A history book was a book that described and explained the history of a country, area, or subject, like a textbook.
In 2151, Charles Tucker III responded to T'Pol's information by saying, "just how I always wanted to get in the history books." (ENT: "Unexpected")
(ENT: "Carbon Creek")
(ENT: "Future Tense")
In 2267, after James T. Kirk asked Khan Noonien Singh to elaborate on he and his fellow Augments wound up in space, Spock added "And how you managed to keep it out of the history books." (TOS: "Space Seed")
In 2366, William T. Riker asked Data whether there was anything in the history books that could help the USS Enterprise-D after it became caught in a Menthar trap. (TNG: "Booby Trap")
(TNG: "The High Ground")
(TNG: "Unification I")
(TNG: "A Matter Of Time")
(TNG: "The Masterpiece Society")
(VOY: "One Small Step")
In 2378, Captain Kathryn Janeway told Lieutenant Reginald Barclay that he earned a place in the history books for establishing the first trans-galactic com-link during Operation Watson. Barclay claimed he couldn't take all the credit since Harry Kim and Seven of Nine suggested bouncing a tachyon beam off of a quantum singularity to make it work. (VOY: "Author, Author")
(LD: "Second Contact")
(VOY: "Living Witness")