Books hold a special place in our culture. They represent expertise. They are the ultimate reference. When a student writes a term paper, she cites books without reservations. Professors do, too.
Most authors take the books of previous authors as the truth.
But disputes over the accuracy of nonfiction books arise frequently. Each is interesting in its own way, and a few receive enough publicity that the general readership becomes aware. What lots of readers fail to grasp, though, is that the individual controversies are far more numerous than might be logically expected. The fact is, the facts in nonfiction books are frequently not factual. It is tempting to dismiss the situation as owing to human nature.