# History Books That Should Be Written **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921 "2009-01-19T02:01:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/21 "2009-01-19T16:31:04Z")
I’m currently reading a book called “The Treason Trials of Aaron Burr”. It leaves me wishing that someone would write a decent book on the treason trials of Aaron Burr. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/22 "2009-01-19T17:02:33Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’d like to see a good objective history of the Church of Latter Day Saints. [Here ya go.](http://www.chick.com/catalog/comics/0118.asp) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/23 "2009-01-19T17:17:13Z")
I’d like to see a history of the Pythagorean religion, covering any influence it may have had on later belief-systems. There’s just something kewl about a religion that worships math. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/24 "2009-01-19T17:31:10Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > According to the [Treaty\_of\_Paris\_(1783)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_(1783)) creditors on both sides of the war remained responsible for their own debts. How many paid them off in full is another question. That provision was widely flaunted after the war, and was a continuing source of friction. (Imagine the sort of reception a British creditor would receive in American courts after the war. Imagine the standard of proof to which he might be held even if his claims were heard.) ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/25 "2009-01-19T17:34:33Z")
> [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > anyone know what happened to the debt after Independence? or should I open a ticket in GQ? [This](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=475850) is the thread of which **spoke-** spoke, in which we discuss the matter at some length. I’d like to see a general history of Europe’s descent into authoritarianism in the 1920’s and 1930’s–much has been written about Germany, Italy, and Spain, but these weren’t isolated cases; virtually every country in southern and eastern Europe descended into dictatorship within a few years. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/26 "2009-01-19T17:36:26Z")
> [@](#): > > I’d like to see an Antony Beevor-style overview of the the Chinese Civil War If we’re doing author requests, I’d like to see Gerald Posner do a book on Sacco and Vanzetti. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/27 "2009-01-19T22:39:24Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’d like to see a good objective history of the Church of Latter Day Saints. **Little Nemo** , have you checked out D. Michael Quinn’s _Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power_ and _Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power_? Those are both on my to-read list, and while not perfect, have received a lot of praise. It’s probably a bit more information than I really want, though. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/28 "2009-01-20T00:06:52Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [Here ya go.](http://www.chick.com/catalog/comics/0118.asp) To some LDS, that’s just the illustrated version of _Under the Banner of Heaven_ ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/29 "2009-01-20T01:23:49Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > You could try Edward L. Dreyer’s China at War, 1901-1949 ( 1995, Longman Group Limited ). It’s broader than what you are looking for ( the Chinese Civil War is covered in the final chapter ), but I found it a useful introduction to the topic. A [lengthy review](http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/55/118.html). It’s also $63.50, which is way more than I wanted to spend, but thank you very much for the suggestion- that’s pretty much exactly what I’m after (I’m interested in the _entire_ Chinese Civil War, starting in the 1920s)! ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/30 "2009-01-20T01:45:40Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Perhaps such a book has been written, but I would like one which focussed on showing how we got to the modern day. Specifically, outlining: > > The formation of the scientific method and spread thereof > The formation of modern banking and capitalism > The spread of cheap paper and the printing press > The formation of natural rights and democratic republics > > (In a single book, that is, and ideally tying them together, for I believe they are linked) _Connections_ by James Burke touches on those subjects. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/31 "2009-01-20T03:21:17Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > That provision was widely flaunted after the war, and was a continuing source of friction. (Imagine the sort of reception a British creditor would receive in American courts after the war. Imagine the standard of proof to which he might be held even if his claims were heard.) I’m sure that the provision was widely flaunted by the creditors. I take it that it was widely flouted by the American courts. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/32 "2009-01-20T03:46:16Z")
The History of Gold. You can trace it from ancient civilizations to use in electronics and now as an oxidation catalyst. How is it mined? How was it mined? It would be a huge book. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/33 "2009-01-20T03:49:54Z")
A history of the computer companies from roughly 1960 to about 1977, from the birth of the minicomputer to the advent of microcomputer companies as a viable business model. It should include IBM, DEC, Data General, Control Data, Amdahl, Honeywell, and other corporations that influenced each other and helped decide what post-mainframe computing would look like. Honestly, the widely-written-about history of computing is too heavily slanted towards home computing and, therefore, begins in the late 1970s if you’re lucky. If you read uncritically and don’t have a grounding otherwise, you might be lead to believe Microsoft and Apple actually invented things! There’s a lot of history about what went on in corporations and universities that simply isn’t being written about in books and is only findable by combing through the archives of Usenet groups like alt.folklore.computers (heavy IBM and DEC bias) and other, more specialized fora. Jason Scott is doing a wonderful job documenting the modem-based low-end personal computer networks generally referred to as BBSes. Someone ought to do a similar job documenting the networks strung within and between larger organizations, like BITNET for IBM shops and UUCP for early Unix systems. The path from ARPANET to the current Internet was _not_ straightforward and it involved computer systems nearly forgotten now (such as the PDP-10s that were the first Internet computers, and the IMPs that held it all together in the early days). I could probably go on like this for a long while. I think programming languages, operating systems, computer hardware, and user interface designs are all under-explored by historians, and the historians that do try are either not qualified to do the topic justice or are aiming at a very nontechnical audience that they assume doesn’t care about systems not sitting on their desk right now. I guess I really want a prolific author who seriously cross-trains in both computer geekery and history book authorship. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/34 "2009-01-20T03:58:25Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > I’m sure that the provision was widely flaunted by the creditors. I take it that it was widely flouted by the American courts. I _thought_ that didn’t look right; I did look it up to confirm my usage before posting; [Merriam-Webster backed me up](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaunt): > [@](#): > > Main Entry: **flaunt** > Function: \*verb \* > Etymology: perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse flana to rush around > Date: 1566 > > _intransitive verb_ > 1 : to display or obtrude oneself to public notice \ > 2 : to wave or flutter showily \ > _transitive verb_ > 1 : to display ostentatiously or impudently : parade \ > **2 : to treat contemptuously \** After your post, I went back and read Merriam-Webster’s fine print. “Flaunted” has apparently become acceptable interchangeably with “flouted” in this context: > [@](#): > > Although transitive sense 2 of flaunt undoubtedly arose from confusion with flout, the contexts in which it appears cannot be called substandard \ \ \. **If you use it, however, you should be aware that many people will consider it a mistake.** Use of flout in the sense of flaunt 1 is found occasionally \<“The proper pronunciation,” the blonde said, flouting her refined upbringing, “is pree feeks” — Mike Royko\>. So even though I stand by “flaunted” as being correct usage, I agree with you that “flouted” would have been a better choice. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/35 "2009-01-20T04:06:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Perhaps such a book has been written, but I would like one which focussed on showing how we got to the modern day. Specifically, outlining: > > The formation of the scientific method and spread thereof > The formation of modern banking and capitalism > The spread of cheap paper and the printing press > The formation of natural rights and democratic republics > > (In a single book, that is, and ideally tying them together, for I believe they are linked) You might check out _The Discoverers_ by Daniel Boorstin. Its two semi-sequels _The Creators_ and _The Seekers_ are also very good. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/36 "2009-01-20T04:17:04Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > _Connections_ by James Burke touches on those subjects. Doesn’t look bad, but looking through the descriptions it looks like not quite what I would be hoping for. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/37 "2009-01-20T04:27:29Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Doesn’t look bad, but looking through the descriptions it looks like not quite what I would be hoping for. He treats the subjects you listed seperately, but one can well see how tied together they are, even if he doesn’t make it completely explicit in the text. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/38 "2009-01-20T04:29:45Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You might check out _The Discoverers_ by Daniel Boorstin. Its two semi-sequels _The Creators_ and _The Seekers_ are also very good. Also doesn’t quite seem like what I’m envisioning. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/39 "2009-01-20T07:29:32Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > A good, well written biography on [Cary](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cary_Stayner) & [Steven](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Stayner) Stayner. Huh, I forgot about that case. You’re right – that could make for a fantastic double biography. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921/40 "2009-01-20T12:18:21Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’d like to see a good objective history of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Of course, what constitutes an “objective” history will vary depending on whether the reader is a believing Mormon or not. Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) recommended Richard Abanes’s [**One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church**](http://www.amazon.com/One-Nation-Under-Gods-History/dp/1568582838/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232453561&sr=1-1) in one of his Dilbert Newsletters. I checked it out. Abanes is a bit of a nutjob, but he does a pretty good job of sourcing his work and it’s written in a pretty easy-to-read manner. Quinn’s books, recommended earlier, are also pretty detailed and well-sourced but I found them much more dense and scholarly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-books-that-should-be-written/481921.md?page=3)