...American history.? From the early settlers to as close to the present day as possible. I am writing a paper and really would like to have 1 instead of 20 books to look through. Thanks.
Second, one of my favorite books is actually text style: A History of the Republic.
If you are looking for a comprehensive, but easy to swallow read, definitely check out America: A Narrative History by George Tindall. It is excellent because, as the title would suggest, it is written as a narrative instead of a recitation. So it won't put you to sleep.