History of the Jews in Russia and Poland, Vol. I and II by S.M. Dubnow (Author), I. Friedlaender (Translator)

Vol. I: From the beginning until the death of Alexander I (1825). Vol. II: From the death of Alexander I until the death of Alexander III (1825-1894). 

The fascinating, fact filled work of Jewish history proves easy to read. The book covers the onset of the early Diaspora from Judah to the first Greek settlements in the first centuries, up to the 1800s in Poland. Dubnow provides a rich and detailed tapestry of places, from the Crimea to western Poland, to persons of renown, from Khazars to Hasidim, from great Kings to anti-Semites, and depicts events that changed the Jewish world from the printing press to Haskala. Highly recommended for anyone in search of Jewish history throughout the centuries; primarily concerns Eastern Europe under Christian rulers and the heavy and vindictive arm of the anti Semitic Church.