Teach me something new and oddly specific đŹ
Niche nonfiction, aka micro-histories!
created by endless_tbr_list
last updated April, 2026
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omg, as a historian that loves a new rabbit hole to fall down, Iâm so in love with the concept and execution of this list đ«¶
Thatâs so nice to hear! đ I love learning random new things and thought others might as well đ€
What are your favorite subjects to learn about? Some of my all time favorite rabbit hole books are âPossessing Genius: The True Account of the Bizarre Odyssey of Einsteinâs Brainâ by Carolyn Abraham; âWord by Word: The Secret Lives of Dictionariesâ by Kory Stamper; and literally anything by Mary Roach haha.
I really enjoyed Dark Archives, Paved Paradise, and Opera Wars!
oooo, dark archives has been on my list for awhile, Iâll have to move it up!
Definitely recommend!
This is such a fun list! I can't wait to dive into some these titles. Also, I feel like notbillnye's tomato book might fit nicely! Ten Tomatoes that Changed the World by William Alexander.
Ooh, yes! Adding now
notbill & that damn tomato book đđ (i am waitlisted for it at my library) (which one of yall lives near me & has taken the notbill rec)
(i would ship my copy to florida just for you if i could)
đ„čđ this is why youâre the best. it says â10 week~â wait like WHY are we all getting the tomato book rn
Iâm devastated, one of the libraries in my system finally got the audiobook, but since itâs not my home branch, anyone with that library as theirs gets priority. I started with just a 2-week wait, and now Iâm all the way up to 10. đ I was so excited to listen to it, especially since itâs won awards, but I guess Iâll just have to be patient. Itâs nice to see it getting so much love though! I can read it physically if I see others start it hehe.
i am also at 10 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!! maybe we will end up reading it around the same time!!! đ«¶đ«¶đ«¶đ«¶
me, looking at this list: oh cool! my tomato book! rad! me, zooming to the comments: "NOTBILLNYE IS ACTUALLY A TOMATO IN DISGUISE"
my legacy 5ever
Y'all need to stop with these non-fiction lists. I don't read enough non-fiction to keep adding all these books đ
Come to the dark side, we have cookies and random facts đ
I need that on a t-shirt
this is a rad ass list!!! i love this idea!!
thank you! it was fun doing a deep dive to create it
this list is setting my ADHD brain on fire in the best way possible, ohmygodddddd
I hope you find something you enjoy!
THE BOSTON MOLASSES FLOOD slams tbr button
RIGHT?! I keep putting it off but I want to read it SO BAD
maybe weâll have to read it together at some point !!!!! đ«¶
SAME
This list is awesome! I want to learn about so many of these topics.
Thank you! I have no many on my tbr I figured I'd share đ
Iâm not sure if you want to include food history here but The Apple: A Delicious History by Sally Coulthard might be a good addition to this list.
Adding!
I saw a book today that might be a great addition to this list: Across the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of the Crossword Puzzle by Natan Last
I saw this too and completely forgot so that you for the reminder!
I have another one for you that might fit here, Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails by Camper English.
Adding, thank you!
I hope both sides of your pillow stays cool and soft and you never stub your toe ever again đ€âšâš
I needed this yesterday, thank you đ„°
I think a great addition to this would be Eyeliner by Zahra Hankir! Its literally just about the history of eyeliner!
Oh I love that! Adding now
OMG I wanna read all of these!! Here is my fodder for future Polymath challenges đđ
YES YES this is exactly the kind of history I like to read, thank you!
same! I'm hoping I have some time next year to really dive in
This is incredible. Where does one start? Mac n cheese? Eels? Teeth? Life is like a PB list, you never know what youâre gonna get
crying over how it goes from the history of eyeliner to Ten Tomatoes to a book about cadaversâthis list is EVERYTHING
Interesting list! Two suggestions: a. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams: Matthew Walker b. "The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality": Angela Saini
The list i never knew i needed thank u đđ«¶đœ
My husband makes fun of me all the time (gently in a nice way) for having read a book about the history of forks. But that's my suggestion! Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson about kitchen items!
I love it, adding!
Got another one that I just picked back up. The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper, Roland Allen. I curse Matino Manucci and his children and his children's children for 8 generations forward and back.
incredible, thank you!
I'm excited to consider the fork and find out what this is about đ
same here! đ
I am also gonna suggest Clara's Grand Tour, A fish caught in time, and The Land Where Lemons Grow
added, thank you!
my new favorite list đđ
love this list! i want to read everything!
This is SUCH a good list, and really scratches the itch in my brain. I just picked up Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky which is very much in this vein, hoping to start that soon.
I hope you enjoy!!
We need to add the new maple syrup book to this list!! https://pagebound.co/books/76f6e7fe-08d2-41ee-a1d1-4081a50cacae
Slime: How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us by Ruth Kassinger would be a good fit for this list! One of my favorites!!
Adding now, thank you!
Iâm reading Alcohol by Rod Phillips and it seems like it would be a nice fit! Itâs about the history of alcohol
Adding, thank you!
This is definitely one of the most interesting lists Iâve come across on Pagebound! Echoing everyone elseâs praise, thank you for creating it and continuing to add to it! Curiosity peaked
Thank you so much!! đ«¶
Not sure if this is niche enough, but Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix is a really fun look at the evolution of cover art for horror novels of the â70s and â80s.
I debated that one! Since you've also suggested it I'm going to add
I'm not sure if this fits, but I had a lot of fun with The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902: Immigrant Housewives and the Riots that Shook New York City by Scott D. Seligman.
Oh this sounds so interesting!
Loving this list! I already had a couple books finished before seeing it and am now one my second book as suggested by it! A suggestion: Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin. I think it fits the bill of keeping the book's subject pretty small in scope! I have other nonfiction suggestions but that's the most niche one I can think of off the top of my head đ
Oh yay, I'm so happy you're finding recs from this! Also I'm absolutely adding that book, it sounds perfect and also so interesting
I'm about halfway through The Deepest Map and it reminds very strongly of The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean. It features a lot of the same people and dives (they were published the same year actually!), but The Underworld is more of a history of deep ocean exploration, which may also fit into this list, though I'm not sure if it's quite niche enough!
i love this so much!! i see youve already got Musicophilia on here by Oliver Sacks, but i would also recommend his book Hallucinations! thanks for putting together such an intriguing list :)
added, thank you!
Such an intriguing list! I added several to my tbr! I love how intricate the human quest for information can become!
Just a suggestion, but you could add The royal wardrobe by Rosie Harte to this
Might I suggest Girly Drinks by Mallory OâMeara? A world history of women and alcoholâŠ
That sounds so interesting, added!
Fabric by Victoria Finley and The Fabric Of Civilization by Virginia Postrel would be a good fit, too.
Added, thank you!
You should add Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Micheal Davis and The Pickled City: A Biography of New York Pickles
Thank you!
This is such a fun list!!! Definitely adding a number of these to my TBR
I hope you find something you enjoy!
Can I suggest I Contain Multitudes? It was really interesting and had moments that were genuinely profound to me. Plus it was written with a bit of snark that had me chuckling at times.
I'm going to check this out, thank you!
I LOVE this list! Niche nonfiction is my fave type of audiobook to listen to! Suggestions of some Iâve loved, some authors already on this list too: Replaceable You by Mary Roach, Gulp by Mary Roach, From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty, Written in Bone by Sue Black, & Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs by Caitlin Doughty!
Thank you for the recs! I know Mary Roach has so many that would fit and I'm definitely going to check out Caitlin Doughty!
I was just talking to someone about how I love to read deep dives into niche subjects and they looked at me like I was crazy! Glad to see I'm in good company! And now I have so many new ones to add to my TBR list! Might I recommend The Secret History of Rape Kits by Pagan Kennedy, Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper, Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes, The Library Book by Susan Orlean, and Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke
Thank you for the recs, I'm absolutely going to look into them!
This is fabulous! Catnip for my brain! I have some suggestions, if you want!
Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women's Words by Jenni Nuttall
What the Dead Know: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator by Barbara Butcher
Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe
Atlas of Vanishing Places: The Lost Worlds as They Were and as They Are Today by Travis Elborough
The Globemakers: The Curious Story of an Ancient Craft by Peter Bellerby
Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature's ToxinsâFrom Spices to Vices by Noah Whiteman
Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature by Sarah Hart
Thank you, I'll have to look through these!
I looooove a good microhistory and have read and enjoyed a few of these already. Thanks for putting this list together!
Theyâre so fun to read, glad youâve enjoyed!!
I've been waiting on Intrepid Girls at the library since October and I'm waiting so impatiently to read it!
it sounds so interesting, I hope you enjoy!!
This is a perfect list for commuting. I want something interesting but not too emotional so itâs not draining on the way to or from work. Thank you!
Yes! I love this type of read for when Iâm working on another task like a puzzle or cooking and want to learn something new and interesting đ
Obsessed!!! Iâm going to read all of them đ€ see you in like⊠10 years
Iâll be right there with you on my quest to learn as much random knowledge as I can đ€
400 likes?! You guys are so amazing, I hope you're finding some new and interesting reads on here! đ„°
Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine by Sarah Lohman would be perfect on this list. Itâs really fascinating stuff.
