# Five favourite non-fiction books... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2003, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754 "2003-08-17T11:48:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nefertari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7bcc69/32.png) [@nefertari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nefertari)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/1 "2003-08-17T11:48:37Z")
…becuase I got all enthusiastic over my five favourite novels. I have lots of favourite non-fict but my faves would have to be, in no particular order… - “The Orchid Thief” Susan Orleans - “Guns, Germs and Steel” Jared Diamond - “Museum of Hoaxes” Alex Boese - “Used and Rare” Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone - “A Passion for Books” Harold Rabinowitz …I also love “At Home with Books” but thought I should limit my bibliophile books to two per list. ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/2 "2003-08-17T12:08:11Z")
Modern Times, by Paul Johnson The Second World War, by John Keegan Second World War, by Winston Churchill The Civil War Trilogy, by Bruce Catton The four books above are **riveting** , **moving** , and **poetic**. The fifth is a special favorite. It is the book that made me love history, which I first read when I was nine or so: A Child’s History of the World, by V.M. Hillyer I’m a woman who loves history, especially military history. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/3 "2003-08-17T12:51:08Z")
Hmm… this is way tougher than my 5 novels challenge - mainly because my selection would have to be on content rather than literary merit, and also because I don’t read as much non-fiction. Off the top of my head (though I’m sure I’m going to change my mind on reflection): _The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee_ - Jared Diamond _The Man who Stayed Behind_ - Sidney Rittenberg _A Short History of Nearly Everything_ - Bill Bryson _Seven Years in Tibet_ - Heinrich Harrer _The Code Book_ - Simon Singh ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/4 "2003-08-17T14:41:26Z")
Damn **jjimm** took the very first book that came to mind. The Code Book, by Simon Singh The Reflexive Universe, by Arthur Young The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins Market Wizards, Jack Schwager (made me become a trader) Reality Isn’t What It Used to Be : Theatrical Politics, Ready-to-Wear Religion, Global Myths, Primitive Chic, and Other Wonders of the Postmodern World, Walter Truett Anderson Conciousness Explained, by Daniel Dennet (also, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea) Ok so that was 6. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/5 "2003-08-17T14:42:52Z")
Damn I forgot “The Human Zoo,” by Desmond Morris. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/6 "2003-08-17T15:06:39Z")
Damn, I knew I’d regret my choices. _River out of Eden_ by Dawkins should also be on the list. Dump _Seven Years in Tibet_, if you’re being strict about the “only five” rule. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/7 "2003-08-17T15:13:54Z")
1. (another vote for) **The Code Book** by Simon Singh 2. **Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey** by Isobel Fonseca 3. **The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat** by Oliver Sacks 4. **An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States** by Charles A. Beard 5. **Beyond the Ring: The Role of Boxing in American Society** by Jeffrey T. Sammons Runner up: **Darwin’s Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race** by John M. Hoberman Gah, that was hard to pick. I eliminated biography and autobiography from the list just to narrow things down. ---
**Author:** ![Jello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@Jello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jello)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/8 "2003-08-17T15:41:24Z")
1. Caesar and Christ, by Will Durant 2. The Renaissance, by Will Durant 3. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, by Tom Wolfe 4. Master of the Senate, by Robert Caro 5. The Great Shark Hunt, by Hunter S. Thompson ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/9 "2003-08-17T16:49:45Z")
The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose 3,000 Years Ago by Geoffrey Bibby The Harlot by the Side of the Road by Jonathan Kirsch In the Beginning by John Gribbin ---
**Author:** ![Manach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Manach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manach)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/10 "2003-08-17T19:13:25Z")
In no order: Orthodoxy - GK Chesterton The Greeks - HD Kitto The Western Way of War - Victor Hanson Holidays in Hell - PJ O’Rourke The Offshore Islanders - Paul Johnson ---
**Author:** ![mojave66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@mojave66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mojave66)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/11 "2003-08-17T19:19:39Z")
My top five of those not yet listed: 1. _City of Quartz_ by Mike Davis 2. _Cadillac Desert_ by Marc Reisner 3. _The Lawn: A History of an American Obsession_ by Virginia Scott Jenkins 4. _Seabiscuit: An American Legend_ by Laura Hillenbrand (all the hype is truly deserved) 5. _What is Mathematics, Really?_ by Reuben Hersh ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/12 "2003-08-17T19:46:21Z")
_The Soul of a New Machine_ by Tracy Kidder _The Professor and the Madman_ Simon Winchester _Desire of the Everlasting Hills_ Thomas Cahill ---
**Author:** ![UperCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c0e974/32.png) [@UperCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UperCow)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/13 "2003-08-17T19:53:05Z")
A Bright Red Scream -? Bodily Harm -Safe Just checking (thoughts on OCD) -? Saving Patty Hearst -? ---
**Author:** ![benthames](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/58f4c7/32.png) [@benthames](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/benthames)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/14 "2003-08-17T21:53:23Z")
Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond The History of the English-Speaking Peoples by Winston Churchill Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (10th Edition) The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin ---
**Author:** ![Lesbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Lesbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lesbia)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/15 "2003-08-17T22:16:30Z")
The Tao te Ching, by Lao Tsu Sophie’s World, by Jostein Gaarder On Writing, by Stephen King Demon-Haunted World, Carl Sagan Stupid White Men, by Michael Moore ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/16 "2003-08-18T02:23:11Z")
The Mismeasure of Man - by Stephen Jay Gould The Snow Leopard - by Peter Mathiesson The Demon Haunted World - by Carl Sagan Brazilian Adventure - by Peter Fleming Hard to narrow down a 5th…another Peter Fleming travel book would be a good choice, as would one of many other great travel books, maybe one by Bill Bryson. Or The Great Escape (the book the movie was based on, I forget who wrote it). I read much more non-fiction than fiction & I love this thread. Has given me many titles for future reading already. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/17 "2003-08-18T03:46:49Z")
Guns, Germs, and Steel – by Jared Diamond The Beak of the Finch – by Jonathan Weiner The Code Book – by Simon Singh The Cuckoo’s Egg – by Clifford Stoll Hyperspace – by Michio Kaku ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/18 "2003-08-18T05:54:01Z")
- **The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft** , edited by David Donald. - **Cartridges of the World, 9th Edition** Barnes/McPherson. - **Time Almanac, 2003** - **An Anthropologist on Mars** , Oliver Sacks. 'can’t think of #5 just yet, but it’s out there…somewhere… ---
**Author:** ![nefertari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7bcc69/32.png) [@nefertari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nefertari)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/19 "2003-08-18T09:24:53Z")
Forgot all about “Demon Haunted World”! Would have to add that as well as “Life: An Unauthorised Biography” and “Mummy Congress”. I can’t believe I forgot that one, it would have to be number one! ---
**Author:** ![dylan\_73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dylan\_73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dylan_73)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754/20 "2003-08-18T13:18:11Z")
Can’t choose a top five, but it would include “The Elegant Universe”, by Brian Greene [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-favourite-non-fiction-books/195754.md?page=2)