Boring Books for Bedtime Readings to Help You Sleep
Episodes
Wintering in the Riviera, by William J. Miller, Part 1
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's set sail for warm winter nights with a new (well, "new") travel book. In this first reading, thoughts on...
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus, Part 3
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's return to the sands of sleep with this absolutely, totally true, not at all exaggerated account of Egypt. ...
Our Cats and All About Them, by Harrison Weir, Part 4
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's fall asleep to more about the masters of relaxation, cats. This time, the unfairly maligned black, the beaut...
Life on a Medieval Barony, by William Stearns Davis, Part 1
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's sink into slumber with this dreamy description of life in medieval France circa 1220. This time, the backgroun...
Farm Engines and How To Run Them, by James H. Stephenson, Part 7
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax to yet more information about steam engines, their types, and how their valves work, followed immediately ...
Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes, by Robert Louis Stevenson, Part 4
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's return to the mountains of France with this wonderful author and his rather opinionated companion. This time, we p...
The Compleat Angler, by Isaak Walton, Part 1
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's cast our lines into the river of relaxation with this classic about the art of fishing. This time, we begin with a c...
1921 Sears Roebuck and Co. Modern Homes Catalog (Part 2)
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's celebrate our seventh anniversary with more from this catalog of lovely, affordable homes, a dream indeed, and all cer...
Etiquette, by Emily Post, Part 8 - Servants
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with more from this classic of classy behavior, and learn about the roles of servants in a good household. What th...
Where the Forest Murmurs, by Fiona Macleod, Part 2
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's return to relaxation with two more essays about nature from this lovely work. This time, the magical peace of still waters...
The Evolution of Modern Orchestration, by Louis A. Coerne, Part 1
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's sleep to sonorous notes about the history of the modern orchestra. This time, we work our way forward from antiquity, ponder...
The Problems of Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell, Part 4
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with a listener request for more from the marvelous mind of Bertrand Russell. This time, thoughts about the nature of th...
Over Fen and Wold, by John James Hissey, Part 1
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with a lovely listener recommendation that takes us, and our authors, on a tour of little-regarded Lincolnshire. This time...
On Molecular and Microscopic Science, by Mary Somerville, Part 3
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's sleep scientifically this week, with more from a woman of such deep and broad accomplishment that the word "scientist" had to be c...
The Book of the Ocean, by Ernest Ingersoll, Part 5
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's sail the seas of sleep with more from this volume about the history of our oceans. This time, the Age of Exploration south and north...
The Ethics of Aristotle, Part 3
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's philosophize our way to sleep with more from this 2,300-year-old work on the art of being. This time, what is happiness? How is it rel...
The History of Bread, by John Ashton, Part 6 - Conclusion
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let relaxation rise with this conclusion to one of our most (understandably) popular books. This time in we learn of gingerbread, penny loaf s...
Old Country Inns of England, by Maskell and Gregory, Part 2
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with more about the evolution of that useful place to sleep, the inn. This time, we travel from pilgrimage hostels to lodging for wo...
The Book of the Hamburgs, by L. Frank Baum, Part 1
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's roost into relaxation with this rather charming guide to the Hamburg chicken from an author better known for wizards and wicked witches. Thi...
The Story of a Boulder, by Archibald Geikie, Part 1
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's chip away at sleeplessness with some 19th century naturalist writing, more specifically the "gleanings from the notebook of a field geologist....
The North Pole - Its Discovery in 1909, by Robert Peary (Part 3)
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's conclude our month of relaxing travels to sleep with a journey to the farthest reaches of the Arctic and the search for the North Pole. This tim...
Pictures from Italy, by Charles Dickens, Part 3
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's continue our month of relaxing travels to sleep as we return to 19th century Italy with Charles Dickens and wind thr...
Faery Lands of the South Seas, by James Hall and Charles Nordhoff, Part 4
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's continue our month of relaxing travels to sleep with further tales of adventure from the South Seas. This time, we head to the atoll of Ahu Ah...
The Railway Traveller's Handy Book, Part 3
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's kick off a month of relaxing travels to sleep with more from this handy guide to riding a train. This time, how to purchase your ticket, class d...
Pyrotechnics: The History and Art of Firework Making, Part 3
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's launch ourselves to sleep with more from this rather detailed look at fireworks. This time, we complete our historical...
Astronomy for Young Folks, by Isabel Martin Lewis, Part 10 (Conclusion)
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's journey through the stars to sleep with our final reading from this marvelous book. This time, binary star syste...
Bicycling for Ladies, by Maria E. Ward, Part 4
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's pedal a path to sleep with more advice about the newfangled sport of bicycling. This time, the difference between ...
The Book of Household Management, by Mrs. Isabella Beeton, Part 11 - Fish
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax and sleep to more advice from the redoubtable Mrs. B. This time, fish soup recipes, followed by a surprisingly det...
A Short History of the World, by H.G. Wells, Part 9
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's continue our relaxing journey through history with the twin empires of Rome and China, social structures in ancient Rome, ...
All About Dogs, by Charles Henry Lane, Part 1
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's sleepily celebrate one of mankind's closest companions with this charming guide for "doggy people." In this first re...
Symmes' Theory of Concentric Spheres, Showing That the Earth is Hollow, Part 4
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's theorize our way to sleep with more about a hollow Earth that contains unseen multitudes. This time, the mystery of whales m...
William Shakespeare, by Victor Hugo, Part 1
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, while your reader checks off a long-held Life List item at the Globe, let's relax as one literary genius waxes ra...
Mexican Archaeology, by Thomas A. Joyce, Part 1
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's voyage to sleep with this history of the peoples of Mexico, travel with migrating tribes, consider the ways geography ...
Experimental Researches in Electricity, by Michael Faraday, Part 1
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's attract sleep with these early experiments to master a fundamental element of modern life, electromagnetism. How do magn...
1890 Gardiner and Co. Seed Annual, Part 2, Flowers for the Garden
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's beautify our dreams with blooms, as we shop for seeds for the garden. From sweet peas to succulents, Gardiner & Co. has ex...
The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith, Part 4
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's purchase some peace with more from this foundational work of economics. This time, the fundamentals of supply and demand, the ...
The Handbook on Cheese Making, by George E. Newell, Part 3 (Conclusion)
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's sink into sleep with the final reading from this handy guide to making a very popular food indeed. This time, we hear maxims...
Sailing Alone Around the World, by Captain Joshua Slocum, Part 3
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's sail to sleep with more from this remarkable journey around the world. This time, our author is chased by pirates! Also, we ...
Flatland, by Edwin A. Abbott, Part 5 (Conclusion)
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with the conclusion of this curiously wonderful blend of mathematics, philosophy, and social commentary. This time, our ...
The Story of Ancient Irish Civilization, by P.W. Joyce, Part 1
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with some historical details about Ireland up to the 12th century, including the structure of kings and chiefs, the kingly...
The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, by Suetonius - Nero, Part 1
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's return to this classic history of the Roman emperors and hear a bit about a ruler both famous and infamous in his need for publi...
Our National Parks, by John Muir, Part 5
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with more of this sleepy stroll through some of America's greatest natural wonders, protected for the enjoyment of all peopl...
Ten Acres Enough, by Edmund Morris, Part 4
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with more advice about successful farming. This time, we get snookered in the purchase of a cow, wage endless war on w...
Etiquette, by Emily Post, Part 7
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's continue with more of the finer arts of behavior as we conclude our instruction in the etiquette of invitations, consider the ...
On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin, Part 6
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our annual celebration of Darwin Day, let's continue our sleepy stroll through this fundamental text of biology. This time, why nat...
How To See The British Museum in Four Visits, Part 3
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's continue our sleepy tour of the zoological collections of the British Museum and discover the wonders first being seen by the gene...
Mount Everest, The Reconnaissance, 1921, by Lt. Col. CK Howard-Bury, Part 5
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's climb the slopes of sleep with more from this journey to study the world's highest mountain. This time, we visit Tingri, climb glaci...
Robert's Rules of Order, by Major Henry Robert, Part 1
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with one of the most boring reads I've ever encountered, a minutely detailed guide to the internal workings of legislative assem...
Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to Antiquities in Egypt, by Gaston Maspero (Part 7)
13 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with another sleepy stroll across the sands of time to ancient Egypt. This time, we finish our overview of tombs and learn about E...
Our Cats and All About Them, by Harrison Weir (Part 3)
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's kick off a new year of sleep with more from this appreciative guide to the magical cat. This time, shorthaired tortoiseshells and tabbies,...
Relaxation Rewind! Art in Needlework: Embroidery, by Lewis Day and Mary Buckle, Part 1
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While your reader recovers from a Christmas cough, let's rewind back to this relaxing guide to the art and craft of embroidery from two years ago....
The 1942 Sears Roebuck and Co. Christmas Book, Part 1
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's take a sleepy browse through this gift guide from the war years. Tasty candies, children's toys, decorative gourds and gifts for the discrim...
Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes, by Robert Louis Stevenson, Part 3
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's continue our journey to sleep with this delightful trek through the mountains of France. This time, we visit a Trappist monastery, where our a...
Frye's Practical Candy Maker, by G.V. Frye - Part 3, The Conclusion
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's conclude our sweetly sleepy reading from this guidebook for the nineteenth-century maker of fancy candies. This time, creams, chocolates, and sy...
Woodworking for Beginners, by Charles G. Wheeler, Part 3
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's saw our way to sleep with more from this helpful guide for the novice woodworker. This time, we build our own work bench, improvise a vise, an...
Studying Art Abroad and How to Do It Cheaply, by Abigail May Alcott Nieriker, Part 2
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with more from this wonderful guide to studying art in Europe. This time, where to shop in London, the best boarding houses, and then we'r...
The Complete Herbal and English Physician Enlarged, by Nicholas Culpeper, Part 1
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's, uh, improve our health with this compendium of questionable herbal advice from 1650. But first, the kind of sleep-inducing, self-congratu...
A Short History of the World, by H.G. Wells, Part 8
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's hop in our sleepy wayback machine and relax with more from this remarkable little history of everything. This time, the Roman Empire, Hannib...
The Maine Woods, by Henry David Thoreau, Part 1
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's journey to sleep with Henry David Thoreau as he explores the back of beyond in Maine, ponders the fate of forests, visits some barely-there to...
The Book of Werewolves, by Sabine Baring-Gould, Part 3
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's celebrate the spooky season with more from this history of lycanthropy and a long chapter of wolfish folktales. Bears, hares, and dogs drinking ...
Faery Lands of the South Seas, by Hall and Nordhoff, Part 3
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's sail the seas of sleep with more from this marvelous travelogue from the South Seas. This time, we encounter a waterspout and get happily ma...
Astronomy for Young Folks, by Isabel Martin Lewis (Part 9)
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's fall asleep with a new reading from this wonderful look into our universe. This time, we contemplate the phases of the moon, the life and deat...
Old Country Inns of England, by Maskell and Gregory, Part 1
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's fall asleep with a new listener request! This time, we travel back in time to learn the origins of that most pleasant and cozy of places, the co...
New Recording! 1897 Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalog 1 - Pharmacy
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's close out our month of new versions of old episodes with a fresh recording of our very first foray into the 1897 Sears, Roebuck & Co. Consumers ...
New Recording! How We Think, by John Dewey, Part 1
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with a new recording of a very old episode from a book I had completely forgotten about! Tonight, we learn what constitutes "thinkin...
New Recording! The Book of Household Management, by Mrs. Isabella Beeton - Part 1
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with another new recording of a very old episode—Part One of a fave on this podcast. In this first episode from Mrs. B, we learn t...
New Recording! 1925 Transatlantic Eastbound Passenger Sailings
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax and sleep with a shiny new recording of a very old episode. This time, dreamy sleep awaits our travel and list lovers as we read a sch...
New Recording! The Ten Books on Architecture, by Vitruvius, Part 1
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax and sleep with the first of some fresh new recordings of very, very old episodes. This time, we learn what architecture covers, what we ...
The Ecclesiastical History of England, by the Venerable Bede, Part 2
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax and sleep with more history of the British Isles from the wonderful Bede. This time, we wander through four centuries of Roman influence, ...
Farm Engines and How To Run Them, Part 6
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's continue a month of requests from our Patreon raffle winners with more about the operation of agricultural machinery. This time, some Q&A and a ...
History of Animals, by Aristotle, Part 3
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's continue a month of requests from our Patreon raffle winners with more about the physical characteristics of animal classes. This time, we learn...
The History of Bread from Prehistoric to Modern Times, by John Ashton, Part 5
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's kick off a month of requests from our Patreon raffle winners with more about the delicious staff of life. This time, bread baking for (19th cen...
The ABC of Relativity, by Bertrand Russell, Part 4
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax and sleep with more about Einstein's theories of relativity, how geometry gets messy on a sphere, the validity of measuring with eels, an...
Moving Pictures: How They Are Made and Worked, Part 2
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax and sleep with more about the origins of that magical medium, movies! This time, we explore motion, mess with gelatin, and call "Action!" ...
Sailing Alone Around the World, by Capt. Joshua Slocum, Part 2
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax and sleep with more from this solo journey by sailboat. This time, we cross the Atlantic, serenade dolphins, and…a seafaring ghost save...
Flatland, by Edwin A. Abbott, Part 4
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax and sleep with more from a classic that combines mathematics and social commentary with pointed angularity. This time, our narrator is ind...
Pyrotechnics, the History and Art of Firework Making, Part 2
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's celebrate our 300th episode and 10 MILLION listens with a bit of fireworks! That sounds exciting, but it's really just a sleepy catalog of firew...
The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, Part 3
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's return to a political classic and learn more about how to govern as a prince. This time, we hear why neither the rich nor the mercenary can be t...
1912 Ford Motor Cars Model T Instruction Manual, Part 1
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, let's relax with the intricacies of car maintenance as we learn the proper care and operation of a 1912 Model T Ford. Why, it's so simple...
The Book of the Ocean, by Ernest Ingersoll, Part 4
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's sail to sleep with more about the history of maritime exploration, including Vikings in North America, the Chinese invention of the compass, Ar...
Etiquette, by Emily Post, Part 6
03 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's return to this relaxing classic and learn more sleepy advice about paying visits, leaving cards, proper wedding invitations, and how to sit in a...
On Horsemanship, by Xenophon, Part 2, and Project Gutenberg License
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we conclude a relaxing Greek classic about getting the best from your cavalry horse, including what to wear, and then fall asleep to the ri...
The Principles of Chemistry, by Dmitri Mendeleev, Part 5
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's continue to wend our relaxing way through a fundamental text of science and explore how elements combine and de-combine with that wonderful subs...
The Railway Traveller's Handy Book, Part 2
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's return to this sleepily detailed guide to rail journeys in 1860, and learn what to wear, the importance of travel insurance, and how to steal a ...
1890 Gardiner and Co. Seed Annual 1: Flower Novelties
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tonight, let's celebrate the sleepy splendors of spring and go shopping for the latest in floral novelties offered by Gardiner & Co. in their seed ann...
Relaxation Rewind! How to Listen to Music, by Henry E. Krehbiel, Part 1
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tonight, while your reader recovers from a snuffly illness, let's rewind to 2021 and fall into the rhythm of sleep with a book that works hard to put ...
Our National Parks, by John Muir, Part 4
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's celebrate Earth Day with more from Muir's poetic ode to the spectacular natural wonders of North America. This time, we complete our relaxing t...
Handbook on Cheese Making, by George E. Newell, Part 2
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's return to the relaxing world of dairy products and learn more about the design of a good curing room, dividing profits among your producers, and...
Mars and Its Canals, by Percival Lowell, Part 3
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's return to this sleep-inducing exploration, and speculation, about the Red Planet. This time, we learn about seasonal fluctuations of the poles a...
Practical Mind Reading, by William Walker Atkinson, Part 3 (Conclusion)
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's find our mental rapport with sleep as we conclude this, uh, scientific guide to mind reading, learn how to find cards and drive a wagon while b...
The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith, Part 3
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's spend our way to sleep as we learn more about the concept of value, why pounds are silver instead of gold, and how rent should be charged in cor...
Mount Everest, the Reconnaissance of 1921, Part 4
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's climb the slopes of sleep as we continue this history-making journey to study the world's mightiest mountain. This time, our yaks run wild, we e...
Cassell's Book of Birds, Part 5 - Parrots Continued
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's fly away to sleep with more about beautiful birds and that fantastic family of feathered friends, the parrots. This time, we marvel at lovebirds...
Science in the Kitchen, by Mrs. E.E. Kellogg, Part 1
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax and sleep as one of the Kellogg clan takes the fun out of food through a heady combination of 19th-century food chemistry and moralizing a...
The Problems of Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell, Part 3
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's calm our minds and relax with more deep thoughts about the nature of reality, what knowledge is, whether the past exists at all, and why the sun...
Cottages; or Hints on Economical Building, Part 2
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax with more advice about building cozy cottages, decorating with simplicity and style, and how to dig a well that doesn't fill with poisonou...
On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin, Part 5
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In our annual celebration of Darwin Day, let's enjoy a relaxing read from this foundational text of science. This time, we finally get to natural sele...
The Voyage of The Bounty to the South Sea, by William Bligh, Part 2
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's continue the infamous voyage of HMS Bounty, which so far isn't too exciting. This time, lots of latitude and longitude marking, Fletcher Christi...
Bicycling for Ladies, by Maria E. Ward, Part 3
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's relax and sleep to advice about the latest fad, bicycling! We learn the art of efficient pedaling, passing safely, and climbing a hill with powe...
Astronomy for Young Folks, by Isabel Martin Lewis, Part 8
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tonight, we relax and sleep with knowledge about Earth's magnetism, why the sky is blue, how rainbows happen, and the origin of auroras that paint nor...