Are there any pure-worldbuilding books out there of quality?
Any books that are basically non-fiction-style histories or commentaries of fictional worlds or timelines?
>>8052186
The Silmarillion
>>8052186
>The Bible
>>8052594
(you)
>>8052449
this
and Enderverse titles
>>8052186
>non-fiction-style histories
History of Venice by Julius Norwich.
Planet Construction Kit by Mark Rosenfelder. Pretty cool stuff. Also has a website of his highly-detailed planet amongst other projects on www.zompist.com and a forum of worldbuilders on www.incatena.org .
>>8052186
Well, if you're more interested in actually building your own world, I have a video game for you. Look up "Don't Starve". I love this game so fucking much even though its Steam Workshop page is so cringey to look at.
Check out a book called Islandia by Austin tappan wright
>world building
>>>/reddit/
Calvino's Invisible Cities might appeal.
You might want to check out Peter Greenaway's 'documentary' The Falls. It's a documentary about a fictional world and fits your description quite well.
THIS IS NOT LITERATURE
I've never read it but Always Coming Home would seem to fit.
My library copy has an attached cassette tape of fictional music that makes me kind of sad somehow. I threw out my cassette player years ago.
>>8052186
There's a Zelda enciclopedia that explains absolutely everything about the plot, it even explains the real events that would later become legends.
Be warned, many hardcore fans hated the enciclopedia because it destroyed their head-cannon, and the alternate timelines wasn't well-recieved either, but it's pretty consistent with itself.
>>8053806
The Silmarillion is probably the most literary of Tolkien's works, outside of his translations of myths.
>>8052186
This isn't exactly what you're asking for, but Wheel of Time has a very detailed world. If you absolutely don't want a fiction novel, then yeah, Silmarillion.
>>8053708
The fuck does don't starve have to do with world building?
>>8053954
Silmarillion isn't just world building, which is important to note.
>>8054038
You've ever given it a try?
>>8052186
Borges is fucking great for worldbuilding; Tlon and Lottery of Babylon are especially good (Tlon for obvious reasons).
There's also that one fake dictionary which is meant to document a fantastic world, but I can't remember what it's called...
>>8053033
Well, he's got a point. Collections of myths and epics are good resources, and it's not as if Tolkien didn't draw heavily from the Bible as well as other, Saxon/Scandi/Finn works.
>>8053172
D'you have a copy online?I haven't been able to find anything.
>>8053789
Oh.
Shit.
I thought I was on /tg/ again.
>>8054018
Worldbuilding harms enjoyment of fantastic (and similar) fiction, though.
The world of Ice and Fire is more enjoyable than some of the more recent novels DESU
