[abdel_nasser]

i am really interested in history and i have spent a lot of time looking for a good book on a certain topic or time period and sometimes not finding anything. it turns out that its really hard to find books that are completely objective, well researched and also written well. there is a scarcity of these kinds of books especially for modern history. and so the idea struck me that maybe i ought to write a short history book. but then i thought that that sounds like a pipe dream. anyway, for anyone who likes that kind of thing i would recommend the binladen book that was published recently. havent read it yet but i cant wait to. it turns out the invasion wasnt so misguided after all.

https://yalebooks.co.uk/display.asp?K=9780300260632

[_tom_]

> completely objective.

The really sad thing is that people have discovered that "completely objective" doesn't sell very well.

Taking an extreme view sells much better, but provides much less useful information.

[lelanthran]

> The really sad thing is that people have discovered that "completely objective" doesn't sell very well.

"Discovered"? It's always been this way. Controversy sells. If it bleeds, it leads. Etc...

I remember, when first doing academic publications, my supervisor told me controversy sells. It was true then, it's true now, it was probably true when newsletters were printed in cuneiform on stone tables.

[self_awareness]

Is it even possible to write a completely objective book about history?

[mdp2021]

It may be theoretically possible to write history books tending towards objectivity through impersonal, collaborative, quantitative, semi-automated methods. See my other post nearby.

But also note what the goals can be: a "computed" summary vs clever, intelligent, wise insights. Note that some texts are built so as to include both: a flow of core analysis with quality commentaries as asides.

[HWR_14]

Not a good one. Objective history book would be a timeline. To add another thing interesting (eg cause and effect) is to make decisions and introduce bias.

[baggy_trough]

No, but one can try to avoid overt irritating biases.