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.

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

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

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