What book or set of non-rpg books do you find you use between sessions for adventure or design ideas and reference for the next session  more than any other?

Specifically, I mean book.  As in "made of paper."  Not looking for answers like Google or Wikipedia for purposes of this thread. Regardless of if you have it on a PC in pdf format, to list it here as a resource it must be in paper format, in your possession, not a rpg book, and reached for by you more often than any other book.  

By set of books I don't mean Encyclopedia Britannica---a set of books to qualify for this would be one book/story broken up into several volumes. Like the Leiber Lankhmar series, or a 3 volume set of The Complete Works of Shakespeare for example.

Inspiration for ideas in creating badguys and evil empires:  "Mein Kampf" by Adolf Hitler.

Quote from: ggroy;359804Inspiration for ideas in creating badguys and evil empires:  "Mein Kampf" by Adolf Hitler.

That's the book you go to more than any other between sessions in creating your games?

Quote from: Joethelawyer;359805That's the book you go to more than any other between sessions in creating your games?

Yes.

Another book I've used is "Dialogue in Hell" by Maurice Joly.

http://www.notbored.org/dialogue-in-hell.html

Quote from: Joethelawyer;359805That's the book you go to more than any other between sessions in creating your games?

Quote from: ggroy;359806Yes.  

No Shit.    That's the sort of interesting answer I was looking for with this thread, just thought you were pulling my leg.

Checking out the link to the dialogues...

Don't have one, Joe. It depends too much on the genre, but in general history books.

-clash

The Dictionary of Imaginary Places

deleted

The closest... my Atlases.

I have a large full color Atlas of World History and a modern atlas. The former I mainly use for inspiration for fantasy games, the latter mainly for Spycraft.

Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend
Websters Thesaurus
RH Websters College Dictionary
Oakshott's Archeology of Weapons


Really though, I go and do a LOT of research when needed, and sometimes I just open the giant mad book in my brain.

Quote from: ICFTI;359812The Dictionary of Imaginary Places

Now that's a damn interesting looking book I've never heard of before.  Thanks!

Really, all my history books and atlases.  I can't say which I've used the most.

truthfully?

For my Metal Earth stuff, if we're talking about nonfiction, it's this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Earths-Climate-William-F-Ruddiman/dp/0716784904/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265680694&sr=8-3

If we're talking about fiction it would likely be Kirby's Kamandi; Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun; Vance's Dying Earth; Corben's Den; or ERB's Tarzan at the Earth's Core or some REH  Conan stories. I Couldn't begin to tell you which I've read the most.

All that aside, most of my inspiration comes from my work or my imagination. I have a pretty solid knowledge of prehistory, especially in regards to paleolithic Europe that I add to every day (whether I want to or not) and my mind is a perpetually simmering stew of dumbass ideas.

Quote from: Joethelawyer;359814Edited original post to say "For D&D".

Oh! Sorry, Joe, I don't run D&D, so nothing there.

-clash

Quote from: flyingmice;359821Oh! Sorry, Joe, I don't run D&D, so nothing there.

-clash

Fuck it. I just edited out D&D. Why limit creativity.