/lit/ - Literature

Also, is there anyone here who actually is from an aristocratic or sub-aristocratic background (no, this doesn't include the random average Harvard/Yale/Oxbridge undergrad, I mean like actually coming out of a background with notable intellectual output). Is it still real? Or is it gone, and are we---all of us, plebs and patricians together---just stuck looking back on the shells of legends past, like some 5th-century Romans?

What are some grandiose history books? Books that span hundreds of years and concern cultures and civilizations rather than individuals?
Bonus points for beautiful prose.