Did many of you even have much nonfiction?
When someone grows nostalgic about childhood books, they generally talk about fiction, but my fiction reading nearly all came from the library and had to go back, so I don’t remember it as clearly as the nonfiction in the bookcase that I’d flip through and look at the pictures and read some here and there.
The Tell Me Why books by Arkady Leokum - Goodreads link Those probably had more to do with shaping me than anything else I’ve read.
When I was about eight or nine, I went through a period of reading lots of (juvenile) non-fiction - mostly biographies, history and myths. I don’t remember the specific titles, but I particularly remember reading biographies of James Cook and John Paul Jones, histories of ancient Egypt and medieval Europe, the myths of Perseus and Jason, and especially the history/myths surrounding the Trojan War.
And of course I went through a dinosaur phase, but the dinosaur book I remember most clearly was heavy on pictures and light on text.
Then when I was about ten, I switched pretty much entirely to reading fiction.
I used to love the Eyewitness books as a kid.
Those covers with the white backgrounds are very inviting.
The white background cover versions are the ones I used to constantly checkout from my school library. It’s like mainlining nostalgia for me.
I think the magic tree house books came with nonfiction pairs. “Jack’s notebooks” or something like that. I was crazy for them.
But for me fiction and nonfiction were both mostly at the library, so I wouldn’t say the nonfiction books were around more.
I suddenly realize what memories of the children’s section of the library I do have are 100% about fiction. They must have had at least a little nonfiction for kids, but…no memories.
Fouché by Stephan Zweig!!
My teacher gave me that one in middle school and I treasured it!
It’s so good for younger audiences. Even tho Fouché is a fucking asshole most of the time. But it was perfect for French revolution history
H.G. Wells’ A Short History of the World.
I think it was made by Reader’s Digest and was called Fact Finder. Was full of all sorts of facts, loved it. Also had some kids books about ancient Egypt and Greece small the trials of Hercules. Couldn’t get enough.
Sadly I was exposed to Bermuda Triangle nonsense, von Däniken pseudo archeology, and Pauwels/Berger bullshit. The sanest I read was Your Erroneous Zones (that was before Dyer became a Chopra wannabe).
Would “Carry On. Mr Bowditch” count?
As an entertaining biography written for kids, it’s not a reference book, but it’s not purely fiction, either.
Closer to reference would be another favourite, "The Ashley Book of Knots, which I devoured.
I can’t remember specific titles but Usbourne books did tonnes of non fiction books on history, space and how the body works that I loved.
But the Horrible Histories series probably won hands down.
Kit Carson and the Wild Frontier. It’s racist and pro genocide, but dude had a crazy life.
