reference books
Fact-finding volumes
Reference books are volumes designed for consultation rather than cover-to-cover reading—dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs, and similar works organized for quick lookup.
Libraries traditionally kept reference books on separate shelves, not for checkout: The librarian directed me to the reference books for my research.
The category now includes digital equivalents.
- encyclopediaComprehensive subject-matter collection
- gazetteerDictionary of locations
- textbooksEducational reference volumes
- directoriesLists of names, contacts
- travel guideResource for visitors
look it up · atlas · almanac · manuals · sourcebook · lexicon · annotated bibliography · concordance · dictionaries · yearbook · thesaurus · compendium · handbooks · user manual · index cards · workbooks · glossary · phone book
- bookstore sectionsyoung adult novels, classics, textbooks, graphic novels, fantasy novels
- educational materialslab manuals, science journals, science magazines, field guides, glossaries
- collector guidesprice guides, buying guides, stamp albums, hobby magazines, auction catalogs
- booksnovel, textbooks, study guides, book, paperback
- kids booksworkbooks, primers, readers, young readers, advanced readers
- librarylibrarian, book stacks, library card, bookshelves, card catalog
reference booksnovels
Extended prose fiction
fiction · leisure reading · page-turners · bedtime stories · escapist fiction
reference booksfiction
Imagined narrative work
novels · creative writing · fantasy novels · science fiction · literary fiction
reference booksnewspapers
Printed daily publications
periodicals · tabloids · pamphlets · leaflets · ephemera
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