Art

The Grand Medieval Bestiary: Animals in Illuminated Manuscripts, Christian Heck, Rémy Cordonnier, 2012. A massive compendium of beautifully documented illustrations of beasts from medieval manuscripts.

Non-Fiction: Culture

Hermes the Thief, Norman O. Brown, 1947. As one of the oldest of gods, Hermes looks over not just sending messages, but crossroads, interacting with strangers, doorways… Good stuff, exciting stuff. The book isn’t long, but covers this deity in depth. Quite readable if you can get your hands on a copy.

Origins of the Sacred: The Ecstasies of Love and War, Dudley Young, 1992. With concepts taken from mythology, biology, and psychology, a speculation on how religion came into being and shaped our perceptions of the world around us.

The Golden Bough, James George Frazer, 1890. If you’re a reader, this exploration of mythology and religion digs about as deep as you can get into the origin of different mythos.

The Hero With A Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell 1949. Absolute must read for adventurers in Blake’s opinion. This book explores the hero’s journey across many cultures. These ideas can be central for meaningful milestone-style experience building.

Non-Fiction: Science

Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge, E.O. Wilson, 1998. Interested in bringing together magic, science, and art in your world? This book reveals the surprising connectivity between the diverse branches of human knowledge.

Non-Zero: The Logic of Human Destiny, Robert Wright, 1994. Expanding on his book, The Moral Animal, Robert Wright outlines patterns in the emergence of civilization. If your narrative hinges on interactions among societies, this book can add depth and grit to your ideas.

The Moral Animal: Why We Are The Way We Are, Robert Wright, 1994. Using game-theory to argue that good behavior and cooperation is favored by natural selection, Wright sets out a foundation for the evolution ethics. If you’re serious about alignment in your world, this might be a fascinating read. Follow it up with his next book, Non-Zero.

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness, Sy Montgomery, 2016. Your monsters can be more than hairy people who bite. Montgomery explores the very different brain of the octopus and its surprising approach to the world.

Religion and Spirituality

Rule of St. Benedict, St. Benedict of Nursia, AD 530. If you’re going to have monks, get it from the source. St. Benedict lays out how a monk should live in the most minute detail. It’s a short read, but will have some nice details for you to include in your next religious sect.