Looking for books where a person or people are searching for a long lost person. [more inside]
posted by reenum on Dec 18, 2009 - 22 answers

I love Bill Simmons' "The Book of Basketball". What should I read next? [more inside]
posted by reenum on Dec 8, 2009 - 11 answers

Between my iPhone's Stanza app and the loooooong quiet days ahead of me in the office during the holiday season, I'd like to read some stuff online. Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by Madamina on Nov 25, 2009 - 6 answers

Books recommendation for an industrial engineer [more inside]
posted by Carius on Nov 14, 2009 - 13 answers

I loved the plot of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Any recommendations for similar books, shows, or movies? [more inside]
posted by reenum on Oct 28, 2009 - 10 answers

For such a picky eater, I sure like to read a lot about food. What good food books can you recommend? [more inside]
posted by kidsleepy on Jul 28, 2009 - 42 answers

Please recommend your favorite "behind the scenes" nonfiction books! [more inside]
posted by bookmammal on Jul 18, 2009 - 48 answers

What are the best nonfiction sources about the atrocities surrounding the Mexican-American War and related Native American wars? [more inside]
posted by Bookhouse on Jun 29, 2009 - 12 answers

Books about libraries, and books/essays about the future of them? [more inside]
posted by mrhaydel on Apr 13, 2009 - 13 answers

NameThatBookFilter: Autobiography by a former criminal/hard timer that later became an author? [more inside]
posted by mrhaydel on Apr 2, 2009 - 16 answers

Can you recommend some books to me similar to the sociology-of-a-subculture style of Hunter S. Thompson's Hell's Angels, Sudhir Venkatesh's Gang Leader for a Day and Bill Buford's Among the Thugs? [more inside]
posted by Ufez Jones on Mar 15, 2009 - 26 answers

Recommend non-fiction books about animals -- books that will blow my mind. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on Feb 10, 2009 - 43 answers

I'm looking for readable accounts of revolutionary movements. [more inside]
posted by serazin on Dec 18, 2008 - 13 answers

OK, I've posted on this subject before. Each time, I'm a little further along. Here is where I am right now. I've been working on a book since March. The idea upon which the book is based has been getting a lot of attention recently and has consistently been in the news for about four years. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind on Dec 8, 2008 - 5 answers

Some good, interesting historical nonfiction? [more inside]
posted by btkuhn on Nov 28, 2008 - 55 answers

Can you recommend good books about Los Angeles? Non-fiction preferred but fiction as well. [more inside]
posted by jeremias on Oct 29, 2008 - 25 answers

Looking for popular history books whose title is or starts with a specific year - 1776, 1491, 69 A.D., etc. A subtitle after the year is fine, but the title needs to start with a specific date. Thanks! [more inside]
posted by mediareport on Aug 24, 2008 - 28 answers

I am looking for books similar to Krakauer's "Into the Wild." I used to prefer fiction, but after reading this book, I am craving some non-fiction similar to this book in a few particular ways... [more inside]
posted by TSGlenn on Aug 2, 2008 - 50 answers

I love Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City. It's a non-fiction book about Chicago in 1893 which reads much like a novel. I'd like to read other books written in the same novel-esque style about some other cities or historic events. Know of any novel-like non-fiction reads?
posted by melodykramer on Jun 29, 2008 - 47 answers

Précis, outlines, abstracts for contemporary non-fiction books -- are there any sites or publications doing this? [more inside]
posted by alb on Jun 26, 2008 - 5 answers

What are some good, light-hearted, humorous travel books? [more inside]
posted by nitsuj on Jun 5, 2008 - 26 answers

Stories about healthy, "normal" marriages? [more inside]
posted by callmejay on Jan 11, 2008 - 41 answers

Can you recommend some beautiful / well designed non-fiction books? Topic is (mostly) irrelevant. [more inside]
posted by wackybrit on Dec 31, 2007 - 32 answers

What'sThatBookFilter: A not-recent, nonfiction book by a female editor in which she, among other things, writes letters to her authors? [more inside]
posted by Drohan on Dec 21, 2007 - 3 answers

What are some of the best non-fiction books out there written by legitimate scientific authors (not psuedo-science) that discuss other galaxies, and specifically, solar/planetary systems outside of our own solar system? [more inside]
posted by jspierre on Jul 24, 2007 - 12 answers

What magazines are devoted to reviewing non-fiction books? [more inside]
posted by pb on Jul 8, 2007 - 8 answers

Few books have given me as much sheer joy as Bringhurst's "The Elements of Typographic Style". Tufte's "Visual Explanations" is also up there in terms of content and presentation. What other exceedingly well researched, written and designed non-fiction books would you recommend for somebody interested in Design, Architecture, Programming, Information Visualization, Maps, Math, Music and Science? [more inside]
posted by signal on Jun 27, 2007 - 35 answers

I love finding books and authors who have been forgotten until a long time fan decides to make their work available again through some labor of love small press. Do you know of a publisher that has a somewhat esoteric focus along these lines? Who are they? Fiction or non is fine. It doesn't have to be someone who republishes old books though. If you know a house that has great taste with contemporary authors, go ahead and share. I would also like to hear about small presses that do particularly beautiful editions of good reading books as long as they are reasonably priced (barely breaking a $100). I've got a few examples inside. [more inside]
posted by BigSky on Jun 21, 2007 - 19 answers

Recommendations for well-written narrative nonfiction books about Seattle? [more inside]
posted by The corpse in the library on Jun 20, 2007 - 6 answers

When/how did the custom begin of titling non-fiction books according to a few narrow formats, such as "Clever Abstraction: One Specific Interesting Thing, Another Specific Interesting Thing, and A Sleep-Inducing Generalized Thing" [more inside]
posted by luser on May 23, 2007 - 13 answers

I need recommendations on books about nonfiction writing. [more inside]
posted by BradNelson on Mar 4, 2007 - 16 answers

Books for nine year old girl? [more inside]
posted by Morrigan on Dec 21, 2006 - 73 answers

I'm looking for more great non-fiction books. Requirements: writing to make an English major swoon; a thesis or narrative structure that makes for an organized, logical flow; well-reported; interesting; true, with embellishments of known fact made known by the author. [more inside]
posted by croutonsupafreak on Aug 22, 2006 - 46 answers

Audiobooks: My Audible wish list is empty -- help me fill it with compelling, commute-friendly nonfiction and literary fiction. [more inside]
posted by kmel on Mar 16, 2006 - 24 answers

I think it would be a kick to write a nonfiction book. Any advice on how to organize one? [more inside]
posted by TwelveTwo on Jan 13, 2006 - 12 answers

As a lay...very lay...student of Roman Republic and Empire, and anticipating the upcoming HBO/BBC series Rome with relish, I'm reading everything I can get my hands on about both Republic and Empire. Currently I'm reading an abridgement of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire I just inherited. What next? [insert Latin for "more inside" here].
posted by WolfDaddy on Sep 2, 2004 - 19 answers

My high-school freshman niece has a cool assignment: She has to read a non-fiction book related to an event that happened in the U.S between 1850-1929. Could also be about events that occured outside of the U.S. but that are of significant national importance. Must have at least 150 pages. Biographies OK but not preferred. I sent her a couple of ideas (Triangle shirtwaist factory fire, Titanic, women's suffrage), but would love any other ideas, especially specific book titles that would engage a young girl. Thanks for any ideas!
posted by GaelFC on Sep 2, 2004 - 30 answers

Do we have any travel writers in the house? Is it really the life of glamour and ease that thetravelwriterslife.com claims?

Since I suspect it's not as easy as one might suppose after digesting that page, I have more questions: Can you tell me what it's like? How you got started? What kind of money you pull in? [more inside]
posted by Irontom on Jun 15, 2004 - 9 answers

I have what I think is a great idea for a web / design-related book that I'd like to shop around. Can anyone who has been published before offer any advice, links, or a good process to follow when pitching ideas to publishers? (more detail in comments) [more inside]
posted by theNonsuch on May 24, 2004 - 16 answers