Well some of us have sufficient study skills to sort the wiki wheat from the wiki chaff. I am very sceptical of people who summarily dismiss wiki. Reading wiki is like reading any other non-fiction, except that wiki has millions of people poised to instantly rebel if something falls short, me included. You don't get that with esteemed historical tomes, which can often be in severe danger of turning into unopposed received wisdom. Let's call it the Keith 'n' Bill syndrome. When you look back at a particular era, it's a good idea to take note of historical tomes. After all, we admire scholarship. But that is severely two-dimensional without taking account of the feelings, the culture and the daily lives of ordinary people. Sometimes, just sometimes, fiction can inform. You wouldn't diss Dickens, would you?