""I Love Paul Revere, Whether He Rode or Not,"" Warren Harding

Lacking the verve and elan of Shenkman's Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History , this sequel is a more conventional history, although debunkery is once again the author's mission. Readers learn that flag worship is a relatively new phenomenon in the U.S., that the colonists (even in theocratic enclaves) were not especially devout and that the great industrialists of the late 19th century were neither daring nor innovative. Readers will discover also that Thoreau was no recluse at Walden Pond, Hemingway never fought in a war and Horatio Alger was a pedophile. That democracy has never been widely popular and that there were drug addicts in the land as early as 1866 are not front-page news either. The book is pop-revisionist history with few surprises. (Oct.)