Tom Hanks’ 10 favourite books ranked – from Cold War to medieval times | Books | Entertainment

Away from the studio lights and red carpets, Tom Hanks is also defined by his thoughtful literary tastes – with quality that extends far beyond the scripts he’s chosen.

The Oscar-winning actor is an avid reader and even penned Uncommon Type, a collection of 17 short stories inspired by his beloved manual typewriter, which he calls his favourite object on Earth.

In a list shared with One Grand Books, Hanks revealed the ten books he holds most dear – a mix of gripping history, political drama, and sweeping fiction.

Here are his top picks, ranked, from a meditation on totalitarian Russia to the medieval world’s march toward modernity.

10 – The Future is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia by Masha Gessen

“Current events, ongoing, recognizable, and important to realize.”

The Future is History explores how Russia, after the fall of the Soviet Union, reverted to a totalitarian state under Vladimir Putin. The book focuses on the lives of four individuals who came of age during the initial hopes for democracy in the 1990s, and then experienced the re-emergence of authoritarianism and a “mafia state”. Gessen argues that Russia never fully escaped the patterns of totalitarianism, and that the old Soviet order, with its suppression of dissent and control over information, resurfaced.

9 – Supreme City by Donald L. Miller

“You will never see NYC the same, and will never be without a destination to see.”

This book explores the rapid transformation of Manhattan during the 1920s, highlighting the key figures and engineering feats that turned the city into a global hub of commerce, culture, and entertainment. The book focuses on the period’s “city shapers,” including the innovative engineer William Wilgus, who oversaw the construction of Grand Central Terminal, and the flamboyant Mayor Jimmy Walker. It also dives into the social and cultural landscape of the era, showcasing the rise of figures like Texas Guinan, a successful businesswoman who thrived during Prohibition.

8 – Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst

“Espionage and mystery and politics and war at a time when one was either a hero, a villain, or a coward. No exceptions.”

A historical espionage novel set in Salonika (Thessaloniki) in 1940-1941, Spies of the Balkans sees Nazi Germany prepare to invade the Balkans. The story centers on Costa Zannis, a senior police official, who becomes entangled in a dangerous game of political intrigue and espionage. As the threat of war looms, Zannis works to secure escape routes for those hunted by the Gestapo, navigating a complex web of spies, gangsters, and resistance fighters.

7 – Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

“As in, all of us, each and every person who every stood erect on this spinning globe.”

Harari’s global bestseller takes a sweeping view of the human story, from the earliest days of Homo sapiens to the rise of artificial intelligence. Blending anthropology, history, and philosophy, Sapiens explores how our species came to dominate the planet, shape complex societies, and invent meaning through religion, money, and politics. The book’s vast scope and accessible style offer an essential, eye-opening read on what it means to be human.

6 – What It Takes: The Way to the White House by Richard Ben Cramer

“Thinking about running for office? Going into politics? Really? REALLY???”

This hefty, deeply reported account of the 1988 U.S. presidential campaign is a masterclass in character study. Cramer dives into the lives of six major candidates, including George H.W. Bush, Joe Biden, and Michael Dukakis, to explore what kind of person dares to run for president. With novelistic detail, he examines their ambitions, flaws, and family histories.

5 – A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

“What Gone with the Wind was to the Antebellum Plantation, this is to the Russian Grand Hotel.”

Towles’ elegant 2016 novel tells the story of Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian aristocrat sentenced to house arrest in Moscow’s Metropol Hotel following the Russian Revolution. Over decades, Rostov finds meaning, dignity, and connection within the hotel’s walls, even as the world outside transforms violently. With wit, charm, and melancholy, the novel explores time, resilience, and what it means to live a rich life in confinement.

4 – Stasiland by Anna Funder

“You may not be able to comprehend how far a state will go to keep its people subjugated.”

This nonfiction narrative investigates life under East Germany’s notorious secret police, the Stasi, through the eyes of those who lived it – and those who resisted. Based on interviews Funder conducted while living in post-reunification Berlin, Stasiland presents harrowing true stories of surveillance, betrayal, and quiet defiance.

3 – 1939: The Lost World of the Fair by David Gelernter

“You will go to the Fair with two of the most fascinating people to ever live in a book.”

Gelernter’s evocative portrait of the 1939 New York World’s Fair captures a moment when America stood on the brink of transformation. Through the lens of a fictional Connecticut teenager, Gelernter blends fact and imagination to reflect on the optimism, innovation, and innocence of the prewar world.

2 – An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942–1943 by Rick Atkinson

“The Liberation Trilogy covers WWII in Africa and Europe, where the small details hold the DNA of the entire conflagration. The final pages will rip your heart out.”

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Atkinson’s vivid military history follows the U.S. Army’s baptism by fire in World War II during the North African campaign. Focusing on the leadership of Eisenhower and the brutal lessons learned in early combat, the book is rich with strategic detail and human drama. It’s the first volume in Atkinson’s acclaimed Liberation Trilogy and a favourite of Hanks.

1 – A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance – Portrait of an Age by William Manchester

“The dark ages, explained as humans lived through them. A time machine of a book.”

Topping Hanks’ list is this sweeping narrative history of the Middle Ages, a period Manchester describes as both brutal and astonishingly formative. The book covers the collapse of the Roman Empire, the rise of feudalism, religious upheaval, and the eventual birth of the Renaissance. Manchester’s prose is vivid and dramatic, capturing the superstitions, horrors, and awakenings of the time. A deeply satisfying mix of history, storytelling, and perspective.