Boring Books for Bedtime Readings to Help You Sleep

A Short History of the World, by H.G. Wells, Part 7

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In tonight's relaxing read, we cover the philosophies of Buddha, Confucius, and Lao Tse, then swing back to the origins of the Roman Empire, all in le...

Our Cats and All About Them, by Harrison Weir, Part 2

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Let's fall asleep to more about nature's supreme relaxers—cats! This time, we learn about the trainability of cats, the traits of three longhair bre...

Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to Antiquities, Part 6

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Let's kick off 2024 with another sleepy stroll across the sands of time to ancient Egypt. This time, we unravel the labyrinth of Saqqara, see how pyra...

Where the Forest Murmurs, by Fiona Macleod, Part 1

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's set aside the commercial noise of the holidays and relax with this walk through the forest, appreciate the glories revealed by winter, and consi...

The 1945 Sears Christmas Book, Part 2

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's head back to 1945 and see what's on everyone's Christmas list from Sears. This time, toys for the little scientist, holiday decorations, sportin...

Frye's Practical Candy Maker, by G.V. Frye, Part 2

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's fall into a sweet sleep with more from the world of fine candy-making. This time, we learn to craft classy treats like Coconut Potatoes, Boston ...

A Select Collection of Valuable and Curious Arts, Part 1

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax with detailed instructions for the arts of gilding, silvering, and the making of curious inks and secret messages, all of which involve mo...

Sailing Alone Around the World, by Captain Joshua Slocum, Part 1

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's wrap up Listener Request Month with the chronicle of the first solo sailing voyage around the world. Sail to sleep aboard the Spray as our capta...

The Railway Travellers' Handy Book, Part 1

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's continue Listener Request Month with this delightfully thorough guide to train journeys. From reading a timetable to choosing the right portmant...

The Architecture of Country Houses, by A.J. Downing - Part 1

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's continue Listener Request Month with this guide to country buildings, by which I mean a treatise on the morality of housing, the meaning of beau...

The Aeneid, by Virgil, Translated by John Dryden, Part 1

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's kick off Listener Request Month with this classic, our first full "verse" offering. Scheming gods, shipwrecks, and heroic speeches, it's everyth...

The Book of Werewolves, by Sabine Baring-Gould, Part 2

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's slip into spooky sleep with more about the origins of the werewolf, including Scandinavian berserkers and greedy nobles. Your brain will quietly...

The History of Bread, by John Ashton, Part 4

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax with more carby goodness as we learn about naughty bakers, how flour is made, and the terrible reputations of millers. Also, charts of che...

Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes, by Robert Louis Stevenson, Part 2

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's continue this sleepy journey through the mountains of France and encounter cantankerous farmers, lovely vistas, and the legendary Beast of Gevau...

The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, Part 2

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's drift off to more from this classic of politics. If you aren't backstabbing and being backstabbed, are you even governing? Not in 16th-century E...

Studying Art Abroad and How to Do It Cheaply, by Abigail May Alcott Nieriker, Part 1

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we pack a trunk and head to Europe to practice art on a budget, learn where to live economically, who to study with, and the importance of...

Ten Acres Enough, by James Miller, Part 3

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's run away to the country and relax with more from this guide to the simple life, which seems to involve an inordinate amount of weeding. Also, b...

Etiquette, by Emily Post, Part 5

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax with more from Mrs. Emily Post as she advises us on making calls, the art of social climbing, and the niceties of leaving one's card. Tru...

How to Produce Amateur Plays, by Barrett H. Clark, Part 1

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax and sleep with advice on staging a play, including roles behind the curtain, choosing actors, and blocking the action, courtesy of a scene...

The ABC of Relativity, by Bertrand Russell, Part 3

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax with some sleep-inducing science and learn why space-time is neither space nor time, but so much more. If you're not entirely sure what th...

Our National Parks, by John Muir, Part 3

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's continue our relaxing hike through Yellowstone National Park, marvel at geysers and hot springs, imagine prehistoric forests, and appreciate the...

The Book of Household Management, by Mrs. Isabella Beeton, Part 10 - Soups and More Soups

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's learn more from Mrs. Beeton about vegetable soups and their ingredients, all of which will be ruined by hours-long boiling. Also, the Prince of ...

The Hive and the Honey-Bee, by Rev. L.L. Langstroth, Part 3

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tonight, let's relax with more from the fascinating world of bees and learn all about murderous queens, busy workers, growing larvae, and lazy drones....

Mount Everest, the Reconnaissance of 1921, Part 3

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's continue our sleepy sojourn to Everest and enjoy the flowers of Tibet, pursue timid gazelles, visit monasteries, endure a mutiny and a tragedy, ...

Ecclesiastical History of Britain, by The Venerable Bede, Part 1

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax with the spread of Christianity in Britain, penned by a saint who was actually there. But first, a preface, an intro, and a biography of t...

Hand-book on Cheesemaking, by George Newell, Part 1

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax and sleep to more 19th-century know-how, and learn how to set up a cheese factory, get milk to curdle, and appreciate our buddy, lactic ac...

Our 250th Episode! Sears Roebuck and Co. Modern Homes Catalog, Part 1

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's take a relaxing shop through some of Sears' lesser-known offerings—houses! From Craftsmans to cottages or an entire apartment building, it can...

The Natural History of Pliny the Elder, Part 2

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's return to Pliny's relaxing opus and learn about the seasons, planting schedules, and the best time to buy a winter cloak so you don't get price ...

Pyrotechnics - The History and Art of Firework Making, Part 1

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax and sleep with quiet thoughts on a loud art, including speculation on Eastern origins, deadly Greek fire, and every mention of fireworks i...

On Horsemanship, by Xenophon, Part 1

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

By listener request, let's relax and sleep with this guide to the purchasing, care, and training of horses in Ancient Greece. To sum up, hooves are ev...

The Art of Money Getting, by P.T. Barnum, Part 1

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's hear from the world's greatest showman how to live a wealthy, happy life. Sleepy spoiler alert: do things you're good at, don't envy others, and...

Symmes Theory of Concentric Spheres, Showing That The Earth Is Hollow, Part 3

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's continue with this sleepy theory about the Earth and how fish migrations absolutely, positively prove that it must be hollow. What other explana...

Spices, Their HIstories, by Robert O. Fielding (Part 3–Conclusion)

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's finish our tour of the sleepy world of spices, learn about grains of paradise (my favorite medieval spice), and reveal the connection between sa...

American Pomology, by Dr. J.A. Warder, Part 2

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax and sleep with more about apple history, creating hybrids, and the validity of Van Mons' theories of propagation. Yeah, I don't know eithe...

Our Cats and All About Them, by Harrison Weir, Part 1

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax with a subject near and dear to your reader's heart—cats! Drift off to the intelligence of felines, the first cat show, and drama at the...

The Ethics of Aristotle, Part 2

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's return to Aristotle's classic on the purpose of life. What's it all for, anyway? No real answers here tonight, alas, but at least he can help u...

Wild Flowers Worth Knowing, by Neltje Blanchan, Part 3

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's return to the flower-filled fields of sleep and learn about insect-charming orchids, blistering buttercups, and pinks of the killing kind. Natur...

A Short History of the World, by H.G. Wells, Part 6

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In more from this sleepy history, we take a tour of the glories of Greece and Persia, the brief blaze of Alexander, and the intellectual legacy of the...

Harding's Lessons on Drawing, by J.D. Harding, Part 1

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's fall asleep to schooling in the fine art of drawing. We learn how to hold a pencil and draw a line, but only after the kind of lengthy introduc...

The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith, Part 2

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's sleep through the stress of Tax Day with more from this capital classic, learn the history of money, how diamonds are dumb, and why a cow's wor...

The 1916 Burpee's Seed Catalog, Part 1

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's take a sleepy browse through this marvelous catalog, just in time for spring. Vegetables, flowers, and novelties for the garden abound from Ame...

Relaxation Rewind! The Voyage of The Bounty to the South Sea, by William Bligh, Part 1

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this remastered episode from the wayback, let's take a relaxing trip aboard the good ship Bounty, which maybe you've heard of? It's all breadfruit...

How to See the British Museum in Four Visits, by W.B. Jerrold, Part 2

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's return to the British Museum of the 19th century and complete our sleepy tour of birds of the world, from ducks to dodos. It's case after case o...

Frye's Practical Candy Maker, by GV Frye, Part 1

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax into delicious dreams with this guide to confectionery. Learn the correct stripes for stick candy, the construction of "strawberry rock,"...

Astronomy for Young Folks, by Isabel Martin Lewis, Part 7

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's return to more sleepy science and ponder life on the moon, the makeup of meteorites, and the long, strange lives of comets as they wander throug...

Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes, by Robert Louis Stevenson, Part 1

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's begin a sleepy trip through the mountains of France, in which our novice author invents a sleeping bag, buys a donkey, and answers the question,...

Relaxation Rewind! Biographical Sketch of Henry David Thoreau, by Ralph Waldo Emerson

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's trip back in time two years ago (!!) and relax with this newly remastered paean of praise from one transcendentalist to another. We should all b...

Etiquette, by Emily Post, Part 4

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax and sleep with more from Mrs. Post as she instructs us in the art of conversation, thinking before we speak, and avoiding unforgivable pre...

On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin, Part 4

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Drift to sleep with science as Darwin himself defines natural selection and the interconnectedness of all things. Also, we hear the archaic word "humb...

The Problems of Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell, Part 2

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week let's be lulled to sleep by deep thoughts about the nature of matter, and whether things exist if we're not thinking about them. Who knows! ...

Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to Antiquities, Part 5

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's return to the sleepy sands of Egypt and learn all about tombs and pyramids. Secret passages, sarcophagi, and ghostly snacks will give your dream...

Art in Needlework: Embroidery, by Lewis Day and Mary Buckle, Part 1

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's stitch our way to sleep with this handbook to the intricacies of embroidery. We'll work our way through some basic stitches, learn a bit of hist...

The Principles of Chemistry, by Dmitri Mendeleev, Part 4

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax and sleep with more from a foundation of science. This time, we explore fundamentals of water, moisture, and the near-magical properties o...

The English Renaissance of Art, by Oscar Wilde, Part 1

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax with some aesthetic art ponderings from one of the greats of the late 19th century. It's all Pre-Raphaelites and poetry, plus a poke at th...

Faery Lands of the South Seas, by Hall & Nordhoff, Part 2

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's fight off winter's chill with this relaxing return to the South Pacific. This time, we drift among Polynesian atolls, reflect on solitude, and l...

Relaxation Rewind! A Winter Walk, by Henry David Thoreau

26 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For this week of comfy pants and leftovers, let's relax with a remastered fave and take a sleepy stroll through wintry woods. It's a lovely meditation...

The 1945 Sears Christmas Book, Part 1

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax and sleep with some shopping for the first Christmas after World War II. From fancy watches to educational toys and gaily wrapped vitamins...

The Book of Household Management, by Isabella Beeton, Part 9 - Soups and Ingredients

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's curl up with a sleepy bowl of soup as the inimitable Mrs. Beeton walks us through recipes and the history of vegetables. If you aren't boiling y...

In New England Fields & Woods, by Rowland Robinson, Part 1

06 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, let's relax and sleep amidst the snow-covered trees of New England, meditate on the hare, and enjoy the intricate histories written in a wo...

Cassell's Book of Birds, Part 4: Parrots Continued

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax and sleep with more about the clever parrot family, learn of celebrated chatty birds, and remind ourselves why getting a talking bird from...

Farm Engines & How to Run Them, Part 5

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax and sleep with more from this much-requested guide for engineers. This time, we answer a long list of frequently asked questions and learn...

Flatland, by Edwin A. Abbott, Part 3

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, by multiple requests, let's trip back into Flatland, hear about the mighty Circles, and take a confounding journey to Lineland. What is the...

The ABC of Relativity, by Bertrand Russell, Part 2

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax and sleep with more mysteries of relativity, like the speed of light, why time isn't time, and how a fake train robbery reveals that simul...

The Book of Werewolves, by Sabine Baring-Gould, Part 1

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax and sleep with this totally true and accurate history of werewolves in ancient Greece, Rome, and the Norse sagas. Curiously, few actual we...

Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius, Part 4

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For our Four-Year Anniversary (wow!), let's relax and sleep with more from Marcus Aurelius, including some thoughts about smelly armpits. Hey, persona...

Spices, Their Histories, Part 2

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax with more from one of our most requested books, hear the histories of ginger, mustard, nutmeg, and mace, and learn how to fake them all. L...

Ten Acres Enough, by Edmund Morris, Part 2

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're back from break! Let's relax with more from a 19th century guide to running away to the country. This time, we buy a farm, fight peach worms, an...

Relaxation Rewind! Science Primers, by Thomas Henry Huxley, Part 1

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this remastered episode, let's relax and sleep with this intro to science basics from one of the 19th century's greatest science champions. Also, w...

Relaxation Rewind! Bad Drains and How to Test Them, Part 1

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this remastered episode, let's relax with practical advice about modern plumbing systems. And by modern, I mean 19th century. Indoor plumbing has c...

Relaxation Rewind! A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf, by John Muir, Part 1

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this newly remastered episode, let's rest beneath the trees with one of the first environmentalists. His relaxed rambles from Indiana to Florida co...

Relaxation Rewind! The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, Part 1

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this newly remastered episode, rule over sleep with the pithy prose of Machiavelli. But first, a very long introduction to our author and the twist...

Relaxation Rewind! The Color of a Great City, by Theodore Dreiser, Part 1

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this newly remastered episode, let's journey back to New York City in the early 1900s with one of America's great writers and his dreamy portrait o...

Etiquette, by Emily Post, Part 3

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's return to this manual of manners, and learn how to pay a check, walk down a theater aisle, and navigate the social complexities of the opera box...

Wild Flowers Worth Knowing, by Neltje Blanchan, Part 2

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's sink into the fields of sleep with more from this lovely and informative book on the varied beauty of wildflowers. A few may smell of corpses, b...

The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith, Part 1

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax with a much-requested book and drift off as Mr. Smith defines the division of labor, details the connections of commerce, and takes a swip...

The South American Tour, by Annie S. Peck, Part 1, REMASTERED

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's rewind to 2020 with a remastered version of this marvelous travelogue from an equally marvelous woman. Experience all the dreamy wonders of Sout...

Cottages, or HInts on Economical Building, Part 1

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For our 200th episode, let's get cozy and relax with advice on planning the perfect cottage. Which apparently includes a library, billiard room, and n...

The Book of Household Management, by Isabella Beeton, Part 8 - Cookery

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's return to a sleepy favorite and relax with Mrs. Beeton's thoughts on a cook's duties, French vocabulary, and asparagus. Also, we learn to make B...

Astronomy for Young Folks, by Isabel Martin Lewis, Part 6

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's celebrate the JWST with more from one of my favorite sleepy books. We hear about Jupiter's moons, dissect Saturn's rings, and consider whether t...

Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, Part 2

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's continue with our revolutionary relaxation courtesy of Thomas Paine, who has even more thoughts on breaking up with Britain and replacement syst...

Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, Part 1

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax and sleep with this treatise on human rights and the failure of monarchical systems to reflect or ensure them. Plus, a lot of chatter that...

An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus, Part 2

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's travel the sands of sleep once again with Herodotus, and learn about flying serpents, fish migration, and the third-cheapest way to embalm your ...

Moving Pictures - How They Are Made and Worked, Part 1

20 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week let's relax with information about a revolution in visual entertainment and education. We learn about the persistence of vision and some his...

REWIND! The Politics, by Aristotle, Part 1 (Remastered)

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, while your reader tussles with a certain virus, let's revisit a perfectly sleepy combo of ponderous Victorian introduction and ancient Gree...

REWIND! Bacteria, by Sir George Newman, Part 1 (Remastered)

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, while your reader is laid up with a certain virus, let's revisit one of my favorite sleepy science reads. Enjoy this remastered intro to a ...

The Book of the Ocean, by Ernest Ingersoll, Part 3

30 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's sail to sleep with more from this lovely work about the seas. This time, we learn the rigging of a schooner, praise the prowess of Pacific Islan...

On Molecular and Microscopic Science, by Mary Somerville, Part 2

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax with more sleepy science from a woman so talented that the word "scientist" was coined to describe her. This time, we learn about all the ...

A Short History of the World, by H.G. Wells, Part 5

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's continue our sleepy stroll through history with the fall of Assyria, the literary bedrock of the Jews, and the birth of philosophy in Greece. Ra...

Spices, Their Histories, Part 1

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's take a sleepy tour of the spice cabinet and the origins of allspice, chilies, cinnamon, and cloves, with a pinch of insight into faking spices w...

Bird Biographies, by Alice E. Ball, Part 3

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's fly off to relaxation with more from this lovely book about our feathered friends. This time, we learn about the birds of early spring, and marv...

Our National Parks, by John Muir, Part 2

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's conclude a month of relaxing travels with more from this tour of America's national parks, sleepily agog at the Grand Canyon and the weird grand...

Faery Lands of the South Seas, by Hall and Nordhoff, Part 1

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our month of relaxing voyages continues as we head to the distant South Seas. We set off first for sleepy Tahiti and meet a man with little history bu...

Pictures From Italy, by Charles Dickens, Part 2

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's continue our month of relaxing voyages and rejoin Charles Dickens on his sleepy sojourn to Italy. On the way, we visit a dungeon, pass a madhous...

Mount Everest - The Reconnaissance of 1921, Part 2

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's kick off a month of relaxing travelogues with more from the first attempt to map the world's tallest mountain. This time, we take the road from ...

Ten Acres Enough, by Edmund Morris, Part 1

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's throw off the stress of city cares and head out into the country for a simpler life, which apparently was as much a desire back in the 1850s as ...

The ABC of Relativity, by Bertrand Russell, Part 1

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's relax with some sleepy physics, as Bertrand Russell unravels the Theory of Relativity. Drugging people and putting them in balloons is somewhat ...

1897 Sears Roebuck and Co. Catalog, Grocery Department

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's grab a basket and take a relaxing stroll through the Grocery Department of the Amazon of its day. Coffee beans, cherry phosphate, canned goosebe...

The Woman and The Car, by Dorothy Levitt, Part 2

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's motor to sleep with more from this wonderful manual for the lady driver, written by race car and speedboat champion Dorothy Levitt. Mechanics an...

The Poetics of Aristotle, Part 2

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's return to the earliest known work on Western dramatic theory and learn about character, verbs, and why Homer is always right. Also "women can al...

The Principles of Chemistry, by Dmitry Mendeleev, Part 3

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's return to the relaxing wonders of science with more from a foundational work of modern chemistry. This time, we finally finish…the introductio...