There are hundreds of books that can be found within The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but the entire Elder Scrolls franchise contains even more, many of which are missing from the latest game in the series. Even if a player has spent hours trawling through the many written pieces scattered all about the province of Skyrim, there are more to be found all across Tamriel within other Elder Scrolls titles. This is a (mostly) comprehensive list of in-game books that can be found in all other mainline Elder Scrolls games.
These books can be found in every nook and cranny within the zone, upon shelves, in chests, or even stashed away in Apocrypha, the home in Oblivion of all forbidden knowledge. Reading these books is most often just of passing interest and is not required in any way to progress, unless said book is specifically related to completing a quest. Many books also grant experience in certain skills by reading them, while spell tomes in The Elder Scrolls have to be read in order to gain the ability to cast its respective spell.
Spell tomes and other inconsequential books will be excluded, as they hold little to no lore implications outside of their existence. The Elder Scrolls themselves, the rare scroll relics the player can interact with, are also not going to be categorized as simple books since their significance relegates them to a unique kind of supernatural media, much like the Black Books in Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC. With that in mind, there are a host of lore-rich books found in the games that can have a major impact on fans' understanding of the origins and history of The Elder Scrolls universe.
Lore Books Unique To The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The books that can be read in The Elder Scrolls' first title are few in number and don't have any credited authors, although the author is often notably snarky in their writing. The books mainly exist to vaguely describe the existence of a much larger fantasy world outside of the game's sphere, alluding to the many races and places that exist in later Elder Scrolls games. The City Descriptions book, for example, provides a surprising amount of detail, mentioning the major cities of each of Tamriel's provinces before the true scope of the world was even known to players.
- Artifact Dialogue - Rumors and lore about several famous artifacts.
- City Descriptions - Short descriptions of nearly every city found in Tamriel.
- Exclamations - Various exclamations and expletives spoken throughout the Empire.
- Organizations - The different guilds of Tamriel and what it's like to fight them.
- Holidays - A description of various holidays celebrated across Tamriel.
Lore Books In The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, Battlespire, & Redguard
With the addition of the second game in the Elder Scrolls franchise, Daggerfall, there came a slew of new in-game books for players to read. These include various "scientific" writings about metaphysical events or deities and going into detail about the origins and purposes of many of the Elder Scrolls' various creatures and cultures. Many books also provide a comprehensive historical guide to past centuries and the events that have led to the current game's story unfolding. A History of the Daedric Sects is of particular interest, as it accounts for the Glenmoril Coven, the very same group of witches who bestowed lycanthropy upon Skyrim's Companions.
- A Compilation of Redguard History - Anonymous
- A History of Daggerfall - Odiva Gallwood
- A History of the Daedric Sects - Anonymous
- Broken Diamonds - Ryston Baylor
- Redguards, History and Heroes - Destri Melarg
- The Origin of the Mages Guild - Salarth
- Ghraewaj and the Harpies - Tidasus
- The First Scrolls of Baan Dar - Arkhan
- Mysticism: The Unfathomable Voyage - Tetronius Lor
- Vampires of the Iliac Bay - Anonymous
- Harvest's End, 3E 172 - Chimere Graegyn
- Elven Artifacts - Anonymous
- Flora of Hammerfell - Anonymous
Lore Books In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
The various books that can be found and read in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind cover a broad range of topics, from documented history and biographies to speculation concerning events that happened thousands of years ago. Some of these texts discuss the Empire's influence on Tamriel and a desire to understand more mystical elements of the universe such as the Daedra and the Divines. The most notable entry here is Mysterious Akavir, one of the only pieces of text that describe the Tsaesci of The Elder Scrolls, a people native to the continent far to the east of Tamriel.
- Kagrenac's Tools - Gilvas Barelo
- Mysterious Akavir - Anonymous
- On Morrowind, the Imperial Province - Erramanwe of Sunhold
- Tal Marog Ker's Researchers - Tal Marog Ker
Lore Books in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The various texts scattered about in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, much like those in other games, include non-fictional accounts and studies as well as amusing stories. While the latter do not necessarily give an accurate account of events within the Elder Scrolls world, even legends and tall tales are valuable in showing readers the culture of various writers and how they perceive the world around them. One of the most interesting of these books is Opusculus Lamae Bal ta Mezzamortie, which contains an explanation of the origins of Tamriel's vampires.
- 16 Accords of Madness - Anonymous
- Divining the Elder Scrolls - Anonymous
- History of the Fighters Guild, First Edition - Anonymous
- Modern Heretics - Haderus of Gottlesfont
- Namlir's Shivering Bestiary - Namlir Esprink
- Opusculus Lamae Bal ta Mezzamortie - Mabei Aywenil, Scribe
- The Battle of Sancre Tor - Anonymous
- The Living Woods - Anonymous
- The Ten Commands Of The Nine Divines - Anonymous
- The Warp in the West - Ulvius Tero
- Vitharn: the Fall - Anonymous
Lore Books in The Elder Scrolls Online
Elder Scrolls Online is the MMORPG game based in the Elder Scrolls universe. Thus, it continues the tradition of hiding various snippets of intriguing lore throughout the game for players to find. However, since Elder Scrolls Online gets regular updates, unlike Skyrim, that means more books are added to the game too. As a result, there are hundreds of in-game texts for interested players to sift through, and only some of them are listed below. Many of the famous books that can be read in Skyrim are also present in Elder Scrolls Online, along with a myriad of previously unknown lore.
- A History of Lilmoth - Tyrrya Len
- Arkngthamz-Phng - Anonymous
- Bisnensel: Our Ancient Roots - Scholasticus Incognitus
- History of Pellitine: An Overview - Sulema
- Orc Clans and Symbology - Kraltha the Rememberer
- Origins of the Khajiiti Martial Tradition - Tendwuayne
- Stormhold, City of Shadowfen - Cirantille
- The Blackwater War - Valenca Arvina
- The Na-Totambu of Yokuda - Anonymous
- Varen's Wall - Midara Salviticus
- Wayrest, Jewel of the Bay - Sathyr Longleat the Elder
Scattering various books throughout their games that lore-interested players can collect and peruse at their leisure is one of many aspects that makes the Elder Scrolls series so immersive. From jokes to history to mythology, every aspect of Nirn's fictional cultures is sprinkled around the open world, penned by everyone from scholars to Daedra. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is well-known for how many texts can be discovered within, but even if the Dragonborn spends hours reading every book in the game, there are still many more to be found in other titles.