A <history, historic, historical> book.

[sound shift]

I'm sorry I can't help you about the broad issue of 'noun + noun' vs 'adjective + noun', but I can tell you that 'history book' and 'historical book' are not the same.

A history book = A book about history
A historical book = A book that made history, a book that achieved lasting fame. It need not be about history. D.H. Lawrence's book 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' is a historical book, but it is a novel, not a history book.

 

[panjandrum]

For general information about words ending with -ic and -ical, see
Adjectives ending with -ic and -ical: historic/al, hysteric/al, electric/al, economic/al ... ...

 

[ewie]

A history book = A book about history
A historical book = A book that made history, a book that achieved lasting fame. It need not be about history. D.H. Lawrence's book 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' is a historical book, but it is a novel, not a history book.

Wouldn't that be a historic book, Sound?
To my ears a historical book would just be one that was very old, maybe one that appeared in history somewhere. So The Domesday Book might be described as both 'historical' and 'historic' ...
... erm ...
am I imagining this?

Just found this http://www.answers.com/historic&r=67

 

[Forero]

My 2 cents worth:

History book = book about history, probably a textbook.
Historical book = book documented in history.
Historic book = momentous book (maybe not famous, but important to the historian - or expected to be so).

 

[Ynez]

Maybe a "Historical book" could be a novel based in some particular past time?

Or even it could be used to mean "a book that has been famous for a long time"?

I guess a "History book" can only be a book to study History, isn't it so?

 

[Forero]

Maybe a "Historical book" could be a novel based in some particular past time?

Or even it could even be used to mean "a book that has been famous for a long time"?

I guess a "History book" can only be a book to study History, isn't it so right?

I agree with all three of your observations, Ynez.

 

[history buff]

Wouldn't that be a historic book, Sound?
To my ears a historical book would just be one that was very old, maybe one that appeared in history somewhere. So The Domesday Book might be described as both 'historical' and 'historic' ...
... erm ...
am I imagining this?

I think you're right.

 

[Ynez]

Thanks for your corrections, Forero.

It seems my reply in another thread ended here...where I am just repeating what others had just said