Most Popular Non-fiction Books of the 1980s

Discover popular Non-fiction books from the 1980s, with reader ratings and new favorites to explore.

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Books in this list

The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter

Non-fiction

1981

Dune Universe

The Dune Encyclopedia

Willis E. McNelly

Non-fiction

1984

A Brief History of Time

Stephen Hawking

Natural Sciences · Non-fiction

1988

Elric

Elric at the End of Time

Michael Moorcock

Fantasy · Sword and Sorcery · Short Stories · Non-fiction

1984

Dancing at the Edge of the World: Thoughts on Words, Women, Places

Ursula K. Le Guin

Non-fiction

1989

Unicorn Variations

Roger Zelazny

Fantasy · Science Fiction · Locus Award · Short Stories · Non-fiction

1983

The Entropy Exhibition: Michael Moorcock and the British New Wave in Science Fic

Colin Greenland

Non-fiction

1983

The Atlas of Middle-earth

Karen Wynn Fonstad

Non-fiction

1981

The History of Middle-earth #3

The Lays of Beleriand

J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien

Fantasy · Middle-earth · Non-fiction

1985

The History of Middle-earth #2

The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two

J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien

Fantasy · Middle-earth · Non-fiction

1984

The History of Middle-earth #5

The Lost Road and Other Writings

J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien

Fantasy · Middle-earth · Non-fiction

1987

The History of Middle-earth #4

The Shaping of Middle-earth

J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien

Fantasy · Middle-earth · Non-fiction

1986

The History of Middle-earth #7

The Treason of Isengard

J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien

Fantasy · Middle-earth · Non-fiction

1989

The History of Middle-earth #1

The Book of Lost Tales, Part One

J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien

Fantasy · Middle-earth · Non-fiction

1983

The History of Middle-earth #6

The Return of the Shadow

J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien

Fantasy · Middle-earth · Non-fiction

1988

Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction

Brian Aldiss, David Wingrove

Hugo Award · Locus Award · Non-fiction

1988

The Saga of Pliocene Exile

A Pliocene Companion

Julian May

Non-fiction

1984

The Book of the New Sun

The Castle of the Otter

Gene Wolfe

Non-fiction

1982

Pathways to Elfland: The Writings of Lord Dunsany

Darrell Schweitzer

Non-fiction

1989

What the Bee Knows: Reflections on Myth, Symbol and Story

P. L. Travers

Non-fiction

1989

The World Beyond the Hill: Science Fiction and the Quest for Transcendence

Alexei Panshin, Cory Panshin

Hugo Award · Non-fiction

1989

The Way of the Water's Going: Images of the Northern California Coastal Range

Ursula K. Le Guin

Non-fiction

1989

Casablanca

Michael Moorcock

Science Fiction · Short Stories · Non-fiction

1989

Communion: A True Story

Whitley Strieber

Non-fiction

1988

Transformation: The Breakthrough

Whitley Strieber

Non-fiction

1988

Star Trek

The Trek Encyclopedia

John Peel

Star Trek · Non-fiction

1988

Minds, Machines and Evolution

James P. Hogan

Science Fiction · Short Stories · Non-fiction

1988

Women in Celtic Myth

Moyra Caldecott

Non-fiction

1988

The Chernobyl Syndrome... And How to Survive It

Dean Ing

Non-fiction

1988

Early Harvest

Greg Bear

Science Fiction · Short Stories · Non-fiction

1988

Wizardry & Wild Romance

Michael Moorcock

Non-fiction

1987

Glass and Amber

C. J. Cherryh

Fantasy · Science Fiction · Short Stories · Non-fiction

1987

Storm Warnings: Science Fiction Confronts the Future

Colin Greenland

Non-fiction

1987

The Goblins of Labyrinth

Terry Jones, Brian Froud

Non-fiction

1986

Uncollected Letters

H. P. Lovecraft

Non-fiction

1986

Childe Cycle

The Dorsai Companion

Gordon R. Dickson

Science Fiction · Short Stories · Non-fiction

1986