>Can you think of another where the author goes from mistake to mistake and then finally gets it right?
Not a book, but Raymond Hettinger often presents in this way and it's fantastic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf-BqAjZb8M
Most (in-depth, technical) security books follow this sort of thought process- I think. “A big hunters diary” comes to mind.
Ignition! A history of liquid rocket propellants.
Little Lisper, Little Scheme is a conversation style that discusses a lot of false starts.
{Coders|Founders} at Work has a lot of frank talk about early mistakes people make and their pivots.
I also think this is the way the majority of tech books are written.
Can you think of another where the author goes from mistake to mistake and then finally gets it right?
I believe there is a space in tech writing for this kind of writing, but it is not something traditional book publishers believe.
This was an O'Reilly book by the way, with really good editors and a really good editoral process.
That editor was right most of the time, IMHO.