Skip to main content

Best books about books

1 2

Rank Title Author Added

1

The Name of the Rose

19,554 members

311 reviews

4.2

31 Members: Edward, Aquila, June, waitingtoderail, gennyt, devenish, ijustgetbored, starfishian, guyalice, europhile, melonbrawl, Cecrow, roby72, merrystar, fvenez, geitebukkeskjegg, birder4106, EMS_24, brenzi, fundevogel, thecoroner, Dilara86, alex68, Twixi, Jarandel, ahef1963, marraneth, jhicks62, Tinuvia, Audreybooklover, FranzK72,aulsmith

2

84, Charing Cross Road

by Helene Hanff

5,862 members

348 reviews

4.2

28 Members: Edward, June, gennyt, staffordcastle, generalkala, devenish, anglemark, Herenya, smcwl, charl08, thorold, raidergirl3, guyalice, europhile, VioletBramble, Cecrow, moibibliomaniac, roby72, merrystar, JaneAustenNut, brenzi, souloftherose, thecoroner, MDGentleReader, electrice, Twixi, ahef1963, Audreybooklover, ,Danny45
Explanations: electrice: letters between american author and british bookseller

3

The Eyre Affair

by Jasper Fforde

15,691 members

603 reviews

4

4

by Ray Bradbury

54,044 members

999 reviews

4

31 Members: gilroy, June, waitingtoderail, gennyt, hipdeep, generalkala, tiddleyboom, MikeBriggs, smcwl, BookWallah, norabelle414, Cecrow, roby72, merrystar, fvenez, souloftherose, thecoroner, alex68, electrice, Twixi, Jarandel, cej1027, ahef1963, marraneth, jhicks62, Audreybooklover, FranzK72, TashMason, ManWithAnAgenda, steller0707, Curran2,Edward ,aulsmith
Explanations: electrice: books burned in the future

5

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader

by Anne Fadiman

4,553 members

213 reviews

4.2

24 Members: June, gennyt, generalkala, Herenya, kageeh, charl08, guyalice, europhile, VioletBramble, reconditereader, moibibliomaniac, roby72, merrystar, JaneAustenNut, brenzi, Dgmknzgrl, souloftherose, elkiedee, briarhills, Devlindusty, Twixi, Audreybooklover, Emersonblue, steller0707,lilithcat ,anglemark ,

6

The Neverending Story

by Michael Ende

12,118 members

227 reviews

4.1

24 Members: hailelib, Aquila, tiddleyboom, paradoxosalpha, guyalice, wester, Cecrow, bestem, roby72, merrystar, geitebukkeskjegg, birder4106, EMS_24, fundevogel, susiesharp, souloftherose, Beorn_se_Bacaire, Dilara86, Twixi, Jarandel, marraneth, Tinuvia, ManWithAnAgenda, Curran2,anglemark ,aulsmith ,

7

The Uncommon Reader

by Alan Bennett

5,751 members

572 reviews

3.9

21 Members: June, generalkala, devenish, Herenya, MikeBriggs, starfishian, smcwl, charl08, raidergirl3, VioletBramble, merrystar, brenzi, souloftherose, Jenni_Canuck, briarhills, Devlindusty, MDGentleReader, electrice, Audreybooklover, ManWithAnAgenda, steller0707,
Explanations: electrice: the Queen of England start reading for pleasure

8

The Shadow of the Wind

by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

27,934 members

1,042 reviews

4.1

9

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

by Italo Calvino

12,537 members

258 reviews

4.1

19 Members: anglemark, Herenya, paradoxosalpha, guyalice, melonbrawl, wester, Cecrow, roby72, merrystar, thecoroner, briarhills, Dilara86, Devlindusty, alex68, Twixi, ahef1963, marraneth, FranzK72, steller0707,generalkala

10

The Princess Bride

by William Goldman

24,897 members

530 reviews

½ 4.3

19 Members: Aquila, jjwilson61, gilroy, hipdeep, generalkala, anglemark, tiddleyboom, keristars, guyalice, norabelle414, merrystar, geitebukkeskjegg, fundevogel, Devlindusty, Jarandel, ahef1963, marraneth, FMops, Curran2,BookWallah ,aulsmith ,

11

by Markus Zusak

44,973 members

2,126 reviews

½ 4.4

18 Members: gennyt, tiddleyboom, dara85, KimarieBee, starfishian, BookWallah, JaneAustenNut, mccartm, EMS_24, brenzi, Devlindusty, Twixi, ahef1963, 4leschats, bcrowl399, LisbethE, Audreybooklover, TashMason,anglemark ,souloftherose ,Danny45

12

The Thirteenth Tale

by Diane Setterfield

17,228 members

911 reviews

4

18 Members: devenish, tiddleyboom, dara85, starfishian, melonbrawl, Cecrow, EMS_24, brenzi, Dgmknzgrl, souloftherose, Devlindusty, Twixi, cej1027, ahef1963, 4leschats, kara.shamy, Audreybooklover, steller0707, ,

13

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer

19,429 members

1,248 reviews

4.2

19 Members: June, generalkala, tiddleyboom, Herenya, charl08, europhile, merrystar, JaneAustenNut, brenzi, Dgmknzgrl, susiesharp, souloftherose, Devlindusty, MDGentleReader, electrice, Twixi, ahef1963, Audreybooklover, steller0707,lilithcat ,norabelle414 ,aulsmith , ,Danny45
Explanations: electrice: letters between an english writer and a Guernesey's book club

14

by Jorge Luis Borges

7,610 members

114 reviews

½ 4.4

12 Members: anglemark, guyalice, Cecrow, roby72, merrystar, fvenez, fundevogel, thecoroner, Dilara86, alex68, marraneth, FranzK72

15

The Book on the Bookshelf

by Henry Petroski

2,567 members

44 reviews

3.8

12 Members: hailelib, waitingtoderail, staffordcastle, devenish, BookWallah, thorold, guyalice, melonbrawl, moibibliomaniac, mrmapcase, Devlindusty, Audreybooklover

16

Parnassus on Wheels

by Christopher Morley

1,774 members

108 reviews

4

13 Members: June, staffordcastle, smcwl, charl08, VioletBramble, moibibliomaniac, JaneAustenNut, brenzi, souloftherose, electrice, ahef1963, meghan-ellice, ManWithAnAgenda,

17

A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books

by Nicholas A. Basbanes

3,257 members

41 reviews

4.1

12 Members: waitingtoderail, staffordcastle, anglemark, ijustgetbored, BookWallah, guyalice, moibibliomaniac, merrystar, JaneAustenNut, mrmapcase, briarhills, Devlindusty

18

Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

8,327 members

723 reviews

3.8

14 Members: trav, starfishian, uath, moibibliomaniac, merrystar, Twixi, cej1027, ahef1963, 4leschats, LisbethE, jmiserak, Audreybooklover, TashMason, steller0707, ,

19

People of the Book

by Geraldine Brooks

9,974 members

496 reviews

3.9

12 Members: KimarieBee, starfishian, rstaedter, charl08, guyalice, moibibliomaniac, brenzi, Twixi, 4leschats, ManWithAnAgenda, steller0707, Danny45

20

Northanger Abbey

21,663 members

419 reviews

3.8

13 Members: keristars, europhile, roby72, JaneAustenNut, brenzi, thecoroner, Dilara86, ahef1963, 4leschats, kara.shamy, FranzK72, ManWithAnAgenda, steller0707,aulsmith

21

On Books and the Housing of Them

by William E. Gladstone

47 members

2 reviews

4

9 Members: lilithcat, gennyt, melonbrawl, reconditereader, uath, souloftherose, briarhills, Devlindusty, steller0707

22

The City of Dreaming Books

by Walter Moers

2,946 members

88 reviews

½ 4.3

11 Members: devenish, anglemark, rstaedter, wester, merrystar, birder4106, EMS_24, briarhills, Twixi, Jarandel, marraneth,generalkala ,

23

12,970 members

289 reviews

4

11 Members: starfishian, charl08, roby72, thecoroner, alex68, Twixi, ahef1963, kara.shamy, FranzK72, ManWithAnAgenda, steller0707

24

A History of Reading

by Alberto Manguel

3,802 members

54 reviews

4.1

10 Members: waitingtoderail, guyalice, europhile, briarhills, Dilara86, Devlindusty, Twixi, NinieB, Audreybooklover, ManWithAnAgenda

25

Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason

2,633 members

59 reviews

4

10 Members: kageeh, smcwl, BookWallah, JaneAustenNut, mccartm, mrmapcase, Devlindusty, NinieB, ManWithAnAgenda, steller0707,generalkala

26

by Vladimir Nabokov

7,958 members

140 reviews

4.2

9 Members: roby72, brenzi, thecoroner, Dilara86, Devlindusty, alex68, 4leschats, meghan-ellice, FranzK72

27

The Library at Night

by Alberto Manguel

2,659 members

69 reviews

4.1

9 Members: waitingtoderail, staffordcastle, devenish, charl08, reconditereader, briarhills, Dilara86, Devlindusty, electrice,

28

How to Read a Book, Revised and Updated Edition

by Mortimer J. Adler

7,640 members

75 reviews

4

8 Members: June, smcwl, nathanm, aulsmith, Devlindusty, 4leschats, jmiserak, meghan-ellice

29

by Bernhard Schlink

13,431 members

393 reviews

½ 3.7

10 Members: dara85, starfishian, charl08, europhile, roby72, JaneAustenNut, brenzi, Twixi, Audreybooklover, steller0707

30

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession

by Allison Hoover Bartlett

2,651 members

180 reviews

½ 3.4

9 Members: trav, dara85, BookWallah, JaneAustenNut, mrmapcase, ahef1963, 4leschats, jmiserak, steller0707

31

Foucault's Pendulum

17,520 members

259 reviews

3.9

9 Members: starfishian, europhile, melonbrawl, Cecrow, merrystar, alex68, Jarandel, Tinuvia, FranzK72,VioletBramble

32

7,039 members

172 reviews

3.8

8 Members: charl08, melonbrawl, roby72, thecoroner, alex68, Twixi, FranzK72, steller0707

33

by John Dunning

1,988 members

70 reviews

3.9

6 Members: tiddleyboom, dara85, BookWallah, mrmapcase, Devlindusty, bcrowl399

34

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

by Simon Winchester

12,067 members

295 reviews

3.8

7 Members: trav, anglemark, europhile, brenzi, Twixi, kara.shamy, Audreybooklover

35

Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation

by Ray Bradbury

850 members

23 reviews

3.9

9 Members: generalkala, devenish, reconditereader, norabelle414, Cecrow, bestem, geitebukkeskjegg, ahef1963, steller0707,lilithcat ,MikeBriggs ,roby72 ,merrystar

36

by Helene Hanff

873 members

33 reviews

4

7 Members: staffordcastle, smcwl, europhile, JaneAustenNut, souloftherose, MDGentleReader, ahef1963,

37

by Elias Canetti

2,356 members

30 reviews

4

5 Members: roby72, thecoroner, alex68, Twixi, FranzK72

38

by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

30,554 members

451 reviews

4.1

6 Members: waitingtoderail, hipdeep, europhile, Dilara86, Twixi, ManWithAnAgenda

39

The Polysyllabic Spree

2,110 members

70 reviews

½ 3.7

6 Members: keristars, smcwl, raidergirl3, brenzi, briarhills, Audreybooklover

40

A Room of One's Own

by Virginia Woolf

12,418 members

168 reviews

4.1

7 Members: brenzi, thecoroner, elkiedee, alex68, Twixi, ManWithAnAgenda, steller0707

41

Book Lust to Go: Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds, and Dreamers

565 members

33 reviews

4

6 Members: smcwl, BookWallah, mrmapcase, Devlindusty, MDGentleReader, NinieB

42

Lost in a Good Book

by Jasper Fforde

9,214 members

236 reviews

4.1

7 Members: tiddleyboom, souloftherose, cej1027, 4leschats, jmiserak, Audreybooklover, ManWithAnAgenda,

43

More Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason

1,318 members

22 reviews

4

5 Members: kageeh, smcwl, mrmapcase, Lidbud, NinieB

44

The Library Book

by Susan Orlean

4,920 members

285 reviews

4.1

6 Members: waitingtoderail, charl08, elkiedee, ahef1963, kara.shamy, jmiserak

45

The Case for Books: Past, Present, and Future

by Robert Darnton

730 members

32 reviews

½ 3.3

5 Members: waitingtoderail, staffordcastle, keristars, Twixi, meghan-ellice

46

Bizarre Books: A Compendium of Classic Oddities

674 members

14 reviews

½ 3.6

6 Members: Edward, devenish, guyalice, Devlindusty, Twixi, meghan-ellice

47

The Bookman's Tale

by Charlie Lovett

1,655 members

97 reviews

½ 3.7

5 Members: trav, KimarieBee, moibibliomaniac, JaneAustenNut, steller0707

48

The Jane Austen Book Club

by Karen Joy Fowler

6,420 members

193 reviews

3

6 Members: charl08, aulsmith, JaneAustenNut, Dilara86, ahef1963, steller0707

49

The Forgotten Garden

7,915 members

447 reviews

4

5 Members: dara85, KimarieBee, starfishian, JaneAustenNut, ahef1963

50

The Well of Lost Plots

by Jasper Fforde

8,006 members

182 reviews

4

6 Members: tiddleyboom, mrmapcase, souloftherose, cej1027, Audreybooklover, ManWithAnAgenda,

51

Portrait of an Obsession: The Life of the World's Greatest Book Collector

by A. N. L. Munby

35 members

2 reviews

5

4 Members: lilithcat, uath, moibibliomaniac, meghan-ellice

52

The Child That Books Built

by Francis Spufford

924 members

21 reviews

½ 3.6

5 Members: gennyt, anglemark, uath, Audreybooklover, meghan-ellice

53

House of Leaves

by Mark Z. Danielewski

15,737 members

377 reviews

4.1

5 Members: thecoroner, ahef1963, marraneth, jmiserak, ManWithAnAgenda

54

by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

6,235 members

158 reviews

½ 3.7

5 Members: devenish, paradoxosalpha, rstaedter, Twixi, Jarandel,reconditereader

55

2,950 members

251 reviews

4

4 Members: Aquila, anglemark, aulsmith, elkiedee

56

Talking About Detective Fiction

716 members

50 reviews

½ 3.7

4 Members: June, MikeBriggs, JaneAustenNut, elkiedee

57

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books

13,023 members

279 reviews

½ 3.6

5 Members: charl08, Cecrow, roby72, elkiedee, Twixi

58

Books: A Memoir

by Larry McMurtry

1,101 members

52 reviews

½ 3.3

4 Members: waitingtoderail, anglemark, smcwl, mrmapcase

59

by Cornelia Funke

18,262 members

521 reviews

3.9

4 Members: charl08, Cecrow, ahef1963, WANGPP

60

The Bookman's Promise

by John Dunning

1,433 members

39 reviews

½ 3.7

4 Members: tiddleyboom, smcwl, BookWallah, mrmapcase

61

The End of Your Life Book Club

by Will Schwalbe

2,264 members

187 reviews

3.9

4 Members: brenzi, elkiedee, MDGentleReader, marraneth

62

Bibliomania: A Tale

by Gustave Flaubert

158 members

9 reviews

½ 3.7

3 Members: lilithcat, devenish, uath

63

The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia

by Laura Miller

474 members

35 reviews

3.9

3 Members: melonbrawl, norabelle414, aulsmith

64

The Book of Lost Things

by John Connolly

6,924 members

326 reviews

3.9

4 Members: starfishian, ahef1963, ManWithAnAgenda, steller0707

65

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

524 members

19 reviews

4

3 Members: Aquila, kara.shamy, jmiserak

66

Caught in the Web of Words: James Murray and the Oxford English Dictionary

by K. M. Elisabeth Murray

495 members

6 reviews

4

3 Members: lilithcat, devenish, prosfilaes

67

The Angel's Game

by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

8,813 members

418 reviews

½ 3.7

4 Members: starfishian, Twixi, kara.shamy, steller0707

68

The History of Love

by Nicole Krauss

9,079 members

317 reviews

3.9

4 Members: starfishian, Twixi, ahef1963, steller0707

69

The 351 Books of Irma Arcuri: A Novel

163 members

10 reviews

½ 3.5

3 Members: trav, melonbrawl, LisbethE

70

Nabokov's Butterfly: And Other Stories of Great Authors and Rare Books

by Rick Gekoski

425 members

7 reviews

½ 3.7

3 Members: europhile, birder4106, meghan-ellice

71

The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe

by Elizabeth L. Eisenstein

670 members

7 reviews

½ 3.6

3 Members: waitingtoderail, uath, meghan-ellice

72

1,799 members

120 reviews

½ 3.4

3 Members: Twixi, Jarandel, ManWithAnAgenda

73

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress: A Novel

6,946 members

235 reviews

½ 3.6

4 Members: charl08, brenzi, Twixi, steller0707

74

Five Hundred Years of Book Design

by Alan Bartram

133 members

3.8

3 Members: lilithcat, uath, meghan-ellice

75

1,296 members

33 reviews

½ 3.3

3 Members: JaneAustenNut, JuliaMaria, meghan-ellice

76

2,218 members

34 reviews

½ 3.7

3 Members: uath, roby72, thecoroner

77

Books as History: The Importance of Books Beyond Their Texts

by David Pearson

162 members

4 reviews

4.1

3 Members: waitingtoderail, uath, meghan-ellice

78

The Library of the Unwritten

by A. J. Hackwith

1,417 members

68 reviews

3.9

2 Members: Aquila, jmiserak

79

by Jostein Gaarder

18,743 members

289 reviews

3.8

3 Members: Cecrow, Twixi, ahef1963
Explanations: Cecrow: Not an immediately obvious choice, but ...

80

A Book of Booksellers: Conversations With the Antiquarian Book Trade, 1991-2003

by Sheila Markham

41 members

1 review

½ 4.5

3 Members: uath, moibibliomaniac, meghan-ellice

81

3,489 members

180 reviews

3.8

3 Members: europhile, Twixi, steller0707

82

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

by Kim Michele Richardson

2,718 members

185 reviews

4

3 Members: dara85, charl08, brenzi

83

Seven-Day Magic

by Edward Eager

1,224 members

14 reviews

4.1

2 Members: aulsmith, Curran2

84

What Makes This Book So Great

473 members

28 reviews

3.9

2 Members: aulsmith, Cecrow

85

Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading

338 members

12 reviews

4.1

2 Members: charl08, elkiedee

86

Hallucinating Foucault

by Patricia Duncker

730 members

21 reviews

3.9

2 Members: Twixi, JuliaMaria

87

Bloody Murder: From the Detective Story to the Crime Novel

by Julian Symons

296 members

6 reviews

3.8

2 Members: devenish, MikeBriggs

88

by Gabriel Zaid

606 members

15 reviews

½ 3.5

2 Members: waitingtoderail, trav

89

by Tobias Wolff

2,530 members

77 reviews

3.8

2 Members: brenzi, fundevogel

90

Sherlock Holmes was Wrong: Re-opening the Case of the "Hound of the Baskervilles"

by Pierre Bayard

225 members

17 reviews

½ 3.4

2 Members: melonbrawl, mrmapcase

91

by Penelope Fitzgerald

2,805 members

148 reviews

½ 3.5

2 Members: elkiedee, steller0707

92

The Raw Shark Texts

2,656 members

118 reviews

½ 3.7

2 Members: fundevogel, marraneth

93

Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books

by Maureen Corrigan

1,030 members

32 reviews

½ 3.3

2 Members: smcwl, JaneAustenNut

94

Finders Keepers

by Stephen King

4,471 members

198 reviews

3.9

2 Members: KimarieBee, ahef1963

95

501 Must-Read Books

781 members

9 reviews

3.8

2 Members: Cecrow, ManWithAnAgenda

96

Howards End is on the Landing

1,134 members

80 reviews

½ 3.7

2 Members: charl08, elkiedee

97

Gun In Cheek: A Study Of "Alternative" Crime Fiction

by Bill Pronzini

133 members

2 reviews

4.1

2 Members: elkiedee, NinieB

98

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland: The Essential Guide to Fantasy Travel

by Diana Wynne Jones

2,121 members

37 reviews

4

2 Members: Aquila, ManWithAnAgenda

99

Alif the Unseen

by G. Willow Wilson

1,730 members

109 reviews

3.8

2 Members: Dilara86, steller0707

100

Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian

by Avi Steinberg

873 members

50 reviews

½ 3.6

2 Members: charl08, kara.shamy

1 2

About This List

Started: souloftherose
January 2012
Type: Numbered and unnumbered

Related Lists

Books about Books

Best Books about Readers

Books about books

Picture books about books

Current Discussions

None

Related Tags

20th century (2,612) books (8,831) books about books (9,671) classic (3,863) classics (4,191) England (3,015) fantasy (15,965) fiction (57,579) historical fiction (8,167) history (4,869) humor (4,608) literature (8,342) memoir (3,406) mystery (9,755) non-fiction (10,544) novel (8,646) own (2,759) philosophy (3,791) read (7,724) reading (3,298) romance (2,832) science fiction (6,724) to-read (33,367) unread (2,775) WWII (4,823)

Verdana Standard Verdana Small The Lorax System Standard System Large Georgia Large Text Atkinson

This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.