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Past Mistakes : How We Misinterpret History and Why it Matters
From the fall of Rome to the Wild West, Mountain brings color and perspective to historical mythmaking.
Museums are full of pure white Classical sculptures. Over the years, we’ve ignored evidence that they were originally painted bright colors, ‘restoring’ sculptures to a gleaming white and becoming heated about the very idea of a lick of paint. Why? Because the stories we tell about our past affect how we see ourselves today. Just one wrong turn in our understanding of history can infect whole areas of thought – as well as how we look at society and relate to others in the 21st century. Exploring some of the biggest myths, mysteries and misconceptions about the past (Columbus didn’t discover the United States, the Vandals weren’t vandals, Boudicca wasn’t English), David Mountain reveals how ongoing revolutions in history and archaeology are finally shedding light on the truth
Museums are full of pure white Classical sculptures. Over the years, we’ve ignored evidence that they were originally painted bright colors, ‘restoring’ sculptures to a gleaming white and becoming heated about the very idea of a lick of paint. Why? Because the stories we tell about our past affect how we see ourselves today. Just one wrong turn in our understanding of history can infect whole areas of thought – as well as how we look at society and relate to others in the 21st century. Exploring some of the biggest myths, mysteries and misconceptions about the past (Columbus didn’t discover the United States, the Vandals weren’t vandals, Boudicca wasn’t English), David Mountain reveals how ongoing revolutions in history and archaeology are finally shedding light on the truth
400 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2020
23 people are currently reading
496 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
December 29, 2021
"Cavemen" didn't really live in caves, and the switch from nomadic to agrarian societies didn't happen unavoidably or overnight. Pythagoras was a madman cult leader, and his followers attributed to him inventions and discoveries which had happened centuries before or after his lifetime. "Barbarians" had elaborate codes of law and customs. The Dark Ages were far from dark for non-Western-European civilizations. Medieval people didn't think the Earth was flat, and that homicidal maniac Columbus didn't set out to prove it's round - he set out to get rich via genocide. Women absolutely *did* work outside the home, even in highly skilled and/or physically demanding jobs, though the gender pay gap did always exist; women's "natural inclination" towards motherhood and homemaking is Victorian garbage promoted by upper class "great thinkers". Nationalism is [rude word here], though you might prefer Mountain's more polite explanation:
So far, so good if you're preparing for trivia night - and Past Mistakes would have been a thoroughly enjoyable book even if it were only a collection of "things we got wrong about history". But it's the "Why It Matters" part which makes me want to recommend this book to everyone. The author does a great job of highlighting how the myths we've been passing on (accidentally or intentionally or half-and-half) continue to shape our thinking and "spill over" into our futures. The Roman smear campaign against Germanic tribes is echoed by the horrible things said around the refugee crises today. The (as seen above) completely invented notion of nationalism is sweeping Europe with renewed fury. And I won't even get into the gender roles topic since I don't feel like popping a vein today, thankyouverymuch. The stories we tell become our windows on the world become more stories and so on. So the stories matter, and our willingness to edit our thinking in the face of new evidence and interpretation matters even more.
I don't think that was fully coherent. Read the book.
[...] most nations - in the sense of a body of people united by a shared territory and cultural and historical ties - simply didn't exist 200 years ago as they do today. This put nationalist pioneers in a curious position. On the one hand, they were advocating national self-determination on account of 'natural' and 'God-given' cultural identities; on the other, they were desperately trying to instil those natural and God-given cultural identities in their compatriots. It wasn't a question of 'reawakening' natural sentiments in their compatriots, as nationalists loved (and still love) to say, but of inventing and imposing them outright.
So far, so good if you're preparing for trivia night - and Past Mistakes would have been a thoroughly enjoyable book even if it were only a collection of "things we got wrong about history". But it's the "Why It Matters" part which makes me want to recommend this book to everyone. The author does a great job of highlighting how the myths we've been passing on (accidentally or intentionally or half-and-half) continue to shape our thinking and "spill over" into our futures. The Roman smear campaign against Germanic tribes is echoed by the horrible things said around the refugee crises today. The (as seen above) completely invented notion of nationalism is sweeping Europe with renewed fury. And I won't even get into the gender roles topic since I don't feel like popping a vein today, thankyouverymuch. The stories we tell become our windows on the world become more stories and so on. So the stories matter, and our willingness to edit our thinking in the face of new evidence and interpretation matters even more.
I don't think that was fully coherent. Read the book.
did-not-finish
September 26, 2020The introduction alone was so heavy-handedly 'woke' that I could not get past it and read the actual book. I wish this smug, self-righteous brand of politics would stop infecting everything. Sorry, netgalley - thanks for the copy but I couldn't finish it.
October 5, 2021
The first chapter about the Greek and Roman statues actually being full of colour was quite eye-opening and loved the chapter on women.
November 4, 2020
I enjoyed reading Past Mistakes by David Mountain, a book about misconceptions about history and how history has been often rewritten as propaganda for more recent political purposes. History is always viewed through the lens of the present day, but it’s surprisingly how much history is still viewed through the lens of the (rather racist and sexist) Victorians to prop up today’s white supremacists and misogynists.
I learned some things, but the main message was to engage critical thinking and look for the people who are missing from the “official” historical accounts. A solid four stars.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.
I learned some things, but the main message was to engage critical thinking and look for the people who are missing from the “official” historical accounts. A solid four stars.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.
January 17, 2021
Our heroes of the past can be seen as the vanguard of civilisation who tame the frontiers of human adventure. The villains portrayed in these events are frequently indigenous inhabitants who are seen as the savage foil from the continents of Africa to India to Australia and the wild west of America.
Desire of people to have history on their side
The author, David Mountain wrote “it is the desire of people to have history on their side – even if they have to manage it beyond recognition”. This is an interesting interpretation of how history makes us write stories about our past which are influenced by thoughtful misinterpretation and sometimes ‘comical’ misrepresentation of events that have taken place in the course of antiquity and through the period of cultural history. Mountain claims that entire chapters of history have been erased and civilisations have been invented where they have never existed, this point is true. These are the points he explores in his work through the myths, mysteries and misconceptions of legacies of figures like Pythagoras, Christopher Columbus and the gun-toting cowboys from the wild west.
The book looks beyond the established and published account of history and delves into the depths of an alternative reality some of which convincingly offers a plausible revelation on how revolutions and archaeology offers an insight into the study of human endeavour through the analysis of our physical culture of the past.
A quarrel with history
Through the various chapters Mountain presents his quarrels with history through an alternative set of philosophies that stretch against a ‘false dawn’ of civilisation. This approach pictures a catalogue of philosophers from Bertrand Russell, Karl Popper, Charles Darwin, Thomas Hobbs amongst many others who share their vision of the past and how it was made to seem a comforting and palliative account of history. It was Darwin who wrote “the unmistakable stink of supremacy still lingers in the iconic evolution of man”.
Conversely, Mountain considers an honest account of the relationship between Western civilisation and the Eastern un-civilisation, thereby, projecting through a notion of supremacy of cultures. Michelle Parker considers this view by commenting that the civilising mission of the British, in the nineteenth century, sought to bring civilised Western ideas to what the British believed were the uncivilised corners of the world.
This work is a well documented account of selected themes in history and for a non-historian I found this book a good account of what Mountain offers as an alternative historical theory. Some parts are plausible and whilst other parts seem a little fantastical. This is not to decry the efforts for accuracy, but it did at times feel that the mind was being stretched more than its natural limits to understand how such alternative facts corresponded with objectivity of belief and the objectivity of evidence.
There was an interesting passage which stated the moral value of avoidance of sexual pleasures and religious orgies for the followers of Pythagoras, which I’m pretty sure there would be elements of disappointment amongst a few; a more amusing passage in this section of the book was the declaration that followers were not allowed to urinate facing the sun, avoid places where an ass has couched, avoid public baths, avoid any animal that lays eggs and particularly sinful was the consumption of beans. All this made entertaining reading at the very least. Over time Pythagorean followers, Mountain wrote, were seen as the hippies of the 1960s.
Barbarians at the gates
Chapter 3 was probably one of the more interesting and historically more informative chapters to read. It placed some context to the many theories shared about how history is recorded and translated in to a believable account. The chapter deconstructs the term barbarian and how it has become a word for propaganda purposes whether it related to present day conflicts, colonialism or cowboys and indians in the wild west. The term is used very effectively to describe unsightly and unwashed aliens as the enemy.
The book relates a number of anecdotes to describe events and behaviours which western civilisations seemingly found peculiar. It is these narrations that gave cause to delve further into the book. One specific point he addresses that opened up questions on the sincerity of the revised version of history, when he wrote about the rise of Islam in an ill-informed and clumsy manner, which set the scene for the fall of Constantinople to the Muslims. He describes Islam and its army of defenders as being desperate and poor and who were willing to kill and pillage for greed, giving the army of Islam a truly barbaric appearance. This view may well be one interpretation, especially among the anti-Islam or atheist lobby. He compared such an army similar to those of the worst kind of Romans and Persians.
To this story Mountain adds that such campaigns undertook forced conversations of non-Muslims without accepting, at that time in history, the armies of Islam were bound by an oath to their faith for the spreading of Islam not by coercion but through persuasion and economic incentives. Furthermore, it is forbidden to convert through force. This, for those who are students of history will recognise is a complete fabrication of reality.
Once I reached this section of the book and realised that this work, certainly is not a correction of history, referred to as ‘past mistakes’ but rather this is an attempt to re-create an alternative chronicle of events across various periods of historical interest. If such significant inaccuracies can be made on Islamic history, then certainly significant misleading alternatives can be written in other sections of his work.
I will leave this question unanswered for the reader to judge the relationship between facts and alternative fiction.
The book overall is well written, charming in nature and with several sections capturing ones’ attention with interesting stories and antidotes. Overall it was worth the read and certainly made me think of an alternative reality to the one we often face.
There is a well known remark shared by Mountain that history is written by the victors. This may well be a thought-provoking catchphrase with a degree of truth imbedded in it. However, what if history should be written by the losers, would there be an alternative account of events, would history be more honest and kinder to itself?
Mohammed P Aslam
Desire of people to have history on their side
The author, David Mountain wrote “it is the desire of people to have history on their side – even if they have to manage it beyond recognition”. This is an interesting interpretation of how history makes us write stories about our past which are influenced by thoughtful misinterpretation and sometimes ‘comical’ misrepresentation of events that have taken place in the course of antiquity and through the period of cultural history. Mountain claims that entire chapters of history have been erased and civilisations have been invented where they have never existed, this point is true. These are the points he explores in his work through the myths, mysteries and misconceptions of legacies of figures like Pythagoras, Christopher Columbus and the gun-toting cowboys from the wild west.
The book looks beyond the established and published account of history and delves into the depths of an alternative reality some of which convincingly offers a plausible revelation on how revolutions and archaeology offers an insight into the study of human endeavour through the analysis of our physical culture of the past.
A quarrel with history
Through the various chapters Mountain presents his quarrels with history through an alternative set of philosophies that stretch against a ‘false dawn’ of civilisation. This approach pictures a catalogue of philosophers from Bertrand Russell, Karl Popper, Charles Darwin, Thomas Hobbs amongst many others who share their vision of the past and how it was made to seem a comforting and palliative account of history. It was Darwin who wrote “the unmistakable stink of supremacy still lingers in the iconic evolution of man”.
Conversely, Mountain considers an honest account of the relationship between Western civilisation and the Eastern un-civilisation, thereby, projecting through a notion of supremacy of cultures. Michelle Parker considers this view by commenting that the civilising mission of the British, in the nineteenth century, sought to bring civilised Western ideas to what the British believed were the uncivilised corners of the world.
This work is a well documented account of selected themes in history and for a non-historian I found this book a good account of what Mountain offers as an alternative historical theory. Some parts are plausible and whilst other parts seem a little fantastical. This is not to decry the efforts for accuracy, but it did at times feel that the mind was being stretched more than its natural limits to understand how such alternative facts corresponded with objectivity of belief and the objectivity of evidence.
There was an interesting passage which stated the moral value of avoidance of sexual pleasures and religious orgies for the followers of Pythagoras, which I’m pretty sure there would be elements of disappointment amongst a few; a more amusing passage in this section of the book was the declaration that followers were not allowed to urinate facing the sun, avoid places where an ass has couched, avoid public baths, avoid any animal that lays eggs and particularly sinful was the consumption of beans. All this made entertaining reading at the very least. Over time Pythagorean followers, Mountain wrote, were seen as the hippies of the 1960s.
Barbarians at the gates
Chapter 3 was probably one of the more interesting and historically more informative chapters to read. It placed some context to the many theories shared about how history is recorded and translated in to a believable account. The chapter deconstructs the term barbarian and how it has become a word for propaganda purposes whether it related to present day conflicts, colonialism or cowboys and indians in the wild west. The term is used very effectively to describe unsightly and unwashed aliens as the enemy.
The book relates a number of anecdotes to describe events and behaviours which western civilisations seemingly found peculiar. It is these narrations that gave cause to delve further into the book. One specific point he addresses that opened up questions on the sincerity of the revised version of history, when he wrote about the rise of Islam in an ill-informed and clumsy manner, which set the scene for the fall of Constantinople to the Muslims. He describes Islam and its army of defenders as being desperate and poor and who were willing to kill and pillage for greed, giving the army of Islam a truly barbaric appearance. This view may well be one interpretation, especially among the anti-Islam or atheist lobby. He compared such an army similar to those of the worst kind of Romans and Persians.
To this story Mountain adds that such campaigns undertook forced conversations of non-Muslims without accepting, at that time in history, the armies of Islam were bound by an oath to their faith for the spreading of Islam not by coercion but through persuasion and economic incentives. Furthermore, it is forbidden to convert through force. This, for those who are students of history will recognise is a complete fabrication of reality.
Once I reached this section of the book and realised that this work, certainly is not a correction of history, referred to as ‘past mistakes’ but rather this is an attempt to re-create an alternative chronicle of events across various periods of historical interest. If such significant inaccuracies can be made on Islamic history, then certainly significant misleading alternatives can be written in other sections of his work.
I will leave this question unanswered for the reader to judge the relationship between facts and alternative fiction.
The book overall is well written, charming in nature and with several sections capturing ones’ attention with interesting stories and antidotes. Overall it was worth the read and certainly made me think of an alternative reality to the one we often face.
There is a well known remark shared by Mountain that history is written by the victors. This may well be a thought-provoking catchphrase with a degree of truth imbedded in it. However, what if history should be written by the losers, would there be an alternative account of events, would history be more honest and kinder to itself?
Mohammed P Aslam
June 4, 2021
Entertaining and interesting. I guess I've heard a lot of the basic arguments before, but it was interesting to hear things in more depth, esp about Pythagoras (new to me!) and Byzantium
October 21, 2023
Gosh, I was convinced Past Mistakes was going to be a 5-star read after getting through the introduction. Talking about how we talk about the past is a subject I am deeply interested in. As the author mentions early on, what we say about history is just as much a reflection of our current society as it is about the past. This kind of… meta history? is super fascinating.
Mountain walks us through many examples - ranging from the whitewashing of Greek culture and art (marble statues were once colored), to Pythagoras and Columbus being not the people we think they are (zero surprise on that latter one), barbarians were not that barbaric, and that women have long worked outside the home. These are all interesting topics, but I felt with back-to-back analyses, the tone and historical explainations got more and more pedantic the longer I read. It’s ironic that a book that aims to upend our view of history falls into the general stereotype of history books - kinda dull.
Is it worth reading? Maybe, especially if one picked and chose chapters that were more aligned with their interests. Past Mistakes reminds me a LOT of Carlin’s The End is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses. If you liked one, you might like the other.
Mountain walks us through many examples - ranging from the whitewashing of Greek culture and art (marble statues were once colored), to Pythagoras and Columbus being not the people we think they are (zero surprise on that latter one), barbarians were not that barbaric, and that women have long worked outside the home. These are all interesting topics, but I felt with back-to-back analyses, the tone and historical explainations got more and more pedantic the longer I read. It’s ironic that a book that aims to upend our view of history falls into the general stereotype of history books - kinda dull.
Is it worth reading? Maybe, especially if one picked and chose chapters that were more aligned with their interests. Past Mistakes reminds me a LOT of Carlin’s The End is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses. If you liked one, you might like the other.
January 4, 2021
I don’t often write reviews, but this book left me so much better informed that it only seemed fair! It's packed full of facts - any one page could keep you in interesting titbits for a dinner party (when we're allowed to do that sort of thing again) - so I reckon this will have to go on my reread pile so I can pick and out remember different bits. It's also written in a really engaging way, history brought to life with true (absurd) anecdotes and humour, and with the references included to back it up. Can I get a part two now?
November 22, 2020
I found this a very interesting book in so much as it left me asking questions about the past that I had assumed to be true. I found the book rather tough going in places as it was so full of information about history, people, archeology and pseudoarcheology. It is ot an easy read but was very absorbing. I can see that this will be a book that I will want to delve into many times in the future to remind myself of some of thehistorical facts that may/maynot be true.
This has taught me a lot about false media and how to try to evaulate the truth from the fiction from the past as well as current affairs.
This has taught me a lot about false media and how to try to evaulate the truth from the fiction from the past as well as current affairs.
September 9, 2024
An interesting enough read but not quite memorable. Average 3 stars.
November 9, 2020
I loved this book. Mountain re-examines parts of history that have been misinterpreted - either accidentally or deliberately - and presents instead history that includes women, people of colour and countries outside Europe. He explains in each chapter why it’s so important for the modern day that we understand the impact of these misinterpretations.
I enjoyed the informal writing style and the range of historic myths it covers. The core message about being more critical of the stories we get told is an important one.
I enjoyed the informal writing style and the range of historic myths it covers. The core message about being more critical of the stories we get told is an important one.
December 31, 2020
I had not heard of this book until a friend mentioned it on an email list I am a member of. As I've been reading more nonfiction this year, I purchased a Kindle copy, and was not disappointed.
David Mountain clearly is an excellent researcher and is most knowledgable about history, where we've gotten facts right and where we haven't. I found the book interesting, and I learned much I did not know. Some of the misconceptions about history have been set right in my mind.
If you enjoy reading about history, people, events and where we came from, you'll find this book both interesting and informative.
David Mountain clearly is an excellent researcher and is most knowledgable about history, where we've gotten facts right and where we haven't. I found the book interesting, and I learned much I did not know. Some of the misconceptions about history have been set right in my mind.
If you enjoy reading about history, people, events and where we came from, you'll find this book both interesting and informative.
December 9, 2020
This very much reminded me of the historical power house The Silk Roads. Past Mistakes is a smashing adventure through history, busting common myths and widely accepted narratives. Göbekli Tepe was a personal highlight - mind blown...
One of my favourite things about the book is Mountain’s writing style. Each chapter draws you in a sets the scene, I often had to remind myself this wasn’t fiction. And fiction it certainly is not. You can clearly see the amount of research and evidence behind the book.
The book moves through time fairly chronologically and gives you exceedingly interesting stories and explanations along the way.
This was quite honestly one of the best books I’ve read all year and I would happily have read double the amount of pages. I’m looking forward to the sequel!
One of my favourite things about the book is Mountain’s writing style. Each chapter draws you in a sets the scene, I often had to remind myself this wasn’t fiction. And fiction it certainly is not. You can clearly see the amount of research and evidence behind the book.
The book moves through time fairly chronologically and gives you exceedingly interesting stories and explanations along the way.
This was quite honestly one of the best books I’ve read all year and I would happily have read double the amount of pages. I’m looking forward to the sequel!
November 28, 2020
Entertaining look at how historical myth-making is so pervasive and problematic. Covering crystal skulls, the Wild West and the weird cult of Pythagorus, Mountain’s light touch brings out the humour and crazy logic but also how distortions have been used to promote nationalism and oppose gun control. You don’t need to be a history buff to find this an interesting insight into the stories we tell about our past.
June 29, 2025
“… it’s impossible to deny the role of history in shaping our perceptions of society, both past and present. And so, when we get our history wrong, it can have far-reaching and unexpected consequences for how we view ourselves and make sense of our world. History, whether we like it or not, has an annoying habit of being relevant.”
This book was fascinating to read. Each chapter examines a different instance where history has been misinterpreted – what the general belief or misinterpretation is, what the reality is, and how we’ve reached the point of misinterpreting it. Each chapter also examines why these misinterpretations are so common and how they link to the current day.
David Mountain writes engagingly and clearly to bring these different instances to life including, the Wild West, crystal skulls, Christopher Columbus, and the changing role of women. It’s a fascinating romp through the ages showing that these misinterpretations are spread through every age of history, and all different types of history too.
“This flexibility of history – its ability to be written and rewritten – is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it allows us to revise earlier interpretations in the light of new evidence. On the other hand, it leaves the past open to deliberate manipulation by those looking to justify and support contemporary agendas.”
The idea of why these mistakes matter is central to the book – these quotes I’ve interspersed throughout the review demonstrate why history is important, but also why it’s important to recognise problems and biases in the telling of history. You can talk about misinterpretations in history but what is really important is to understand why they are so popular and think more critically about what this means in the present and I think David Mountain does it really well in this book.
Anyone who is interested in history, who reads or studies history, or is involved in politics, should read this book. It is an insight into how you can’t trust everything you read and that things are constantly changing. It is well-written, engaging, and critically thought-out. The instances discussed in this book are just a small selection of misinterpretations, but they break some of the most well-known myths of history. Brilliantly done.
“The desire of people to have history on their side – even if they have to mangle it beyond recognition – is a testament to its importance. History matters. It tells us who we are, where we’ve come from, and where we might be heading.”
This book was fascinating to read. Each chapter examines a different instance where history has been misinterpreted – what the general belief or misinterpretation is, what the reality is, and how we’ve reached the point of misinterpreting it. Each chapter also examines why these misinterpretations are so common and how they link to the current day.
David Mountain writes engagingly and clearly to bring these different instances to life including, the Wild West, crystal skulls, Christopher Columbus, and the changing role of women. It’s a fascinating romp through the ages showing that these misinterpretations are spread through every age of history, and all different types of history too.
“This flexibility of history – its ability to be written and rewritten – is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it allows us to revise earlier interpretations in the light of new evidence. On the other hand, it leaves the past open to deliberate manipulation by those looking to justify and support contemporary agendas.”
The idea of why these mistakes matter is central to the book – these quotes I’ve interspersed throughout the review demonstrate why history is important, but also why it’s important to recognise problems and biases in the telling of history. You can talk about misinterpretations in history but what is really important is to understand why they are so popular and think more critically about what this means in the present and I think David Mountain does it really well in this book.
Anyone who is interested in history, who reads or studies history, or is involved in politics, should read this book. It is an insight into how you can’t trust everything you read and that things are constantly changing. It is well-written, engaging, and critically thought-out. The instances discussed in this book are just a small selection of misinterpretations, but they break some of the most well-known myths of history. Brilliantly done.
“The desire of people to have history on their side – even if they have to mangle it beyond recognition – is a testament to its importance. History matters. It tells us who we are, where we’ve come from, and where we might be heading.”
November 6, 2024
On one level, the basic idea behind this book is nothing new. Throughout history, as well as in contemporary times, our understanding of various events becomes skewed by cultural and political forces that succeed in framing those events in ways that benefit themselves. Today, we call it gas-lighting.
However, the effects of these "mistakes" can be profound and last for centuries, as they continue to support racist, misogynistic, nationalistic, and religious and ethnic biases. What do you think you know about early humans, about classical Greek art and culture, about Christopher Columbus, about early African and Indigenous American culture, and "how the west was won," for starters? What you think you know is wrong.
Past Mistakes is dense and packed with history and intellectual ideas. It will change the way you view the modern world and how we got here. I was especially interested in the chapter on gun violence in the U.S. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about history.
However, the effects of these "mistakes" can be profound and last for centuries, as they continue to support racist, misogynistic, nationalistic, and religious and ethnic biases. What do you think you know about early humans, about classical Greek art and culture, about Christopher Columbus, about early African and Indigenous American culture, and "how the west was won," for starters? What you think you know is wrong.
Past Mistakes is dense and packed with history and intellectual ideas. It will change the way you view the modern world and how we got here. I was especially interested in the chapter on gun violence in the U.S. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about history.
May 11, 2021
Omigosh I loved this book! Superb writing from David Mountain! I had been in a bit of a nonfiction slump recently, and I was sort of skeptical to pick up this book, because I thought that it wouldn't have enough "interesting" tales to enrapture me. Boy was I wrong. This book is not formatted like some of the other "debunking past history" books, and I think that's for the better. So many of those books end up half price in that weird section of Barnes and Noble. This book is truly more about the biases of history, and includes evidence in the form of examples of these misinterpretations to assert Mountain's claim that by reshaping the past, listening to pseudoscience, and ignoring evidence the present is deeply, and negatively, affected. Highly interesting read with great prose that keeps you engaged. Def recommend!
July 12, 2025
This was interesting and very readable! I learned a lot of new things, and I agreed with the author's thesis of the malleability of history having grave consequences. He didn't really have a clear layout for the book, and jumped from topic to topic a bit randomly. Also, not to be nitpicky, but there were a few simplifications (for example, he writes that the Swiss government gives every male citizen a gun on their 20th birthday. It's a bit more complicated: they have to do mandatory military service beginning at 20, and when they join up they get a gun). I didn't have time to fact check all the claims he made, and when I noticed things like that it made me wonder if I could take everything he wrote at face value. Overall, an enjoyable (and often funny) read that points up some really important social trends.
September 19, 2021
Past Mistakes is a crisp reminder to step beyond easily accessible narratives and stay objective when viewing the past. The work succeeds in exemplifying how inaccurate beliefs continue to be entrenched – society clings to tidy, heroic, decisive (and divisive) tales when the truth is far more complex and ambiguous. But the analysis of this becomes lost as he casts a wide net of facts and anecdotes before circling back to the point. It would have been juicer to spend time critiquing trends of incorrectly attributed histories and their continued perpetuation. Providing so much evidence to garner trust from the reader was somewhat unwarranted.
Read my full review at: https://bit.ly/3lBVo30
Read my full review at: https://bit.ly/3lBVo30
September 25, 2020
Full marks for a name checking BLM and Covid in an attempt to keep this piece relevant.
If I had gotten this book for Christmas I would called it a "dipper", you read it in the bath or on the toilet, it's an easy reading, wants to be edgy but isn't. The chapter on pseudoscience is at least interesting, the whole dark age wasn't angle is about 20 years old. I don't entirely agree on the gun crime hypothesis, given the gun lobby is much more second amendment than frontiersman these days.
There were no major typos and the research was quite sound if not as cutting edge as the author might believe. It never has the rigour to answer the question in the subtitle.
If I had gotten this book for Christmas I would called it a "dipper", you read it in the bath or on the toilet, it's an easy reading, wants to be edgy but isn't. The chapter on pseudoscience is at least interesting, the whole dark age wasn't angle is about 20 years old. I don't entirely agree on the gun crime hypothesis, given the gun lobby is much more second amendment than frontiersman these days.
There were no major typos and the research was quite sound if not as cutting edge as the author might believe. It never has the rigour to answer the question in the subtitle.
March 6, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Fascinating to see how historical misconceptions are still accepted as universal truth continuing to shape political discourse and public opinion today. The book is cleverly written and researched. It addresses a wide range of misconceptions, from mathematicians in ancient Greece to women's lives in medieval times. Challenging these misconceptions is key to understanding our history and how such stories influence us today. Such a captivating and intelligent book, 5/5!
December 22, 2020
A selection of valuable re-appraisals of historical events. The message being that our cultural,social and historical beliefs are formed or distorted by political manipulation, received wisdom, myth,natural prejudice and preconceptions. No surprises there then. The thesis is good but the work is rather bitty and the author has an annoying habit substituting the word penned for the preferable usage written by.
October 11, 2021
Now this was a very interesting read about history and what we think we know about it. Really enjoyed the topics and the 'myth-busting' though the writing felt heavy and clunky and it was a bit of a slog throughout to get to the point (or to get past the point, as the author just seemed to love to talk once the point had been made, just to drive it home further) Still, there is a lot of really intriguing and eye-opening information in there, and any lover of history will really dig it
Want to read
October 26, 2020A very controversial look at the past. Not an easy and quick read, this book requires a lot of concentration and time.
I understand and appreciate the premise for this book and agree with some of what Mountain stated throughout, but it was a very heavy read therefor I didn’t enjoy is as much as I could have.
I understand and appreciate the premise for this book and agree with some of what Mountain stated throughout, but it was a very heavy read therefor I didn’t enjoy is as much as I could have.
December 5, 2023
"Quem controla o passado controla o futuro. Quem controla o presente, controla o passado." Com este livro aprendi que nem sempre podemos confiar na História como nos foi contada pois esta foi várias vezes reescrita para servir diferentes ideologias e interesses políticos.
February 17, 2025
Absolute garbage. Start with the theory that white supremacy is the reason for everything and then select your examples. Don’t waste your time, just turn in American media and you will get the same propaganda.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 1, 2025At the very least, you walk away with a refreshing/interesting reinterpretation of the Western story we’re usually told. But at its best, it really pushes you to re-examine the modern myths we take for granted, the narratives our modern society is built on.
December 31, 2023
Very enjoyable. Delves into widely accepted historical narratives and expertly separates fact from fiction.
January 21, 2024
4.5. Rtc
March 29, 2024
Chapter about pseudo-archeology was especially interesting.
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