Book Names in a Library

[Old Fezziwig]

I always loved the library sequence in "The Fall of the House of Usher," so if you're not above a little bit of allusion, these titles would sound quasi serious, and could be fun.

"The Mad Trist" of Sir Launcelot Canning
Vigiliae Mortuorum secundum Chorum Ecclesiae Maguntinae
Directorium Inquistorium

The first is traditionally marked as unidentified; the assumption is Poe made it up for his own purposes. In any case, it's likely intended to be some sort of variation on a medieval romance, á la Chrétien de Troyes and company (the selection involves Ethelred, the hero, breaking into a dwelling of a hermit). The other two are real texts — the first an account of tortures, etc. by the former inquisitor-general of Castile; the second translates as The Vigils of the Dead according to my text here and could be any number of different works with a similar title from the Middle Ages (pp. 558 & 560, Tradition in American Literature, Perkins & Perkins, eds., 9th Edition, McGraw Hill).

best,
tKL

 

[Olive]

te web enhancement for Faiths and Pantheons detailed a temple/library of (i think) oghma... it this there was a bunch of book titles, like a pages worth. Maybe you could have a look in there?

 

[Buttercup]

Some dwarven titles:

Garlock and Brunhilde: Romancing the stones.
It's a Long Way to Mt. Orodruin.
Quisnock's Guide to Metalsmithing.
It's My Mountain and I'll Delve if I Want To.
Economics of Mithril.
Gemstones: Blessing or Curse?
Birgit Axeflinger: Bearded Beauty of Renown.

Some elven titles:

Tree & Leaf: Travels through the forests of (your world's name here).
Living Wood Construction Techniques.
Frail Beauties: Elven Princesses of the Lost Elmheart Empire.
Green Magic.
1200 Tips & Tricks for Filling Your Endless Days With Activities.
Nectar Cookery.
Humans: Hot & Lusty or Violent & Dirty?
The Moon Maiden & the Bard.

 

[boothbey]

Books...

Divination for Dummies.

Who's Who of Liches.

So You Want to be an Archwizard.

Dethroning Rivals for Fun and Profit.

12 Habits of Highly Unsuccessful Villains.

Reincarnation: The "Other" Ressurection

The Inner Orc and You.

 

[Dragongirl]

In the spirit of Boothbey :

Drow are from Faerun, Kender are from Krynn

And for Meepo :

1001 Kobolds : Stories of the Downtrodden

 

[Kilmore]

Better Castles and Dungeons

Actually, some of the FR suppliments have been presented as actual books in the setting, such as Aurora's Catalog and the Volo's Guides. There's no reason why they cannot exist in the library. In fact, the Monster Manual might be there as well, as a kind of beastiary. Not that the MM is absolutely correct in your campaign...

 

[boothbey]

In the spirit of Dragongirl...

1001 Kobolds : Stories of the Downtrodden

Page 1:
"Stoned to death after being mistaken for a kender."

Page 2:
"Crushed in a tragic apple cart accident."

Page 3 - 22:
"To quote the dragon, 'I really must stop rolling over in my sleep.'"

Page 23:
"In the absence of small unnatended children to carry off, some giant eagles have learned to supplement their diet with the occasional..."

Page 24:
"Summoned from his home in Koboldtopia, Sisnirthak appears in a dark and dank hallway and is ordered to touch a strange glowing rune."

Page 25:
"Not being the greatest race with bows, ogres deliver notes over castle walls by tieing the parchment to a kobold messenger...who is then hurled over the parapets."

 

[Agback]

Here is a list of the books the Duke of Wellington (then merely the honourable Colonel Arthur Wellesley) bought in 1796 to take to India.

Crawfurd's "Sketches of the Hindoos"
Dow's "History of Hindoostan" (3 vols)
Verelst's "Bengal"
Vansittart's "Narrative" (3 vols)
Bolt's "Indian Affairs" (3 vols)
Scrafton's "Reflections on Bengal"
Holwell's "Historical Tracts"
Cambridge's "War in India"
Dirom's "Campaigns"
Monroe's "Narrative"
Mackenzie's "Campaigns"
Fullarton's "Account of India"
Scott's "History of the Dekkan"
"Analysis of British India"
"Plans for the Government of India"
Hasting's "Memoirs of Bengal"
"History of Hyder Ali Khan" (2 vols)
Rennel's "Map and Memoir"
D'Herbot's "Biblioteque Orientale"
Richardson's "Persian Dictionary" (2 vols)
Hadley's "Persian Grammar"
Moise's "Persian Interpreter"
Halhead's "Bengal Grammar"
"Account of the Siege of Mangalore"
Jones' "Histoire de Nadir Shah"
Fraser's "History of Kati Jehan"
Voney's "Egypt" (2 vols)
Savary's "Egypt and Greece"
Caesar's "Commentaries"
Plutarch's "Lives" (6 vols)
Locke's "Works" (9 vols)
Paley's "Works" (5 vols gilt-edged)
Blackstone's "Commentaries on the Laws of England" (4 vols)
Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" (3 vols)
Ainsworth's "Dictionary"
"Tableau de l'Histoire Moderne" (3 vols)
Bolingbroke's "Works" (4 vols)
Swift's "Works" (24 vols)
Voyage de Bernier (2 vols)
Russell's "Law of the India Company"
Russell's "History of the India Company"

Other books he already owned included "A Lady of Pleasure" (9 vols of racy novel), "Harleian Miscellany", ""Oeuvres de Roi de Prusse", Dundas's "Cavalry Tactics", Chapman's "Venereal Disease", "Memoires de Marshal Saxe", Allan's "Views of Hill Forts".

That's the sort of thing nobles have on their bookshelves: lots of history, memoirs, and political and military affairs. Notice, too, how many books were collections of essays, pamphlets, sermons, and other short works.

Good fun adapting this to fantasy.


Agback

 

[jasper]

The Mountain, Mead and Me Or how I out drank and out witted a dark dragon by digger dwarf

A foot to short by harry halfling
Little women by sue hafling
Little men by harry halfing
men are from orcus, women from venus by osric halforc
3 daggers at night
The Enchanter vs Dischanter
book reading for dummies
A troll bridge too far
He got my goat by Terrance troll
3 receipes for adventures by terrance troll
the sorcerer and the succbus
sucks to me by sue succubus
Horny by uni the unicorn

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

The Paladin and the Succubus
Lady Despina's Virtue
The Heretic of the Wyre
The Rape of Morne