Best of Booknotes TV: "The Impact of Taxes on Civilization" by Charles Adams

"Adams, a tax attorney, presents the history of taxation from ancient times to the present. He studies tax law and collection procedures in ancient Egypt, Rome, Israel, Asia, Europe, and the United States, describing how taxation played a pivotal role in such earth-shattering events as the fall of Rome, the signing of the Magna Carta, and the American Revolution. The author analyzes lessons learned through study of the past and recommends measures for possible tax reform.."

watch interview: Book TV, or buy the book: Amazon.com

along similar lines, here's an online copy of Frank Chodorov's 1954 classic: The Income Tax: The Root of All Evil