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Intellectual history is an intriguing field because it is by its very nature cross-disciplinary. While these books may be in arguably different fields (History of Sex, History of Religion, Legal History, History of Technology, Political History, etc.) they are all, at their core, deeply concerned with the history of ideas. Intellectual history is not the history of old, white philosophers stroking their beards behind mahogany desks.

One of the books on this list, ''The Metaphysical Club'', has already appeared on one of our lists in the past because not only is an outstanding book exploring the philosophical concept of pragmatism, but it helped illuminate the history of the Gilded Age. Nathan Hatch's book ''The Democratization of Christianity'' looks at the Second Great Awakening and is a preeminent book of American Religious History. Still, the Second Great Awakening was not just a religious movement because contained important intellectual ideas that changed the course of American history. Each of these books, in their own way, accomplish this delicate balancing act.