinch’s Boston, 1787-1817. New York: Oxford University Press, 1964.
Klein, Christopher. Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands: A Guide to the City’s Hidden Shores. Boston: Union Park Press, 2011.
See also Snow, Edward Rowe. The Islands of Boston Harbor. Centennial edition. Updated by Jeremy D'Entremont. Boston: Commonwealth Editions, 2008.
Labaree, Benjamin Woods. The Boston Tea Party. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1979 (Originally Oxford Univ. Press, 1964). For a shorter account, see Robert J. Allison’s The Boston Tea Party. Beverly, Mass.: Commonwealth Editions, 2007.
O’Connell, Shaun, editor. Boston Voices and Visions. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2010.
O’Connor, Thomas. The Athens of America: Boston 1825-1845. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2006.
Archer, Richard. As If An Enemy’s Country: The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
O’Connor, Thomas H. Civil War Boston: Home Front and Battlefield. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1997.
O'Connor, Thomas. The Hub: Boston Past and Present. Boston: Northeastern Univ. Press, 2001. Philbrick, Nathaniel. Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution. New York: The Penguin Group, 2013.
Rogers, Alan, and Lisa Rogers. Boston: City on a Hill: An Illustrated History. Sun Valley, Calif.: American Historical Press, 2007.
Rutman, Darrett B. Winthrop’s Boston: A Portrait of a Puritan Town, 1630-1649. Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 1965. Published for the Institute of Early American History and Culture.
Vrabel, Jim. A People’s History of the New Boston. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2014.
A history of activism in Boston during the 1960s and 1970s. Vrabel reveals how grassroots leaders and the common people were involved in protests and community organizing which contributed significantly to the renewal of Boston.
Vrabel, Jim. When in Boston: A Time Line and Almanac. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2004.
Very short descriptions of events year by year throughout Boston’s history.
Winsor, Justin, editor. The Memorial History of Boston. 4 volumes. Boston: Ticknor and Company, 1881.
This is the standard multi-volume history covering the years up to 1881.
Wright, Conrad Edick, and Katherine P. Viens, editors. Entrepreneurs: The Boston Business Community, 1700-1850. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, Northeastern University Press, 1997.