Nonfiction Horror (55 books)

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Horror is a genre of fiction, but all of the ideas found in horror fiction spring first from the horrors of our own world.

This is a list of books that describe, analyze or examine the horror and terror of our reality, from descriptions of life in a gulag prison camp to pessimistic philosophy to the role and function of horror fiction.

Not only do these works have merit in their own right, but this list could be considered a compilation of primary source material for writers of horror fiction to expand their understanding of the genre and their own work.

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1	Night by Elie Wiesel 4.38 avg rating — 1,410,580 ratings score: 297, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Burke and Hare by Owen Dudley Edwards 2.80 avg rating — 113 ratings score: 289, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 787,198 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The House Built By Ghosts: The Strange Tale of the Winchester Mystery House by Caitlind L. Alexander 3.67 avg rating — 46 ratings score: 198, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	In the Dust of This Planet (Horror of Philosophy, #1) by Eugene Thacker 3.68 avg rating — 2,980 ratings score: 197, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale 3.51 avg rating — 25,719 ratings score: 194, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Burke & Hare by Martin Conaghan 3.24 avg rating — 38 ratings score: 191, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	The Demonologist by Gerald Brittle 3.87 avg rating — 9,698 ratings score: 174, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 4.33 avg rating — 36,455 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	7 Powerful Questions to Discover Your Dream Life by Ngan H. Nguyen (Goodreads Author) 4.27 avg rating — 11 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester 3.84 avg rating — 125,040 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Shun-Ru Chang 4.26 avg rating — 58,795 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Land of the Rising Dead: A Tokyo School Girl's Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse by Dai Akagane 3.69 avg rating — 26 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Man Is Wolf to Man: Surviving the Gulag by Janusz Bardach 4.35 avg rating — 919 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Columbine by Dave Cullen (Goodreads Author) 4.29 avg rating — 106,274 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov 4.37 avg rating — 9,276 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 4.09 avg rating — 761,173 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl 4.36 avg rating — 949,555 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the aftermath of the Columbine tragedy by Sue Klebold 4.14 avg rating — 48,662 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party by George R. Stewart 4.08 avg rating — 2,024 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Bedlam: London's Hospital for the Mad by Paul Chambers 3.89 avg rating — 175 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 13,211 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn 4.17 avg rating — 21,151 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Complete History of Jack the Ripper by Philip Sugden 4.11 avg rating — 3,350 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Murder at Dusk: How US soldier and smiling psychopath Eddie Leonski terrorised wartime Melbourne by Ian W. Shaw 3.84 avg rating — 69 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Thomas Ligotti really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 10,242 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The Big Book of Serial Killers by Jack Rosewood 3.85 avg rating — 2,640 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	On the Suffering of the World by Arthur Schopenhauer 3.85 avg rating — 3,414 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original "Psycho" by Harold Schechter 3.93 avg rating — 10,536 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Black Dahlia, Red Rose by Piu Marie Eatwell (Goodreads Author) 3.74 avg rating — 2,190 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies by Jim Harper 3.64 avg rating — 25 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Dear Leader: Poet, Spy, Escapee - A Look Inside North Korea by Jang Jin-sung 4.33 avg rating — 9,892 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Foul Play!: The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics! by Grant Geissman 4.29 avg rating — 99 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	This Is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood by Hyok Kang 3.85 avg rating — 1,506 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Tutankhamen's Curse by Joyce A. Tyldesley 3.85 avg rating — 279 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 73,976 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea by Sungju Lee 4.30 avg rating — 8,346 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Book of the Dead: The Complete History of Zombie Cinema by Jamie Russell (Goodreads Author) 4.25 avg rating — 522 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	A Lycanthropy Reader: Werewolves in Western Culture by Charlotte F. Otten (editor) 4.01 avg rating — 151 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Vlad the Impaler: In Search of the Real Dracula by M.J. Trow 3.74 avg rating — 505 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Elizabeth Bathory: The Blood Countess by Jill Keppeler (Goodreads Author) 3.67 avg rating — 12 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Lady and Her Monsters: A Tale of Dissections, Real-Life Dr. Frankensteins, and the Creation of Mary Shelley's Masterpiece by Roseanne Montillo (Goodreads Author) 3.55 avg rating — 1,490 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Bizarro: A Learn-by-Example Guide to the Art & Technique of Special Make-up Effects by Tom Savini 4.47 avg rating — 15 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography by Arthur Hobson Quinn 4.24 avg rating — 140 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	H.P. Lovecraft: A Biography by L. Sprague de Camp 3.82 avg rating — 667 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	A Thing of Unspeakable Horror: The History of Hammer Films by Sinclair McKay 3.73 avg rating — 66 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present by Robin R. Means Coleman 4.39 avg rating — 285 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	Scream Queens: Heroines of the Horrors by Calvin Thomas Beck really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 14 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Lizzie Borden: The Life, Legend, and Mystery of Lizzie Borden by Trey Wyatt 3.76 avg rating — 123 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Night the Defeos Died: Reinvestigating the Amityville Murders by Ric Osuna 3.76 avg rating — 208 ratings score: 78, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Abominable Science! Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and Other Famous Cryptids by Daniel Loxton 3.81 avg rating — 616 ratings score: 77, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Twelve Days of Terror: Inside the Shocking 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks by Richard G. Fernicola 3.77 avg rating — 660 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Robert The Doll by David L. Sloan 3.79 avg rating — 238 ratings score: 75, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist by Matt Baglio 3.81 avg rating — 2,563 ratings score: 73, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	The Cardiac Conduction System on Unexplained Sudden Death by Saroja Bharati it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 72, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars