Youssef, I've typeset two books (novels) in Hoefler Text a couple of years ago. The typeface, which has a dark and functional texture - think of classical letterpress feel - looks fine in offset printing, though, like any other fonts, it has its own idiosincracies that one could appreciate or not. For instance, long periods of texts set in italics may look too heavy (that was my impression), and the italic Q may look too "ancient". But I guess that it could be appropriate for an history book. For headings, Hoefler Titling - which has a very nice and elegant design - could work too. Sabon could be also a good choice, though the digital versions, to me, seem to lack some "character"; Minion is a perfect choice for essays, but it doesn't thrill me. Calluna or Maiola could give your book a more original and contemporary feel. Let me also suggest you two typefaces that I've been using both in novels and essays in the last year: the superb Cycles by Sumner Stone and Athelas by José Scaglione.