# Who is your favorite nonfiction writer?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-nonfiction-writer/511685>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 26, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-nonfiction-writer/511685 "2009-09-26T22:49:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-nonfiction-writer/511685/41 "2009-10-04T14:34:26Z")

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[John McPhee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McPhee) is the guy who, if I saw he had a thousand-page book on the most boring topic I could imagine, I would still read it with high expectations. Picks: _The Pine Barrens, Giving Good Weight, Annals of the Former World, The Control of Nature._

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**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-nonfiction-writer/511685/42 "2009-10-05T06:18:58Z")

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David McCullough  
Bill Bryson  
Walter Isaacson  
Ron Chernow  
Carl Sagan  
Stephen Jay Gould  
Richard P. Feynman

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**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-nonfiction-writer/511685/43 "2009-10-05T06:28:01Z")

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Flannery O’Connor: her letters (_The Habit of Being_) and collection of essays (_Mystery and Manners_) are among the most important books I’ve ever read and reread and rerereread.

Rory Nugent: Once you’ve read Nugent’s adventure/travel books (_The Search for the Pink Headed Duck_ and _Drums Along the Congo_), all others will pale in comparison. I’ve read Bryson, I’ve read Cahill, and the only thing I can say about them is, “Meh, they’re no Rory Nugent.” The only author who holds a candle to him is–

Bruce Chatwin. Do yourself a favor: read _In Patagonia_. Your life will be divided: before you read that book, and after. Beautiful, beautiful book.

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**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-nonfiction-writer/511685/44 "2009-10-05T06:30:25Z")

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Must add:

Simon Schama  
Mary Karr  
SJGould

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**Author:** ![trapezoidal\_jellyfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@trapezoidal\_jellyfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trapezoidal_jellyfish)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-nonfiction-writer/511685/45 "2009-10-05T06:43:09Z")

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Steven Pinker

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