Recs if you like An Atlas of Endangered Alphabets: Writing Systems on the Verge of Vanishing...

Niche nonfiction, aka micro-histories!

This list was a winner of the Q2 2026 Community Voting event - if you'd like to participate in the Quest, a link is pinned in the comments.

Niche nonfiction books that dads are still likely to enjoy that either 1) are not military history at all or 2) a niche area of a war that is not military history

books on books, writing, words, etc. fiction and non-fiction included

Non-fiction books related to the humanities. Think: arts, language, culture and what we do with it. Mix of essays, memoirs, literary criticism, histories, and more.

“Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are all noble pursuits, and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”

Books that delve deeper into interesting species, ecosystems and above all food.

Non-fiction books about language and linguistics. This is not a list about how to learn a specific language (although I did include one book about how to learn any language because I think it still fits the theme I'm going for). The books here are about language(s) in general or about a person's experience with language. I've chosen not to include any traditional textbooks. Recommendations are welcome! 😊

Books observing how trade and multicultural interactions have shaped the past and present