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If you've got a stack of books that you know you should read, but you never do, maybe you have something in common Queen Elizabeth II. Or at least with the queen as imagined by writer Alan Bennett in The Uncommon Reader.

For years, Tennessee history buff Bill Carey has been concerned about the lack of state history in the schools. Now he is seizing what he thinks is an…

NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports on the release today of a new set of national history standards. The first standards, released 2 years ago, were roundly criticized for offering too many negative examples about American history. The new standards are decidedly more positive about the American experience, but more importantly they omit the specific curriculum suggestions that many people objected to in the original draft.

Daniel talks with Phillip Jenkins Professor of History and Religious Studies at Pennsylvania State University about the history of militia movements in the United States. Jenkins says that in the 1940's in particular, there were several right-wing militias run by Christian leaders. They believed the federal government was subverting the constitution and many of them followed a popular radio talk show host who was also a priest preaching anti-semitic and racist views.

Enrique Krauze, a Mexican historian, and author of Mexico: Biography of Power: The Making of Modern Mexico. He's also editor of Lettras Libres, a monthly journal. He joins Robert by phone from Mexico City to talk about the history of the Institutional Revolutionary Party.

Noah talks to Witold Rybczynski, the author of One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw. His book traces the screwdriver to medieval times, and highlights the contributions of inventors who have improved upon the tool, and the tools for making screws.

Host Bob Edwards talks about the history of presidential pardons with Robert George, a professor of legal philosophy at Princeton University. George says that pardons weren't designed for cases like Marc Rich; the main purpose of a pardon is to heal the political wounds of a nation.

History's unmentionables come out of the closet in a new calendar from the Costume Society of America called Underwear: Beneath Historic Fashions. On Weekend Edition Saturday, a talk with the editor of the calendar that depicts undergarments from the early 18th century to the 1960s.

Host Liane Hansen talks with Norwegian Philosopher ostein Gaarder (YOH-steyn GORDER) about his book, "Sophie's World: A Novel bout The History of Philosophy" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Part novel, part hilosophy primer, "Sophie's World," explores some of the eternal questions sked by philosophers for centuries. "Sophie's World" is an international estseller. So far, it has sold about 3-1/2 million copies worldwide and has een translated into about 40 languages including English.