I don't see it mentioned much on the sub, but i'm about halfway through The Feather Thief, and its an insanely interesting story. The first few chapters go into how so many birds were driven to extinction from victorian-era fashion and fly tying. The freakonomics is interesting, and it really makes you appreciate folks like Fly Fish Food who are making so much content and business in the synthetic fly tying game.
I agree. Fundamentals and get him hooked first. If he’s adamant about history, have him read, “The Feather Thief”. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. It has some cool fly fishing and fly tying history on it and it’s a true story. The Feather Thief
https://www.amazon.com/Feather-Thief-Obsession-Natural-History/dp/110198161X
This is a great book about how some guys are obsessed with stealing the quetzel's feather.