Why does the man want to give her daughter a history book?

M: Excuse me. What kind of books do you have on American history? My daughter is taking the course in college and I’d like to buy a good history book for her birthday. She said it’s her favourite subject.
W: Well. We have an excellent selection here. What kind of book do you have in mind?
M: Oh, I’m not quite sure.
W: A book of general survey or a book on special period?
M: The special period I think. She perhaps has a survey assigned to her course.
W: How about something on the Civil War or the biography of Abraham Lincoln! Those have always sold well.
M: No, not the Civil War. Perhaps something from an early period like the settling of Massachusetts colony. I know she’d be interested in that.
W: Good. We just have the book you need. Sam Miller’s Founding of the Massachusetts Colony. Would you like to have a look at it?
M: Yes, please. That sounds perfect. How much does it cost?
W: $7.95. Oh, I am terribly sorry. We sold our last copy yesterday, but I can order it from the publisher and I promise it will get here in a couple of weeks. I’ll be glad to mail it for you as soon as they get here. Will that be all right?
M: Fine, her birthday is not until next month anyway.