[Steppes] 19th century books

[Quill]

I've found myself turning a lot lately to books that were written and
published in the mid-late 1800's (for a variety of research purposes). I'm
wondering if this is really a good idea. The reason I like doing is partly
that for some things I simply can't find a good quantity of recent research
on some of my subjects. Also, I'm leery of modern books, mostly because just
about anyone can get published these days, and do so in a way which sounds
authoritative but is ultimately misleading. (Especially when it comes to
stuff like Celtic history, traditions and folklore. There's a lot of
enthusiasm for this stuff out there now, and that means there's money to be
made, which means unscrupulous people can and will put BS on the market
because they know it sounds good and people will buy it.) On the other hand,
material that's now over 100 years old is likely to be out of date, obsolete
in light of new findings and research methods.

So, any advice on how I can avoid screwing myself over?

-- 
In service to The Dream and Dreamers all,
Cuillioc /|\ "Quill"
Titled Bard of the Barony of Bonwicke

"It is said that the Devil never crossed the Tamar into Cornwall on account
of the well-known habit of Cornish women of putting everything into a pasty,
and that he was not sufficiently courageous to risk such a fate!"

-From the cookbook _Cornish Recipes Ancient and Modern_