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The list below is just the beginning of the history of irreligion in Europe, mostly because much of this history remains to be written. It is only recently that academia, in general, has become tolerant towards non-religious or anti-religious beliefs, so the field of atheism/agnosticism in Europe remains wide open to the scholar(s) who would explore it.
1. [https://www.amazon.com/Secular-Age-Charles-Taylor/dp/0674026764/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509167425&sr=8-1&keywords=a+secular+age ''A Secular Age'' by Charles Taylor ] – This book is ''dense'', but extremely worthwhile. The information contained within is unparalleled, but, as a warning, it does contains phrases that would make even the most senior academic roll their eyes. Despite Taylor’s somewhat arrogant prose and verbosity, this work is a must-read for anyone interested in the rise of secularism in the Western world.
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2. ''[https://www.amazon.com/Secularization-European-Nineteenth-Century-original/dp/0521398290/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509167461&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Secularization+of+the+European+Mind%27%27+by+Owen+Chadwick The Secularization of the European Mind'' by Owen Chadwick ] – This book is considered “academic” in that Chadwick’s style can be somewhat convoluted and erudite. Chadwick bases most of his conclusions off of the moral philosophy of the Enlightenment, which comes with its own set of problems. For many, a turn away from religion was not based on new philosophy, but rather on a disdain for State-sponsored activities.
3. ''[https://www.amazon.com/Formations-Secular-Christianity-Modernity-Cultural/dp/0804747687/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509167488&sr=1-1&keywords=Formations+of+the+Secular%27%27+by+Talal+Asad Formations of the Secular'' by Talal Asad ] – Asad begins is work by asking what an anthropology of the secular might look like. Ultimately, Asad concludes that the secular is not necessarily a byproduct of the decline of religion, and nor is it a product of more scientific and rational thinking of the modern age.
4. '[https://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Companion-Atheism-Companions-Philosophy/dp/0521603676/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509167514&sr=1-1&keywords=%27The+Cambridge+Companion+to+Atheism%27%27+by+Michael+Martin 'The Cambridge Companion to Atheism'' by Michael Martin ] – This work is a collection of eighteen essays by the world’s leading scholars on atheism and irreligion. It deals with atheistic beliefs from antiquity to the modern age. The essays contained within present varying perspectives of irreligious beliefs – from philosophical to societal.
5. ''[https://www.amazon.com/Religion-Decline-Magic-Sixteenth-Seventeenth-Century/dp/0140137440/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509167542&sr=1-1&keywords=Religion+and+the+Decline+of+Magic%27%27+by+Keith+Thomas Religion and the Decline of Magic'' by Keith Thomas ] – This book primarily deals with the epic battle between religion and magic from the medieval period until around the seventeenth century, and it does so in an endlessly fascinating way. When did magic, miracles, and superstition become concepts that could be differentiated between, and why did some become sinful and others acceptable? When did fortunetellers and “cunning men” become witches and demons?
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6. ''[https://www.amazon.com/Divided-Faith-Religious-Conflict-Toleration/dp/0674034732/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509167568&sr=1-1&keywords=Divided+by+Faith%3A+Religious+Conflict+and+the+Practice+of+Toleration+in+Early-Modern+Europe%27%27+by+Benjamin+Kaplan Divided by Faith: Religious Conflict and the Practice of Toleration in Early-Modern Europe'' by Benjamin Kaplan ] – This work asks a very basic question: After the Protestant Reformation of ~1517 brought into question most of Europe’s (Catholic) religious beliefs, how did people of different/evolving faiths coexist? The answer is: not well. Kaplan's work is, at once, fascinating and all-encompassing.
7. '[https://www.amazon.com/VICTORIAN-INFIDELS-Secularist-Movement-1791-1866/dp/0719005574/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509167592&sr=1-1&keywords=%27Victorian+Infidels%27%27+by+Edward+Royle 'Victorian Infidels'' by Edward Royle ] -- Royle’s work examines the beginning of secularism, outside the context of class and political boundaries. Before Royle, most British historians considered atheism/agnosticism to be products of working-class distrust of the State. This work changed all that, and it is perhaps one of the most important books on the beginnings of secularism ever published.
8. ''[https://www.amazon.com/Origins-Modern-Atheism-Michael-Buckley/dp/0300048971/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509167622&sr=1-1&keywords=At+the+Origins+of+Modern+Atheism%27%27+by+Michael+Buckley At the Origins of Modern Atheism'' by Michael Buckley ] – In this book, Buckley argues that atheism arose due to the religious establishment’s efforts to discredit disbelief. While Enlightenment philosophers argued against God’s existence from the standpoint of rationalism, Buckley offers that the attempts by religious/anti-religious philosophers to counteract this philosophy ultimately led to disbelief among broader society.
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9. ''[https://www.amazon.com/History-Atheism-Britain-Hobbes-Russell/dp/0415047277/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509167647&sr=1-1&keywords=A+History+of+Atheism+in+Britain%27%27+by+David+Berman A History of Atheism in Britain'' by David Berman ] – In this work, Berman agues that numerous religious forces sought to keep the very idea of atheism repressed and out of the minds of the public in Britain during the nineteenth century. Berman holds that because of the Church’s sway on society, the very concept of the denial of God would have been inconceivable prior to the Enlightenment, and the various philosophical texts that arose from it. Agree or disagree, he presents a good case.
10. ''[https://www.amazon.com/Selfish-Gene-Anniversary-Landmark-Science/dp/0198788606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509167675&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Selfish+Gene%27%27+by+Richard+Dawkins The Selfish Gene'' by Richard Dawkins ] – While this book does not particularly deal with atheism or history, it is, perhaps, one of the most important treatises in evolutionary biology ever published, and is thus, a part of history itself. In 2017, Dawkins' book was voted as the "most inspiring science book of all time" by Britain's Royal Society of Science.<ref>The Royal Society (Ed.). (2017, July 19). The Selfish Gene tops Royal Society poll to reveal the nation's most inspiring science books. Retrieved October 28, 2017, from https://royalsociety.org/news/2017/07/science-book-prize-poll-results/</ref>
