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A Book of Book Lists
This is a book of book lists. Lists that make you smile, make you wonder, and see titles together in entirely new ways. From Bin Laden’s bookshelf to the books most frequently left in hotels, from prisoners’ favorite books to Member of Parliaments’ most borrowed books, these lists are proof that a person’s bookcase tells you everything you need to know about them, and sometimes more besides.
203 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2018
17 people are currently reading
1029 people want to read
About the author
Alex Johnson
13 books75 followersLatest book: Shed Manual (Haynes, 2019)
Next book: Edward Lear & The Pussycat: Famous Writers and Their Pets (August, 2019)
Next book after that: Menus That Made History (Kyle/Octopus, September, 2019)
I am a professional blogger and journalist, part of The Independent newspaper's online team in the UK. I run Shedworking (www.shedworking.co.uk) which inspired the book 'Shedworking: The Alternative Workplace Revolution' published by Frances Lincoln, The Micro Life (www.themicrolife.co.uk), and curate Bookshelf (www.onthebookshelf.co.uk), which was published as a book in 2012 by Thames & Hudson as 'Bookshelf'.
'Improbable Libraries', a survey of the most unusual and intriguing libraries around the world, was published by Thames & Hudson in April 2015 and 'A Book of Book Lists' in October 2017 by The British Library. My book on book towns around the world, 'Book Towns', was published by Frances Lincoln in March 2018 and 'Shelf Life, a selection of essays about books and reading, in October 2018 by The British Library. The same month, I brought out a literary trumps card game called The Writers Game with Laurence King Publishing.
Next book: Edward Lear & The Pussycat: Famous Writers and Their Pets (August, 2019)
Next book after that: Menus That Made History (Kyle/Octopus, September, 2019)
I am a professional blogger and journalist, part of The Independent newspaper's online team in the UK. I run Shedworking (www.shedworking.co.uk) which inspired the book 'Shedworking: The Alternative Workplace Revolution' published by Frances Lincoln, The Micro Life (www.themicrolife.co.uk), and curate Bookshelf (www.onthebookshelf.co.uk), which was published as a book in 2012 by Thames & Hudson as 'Bookshelf'.
'Improbable Libraries', a survey of the most unusual and intriguing libraries around the world, was published by Thames & Hudson in April 2015 and 'A Book of Book Lists' in October 2017 by The British Library. My book on book towns around the world, 'Book Towns', was published by Frances Lincoln in March 2018 and 'Shelf Life, a selection of essays about books and reading, in October 2018 by The British Library. The same month, I brought out a literary trumps card game called The Writers Game with Laurence King Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
July 18, 2018
Bookish people tend to like a good list. A list of books by your favourite author, or even better selections of titles that they would recommend, the latest prize lists too. There are also books scribbled down on a piece of paper whilst in a bookshop and in my case the never-ending list of books that is my TBR. What is even better is being able to sneak a look at the list that other people have made, it is like being given an hour to examine their shelves in minute detail.
Alex Johnson has collected together a whole pile of lists (does anyone know what the collective term for a list of lists is?) of famous and some infamous people of books that they have loved or owned. Beginning with the books that we know so far from Bin Laden’s bookshelf, some are still secret, we venture forth into the literary realms of presidents, prime ministers, famous authors, pop stars and even a footballer, yes really. Libraries feature heavily as you'd expect, and there are lists of books from prisons, books from films, books in telephone boxes and even books that have never been written.
There is some overlap between the different lists, but each of them reflects the people or place that they represent, Each book list comes with a short and useful overview from Johnson about the individual and a little insight as to why those particular books appear on that list. I did like the fact that Scoot of Antarctic fame too an 'essential' 1000 books with him on one exhibition. It does have a certain charm and I now have a few more ideas for books to read.
Alex Johnson has collected together a whole pile of lists (does anyone know what the collective term for a list of lists is?) of famous and some infamous people of books that they have loved or owned. Beginning with the books that we know so far from Bin Laden’s bookshelf, some are still secret, we venture forth into the literary realms of presidents, prime ministers, famous authors, pop stars and even a footballer, yes really. Libraries feature heavily as you'd expect, and there are lists of books from prisons, books from films, books in telephone boxes and even books that have never been written.
There is some overlap between the different lists, but each of them reflects the people or place that they represent, Each book list comes with a short and useful overview from Johnson about the individual and a little insight as to why those particular books appear on that list. I did like the fact that Scoot of Antarctic fame too an 'essential' 1000 books with him on one exhibition. It does have a certain charm and I now have a few more ideas for books to read.
April 9, 2018
Quite an interesting group of lists. It covers banned books, Bowie books, among others. Nice tie in to pop culture as well. Really fun.
April 4, 2018
Simply wonderful!
This is now my go to if I need inspiration on what to read next! And I love the stories that are told through book lists. It makes me wonder what stories could be told about me through my own book lists...
This is now my go to if I need inspiration on what to read next! And I love the stories that are told through book lists. It makes me wonder what stories could be told about me through my own book lists...
January 31, 2018
If there's one thing I love more than a book.... It's a book about books.... And this is a great example. Where else would you find a list of the made up book titles Charkes Dickens had displayed on a hidden door. "Noah's Arkitecture" my absolute favourite. How about a list of books in Richard III's library! Just so much to set the cogs going.
Love it, love it, love it.
Pity about the typo in the last sentence though, giving Nick Hornby a sex change!
Love it, love it, love it.
Pity about the typo in the last sentence though, giving Nick Hornby a sex change!
December 6, 2018
Never new a list of books could interesting reading, but it is!
If you were ever interested in a list of book-lists this is the book for you. Though not al that inserting on it's own. This book provides context and some explanation to some of history's most interesting lists of books. And that in itself makes it interesting for any reading enthusiast. Among others are list of the following:
- Books burned by the Nazi's
- Books most often forgotten in Hotels
- Books read in prison
- Books in obscure languages
And quite a few more...
If you were ever interested in a list of book-lists this is the book for you. Though not al that inserting on it's own. This book provides context and some explanation to some of history's most interesting lists of books. And that in itself makes it interesting for any reading enthusiast. Among others are list of the following:
- Books burned by the Nazi's
- Books most often forgotten in Hotels
- Books read in prison
- Books in obscure languages
And quite a few more...
November 10, 2017
To be offered an arc of A Book of Book Lists has to be a booksellers dream!! What's not to love about it? Okay, so maybe I say this because I am a big fan of lists and a big fan of books but actually this little book is surprisingly interesting and addictive.
Written by Alex Johnson and published by The British Library, this book contains some really different lists and my favourites included 'NeRD: The United States Navy's e-reader' which talks about how Navy personnel need to use Navy specific e-readers due to security issues and the 1940 kids reading lists as it was fascinating to see the difference between what kids read then and what they are reading now.
I particularly enjoyed the section talking about Bibliotherapy and Books on Prescription which details book lists created for those suffering from mental health issues, long term illnesses and their carers. Despite working in the book industry I had no idea this scheme existed and is actually endorsed by NHS England.
The book is full of little snippets of information, such as the fact that Stephen King asked for his novel 'Rage' (written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman) to never be republished, which will delight any bibliophile and is a really easy book to refer to and dip in and out of. The writing is excellent and my only criticism of the book, apart from that it could have been bigger and even more detailed, is that I would have preferred the explanations of the lists to come before the lists themselves rather than the other way round, which is the format the book actually follows.
I received an advanced reading copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
Written by Alex Johnson and published by The British Library, this book contains some really different lists and my favourites included 'NeRD: The United States Navy's e-reader' which talks about how Navy personnel need to use Navy specific e-readers due to security issues and the 1940 kids reading lists as it was fascinating to see the difference between what kids read then and what they are reading now.
I particularly enjoyed the section talking about Bibliotherapy and Books on Prescription which details book lists created for those suffering from mental health issues, long term illnesses and their carers. Despite working in the book industry I had no idea this scheme existed and is actually endorsed by NHS England.
The book is full of little snippets of information, such as the fact that Stephen King asked for his novel 'Rage' (written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman) to never be republished, which will delight any bibliophile and is a really easy book to refer to and dip in and out of. The writing is excellent and my only criticism of the book, apart from that it could have been bigger and even more detailed, is that I would have preferred the explanations of the lists to come before the lists themselves rather than the other way round, which is the format the book actually follows.
I received an advanced reading copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
December 10, 2017
I love books about books about books about books. I can’t get enough of them. I buy a lot of books already, but then I read a book about books and I go out and buy more.
This new one from Alex Johnson takes a breezy look at the most fascinating and weirdest reading lists of the world. It goes from Bin Laden’s bookshelf or books burned by the Nazis to the most-unread and the most popular out-of-print books. My personal favourite was probably the list of books that have won the Diagram/Bookseller prize for the oddest title, included such works as ‘Cooking with Poo’ and ‘Strangers Have The Best Candy’. There’s also books found on IKEA shelves, books most-borrowed from the House of Commons library (the top one being ‘How Parliament Works’) and books that Oscar Wilde requested while locked up in gaol.
The section on ‘bibliomemoirs’ was particularly helpful, as I’m always looking for more books about books about books about books. But ultimately, this is as cerebral as toilet reading gets.
This new one from Alex Johnson takes a breezy look at the most fascinating and weirdest reading lists of the world. It goes from Bin Laden’s bookshelf or books burned by the Nazis to the most-unread and the most popular out-of-print books. My personal favourite was probably the list of books that have won the Diagram/Bookseller prize for the oddest title, included such works as ‘Cooking with Poo’ and ‘Strangers Have The Best Candy’. There’s also books found on IKEA shelves, books most-borrowed from the House of Commons library (the top one being ‘How Parliament Works’) and books that Oscar Wilde requested while locked up in gaol.
The section on ‘bibliomemoirs’ was particularly helpful, as I’m always looking for more books about books about books about books. But ultimately, this is as cerebral as toilet reading gets.
September 18, 2021
Well this certainly covers a broad enough spectrum. This is a peculiar beast, the lists veer between genuinely fascinating to mind numbingly tedious. I remain sceptical at almost every single book list associated with a politician or world leader, and as for the inclusion of a book…in fact I am not even going to give that moron further exposure or publicity, but needless to say he’s a liar and I don’t believe anything that comes out his mouth and he's not even a politician.
I also remain sceptical about the alleged list of books found at Bin-Laden’s home, the likes of Chomsky and Palast, both great writers who do a great job of routinely criticising those in power within the US. I also found the idea of banned books at Gitmo a bit of salt in the wounds. As if the Americans haven’t inflicted enough torture and misery upon these people, they’ve got to clamp down on what they can read too.
Some of the other personal highlights for me would have been David Byrne’s private library B: and David Bowie’s 100 influencers. So this was a fickle book which blew red hot in some pages and ice cold in others, when it was good it was great, but when it was dull it was really dull, but at least another decent list was never too far away.
May 29, 2025
5 stars but I also believe this book was made specifically for me
June 25, 2023
Honestamente, esto bien pudo haber sido una entrada en un Blog. No ameritaba un libro. Qué gasto de papel. En fin. Lo que buscaba quedó respondido en algo más de 20 escuetas marcas en el libro: las listas donde se mencionan autoras son más bien escasas. Para qué hablar de los comentarios respecto a mujeres dentro del libro. Una decepción 😞
Por otro lado, hay varios tecitos a los que prestar atención y varios sitios web que revisar. En fin, me tomó algo más de tres horas leer este libro e ir marcando y anotando sobre lo que buscaba. No diré que las perdí, pero vaya que pudo haber sido mejor...
Por otro lado, hay varios tecitos a los que prestar atención y varios sitios web que revisar. En fin, me tomó algo más de tres horas leer este libro e ir marcando y anotando sobre lo que buscaba. No diré que las perdí, pero vaya que pudo haber sido mejor...
May 4, 2018
a coffee table book to flip through when you have time, or a book to read on a sunny afternoon.
very enjoyable compendium of lists ranging from david bowie's 100 influences, to books checked out from the ny public library by george washington and j.d. salinger, books banned from guantanamo, books people lied about reading...a very fun and informative read.
very enjoyable compendium of lists ranging from david bowie's 100 influences, to books checked out from the ny public library by george washington and j.d. salinger, books banned from guantanamo, books people lied about reading...a very fun and informative read.
October 19, 2018
I had a great time reading this book. In one hand I was holding a pen (so I could cross the books I already read) and in the other hand I was holding my post-it's to mark the books I want to read in the future (one of them I just bought today - "A Sentimental Journey" by Laurence Sterne).
My favorite list in the book has to be "the most-unread books". It includes - among other books - Melville's "Moby Dick". A very personal book, well I will call it challenge, for myself. According to the list, "Moby Dick" is a book that many readers start to read but hardly any of them ever finish reading it. Well, call me the exception. It took me 8 years (I kid you not) but in the end I finished "Moby Dick."
My only real critique of this book would be the lack of nowadays book. Sure, a few of them are included as well. But I would have like to read more lists of the time we live now (just so I could cross out more titles ;-))
My favorite list in the book has to be "the most-unread books". It includes - among other books - Melville's "Moby Dick". A very personal book, well I will call it challenge, for myself. According to the list, "Moby Dick" is a book that many readers start to read but hardly any of them ever finish reading it. Well, call me the exception. It took me 8 years (I kid you not) but in the end I finished "Moby Dick."
My only real critique of this book would be the lack of nowadays book. Sure, a few of them are included as well. But I would have like to read more lists of the time we live now (just so I could cross out more titles ;-))
August 30, 2019
This book--which I bought at the British Library--is pretty much exactly what you want it to be and what the title promises: a book of book lists, each with a brief commentary. The variety makes for enjoyable reading: books owned/read by various celebrities, books burned by Nazis and burned in America, the fake books of Charles Dickens, the books on the International Space Station and on the U.S. Navy's e-readers, books left in hotels, books on Osama bin Laden's bookshelf. Makes for an entertaining series of reads.
August 6, 2020
I really liked this book. I wanted it since I saw it in the British Library. It was full of really interesting lists like University Reading Lists, Books Left in Hotels, Books on the International Space Station, Books IKEA uses as decoration, and Books Burnt by the Nazis.
Some of the lists were partial, but this has really encouraged me to look into the complete lists and other book-related lists, more than just 101 Books to Read Before You Die. There was also plenty of description and extra little tit-bits about the lists and the authors included on the lists.
Lists in the book are broken into sections including:
1. Reading Lists
2. On the Move
3. In the Library
4. Junior Choice
5. Unwanted
6. On the Screen
7. Lists Yet to Come
8. Adventures in Books
For any bibliophiles this is a fantastic little reference book that you will keep coming back to again and again.
Some of the lists were partial, but this has really encouraged me to look into the complete lists and other book-related lists, more than just 101 Books to Read Before You Die. There was also plenty of description and extra little tit-bits about the lists and the authors included on the lists.
Lists in the book are broken into sections including:
1. Reading Lists
2. On the Move
3. In the Library
4. Junior Choice
5. Unwanted
6. On the Screen
7. Lists Yet to Come
8. Adventures in Books
For any bibliophiles this is a fantastic little reference book that you will keep coming back to again and again.
September 27, 2019
Super nerdy bookish trivia.... i.e. perfect for me!
January 26, 2021
A fascinating look at people’s libraries. Very interesting and a fast read. It’s a great companion to your reading life.
May 6, 2023
3.5 stars.
February 12, 2020
Did not expect to be as entertained as I was by a book full of lists. Great commentary, and rather enlightening.
November 10, 2017
Loved it, an eclectic mix of book lists and interesting facts about them. Stuff like what was on Bin Laden's bookshelf and what books were burnt by the nazis. Really fascinating stuff, very well written. 4.5 stars.
December 31, 2019
I am pleased to confirm that I have a new favourite nonfiction genre: books about the love of books and reading. I have had my eye on A Book of Book Lists for a while and now can cheerily report just how entertaining it is.
Johnson has clearly done his homework: not just researching historically significant book lists such as what lined Oscar Wilde's shelves during his time in Reading Gaol but also what Khan Noonien Singh appeared to have read in the film Star Trek: Wrath of Khan.
I was tickled to read the absurd titles of past winners of the Bookseller/Diagram Prize (Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop, anyone?), dismayed by the library books that rebel playwright Joe Orton and partner Kenneth Halliwell defaced and overjoyed at seeing all the books that famous authors never wrote in 'The Land of Dream's Library' from Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic novel series.
Not only this, I learnt that Art Garfunkel and Nick Hornby have kept an extensive list of all the books they have respectively read in the past few decades, that there is a search engine for finding copies of popular out-of-print books called Bookfinder.com and that Katie Paterson's 'Future Library' project is growing steadily with a new author added to the time capsule each year.
A Book of Book Lists is a great treasure trove of bibliographic curiosities. There's something in here for bibliophiles interested in the past, the present, the future and even the 'never was'. As such I find it thoroughly fitting for my final book review for 2019 and the decade.
Johnson has clearly done his homework: not just researching historically significant book lists such as what lined Oscar Wilde's shelves during his time in Reading Gaol but also what Khan Noonien Singh appeared to have read in the film Star Trek: Wrath of Khan.
I was tickled to read the absurd titles of past winners of the Bookseller/Diagram Prize (Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop, anyone?), dismayed by the library books that rebel playwright Joe Orton and partner Kenneth Halliwell defaced and overjoyed at seeing all the books that famous authors never wrote in 'The Land of Dream's Library' from Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic novel series.
Not only this, I learnt that Art Garfunkel and Nick Hornby have kept an extensive list of all the books they have respectively read in the past few decades, that there is a search engine for finding copies of popular out-of-print books called Bookfinder.com and that Katie Paterson's 'Future Library' project is growing steadily with a new author added to the time capsule each year.
A Book of Book Lists is a great treasure trove of bibliographic curiosities. There's something in here for bibliophiles interested in the past, the present, the future and even the 'never was'. As such I find it thoroughly fitting for my final book review for 2019 and the decade.
September 4, 2020
This has an interesting assortment of lists and facts but ultimately it's not as exciting as it sounds. I'm glad I picked it up because I definitely learned some things and got a few book recommendations from it, but don't feel bad if you skip it.
A couple of my favorite facts from this:
-Darwin had what essentially amounted to his own Goodreads.
-Human Libraries are a thing. They're events where you "borrow" people that have special experiences or perspectives (such as being LGBTQ+ or having a disability) and talk to them about it.
A couple of my favorite facts from this:
-Darwin had what essentially amounted to his own Goodreads.
-Human Libraries are a thing. They're events where you "borrow" people that have special experiences or perspectives (such as being LGBTQ+ or having a disability) and talk to them about it.
January 23, 2023
Fue una lectura interesante, aprendí muchos datos nuevos y curiosos.
No es para leerlo de golpe, sino más bien para de vez en cuando revisar una de las listas que están aquí. Hay listas de todo tipo, incluso de libros que no existen o de títulos alternativos para obras muy famosas.
También los libros que la gente dice haber leído y no lo ha hecho jajaja.
Recomendado para divertirse un rato.
No es para leerlo de golpe, sino más bien para de vez en cuando revisar una de las listas que están aquí. Hay listas de todo tipo, incluso de libros que no existen o de títulos alternativos para obras muy famosas.
También los libros que la gente dice haber leído y no lo ha hecho jajaja.
Recomendado para divertirse un rato.
June 25, 2020
Fascinating nerdy read. If you've ever wanted to know what Oscar Wilde wrote in prison, or which books were the first to be adapted as audiobooks, this is the book for you.
March 20, 2018
As a person who gravitates toward any bookshelf, this was full of fascinating lists even though many of the British titles were unfamiliar to me.
February 20, 2019
Had a lot of laughs over who had what on their shelves,one that made me blink was the fairy's tale on the underground london ...I have just been reading this for a review
June 22, 2018
Interesting little book of British/US book lists, such as Darwins to read list, Oscar Wilde's prison reading, international space station books etc...
January 27, 2019
Mildly entertaining with some interesting snippets of information.
October 18, 2018
Neglected Books: http://neglectedbooks.com/
Framtidsbiblioteket: https://www.futurelibrary.no/
Lisa Simpson Book Club: http://www.lisasimpsonbookclub.tumblr...
The Shavian Alphabet: https://www.omniglot.com/writing/shav...
Sanja Medić - De Batvier: https://sanjamedic.com/portfolio_page...
Mike Stilkey: https://www.mikestilkey.com/
Scotland's Secret Book Sculptures: https://www.theguardian.com/books/gal...
“Libraries might as well not exist; they’ve got endless shelves for rubbish and hardly any space for good books.” –JO
Framtidsbiblioteket: https://www.futurelibrary.no/
Lisa Simpson Book Club: http://www.lisasimpsonbookclub.tumblr...
The Shavian Alphabet: https://www.omniglot.com/writing/shav...
Sanja Medić - De Batvier: https://sanjamedic.com/portfolio_page...
Mike Stilkey: https://www.mikestilkey.com/
Scotland's Secret Book Sculptures: https://www.theguardian.com/books/gal...
“Libraries might as well not exist; they’ve got endless shelves for rubbish and hardly any space for good books.” –JO
October 6, 2018
An interesting eclectic book of book lists.
It's not a goodreads list, but a bizarre collection of lists. Some lists offer a window into the thoughts of places (eg. space station, Kansas City parking ramp), nations (eg Nazi Germany banned books) and lots of people (eg. David Bowie). Some are non-existent books fabricated from lists gathered from novels... and lots of curious lists.
One of favorite book titles: The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Field Guide to Identification
A fun, off-topic and quirky book.
It's not a goodreads list, but a bizarre collection of lists. Some lists offer a window into the thoughts of places (eg. space station, Kansas City parking ramp), nations (eg Nazi Germany banned books) and lots of people (eg. David Bowie). Some are non-existent books fabricated from lists gathered from novels... and lots of curious lists.
One of favorite book titles: The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Field Guide to Identification
A fun, off-topic and quirky book.
October 2, 2018
This is not your usual sort of book list collection (which frankly make me anxious and a tad morbid. You know the sort: 1,000 books to read before you die. Ugh)
Instead these are book lists with a story. Ones in people like Osama bin Laden’s library, ones used as window dressing in shops, ones left in hotels and spotted in the background television shows.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone.
Instead these are book lists with a story. Ones in people like Osama bin Laden’s library, ones used as window dressing in shops, ones left in hotels and spotted in the background television shows.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews