Reader’s Guide to Adult Non-Fiction Book Genres

Two weeks ago I published a post about Adult Fiction book genres, and today I want to discuss the Non-Fiction book genres. The world of publishing is first divided by fiction and non-fiction. While fiction is a huge group with lots of sub-divisions, non-fiction is even larger because it contains all of human knowledge. The one category I’m leaving off this list is Textbooks because that is a type of book that is not dependent on the content of the book.

One term I’d like to clear up the idea of “Reference Book”. In the library world, it has two meanings. The first are books that provide objective information like encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc. The second meaning is any book that is kept at the reference desk at the library. These reference books are usually large and expensive and there’s only one copy. They can be of any topic, from fixing your car to the history of WWII, and are heavily used by patrons. There are also items called “reference materials” kept at the reference desk. These include things like the Annual Consumer’s Report Car issue and laminated Periodic Charts. Many reference desks also keep copies of different versions of the Bible. So if you can’t find a bible on the shelf, ask the librarian!

Below I’ve listed the most popular major non-fiction genres with a few sub-genres beneath, in no particular order. If I listed them all, this blog post would turn into in a reference book.

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Adult Non-Fiction Book Genres (with sub genres)

Reference

In this section, I’m talking about dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, books of quotations, etc. These books offer objective information in an organized format, usually with extensive indexes.

Government Documents

Any book, document, pamphlet, etc. published by the U.S. Federal Government. Includes the Federal Register, FOIA requests, FDA submissions, Federal Statues, Congressional Record, etc. Usually these documents are kept in regional libraries so it’s best to discuss your needs with a Gov Docs librarian so she can help you find what you need. This category is so enormous, since everything the government says and does is eventually recorded, that the information is hard to find. It’s also online but the indexes are so outdated that talking to a librarian is often the easiest and fastest way to go.

History

These are books about true, past events, researched and written the best way the author(s) knows how. These books can be huge portrayals of countries or regions that cross the centuries, or may be about a specific battle in a specific war. These books can be sweeping reference books or reprinted diaries. They are always heavily researched and can be written in a strict, academic form or in a personal narrative. This is a HUGE genre that includes books from every time in human history. Because there are so many sub-sub genres in this group, I’m just listing the major sub-genre divisions used in libraries and bookstores.

• Pre-history (history of pre-literate and early literate societies, usually including history up to the ending of BC and beginning of AD time.)
• Post-history (history from AD timeframe onwards)
• Military History (history of all warfare throughout time)

Biography

These books true written accounts about a person’s life. Below are a few of the more popular sub-genres within this category.

• Autobiography (where the writer relates their own, true story)
• Memoir (a true story, about the author and written by the author, told in a more relatable narrative about a specific time in their life)
• Letters (Collections of correspondence from the author or received from other people)
• Diaries (published diary of a specific person)
• Collections (short biographies about different people published in one book)

Fine Arts

These books include all the information about our aesthetic lives and pursuits. Below are a few of the more popular sub-genres within this category.

• Poetry (Information about how to write poetry, what poetry is, details rhythm and style. Includes the history of poetry and indexes of poems.)
• Theater (Books about the theater, how it works, history of plays and their production. Includes books on how to write plays and run theaters.)
• Art & Art History (Books about the visual arts, history of art and artists, books on how to paint, draw, etc, and collections of art images, etc.)
• Music (Music history, how to write and read music, music theory and composition, etc.)

Philosophy

These are books study the nature of knowledge and experience of human existence with an academic perspective. Usually found in textbook form or narrative form translated from ancient languages.

Folklore

Collections of legends, fairytales, and the activity and history of storytelling, both oral and written.

Religion

These books examine and reflect upon different established religions. Also includes the history of religions, how to practice/worship a religion, as well as all holy books and records.

Humor

Books that make us laugh like joke books, funny comic books, and social and political satires, etc,

New Age

These books examine alternate belief systems and non-traditional spirituality. Below are the major sub-genres in this category.

• New Age (Self-help books that use non-traditional spirituality.)
• Psychics & Psychic Powers (Books about how to use the human mind to affect surroundings and behaviors)
• Astrology (books that teach how to use celestial bodies to predict the future and human behaviors)
• Fortune Telling (books that offer ways to predict the future)

Social Science

Books about societies and social relationships. Here are a few of the major sub-genres.

• Anthropology (This is the study of humans and human behaviors (past and present) within a social construct.)
• Sociology (Books that study social relationships and social systems)
• Political Science (These books review different systems of government as well as past and present political issues.)

Science

Books all about science that include physical/natural sciences, life sciences, some mathematics/statistics, medical sciences, chemistry, biology, etc. Usually these books are in textbook form with lots of indexes and bibliographies.

Health & Wellness

These books help us all stay healthy by offering advice about fighting disease, discussing medical literature at a non-scientist level, alternative medicine, etc.

Legal

All of the legal references, case law, and legal code books that one would need for their own country, state, county, town, etc. Includes all of the Federal statues and codes. See also Government Documents category above. All of these books review the system of rules that societies need to regulate their actions. Also includes books about how the judicial system works.

Psychology

Books that offer information about the mental and emotional functions of human beings and their ultimate well-being. Like the other categories, there are tons of sub-genres but here are the most popular ones.

• Self-help (books that offer information on self-improvement)
• Childcare (books on parenting and taking care of kids of all ages)
• Recovery (books about addictions, codependency, seeking help, etc.)

Education

This category includes books on the educational systems around the world, teaching/teacher guides, curriculum builders, homeschooling, test prep, etc. They are usually in workbook format and have extensive indexes and bibliographies.

Cooking

Books that are collections of recipes that have a lot of sub sub-genres like “Paleo” or “Barbecue”. Also includes books that tell the history of food.

Pet Care

These books are all about how to take care of your pets. They are usually shelved by type of animal and pet. There are a lot of sub-genres in this group, but dogs, cats, and fish are the largest.

Business & Economics

These are books about starting and managing businesses of all types, career skills, career advice, personal and business finance and investing, any books on how money works. It even includes books on digital currency and sometimes statistics. (sometimes statistics books can be found under Mathematics).

Mathematics

All books about math. Every topic for every educational level. The only glitch may be statistics. Some booksellers and librarians put books about statistics under Business & Economics. It all depends on the cataloging of the book and how the bookseller believes it will be found on the shelves.

Communications

This is a huge category devoted to all languages and how we use them. It includes works on written and oral communication, books on propaganda and marketing, and all books on the technical issues unique to human communication.

Home & Garden

All of the books that discuss planning, designing, organizing, cleaning, and decorating homes and gardens of all types. Also included in this category are books about sewing home furnishings (instead of in the recreation section).

True Crime

These are books that retell the stories of specific crimes & criminals, as well as historical crimes. They are usually high-profile crimes and criminals like Jack the Ripper and Charles Manson.

Recreation

These books are for hobbies, crafts, sports, and other enjoyable activities. There are too many sub-genres to list but this category includes things like how to play soccer, advanced knitting patterns, coin and stamp collection, books on the history of fashion, etc.

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