Most Popular Historical Fiction Books of the 1950s

Discover popular Historical Fiction books from the 1950s, with reader ratings and new favorites to explore.

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Books in this list

The Etruscan

Mika Waltari

Fantasy · Translation · Historical Fiction

1956

8.5/10 46 ratings

East of Eden

John Steinbeck

Historical Fiction

January 1, 1952

10/10 2 ratings

Our Man in Havana

Graham Greene

Spy Thriller · Historical Fiction · Mainstream · Thriller

1958

10/10 1 ratings

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table

Roger Lancelyn Green

Fantasy · Arthuriana · Childrens · Historical Fiction

1953

10/10 1 ratings

The Ring Givers

W. H. Canaway

Norse Mythology · Historical Fiction · Mythology

1958

8/10 1 ratings

Theseus #1

The King Must Die

Mary Renault

Greek Mythology · Minotaur · Historical Fiction · Mainstream · Mythology

1958

8/10 2 ratings

Pincher Martin

William Golding

War & Military · Historical Fiction

1956

7/10 1 ratings

South by Java Head

Alistair MacLean

War & Military · Historical Fiction · Thriller

1958

6/10 1 ratings

Exodus

Leon Uris

War & Military · Historical Fiction

September 1, 1958

An Elephant for Aristotle

L. Sprague de Camp

Historical Fiction · Mainstream

1958

The Great Captains

Henry Treece

Fantasy · Historical Fiction

1956

The Angry Hills

Leon Uris

Spy Thriller · War & Military · Adventure · Historical Fiction · Thriller

January 1, 1955

The Quiet American

Graham Greene

War & Military · Movie · Historical Fiction

December 1955

Cannery Row #2

Sweet Thursday

John Steinbeck

Historical Fiction

June 1, 1954

Battle Cry

Leon Uris

War & Military · Adventure · Historical Fiction

June 1, 1953

The Schirmer Inheritance

Eric Ambler

Crime Fiction · Spy Thriller · Suspense Thriller · Historical Fiction · Mystery

1953

Death In Captivity

Michael Gilbert

Crime Fiction · War & Military · Historical Fiction · Mystery

January 1, 1952

The Price of Salt

Patricia Highsmith

LGBTQ+ · Historical Fiction · Romance

January 1, 1952

The Felse Investigations #1

Fallen into the Pit

Ellis Peters

Crime Fiction · Historical Fiction · Mystery · Thriller

January 1, 1951

Inspector Hazlerigg #5

Death Has Deep Roots

Michael Gilbert

Crime Fiction · Historical Fiction · Mystery

January 1, 1951

The End of the Affair

Graham Greene

Historical Fiction · Romance

January 1, 1951

British Library Tales of the Weird #70

The Black Fox

Gerald Heard

Horror · 19th century · Ghosts · Psychological Horror · Historical Fiction

1950