Listmania!
Interesting and Unusual
By an Amazon.com customer
The Battle for ChristmasThe Battle for Christmas by Stephen Nissenbaum
Buy used from: $5.20
The way people celebrate Christmas today is such a recent idea, you'll be amazed.
Family in Various CulturesFamily in Various Cultures by Stuart A. Queen
Buy used from: $0.01
Fascinating.
Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (Dover Books on Astronomy)Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (Dover Books on Astronomy) by Richard H. Allen
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $2.92
Beautiful, 19th century overview of the myths and etymologies of star names
The Art of Richard P. Feynman: Images by a Curious CharacterThe Art of Richard P. Feynman: Images by a Curious Character
Buy used from: $215.00
Paintings and sketches by the physicist Richard Feynman
The Lore of the UnicornThe Lore of the Unicorn by Odell Shepard
Buy used from: $0.64
A surprisingly scholarly overview of the world's unicorn legends
Phantom Islands of the Atlantic: The Legends of Seven Lands That Never WerePhantom Islands of the Atlantic: The Legends of Seven Lands That Never Were by Donald S. Johnson
Buy used from: $0.01
A study of medieval cartographic weirdness
The Pencil: A History of Design and CircumstanceThe Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski
Buy new: $13.60 / Used from: $0.99
Someone actually wrote a complete history of the pencil.
Ishi in Two Worlds: A Biography of the Last Wild Indian in North AmericaIshi in Two Worlds: A Biography of the Last Wild Indian in North America by Theodora Kroeber
Buy used from: $0.01
The last "wild" Indian in America turns up in 20th century California
Short Guide to Modern Star Names and Their DerivationsShort Guide to Modern Star Names and Their Derivations by Paul Kunitzsch
Buy new: $23.00
An up-to-date, succinct study of the origin of star names
The Scientific 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Scientists, Past and PresentThe Scientific 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Scientists, Past and Present by John Galbraith Simmons
Buy new: $21.95 / Used from: $11.33
"Hello! I'd Like to Start an Argument!" or "How to Be a Real Pain at Your Next Cocktail Party."
Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United StatesNames on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States by George R. Stewart
Buy used from: $3.50
Really interesting. Shows how the places where we live got named, and what the names mean.
The Golden Yoke: The Legal Cosmology of Buddhist TibetThe Golden Yoke: The Legal Cosmology of Buddhist Tibet by Rebecca Redwood French
Buy new: $65.00 / Used from: $4.29
A book that dares to ask the question: is it possible to be a lawyer, and believe in karma, in the same lifetime???
How to Kill a Dragon: Aspects of Indo-European PoeticsHow to Kill a Dragon: Aspects of Indo-European Poetics by Calvert Watkins
Buy new: $36.00 / Used from: $14.85
Incredibly interesting overview of several thousand years of historic and semi-historic culture
Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha's VineyardEveryone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha's Vineyard by Nora Ellen Groce
Buy new: $20.52 / Used from: $4.65
Makes you think about society in a whole new way
The Thread: A Mathematical YarnThe Thread: A Mathematical Yarn by Philip J. Davis
Buy used from: $3.42
An unusual, funny sojourn into the history of mathematics
Writing Systems of the World: Alphabets, Syllabaries, PictogramsWriting Systems of the World: Alphabets, Syllabaries, Pictograms by Akira Nakanishi
Buy new: $14.49 / Used from: $3.37
Examples of the world's scripts
The 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Persons In HistoryThe 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Persons In History by Michael H. Hart
Buy new: $15.30 / Used from: $5.18
Tries to actually RANK the worlds most influential figures
The Crusades Through Arab EyesThe Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $5.90
Should be much better known
Lost Cities of AfricaLost Cities of Africa by Basil Davidson
Buy new: $19.79 / Used from: $2.99
Fascinating.
The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of ZeroThe Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero by Robert Kaplan
Buy new: $65.00 / Used from: $0.01
A serious classic in the history of mathematics
The Path: A One-Mile Walk Through the UniverseThe Path: A One-Mile Walk Through the Universe by Chet Raymo
Buy new: $21.00 / Used from: $0.08
The things you can learn, from a walk in the woods!
A History of PiA History of Pi by Petr Beckmann
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $1.96
Round out your knowledge of key numbers
Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape The UniverseJust Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape The Universe by Martin Rees
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $4.73
Now, put all those numbers into context
What If the Moon Didn't Exist?: Voyages to Earths That Might Have BeenWhat If the Moon Didn't Exist?: Voyages to Earths That Might Have Been by Neil F. Comins
Buy used from: $0.52
A thoughtful presentation of various astronomical "what-ifs"
Was Huck Black?: Mark Twain and African-American VoicesWas Huck Black?: Mark Twain and African-American Voices by Shelley Fisher Fishkin
Buy used from: $1.55
Analyzes evidence that Mark Twain might have based the Huck Finn character on African-Americans he knew.