The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II | 
Much of thinking is about history, but there is nothing in this book that influenced me in any way. Nevertheless, I think a lot about the Dutch Golden Age, and this book is basically set in the same era. I like the style too: it's very complicated and detailed, but still communicative. But I don't understand the French intellectual climate all that well: how does this fit with the brave philosophizing of Derrida? And why is Camus so irritating?
