100 books you might find in a fantasy setting

Books, scrolls, parchments and paper are pretty common in a fantasy setting like Rolemaster’s Shadow World or HARP’s Cyradon. Whether your PCs are talking to book dealers, perusing a library or finding things in abandoned dungeons, having some generic texts that can pop up in your fantasy setting could be quite useful. That’s why we put together this list of 100 books you might find in a fantasy setting.
 

1. A ‘history’ book which chronicles a collection of events that only occurred in the disturbed mind of the author
2. A detailed history of the use of wicker
3. A tome from another plane that no one has ever managed to translate
4. Tales from an ancient civilisation that is so long dead no one knows if the amazing tales are legend or truth
5. 101 different ways to cook and eat turnips
6. An autobiography of someone who never did anything interesting
7. The life and deeds of kings and queens
8. A complete history of a noble house
9. A book of the greatest songs and ditties from all corners of the earth
10. An ancient recipe for the tastiest ale to ever be brewed
11. The detailed notes of magic users’ experiments into the origins and limits of magic
12. A selection of books detailing flora from different continents and their uses (not always accurate)
13. Adventurous farming methods for the adventurous farmer
14. Using magic to improve crop yields
15. Medicinal plants and where to find them
16. A selection of books detailing animal life on different continents including some that are now thought to be extinct
17. A sure-fire way to learn any language in three days (it doesn’t work)
18. What the planets position at the time of your birth mean for the rest of your life
19. How to raise otters as livestock
20. A history of dragons and dragonkin
21. An encyclopaedic guide to creatures from other planes
22. Evidence for the existence of an elusive creature (it doesn’t exist)
23. The pets of Sir Durnstrum Wippledip and their amazing adventures
24. Detailed drawings of dissections of several magical creatures
25. Ghosts, ghouls and spirits; catching them, killing them and controlling them
26. Rural flora of this century
27. The (very) in depth notes of a fanatical horticulturalist who cultivated several rare plants and bred their own species into creation
28. Whittling with magic
29. Wheels: The future of transportation
30. The greatest potters of these isles and their works
31. Learn to play the lute without ever touching one
32. How to treat some of the world’s most deadly diseases
33. The holy text
34. The holy text of a long dead religion
35. Architectural plans for the lost city
36. Local law enforcement logbooks containing notes on all crimes committed that year
37. The greatest painters of all time and their works
38. A book of local folklore
39. The history of the church
40. The librarian’s autobiography (it is terrible)
41. A book of military history
42. Advanced siege strategies
43. Building the weapons of war
44. Castles and how to overcome them
45. Observations on the stars and their movements
46. A local (and quite incomplete) dictionary
47. Children’s tales
48. The benefits of irrigation and plumbing
49. Every fight in the local arena logged and described since the arena opened
50. A beginners’ guide to magic
51. Magic your way to love
52. Local trade logs
53. Channelling magic
54. Mentalism for the ages
55. How to make a living as a mage
56. Staying on the right side of God
57. Naturally occurring magical phenomenon
58. A book of ‘lost’ magics
59. A spell book detailing a plethora of forbidden magic
60. Making friends and influencing people with magic
61. The evils of magic
62. The diaries and observations of one of the world’s greatest explorers
63. Secret cults of modern times
64. Census results dating back generations
65. The bardic tradition
66. The religions and customs of faraway places
67. An account of an ancient battle
68. The teachings of a great philosopher
69. Why nothing really matters – A fatalistic approach to everyday life
70. Does this world exist only in the mind of another, unknowable creature?
71. The complete rules of a local sport or game
72. A book of common spells
73. Recent advancements in modern technology (it’s very old)
74. The wonders of a foreign world
75. Historical political manifestos
76. A book of prophesy
77. A book of prophesy written for a specific individual
78. An encyclopaedia of goat breeds
79. A log of all marriages and deaths in a town or city
80. Architectural drawings of all the buildings in town
81. Finding and eliminating vampires
82. Teach yourself magic (widely regarded as one of the most dangerous books ever written)
83. A book of forgotten gods
84. Local maps from long ago
85. An account of an expedition to the edge of the world
86. Surviving in the wild with magic
87. The rise and fall of an ancient dynasty
88. A tome chronicling the existence of ancient relics and revealing their suspected whereabouts
89. A guide to local law enforcement for guards
90. Maps of areas of increased natural magical activity
91. A biography of a local prince
92. A book of ‘comedies’ by the world’s greatest author
93. A play about a king tormented by ghosts
94. A play about the rise of the ruling dynasty (and how great they are)
95. The diaries of a little-known farmer (which brings to light the huge part he played in saving the world)
96. How to fight dirty
97. Using mentalism to always get what you want
98. The experiments and findings of a master blacksmith
99. Weapon designs and usage from across the world
100. A list of this country’s guilds and their headquarters and leaders