When it comes to weird books, we’re not talking about Where’s Waldo. We’re talking about books that changed people’s thinking, offered grandiose revelations, or left scholars baffled and dismissive. If you enjoy puzzles or peculiar pieces of history, then you might want to check out these weird books.
WARNING: Some of the books and videos may cover controversial topics. Please continue at your discretion.
14. Might is Right
Our first novel on the list of weird books is Might is Right, written under the pseudonym Ragnar Redbeard. No one knows who the real author is, but that doesn’t stop this book from being quite strange. Taking ideas from complete social Darwinism, Might is Right rejects all ethics (natural, human, civil) that aren’t founded in power and might. To establish a right, you need to have might, while the only way to have rights is by having the power to back them up.
Compared to Machiavelli’s work The Prince, there has been a large backlash against the content within Might is Right. Called twisted and depraved, if you enjoy reading books that stray towards the “extreme” side, you might want to check out Ragnar Redbeard’s novel.
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13. The Lucifer Principle
While not a completely obscure novel, The Lucifer Principle is considered a weird book for its suggestions within the chapters, and the public outcry it received. The main message? Evil isn’t just a bad part of human existence, rather it is a creative force built within our material existence. Bloom goes on to say that Mother Nature is brutal, creating destruction in a never-ending cycle.
Published in 1995, people have tried to ban the novel for years. Some of the covers for The Lucifer Principle even brag about this fact, and the chapters only lend to the uproar with names like “Bloodstains in Paradise” and “Why Humans Must Self-Destruct.”
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12. Nag Hammadi Codices
Unearthed in 1945, the Nag Hammadi Codices have been buried in the Egyptian desert for 1,600 years. The Codices are a vast collection of Christian manuscripts that form the basis of Christian Gnosticism. Since the codices were unearthed less than a century ago, they are still being deciphered, much like the mummies also buried in Egypt.
When early Christian politics created a uniform message, several narrative-deviating works were destroyed, except for the Nag Hammadi Codices. Amongst the large amount of unread texts is the complete Gospel of Thomas, one of the most interesting books for its collection of supposed sayings from Jesus. Though this isn’t particularly “weird,” there is plenty of religious questioning with these documents.
11. The Codex Mendoza
Written and illustrated by the Aztecs, the Codex Mendoza was inscribed in 1541. Each passage contains an in-depth history of the Aztec people, their kings, their lifestyles, details of their culture, and more. The work was meant for Emperor Charles V in Spain, with Spanish translations and explanations scattered throughout the piece so they could better understand the Aztecs. Interestingly, the text was translated by a Spanish priest who was fluent in Nahuatl, which was unusual for this time period.
The Codex never reached the King since the ships were plundered while at sea by French pirates, bringing the book to France instead of Spain. Since the work was in a different language, it was quite difficult to understand and passed through many hands over time.
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10. The Ripley Scroll
The first weird book on our list is The Ripley Scroll, with only twenty-three copies in existence, all variations on the lost 15th-century original. Though the scrolls range in size, color, and detail, they all contain elusive and confusing text. You may think that George Ripley had written the scrolls, but they were only attributed to him, and there is no evidence that Ripley had any part in the creation.
In terms of the book, the English alchemical text is extremely occultist and obscurantist. It doesn’t help that the book was written during the medieval period when any book was riddled with confusing sentences and images. Often referencing occultist symbolism in the poetic lines, we may never truly understand what is happening in this weird book.
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9. The Rohonc Codex
The Rohonc Codex was found in the library of a nobleman in the city of Rohonc, now known as the Austrian city of Rechnitz.
The nobleman donated the library to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. They later revealed that the paper used in the book was from the 16th century. To this day, no one has been able to accurately date the book or the name of the author.
The book is written in an unknown language or code that no one can decipher. The illustrations in the book make it appear about various religious and war-related events. Many believe that the book is just a hoax and does not mean anything.
8. The Satanic Scriptures
This next weird book may shock those who practice religion daily. The Satanic Scriptures, written by the current High Priest of the Church of Satan Peter H. Gilmore in 2007, is a collection of essays and rituals that has been translated into six different languages.
Even though this novel is shocking, it is largely overshadowed by The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey. In the book Gilmore talks about gay marriage, how Satanists should marry, antiquated familial structures, and espousing immorality as a doctrine for life, as well as radical individualism. If you have an interest in unorthodox religions or broadening your spiritual horizons, The Satanic Scriptures would make for an interesting read.
7. The Red Book
The Red Book was said to have been hidden for almost 80 years by the family of the author. It was written by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychoanalyst, and contemporary of Freud.
The book became public in 2008, in which Carl narrated his imaginative encounter with several religious figures.Experts believe that the book explores the unconscious mind of Carl for 15 years, during which he entered a phase known as mythopoetic imagination.
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6. The Chronicles of Portents and Prophecies
In the 1550s, several Western prophets were going out into the world and preaching their omens, most notably Nostradamus. But, there was another prophet during that time, who eventually created The Chronicle of Portents and Prophecies. His name was Conrad Lycosthenes, and in his weird book, he created a comprehensive anthology of the history of terrifying, wonderful, and strange events in the world.
Full of woodcut illustrations of mysterious signs and portents, as well as monsters, Lycosthenes dived deep into a world of weirdness to fill the pages of his book. These include sightings of Halley’s comet, plagues of locusts, disfigured animals, meteor showers, sea monsters, fires, famines, and floods.
5. Les Propheties
Nostradamus wrote the book Les Propheties in the 16th century. The book is full of prophecies about modern-day events.
Some find these prophecies to be complete fantasy, yet some believe that Nostradamus predicted events like JFK’s murder, 9/11, and the rise of Hitler in hidden passages.
For example, the following passage is said to be referring to the rise of Hitler; ‘A young child will be born of poor people. He who by his tongue will seduce a great troop; His fame will increase towards the realm of East.’
4. Codex Seraphinianus
Compared to the artwork of M.C. Escher or the undeciphered Voynich Manuscript, which appears later on our list, the Codex Seraphinianus is full of hand-drawn illustrations of bizarre flora, fauna, anatomies, fashions, and foods. Published in 1981 by Italian artist, architect, and industrial designer Luigi Serafini, the most interesting thing about this weird book is the text, which is written in an imaginary language.
The illustrations are often parodies of things in the real world, such as bleeding fruit, plants that turn chair-shaped, and a copulating couple that metamorphoses into an alligator. Some may be maps or human faces, while others are completely unrecognizable but one thing is for certain — they are brightly colored and highly detailed.
3. The Urantia Book
The Urantia Book was written sometime between 1924 and 1955. The book covers a wide range of topics, including God, Jesus, science, men, the meaning of life, and the philosophy of life. The book also included that Jesus was born out of traditional conception and did not perform any miracles.
It was brought to public attention by a couple, William and Lena Sadler, who said one of their neighbors wrote it after receiving messages from an alien or supernatural being.
Allegedly, the identity of the author remains hidden because those who sent the messages did not want anyone to know their identity.
2. The Voynich Manuscript
Unreadable? Absolutely. The Voynich Manuscript is hand-written in an unknown script known simply as ‘Voynichese.’ Dated back to the early 15th century, the stylistic choices indicate the manuscript may have originated in Italy during the Italian Renaissance. 240 pages long, there is evidence that pages are missing, and some of the pages fold out into larger sheets than the cover.
The most interesting thing about The Voynich Manuscript is the content. Written in an undecipherable text, there has been a range of theories about what the book is written about, from a script for a natural language, an unread code or cipher, a hoax, or even a work of fiction.
During both WWI and WWII skilled cryptographers and codebreakers came together to try and figure out the language to no avail. This weird book now resides in Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
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1. Popol Vuh, a Mayan Text
Popol Vuh meaning ‘The Book of People’ was discovered by a priest in Guatemala. The book was written sometime in mid-1599 B.C. Amazingly, it is written in the Mayan language, ‘K’iche’, and discusses the origin of life.
The writer of the book is unknown, and the content of the book is also quite mysterious and gives a new perspective on the origin of human beings.
According to the book, there was only the sun and sea before the existence of human beings. After this, the creator made animals followed by mud men and later wooden men, both of which did not work out so well. Later men were made out of corn and while they slept, the creator made women.
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