Most Niche Book You Own

[QueenCobra]

Might seem like a weird topic, but over the year I’ve acquired some interesting books. Aside from some lesser known manga I enjoy (Maison Ikkoku, Dr. Slump, Pita-Ten), I have a few books and magazines in Japanese, including one about babies and childbirth. (Got it at a festival…it’s called “Pre-Mo.” as in, Pre-Mother.)
I also have a book about cats who live at a sumo stable in Japan, one on life in Medieval France, and a cookbook of 18th-century, colonial American food.
BUT my crown jewel of them all is this:

A biography of the “Siamese twins” Chang and Eng Bunker. I picked it up at a book fair for 2 dollars. Coincidentally, I had already been going through a “conjoined twins” hyperfixation so it all worked out.

So, what’s the most niche book you own? Not necessarily weird or rare, but about something specific and/oe relatively obscure.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I have a cookbook that has traditional Chinese recipes written in English and a book on how to make video game themed drinks, some with alcohol and some without. The drinks book has a recipe for the Noble Pursuit from BotW and a PAC Man themed party punch has uses ice balls and fruit frozen in ice cubes.

 

[Suguri]

A few years ago, I was fixated on PaRappa the Rapper, and I got this book with him in it. It's a collection of comics containing characters from the PaRappa franchise, as well as one other separate character.

I consider it niche because PaRappa isn't that well-known nowadays, and this book was sold only in Japan, so one of the few ways to get it outside of that country was to buy it from the author-illustrator's website. That was exactly where I got the book from, and Mr. Greenblat was kind enough to sign it on the first page. Cool!

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

I own a book on Chinese Painting technique (called The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting), a 3-book collection of Van Gogh's diary entries and letters to his brother Theo, and perhaps the most interesting is this old book called Enquirer's Oracle.. it has recipes, legal information, gardening advice, medical advice, social etiquette rules, etc. It has lots of little illustrations in it and each page has a quote along the top and the bottom. My old lady neighbor gave it to me and my husband, idk why

Spoiler: Enquirer's Oracle Pages

 

[QueenCobra]

I own a book on Chinese Painting technique (called The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting), a 3-book collection of Van Gogh's diary entries and letters to his brother Theo, and perhaps the most interesting is this old book called Enquirer's Oracle.. it has recipes, legal information, gardening advice, medical advice, social etiquette rules, etc. It has lots of little illustrations in it and each page has a quote along the top and the bottom. My old lady neighbor gave it to me and my husband, idk why

Spoiler: Enquirer's Oracle Pages

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Wow! Interesting books. When one of my older neighbors was moving away, she gave away her books. I wish I would have grabbed some, since she had a BUNCH on different Native American tribes. Like, a whole book about the Lakota, another about Cherokee, etc. She was kind of crabby and I didn’t expect her to be so interested in other cultures.

 

[Reginald Fairfield]

I've mentioned a cookbook by an actor from the 1960's, Vincent Price, and his wife at the time.

I just bought a cookbook made in the 80's from a restaurant called Pea Soup Andersen's down in California. They make Scandinavian American food and their restaurant has a windmill. Maybe not the most niche I have.

I do have some art books for something called Dofus, which is a French MMO, which eventually turned into a French animation called Wakfu.

 

[QueenCobra]

My great-aunt gave me this book a long time ago. I still enjoy it, as the early 2000s humor and Photoshop cracks me up. (I also have the sequel, where Peeps go on a cruise.)

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

My great-aunt gave me this book a long time ago. I still enjoy it, as the early 2000s humor and Photoshop cracks me up. (I also have the sequel, where Peeps go on a cruise.)
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I’ve always wanted to enter one of those contests where you make a diorama scene using Peeps. I have two ideas that I want to do. The first is what I’d call “Peep-ing Tom” where a Peep Chick is on a tiny ladder looking through a window and a screaming Bunny is behind a shower curtain is shown. The second would be called “Shiny Happy Peep-le Holding Hands” and would have an anime style sky background complete with a smiling sun and various Peeps wearing foil clothes and holding hands via toothpicks.

 

[QueenCobra]

I’ve always wanted to enter one of those contests where you make a diorama scene using Peeps. I have two ideas that I want to do. The first is what I’d call “Peep-ing Tom” where a Peep Chick is on a tiny ladder looking through a window and a screaming Bunny is behind a shower curtain is shown. The second would be called “Shiny Happy Peep-le Holding Hands” and would have an anime style sky background complete with a smiling sun and various Peeps wearing foil clothes and holding hands via toothpicks.

There’s a few funny scenes like that in the book. Like, there’s one where they’re exploring the giant heads on Easter Island, a white Peep photoshopped onto the “Silence of the Lambs” poster, and a Peepsqautch” sighting.