The Elder Scrolls series has some of the richest lore in all of gaming. The history of the universe is full of incredible characters and major events. Much of the lore can be discovered by playing Skyrim. There's nothing you can't do in an expansive, open-world game like Skyrim, but one thing many players have overlooked are the books.

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Throughout your journey in Tamriel’s coldest province, you’ll stumble upon many different books. There are plenty of hidden details you'll learn from reading some of Skyrim's 307 unique lore books, so here are the best books to read in the game. This list is in no particular order.

10 2920, The Last Year Of The First Era

Split image with 2920 book to the left and akaviri warriors to the right

The 2920 series is the largest series of books in the Elder Scrolls universe. In Skyrim, the series consists of 12 books with another 15 available to be read in Elder Scrolls Online. If you love some Elder Scrolls lore, the 2920 series is a great place to start.

It is a series of historical fiction books depicting the events between the end of the First Era and the beginning of the Second Era. Most of the volumes in the series are skill books, so they're not only a good read to pass the time but they're also worth collecting to improve your skills.

9 The Wolf Queen

Split image with the wolf queen on the left and the wolf queen book on the right

The Wolf Queen is an eight-book series about Potema Septim, who was the queen of Solitude back in the Third Era. The books go into detail on how she became a powerful necromancer and cover the War of the Red Diamond, which was her attempt to capture the Ruby Throne and become the Empress of Tamriel.

The first book is a skill book and increases your lockpicking skill, but the rest are strictly lore books. Potema Septim is the antagonist of both The Man Who Cried Wolf and Wolf Queen Awakened quests, so she’s a well-known character in Elder Scrolls lore.

8 The Real Barenziah

The real Barenziah book to the left and the actual Barenziah to the right

The Real Barenziah is a five-book series on Barenziah, a Dark Elf princess who was a part of the royal family in Mournhold. She was a very skilled thief and mage who lived a long life during the Second Era.

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The Real Barenziah series is worth a read as Barenziah is one of the more interesting characters in Elder Scrolls lore. If the name Barenziah sounds familiar, that’s because there are plenty of Stones of Barenziah all around Skyrim that you can collect to complete the No Stone Unturned quest.

7 The Adventures of Eslaf Erol

The adventures of Eslaf Erol to the right and an image of what his adventures would look like on the left

The Adventures of Eslaf Erol is a series of four skill books that are all worth a read. Seeing as both Beggar and Thief increase your pickpocket skill, it's an excellent series to read if you want to build a thief character. As for the other two books, Warrior increases your block skill and King increases your two-handed skill.

As for the contents of the books, they cover Eslaf Erol’s journey throughout Tamriel with his group of friends. Just make sure to read the books in this order: Beggar, Thief, Warrior, and King. Fun fact, Eslaf Erol backwards is False Lore and this is a trend with all the characters in the book.

6 Mannimarco, King Of Worms

Mannimarco, King of Worms on the left and the real Mannimarco to the right

Mannimarco, King of Worms is a biography of Mannimarco, the leader of necromancers. He was a High Elf mage who founded the Order of the Black Worm and nearly destroyed Tamriel during the Planemeld in the Second Era. The book is written as a poem with a unique ABBCCA rhyme scheme, making it a fun and quick book to read.

Those who have played the main story of Elder Scrolls Online already know just how evil Mannimarco was. Reading Mannimarco, King of Worms in Skyrim increases alchemy, so it’s a good book to read if you plan to make some potions.

5 The Mirror

The Mirror book to the right and Captain Aldis to the left Skyrim

The Mirror is a book about a warrior known as Mindothrax. He is a very skilled fighter who has never lost a fight in his long and storied career. Mindothrax talks about his best fights in the book and eventually battles a clone of himself who he dubs his “mirror.” This all leads to an unexpected twist at the end.

The book is definitely worth a read as it’s short and well-written. Something Mindothrax talked about in the book was how good he is at blocking, so it’s no surprise that reading the book increases your block skill in-game.

4 The Locked Room

The Locked room book to the left and a locked treasury in the Thieves Guild on the right Skyrim

The Locked Room is a skill book that will increase your lockpicking skill by reading it, but it’s much more than just a skill book. It centers around Yana, a student of Arthcamu’s, who is obsessed with lockpicking and always finds a way to pick any lock even if it takes her a long time.

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Fed up with her lack of speed, Arthcamu throws Yana in a locked room with an ancient vampire in a crate as a test for advanced students. Does she make it out alive? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

3 Breathing Water

split image with Breathing Water book to the right and someone underwater to the left

Breathing Water is one of the more humorous books in Skyrim. It’s about Thalien Winloth and his obsession to learn how to breathe water so he could salvage treasure from a sunken ship. He seeks out the powerful sorceress Seryne Relas and eventually masters a spell to breathe water, but things don’t quite go as planned once he gets inside the ship.

Reading the book will increase your alteration skill, but sadly it won’t teach your character the waterbreathing spell. You’ll need to either be an Argonian, carry waterbreathing potions, or learn the spell from Tolfdir at the College of Winterhold to breathe underwater.

2 Immortal Blood

The immortal blood book on the left and Movarth Piquine on the right

Immortal Blood centers around a priest and his acolyte Movarth Piquine. The priest is knowledgeable in all matters to do with vampires and Movarth is a successful vampire hunter. Movarth asks the priest questions, then goes out to hunt vampires and reports back with his findings.

Things eventually go south for Movarth Piquine, who becomes the main antagonist of the Laid To Rest quest in Morthal. If, after reading the book, you're interested in creating a vampire build, there are plenty of races that excel as a bloodsucker.

1 The Great War

The Great War book to the right and the actual great war to the left Skyrim

The Great War is a lore book that covers the major event of the same name. The Great War was fought between the Empire and the Thalmor in the early Fourth Era, not long before the events of Skyrim.

The Thalmor eventually earned a strategic victory in the war, leading to the signing of the White-Gold Concordat. The treaty banned the worship of Talos in Skyrim, forced the Blades to disband, and gave the Thalmor the ability to roam freely throughout Tamriel. The Great War shaped the world of Skyrim and caused many Nords to despise the Thalmor.

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