I’m working on a story set in the 1840s and I want the setting to be authentic. I’ve been thinking about how to do that without sounding like a history book. This post considers the same question. How much backstory is too much? (You may need to scroll past a bunch of menu items to get to the post.)

Research: Keeping the Backstory in the Back | Indies Unlimited
http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2015/04/14/researching-keeping-the-backstory-in-the-back/