# Help me stock the ultimate (fictional) library **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [October 16, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444 "2013-10-16T23:07:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![D.E.S.K.Top668](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@D.E.S.K.Top668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.E.S.K.Top668)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/1 "2013-10-16T23:07:50Z")
Reading [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=705032) made me think; it’s been a long time since I’ve fired up the old multi-dimensional travelinator and I have some extra cash/gold/Galleons/beaver pelts, and I want to expand my library. What books should I be on the look-out for? So far, I have on my list; [The Necronomicon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necronomicon) (The ones around here seem th be BS) [Tales of Beedle the Bard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tales_of_Beedle_the_Bard) (I have an apparently abridged work that was made available, but I’d like an original.) [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_%28fictional%29) (I hope to get this first and that it will guide me on my quest) So, any other suggestions of books mentioned in fictional works that should be added to my shelves? Thanks in advance - DESK ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/2 "2013-10-16T23:21:40Z")
The [Orange Catholic Bible](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Catholic_Bible) from Dune. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/3 "2013-10-17T00:16:18Z")
The [Book of Night with Moon](http://www.youngwizards.com/ErrantryWiki/index.php/Book_of_Night_with_Moon) from the Young Wizards setting. The _Book of Silence_ from the [novel](http://www.watt-evans.com/thebookofsilence.html) of the same name. It’s called that because to speak a single word from it kills the speaker; best kept on the restricted shelves. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/4 "2013-10-17T00:30:52Z")
From my “Rivets and Sprockets” anthology in grade school, all the ‘ologies’, the ‘onomy’s’, and ‘ithics’. ---
**Author:** ![D.E.S.K.Top668](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@D.E.S.K.Top668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.E.S.K.Top668)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/5 "2013-10-17T00:32:29Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > The [Book of Night with Moon](http://www.youngwizards.com/ErrantryWiki/index.php/Book_of_Night_with_Moon) from the Young Wizards setting. > > The _Book of Silence_ from the [novel](http://www.watt-evans.com/thebookofsilence.html) of the same name. It’s called that because to speak a single word from it kills the speaker; best kept on the restricted shelves. I don’t know either, but I’m now looking for both the series. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/6 "2013-10-17T00:35:05Z")
[The Junior Woodchucks Guidebook](http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Junior_Woodchucks_Guidebook). ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/7 "2013-10-17T00:51:35Z")
The [Darkhold](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darkhold), aka The Book of Sins. _De Vermis Mysteriis_ (Mysteries of the Worm), another Lovecraftian tome. The _Oghma Infinium_ and _Mysterium Xarxes_ from the Elder Scrolls setting. And at least some Elder Scrolls themselves, naturally. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/8 "2013-10-17T01:26:50Z")
_[The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Theory_and_Practice_of_Oligarchical_Collectivism)_, by Emmanuel Goldstein. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/9 "2013-10-17T01:41:15Z")
The Book of Three. The Necrotelecomnicon ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/10 "2013-10-17T01:51:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The Necrotelecomnicon That reminds me of the Nekonomicon, which contains knowledge of catgirl eldritch horrors. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/11 "2013-10-17T02:08:33Z")
_The Travels of Jain Farstrider_ - Mentioned throughout the _Wheel of Time_ series. _The Book of Counted Sorrows_ - Not sure if it counts as Dean Koontz made it up as a source of quotes outside of some of his novels. I don’t know if it ever shows up in a story. _The Hive Queen_ and _The Hegemon_ - from _Ender’s Game_ ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/12 "2013-10-17T02:16:24Z")
_Complete Works_ - Kilgore Trout (all I have is _Venus on the Half-Shell_) _The Twelve Hours of the Night_ - [William Ashbless](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ashbless) ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/13 "2013-10-17T02:30:06Z")
From Tolkien: [_Red Book of Westmarch_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Book_of_Westmarch) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/14 "2013-10-17T02:48:33Z")
[_The King in Yellow._](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_in_Yellow) A complete ultimate (fictional) library **must** have it! (Just don’t ever, ever **read** it.) ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/15 "2013-10-17T06:58:18Z")
_Life_, by Unspiek, Baron Bodissey, from several Jack Vance books, some of wihch contain unflatterring reviews ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/16 "2013-10-17T07:04:46Z")
_De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis_, aka _The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows_. You’ll also need Mateu’s _Universal Bibliography_. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/17 "2013-10-17T08:31:33Z")
Don’t forget to hire an orangutan as librarian. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/18 "2013-10-17T12:34:21Z")
The collected works of Marshall France; _Pool of Stars_, _Green Dog’s Sorrow_, and particularly _Land of Laughs_ as mentioned in [Jonathan Carrol’s Land of Laughs](http://books.google.com.au/books?id=dBae3YVgDBwC&pg=PA26&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false). “The Land of Laughs was lit by eyes that saw the lights that no one’s seen.” [http://www.jonathancarroll.com/books/thelandoflaughs.html](http://www.jonathancarroll.com/books/thelandoflaughs.html) ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/19 "2013-10-17T14:52:30Z")
[Tobin’s Spirit Guide](http://ghostbusters.wikia.com/wiki/Tobin%27s_Spirit_Guide) ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444/20 "2013-10-17T14:52:40Z")
_The Book of Gramarye_, from **The Dark is Rising**. The books written for the Quaddie children in **Falling Free** , which had titles like _Johnny and the Excess Humidity Mystery._ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stock-the-ultimate-fictional-library/671444.md?page=2)