The best intro book for history is
Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past
The best intro book for ubiquitous computing is
Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing
The best intro book for instructional design and technology is
Instructional Technology: Past, Present, and Future
The best intro book for futurism is
The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology
The best intro book for copyleft is
