A field guide
Ways of reading
Every book on the list is described by what it asks you to do. A single book can do several of these at once.
Footnote maze
The reading path splits across notes, appendices, and apparatus.
- Ada, or Ardor Vladimir Nabokov, 1969
- Codex Unfertho Kienn Nguyen, 2026
- House of Leaves Mark Z. Danielewski, 2000
- Infinite Jest David Foster Wallace, 1996
- Lolita Vladimir Nabokov, 1955
- Pale Fire Vladimir Nabokov, 1962
- The Quincunx Charles Palliser, 1989
- The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet Reif Larsen, 2009
- Viljevo (August After Midnight) Luka Bekavac, 2013
Multiple paths
Author-defined alternate orders or reading routes.
- Crossings Alex Landragin, 2020
- Dictionary of the Khazars Milorad Pavić, 1984
- Hopscotch (Rayuela) Julio Cortázar, 1963
- If on a winter's night a traveler Italo Calvino, 1979
- Landscape Painted with Tea Milorad Pavić, 1988
- Milo and the Magical Stones Marcus Pfister, 1997
- Only Revolutions Mark Z. Danielewski, 2006
- Oryx and Crake Margaret Atwood, 2003
Reader-assembled
Loose-leaf, boxed, shuffleable, or unbound.
- Building Stories Chris Ware, 2012
- Cain's Jawbone E. Powys Mathers, 1934
- Composition No. 1 Marc Saporta, 1962
- Float Anne Carson, 2016
- The Researcher's First Murder John Finnemore, 2024
- The Unfortunates B. S. Johnson, 1969
Permutational
Combinatorial text, such as cut strips or generated combinations.
- Cent mille milliards de poèmes Raymond Queneau, 1961
- Subcutanean Aaron A. Reed, 2020
- Tristano Nanni Balestrini, 1966
Lexicon
Dictionary or encyclopedia structure, read in any order.
- Dictionary of the Khazars Milorad Pavić, 1984
- Nox Anne Carson, 2010
- Unlanguage Michael Cisco, 2018
Typographic
Layout, rotation, color, or spacing is part of the traversal.
- Bats of the Republic Zachary Thomas Dodson, 2015
- Betrayals Charles Palliser, 1994
- Chasing Homer László Krasznahorkai, 2019
- Codex Unfertho Kienn Nguyen, 2026
- Dhalgren Samuel R. Delany, 1975
- Double or Nothing Raymond Federman, 1971
- Drift Caroline Bergvall, 2014
- Ella Minnow Pea Mark Dunn, 2001
- Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close Jonathan Safran Foer, 2005
- Follow This Thread Henry Eliot, 2018
- Here Richard McGuire, 2014
- Horrorstör Grady Hendrix, 2014
- House of Leaves Mark Z. Danielewski, 2000
- Illuminae Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff, 2015
- Nibiru Karl Tenbro, 2019
- Night Film Marisha Pessl, 2013
- Only Revolutions Mark Z. Danielewski, 2006
- Parabola Lily Hoang, 2008
- Scorch Atlas Blake Butler, 2009
- The Raw Shark Texts Steven Hall, 2007
- The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt Caroline Preston, 2011
- The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet Reif Larsen, 2009
- The Supernatural Enhancements Edgar Cantero, 2014
- The Tunnel William H. Gass, 1995
- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Haruki Murakami, 1994
- theMystery.doc Matthew McIntosh, 2017
- Unflattening Nick Sousanis, 2015
- Viljevo (August After Midnight) Luka Bekavac, 2013
- Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc David Elliott, 2019
- We Used to Live Here Marcus Kliewer, 2024
- XX Rian Hughes, 2020
- Z213: Exit Dimitris Lyacos, 2009
Physical intervention
Die-cut pages, inserts, objects, or ephemera.
- Bats of the Republic Zachary Thomas Dodson, 2015
- Cent mille milliards de poèmes Raymond Queneau, 1961
- Codex Unfertho Kienn Nguyen, 2026
- Meanwhile Jason Shiga, 2010
- Milo and the Magical Stones Marcus Pfister, 1997
- Nox Anne Carson, 2010
- S. J. J. Abrams & Doug Dorst, 2013
- The Strange Library Haruki Murakami, 2005
- Tree of Codes Jonathan Safran Foer, 2010
Gamebook
Branching choices with explicit instructions to the reader.
- If Nicholas Bourbaki, 2014
- Meanwhile Jason Shiga, 2010
- Multiple Choice Alejandro Zambra, 2014
- The Paradox Paradox Daniel Hardcastle, 2025
- You Are Reading These Words David de Léon, 2026
Hypertext
Linked nodes, digital or simulated in print.
- 253 Geoff Ryman, 1996
- afternoon, a story Michael Joyce, 1987
- Pry Samantha Gorman & Danny Cannizzaro, 2014
- Twelve Blue Michael Joyce, 1996
Annotated dialogue
Multiple readers' annotations form a parallel narrative.
- S. J. J. Abrams & Doug Dorst, 2013