The EQOOK Modern History Library is a curated collection of 97 public-domain books covering modern historical events and social history. The collection is organized into four categories: World Events, Modern Nations, Revolutions, and Social History, offering a wide range of perspectives from firsthand narratives to regimental histories.
Each book in the catalog is accompanied by tools that help you understand its context, compare different works, and estimate your reading time. Whether you are exploring a specific battle, a social movement, or a personal account, these tools are designed to make your research more efficient and your reading more rewarding.
Use the Find Your Next Read tool to filter the collection by subject, length, reading time, and category. Whether you are looking for a quick read on the Civil War or a detailed regimental history, this tool matches your preferences to the catalog.
The Compare Books tool lets you examine two or more volumes side by side, focusing on their word counts, reading times, and textual structure. Make informed choices about which books to read or study together.
The Plan Your Reading tool provides honest estimates of reading time based on median word counts and average reading speeds. It can help you decide whether a book fits into your schedule, whether you have a few minutes or a long afternoon.
With 97 books spread across four categories, the EQOOK Modern History Library offers a wide range of perspectives on the modern era. A quick glance at the shelves can be overwhelming, but the three interactive tools—Book Finder, Compare Books, and Reading Tracker—are designed to help you navigate this collection. Each serves a distinct purpose, and using them together can turn a casual browse into a focused reading plan.
Book Finder is the natural starting point when you want to narrow down the catalog based on your interests and available time. You can filter by category, word-count length, estimated reading time, chapter rhythm, sentence flow, and subjects. For instance, if you are drawn to regimental histories, a subject filter for 'World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain' will surface titles like The history of the Twentieth (Light) Division — A Reader’s Guide, a substantial account of a British division's wartime experiences.
The finder also lets you express a preference for popularity or hidden gems. This is useful when you want to avoid the most well-known volumes or, conversely, start with something commonly read. No-preference choices do not penalize books, so you can leave criteria blank if you are open to anything.
Once you have a shortlist from the Finder, Compare Books helps you weigh the practical differences between two or three titles. It shows word count, estimated reading time, text sections, sentence flow, chapter rhythm, and subjects side by side. These metrics are descriptive, not judgments of quality, but they can be decisive when you are choosing between a 30,000-word memoir and a 170,000-word regimental history.
For example, comparing a personal narrative like With my regiment — A Closer Reading (48,524 words) with a broader study like What America did — Text and Context (93,037 words) immediately reveals a difference in scope and commitment. The comparison tool makes these differences explicit, helping you align your choice with your reading goals.
After you have made a selection, the Reading Tracker helps you plan a sustainable pace. It records progress in pages, with a daily page goal that you can adjust. The estimated remaining time is calculated proportionally, and the finish date is based on your daily goal. This is especially helpful for longer works, such as The history of the Twentieth (Light) Division — A Reader’s Guide, which at 97,828 words would take an estimated 426 minutes of reading time.
The tracker stores your history in the browser, so no account is needed. You can replace the total page count with the one from your own edition if the catalog estimate differs. By combining the Finder, Compare, and Tracker, you can move from a broad search to a specific choice and then to a realistic reading schedule—all within the same library.