Debate: Are those "self-published" history books on Amazon actually worth your time?

I used to think they were all garbage after getting burned on a Civil War book full of typos and bad facts, but then I found one about the 1918 flu in Philadelphia that was better than anything from a university press, so which side do you fall on here, do you avoid self-published history or have you found hidden gems?

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zara_perez621mo ago

The trick is learning to separate the wheat from the chaff. Check the author's background first - does he list his sources in the back? A self-published book with a proper bibliography is a good sign. Look at the sample pages for typos, especially in the first few chapters. That Civil War book you mentioned sounds like it was rushed out without an editor. The 1918 flu book you found likely had a retired historian or a journalist behind it, someone who did the legwork. Also, skip anything that promises "shocking secrets" or "forgotten truths" - that's usually a red flag for shaky research.