The Black Gate Bonus: The Books of Britannia

One of many in-game books that make in-jokes and build lore.

        

I'd have to look through my notes to see what game first offered full-text books--not as plot devices but just as random background flavor and world-building. It might have been Ultima VI. But even if they appeared in earlier games, Ultima VII is the first game to treat them this extensively, with at least a couple of dozen different titles found on desks, nightstands, and bookcases throughout the homes and workplaces of the Britannian people. The castle alone had more than 15 different books.

    

Ultima VII admittedly doesn't do as well with its books as many later titles. Many of them are goofy, or simply analogues of real-world titles, and not the world-building tomes that we find in, say, The Elder Scrolls series, the Infinity Engine games, or The Witcher series. Still, they're fun and deserve some additional attention and analysis.

I thought I'd use this entry to organize that analysis, adding new books as I find them. I'm excluding some "plot" books that don't have much text (like Morfin's register of venom sales). I'll add notes to future entries when this one has been updated. The books I've found so far are:
   
The Accedens of Armoury by Legh. A book on heraldry and creating a heraldic symbol. 

And Then There Was Karen by B. MacDae. A tale of a complex relationship.
 
The Apothecary's Desk Reference by Fetoau. A book that accurately describes which potions have which effects. Very useful.

The Art of the Field Dressing by Creston, "with a forward [sic] by Lady Leigh." It has some advice about cutting cloth into strips to bandage wounds, something that actually works in the game. While Lady Leigh is later found in the game, I don't believe Creston is.

Artifacts of Darkness by Mordra Morgaelin. A handwritten book that makes brief references to powerful artifacts, both current and past. These include the skull of Mondain (destroyed by the Avatar in Ultima IV), the Gem of Immortality (likewise, but the shards created the Shadowlords in Ultima V), Minax's crystal ring (?), the Dark Core of Exodus, the Crown of the Liche King, the Well of Souls, and a blackrock sword. It ends with a joke about the metal plate in Lord British's castle that can immediately kill him. Mordra's ghost can be found in Skara Brae.

A Baker's Handbook by Settlar. A reasonably accurate description of baking bread in the game. 

The Bioparaphysics of the Healing Arts by Lady Leigh. The bible for in-game healers. I believe Lady Leigh will be found later in Serpent's Hold.

Birds of Britannia by Brother Wayne. An illustrated guide to birds of the land, a clear analogue to Birds of North America. Brother Wayne is found in-game in the Dungeon Despise, having gotten lost on a birding expedition.

Black Moon, Red Day by Euralyn. A sequel to Thirteen Months in a Year, set on Corellethra. Shifting celestial bodies cause huge changes in the land, but sorcerers prevent the end of the world.

The Blacksmith's Handbook by Christopher. A book on etal-working written by the man whose homicide touched off the game.

Blade of the Gryphon Barony by Pebrogdy. A novel "about a knight's fight against the doctrines of his society to win the love of a common maiden."

Bloodied Blades and Buxom Beauties by A. G. Fishmor. A bio of a pirate named Roguerre "as he sails the northeast sea." He comes in the clutches of a despotic island ruler from whom he must escape and save a princess. That doesn't seem to be describing anything on Britannia.

The Book of Circles, translated from Gargish to Britannian by Jillian. Describes the eight gargoyle virtues and how they arrange from the three principles of virtue: control, passion, and diligence.

The Book of Forgotten Mantras. A list of about 40 single syllables that apparently used to be mantras to something. There was a similar book in Ultima VI, but I don't think the list is exactly the same, as I seem to remember the gargoyle mantras were in the VI version and they're not in this one. The list includes such unlikely mantras as MEOW, SPANK, GOO, YAM, and BLAH.

Book of Prophecy by Naxatilas the Seer. This book, found on Terfin, is imported from Ultima VI. It describes the apocalypse of the gargoyles, preceded by the arrival of a "false prophet" from another world. In the gargoyles' interpretation of events, the Avatar is the "false prophet." The book ends with the statement that only "the sacrifice of the false prophet" could forestall the prophecy. In Ultima VI, the gargoyles come to interpret this as the Avatar making a sacrifice, not being sacrificed. But since their world is destroyed anyway, perhaps they were wrong and a literal sacrifice would have worked.

The Book of the Fellowship by Batlin of Britain. The first page of the game manual--the one time it makes sense for a real-life book to appear in the game.

Brommer's Britannia by Brommer. The book only has a short paragraph but then it automatically opens to a map of the land. Useful if you lost your regular one, I suppose. The author is a play on the Arthur Frommer travel guidebook series begun in 1957.
        

That's pretty cool.

Brommer's Fauna by Brommer. Describes only the deer and chicken in the readable parts.

Brommer's Flora by Brommer. Semi-useful in that it talks about the reaper, which looks like a dead tree. 

The Carver Chronicles by Morfin. a guide to butchering written by the butcher in Paws (an NPC whom you can find).
        
Chicken Raising by Daheness Gon. A relatively useless instruction manual for raising chickens and producing eggs. The anatomical advice seems accurate, but I'm not sure how it helps in-game. Found on the shelf of a farmhouse, which makes sense.

Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang by Ian Fleming. The real-life 1964 book by the author better known for creating James Bond. Lead Ultima VII writer Raymond Benson later went on to become the official James Bond writer from 1997-2002.
           

With a couple of syllabic substitutions, this could easily have been a James Bond title.

Codavar by Nexa. A novel about a usurper king clearly inspired by Blackthorn and the events of Ultima V. "Codavar" sounds like it's some play on "avatar," but I can't work out what it means.
      
Collected Plays by Raymundo. An anthology of plays by the guy who runs the theater in Britain. Play titles include Three on a Codpiece, The Trials of the Avatar, The Plagiarist, Clue, and Thumbs Down. "Raymundo" is the in-game avatar of lead writer Raymond Benson, and at least three of these plays are real plays written by Benson. Clue is a 1977 musical based on the board game--a full 8 years before the Tim Curry film. The Plagiarist and Thumbs Down are more obscure; I'm not sure when or if they were ever staged, but they were published as short stories by Amazon Shorts in 2006. Three on a Codpiece is described in-game as a performance art piece in which audience members "tear an undergarment into tiny pieces, after which they are placed in funeral urns and mixed with wheat paste . . . then the audience may glue the pieces anywhere on [the actor's] body that they wish." One Ultima site suggests this might be a reference to Yoko Ono's Cut Piece (1965).

A Complete Guide to Britannian Minerals, Precious, and Semi-Precious Stones by B. Ledbetter. The book discusses some of Britannia's natural resources, including veins of gold and lead. It is notable for a paragraph on blackrock, a "recently discovered" substance with little practical use, rumored to have a "profound effect" on magic. This will of course become a major part of the game's plot. I don't believe Ledbetter appears in-game. I thought it would be funny if it was the guy who runs the jewelry shop in Britain, but his name is Sean.

The Complete History of the Lute by Devonaillion, with foreword by the Master Bard, Iolo. The part that you can read contains only Iolo's foreword, which gives his last name as Arbalest despite "FitzOwen" being his more commonly-given last name. As an "arbelest" is a type of crossbow, perhaps "Arbalest" is meant more as a title than a name.

Converting Moongates to Thine Own Use by Erethian. Written by the NPC in Forge of Virtue, this book establishes (I believe for the first time) what the colors of moongates mean canonically: blue for travel within the same world; red for travel between worlds; black for travel between dimensions; silver for travel through time.
       

The Dark Core of Exodus by Erethian. A book that claims Exodus was a hybrid between an organic being and a computer. The "Dark Core" was the database accessed by the computer side of Exodus. The book plausibly deals with some of the retcons since Ultima III and sets up the narrative for the Forge of Virtue expansion to The Black Gate. Erethian is an NPC encountered by the party on the Isle of Fire.

The Day It Didn't Work by R. Allen G. A collection of essays about "overseeing a group of well-meaning misfits in a mechanical environment." An obvious joke about Richard Allen Garriott and the staff at ORIGIN.

Dolphin in the Dunes by Pietre Hueman. An allegory for human familial relationships that looks at issues from multiple perspectives. I imagine this is making a joke about a real-world book, but I can't place it.

The Dragon Compendium by Perrin. This is a longer book, useful to the player, describing dragons living in the dungeon Destard. In addition to fire breath and claws, they apparently can make themselves invisible. Perrin appears in the game at Empath Abbey. He's a scholar of eclectic pursuits who has also written several other books, including The Hundred and Eleven Year, Three-Month, Seven-Day War and The Write Stuff.

Enchanting Items for Household Use by Nicodemus. A magic treatise that starts out strong with suggestions for "Self-Propelled Broom" and "Alarm Gem" descends into madness as Nicodemus does, ending with "Exploding Corncob Holder" and "Comb of Many Blades."

Encyclopedia Britannia. Four volumes, all described in summary form with no articles, so you just get allusions like Aakara, the first mayor of Trinsic; an ancient sage of reptiles called Faalga; a mythological snowbeast called the Quaaxetlornicom; and an ancient island called Zyand.

Ethical Hedonism by R. Allen G. Described as a "handbook [that] details a non-religious religion in which people live for the joy of living and make it their responsibility to keep the entire world out of disrepair." "R. Allen G." is of course Richard Allen Garriott, and I'm guessing there's some kind of in-joke here.
              
Everything an Avatar Should Know about Sex. This book is blank after the title page. Ho-ho-ho. Or maybe it's not a joke and it's foreshadowing the upcoming unicorn encounter.

The Five Stages of Lawn Care by A. P. Berk. A coming of age story about two boys. Sequel: The Winning Number.

Follow the Stars by Laurnen. Supposedly a guide for navigation.

The Forest of Yew by Taylor. A description of the great forest in northwestern Britannia, including a hint about the Emps who live there--a useful in-game clue.

Gargoyle Like Me by Darok. A nonfiction work about a human who poses as a gargoyle to see gargoyle society from the inside.It notes that gargoyles are genderless and it also describes the condescension with which the winged gargoyles treat the wingless. There is an obvious connection with the real-world book Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin, but in the real-world book, Griffin posed as a black man to record his treatment by white people. In the fictional version, Darok poses as a gargoyle not to record his experiences with human prejudice but to go undercover among gargoyles themselves.

Golems: From Clay to Stone by Castadon. Instructions on how to make stone golems. The book mentions the Stone of Castambre, which plays a role in The Forge of Virtue expansion.

Gone with the Wisp by Margareta Mitchellino. A novel written by a young gypsy woman about the golden age of her people.

A Guide to Childcare for the Rich and Famous by Lady M with love for Samantha Meng Ling. This book alerts the player to the actual in-game uses of dirty diapers (they make almost all enemies flee in horror).

Hero Fertilizer by Werdron. A "warrior's handbook" describing various fighting styles.

The History of Stonegate by Shazle. Describes the in-game castle that was occupied by the Shadowlords in Ultima V and inhabited by a family of cyclopes with a human adopted daughter in Ultima VI. The book says that a colony of wingless gargoyles resided there before they were driven off by Lord Vemelon of Jhelom. His family had it for several generations, but then it was destroyed in a natural disaster. Now a family of trolls and an ancient wizard supposedly occupy the ruins.

Hither Comes the Rain by Perrin. Another Perrin book, this one describes the effects of spring weather on plants and animals.

           

The Honorable Hound inn register. The guest list for this Trinsic inn has four recent names: Walter of Britain, Jaffe of Yew, Jaana, and Atans of Serpent's Hold. Jaana is of course the Avatar's companion going back to Ultima IV. I don't believe the others are ever seen or heard from in the series.

How the West Was by Yuclydia. A history of Britannia's geography and the organization of virtues. A pun based on the movie (1962) and TV series (1977-1979) How the West Was Won.

How to Conquer the World in Three Easy Steps by Maximillian the Amazingly Mean. The ravings of a "megalomaniac cleric." He plans to acquire VAS CORP ("Mass Kill"), which he thinks will make everyone fear him, and that not even Lord British himself is immune. I'm pretty sure that Lord British survives a VAS CORP (which is a real spell). Lord British doesn't even die from VAS CORP IN BET MANI ("Armageddon"). Also, there are no "clerics" in this setting. As an aside, I wonder if employees of Vascorp Network Solutions know that to a portion of the public, their name means "Mass Death."

Hubert's Hair-Raising Adventure by Bill Peet. A real 1969 children's book by a real author. It tells in rhyme how the proud lion Hubert had his mane scorched in a series of escalating misadventures. We learned about its presence in Britannia in Ultima VI, where Lord British spent every night reading it to Sherry the Mouse. I don't know which idea is worse: that the adolescent Lord British was carrying the book while hiking through the English countryside, or that he later went back for it.
             

It's good that Lord British has priorities.

The Hundred and Eleven Year, Three-Month, Seven-Day War by Perrin. A fictional work that describes a bloody civil war in Britannia. "The parable is designed to strike home the advantages [of] remaining unified under the rule of Lord British." Perrin appears in the game at Empath Abbey. He's a scholar of eclectic pursuits who has also written several other books, including The Write Stuff.

I Am not a Dragon by Thompson. "A bawdy tale of Belnorth, fictional lord of Serpent's Hold . . . part one of a trilogy involving the humorous exploits of the lord and his fellow knights."

The Intrinsic Complexities of Investigating a New Species of Flora in the Land of Britannia by Perrin. A journal about the study of plant life. Perrin appears in the game at Empath Abbey. He's a scholar of eclectic pursuits who has also written several other books, including The Hundred and Eleven Year, Three-Month, Seven-Day War and The Dragon Compendium.
     

Jesse's Book of Performance Art by Jesse. A "controversial and eccentric Britannian actor" who has published a book of "scripts" for performance artists and argues that performance art is basically the same thing as acting. Jesse is an NPC in Britain who jokes about playing the Avatar and having only three lines: NAME, JOB, and BYE.
         
Karenna's Pregnancy Workout by Karenna. She's got quite a media empire.

Karenna's Total Body Workout by Karenna. An exercise training program. Karenna is an NPC in Minoc who trains characters in dexterity and combat.

Karenna's Workout by Karenna. An exercise training program. Karenna is an NPC in Minoc who trains characters in dexterity and combat.

Key to the Black Gate. A cluebook to the game, found within the game (but without any of the actual text). Probably meant as a subtle in-game advertisement. Can you imagine needing a cluebook to solve this game?
            

A crummy commercial?!

The Knight and the Thief by Hobbs. A novel about a "heroic warrior suffering from delusions of an alternate life as a rogue and cutpurse."
         
Landships by Equinestra. A semi-useful manual that describes the different ways to get around Britannia, including horses, carts, and the famed magic carpet.

Landships of War by Equinestra. "An illustrated guide to jousting and barding." It suggests a tactic that you can use in-game: fire missiles at enemies from atop carts (or the magic carpet).

The Light until Dawn by Drennal. A book about Britannia's two moons, Trammel and Felucca, and the possibility of people living on them. These moons have been around since Ultima IV, and their phases control the moongates.

Lord British: The Biography of Britannia's Longtime Ruler by K. Bannos. The biography frankly acknowledges that Lord British is from another world. I wasn't sure that was public knowledge until now. He entered Britannia through a moongate and became one of the rulers of the eight kingdoms of Sosaria. The people proclaimed him the king after he successfully dealt with Mondain, Minax, and Exodus. The book recounts his role in Ultima IV and Ultima V but ends just as the gargoyles become a threat in Ultima VI. Unfortunately, the text also re-affirms the idea that the Avatar is the same hero as the one who defeated Mondain, Minax, and Exodus--the dumbest retcon ORIGIN ever introduced.
          

Part of Lord British's bio. A party of Fuzzies defeated Exodus and nobody can convince me otherwise.

Magic and the Art of Horse-and-Wagon Maintenance. A clear joke on Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974). The text makes an in-joke about how horses need no food or rest, which they don't--in the game.

Man Versus Fish: The Ultimate Conflict by Aquastyr. An essay on the glories of fishing.

Mandibles by Peter Munchley. A Britannian version of Jaws; the author's name is play on Peter Benchley.
       

Mempto Rays: A Qualitative Study in Metaparaphilosophical Radiation by Mempto. Some rantings about Britannia always being bombarded by radiation "lethal to all non-living matter." Probably meant as a send-up of pseudo-science in the modern world.

Milord Conduct by Aleina. A manual for proper behavior around nobles. No Aleina in-game.

Miscellaneous Cantrips. A guide to minor spells. There are no specifics, so not helpful in-game.

Modern Necromancy by Horance. An attempt to redeem necromancy from ages of malignment. Its thesis is only slightly damaged by the fact that Horance (the insane mage who only spoke in rhymes in Ultima VI) and his necromancy destroyed Skara Brae and turned Horance into a lich.

Murder by Mongbat by J. Dial. An "enthralling but too gory thriller" that "describes innovative and impressive ways to disembowel people and animals." 

My Cup Runneth Over by Marseine. A guide for vintners. I don't believe that Marseine appears in the game, but the text suggests she consulted the Brotherhood of the Rose, which runs Empath Abbey.

No One Leaves by R. Allen G. This sequel to The Day It Didn't Work is a humorously-phrased paragraph about missed deadlines and forced overtime.

No Time to Dance by B. A. Morler. "The busy life of two scholars, caught betwixt the demands of a forceful taskmaster and the pressure of time." Probably another in-joke, although I can't find anyone with that author's name among ORIGIN's staff.

No Way to Jump by Desmonth. A treatise on tropes found in adventure stories. This is probably another in-joke about game development. After all, Ultima VII, for all its realism, does not allow the Avatar to jump. The issue continues into the present day and is found on TV Tropes as "The Insurmountable Waist-Height Fence." Note that Ultima VIII does feature jumping and jumping puzzles.

Observations of Black Rock by Rudyom the Mage. The notebook of Cove's eccentric mage, this describes his experiments with an "indestructible" stone that can only be molded and shaped with magic, but ironically makes magic users go mad.

On Acting by Laurence Olivier. Philosophical notes on acting "written by a noted thespian of a distant land." The text notes that it was apparently "one of the many brought to Britannia by Lord British." Why was the kid hiking with half a library on his back? Anyway, Sir Laurence did in fact publish a book of this title in 1986.

The Out-'n-Inn register. This raunchy Cove hotel has lately seen Tyors of Britain, Kellin of Buccaneer's Den, Sir Dupre, Wentok of Trinsic, and Uberak of Minok [sic]. Kellin is a wanted thief whose story will be recounted eventually. None of the other names, save Dupre, are known NPCs.

Outpost by Gasreth. A manual of tactics and strategies for soldiers. Semi-useful in that it encourages the player to check out cannons.

Pathways of Planar Travel by Nicodemus. Formula necessary for traveling between planes. Notes that Lord British comes from another plane. Notes that while so far, every individual entering Britannia from other planes has been benevolent, the possibility remains for a malevolent entity to visit. This naturally foreshadows the Guardian.

Play Directing: Analysis, Communication, and Style by Francis Hodge. A "respected textbook" written by "an eminent professor emeritus from a university in a distant land." It is in fact a real-world book, published in 1971 by a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Probably someone that Raymond Benson or someone on the staff at ORIGIN (which was based in Austin) knew. Hodge passed away in 2008.

The Provisioner's Guide to Useful Equipment by Dell. A semi-useful in-game book detailing the utility of torches, backpacks, and buckets. Dell runs the provisions shop in Trinsic.

Ribald Encounters by Madden. The book is simply described as "many stories full of suggestive prose."

Ringworld by Larry Niven. A fantasy book suggesting other worlds between Britannia and the heavens. This is a real-world book by a real-world author, published in 1970, although its plot is a bit different than described here.

Ritual Magic by Nicodemus. Description of a ritual involving five mages, a pentagram, and the slaughter of animals. Nicodemus is an in-game NPC.

The Salty Dog inn register. This inn and tavern in Paws lists seven recent visitors: Addom of Yew, The Avatar, Jalal of Britain, Tim of Yew, Blorn of Vesper, Sir Dupre, and Penelope of Cove. Addom is a traveling merchant who later shows up in Moonglow and plays a role in that city's plot. To my knowledge, Jalal and Penelope never appear in the game, although I think Jalal appears in another register. Tim of Yew is also an unknown (there was a bard named Tim in Ultima V but he'd be long-dead). Blorn is an anti-Gargish racist who we later find in Vesper. The idea that Dupre recently visited a tavern is entirely within his character. The most disturbing entry is that someone is wandering around passing himself off as "The Avatar."

The Scent of Valor by Wetterson. A treatise on chivalry and duty. Perhaps a reference to Bill Watterson, as a Calvin & Hobbes book appears in Ultima Underworld II, but if so it's rather obscure.

Shoot the Moon by Oswauld. A guidebook on druidic culture.

A Short Treatise on Britannian Society by Clayton. A book that reinforces the idea of a "social order" in Britannian society, one that goes Lord British > Great Council > Winged Gargoyles > Masses of Humanity > Wingless Gargoyles.

The Silence of Chastity by I. M. Munk. A treatise on the Brotherhood of the Rose, which inhabits Empath Abbey. They apparently do not take vows of silence.

Sir Kilroy. A novel about "the rise of a shining white knight, driven to madness by the women in his life."

Spring Planting, Autumn Harvest. Details on agriculture.

Stealing the Wind by Brianna. A discussion of kite-flying.
           

Stealing the Wind seems to have helped out an NPC, anyway.

          
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. Summarized as "the struggles of an individual from another planet who finds difficulty assimilating into his new society and culture." Nelson, head of the Lycaeum, proudly displays a first edition. This is a real-world 1961 book by a real-world author, although in-game it works as a metaphor for the experiences of Lord British or the Avatar.

Struck Commander by Gilberto. A "fanciful story" about a man who gets a "flying vehicle" and uses it to fight terrorists and despotic monarchs. This is an in-joke based on ORIGIN's forthcoming Strike Commander (1993).

The Summer of My Satisfaction by Plexes. A fictional story summarized as "the tale of Good King Kettle, who rules a great land without any troubles." An obvious play on the phrase "the winter of our discontent," which appears in the first line of Shakespeare's Richard III and is almost always misquoted or misunderstood because no one quotes the second half of the line. Look it up. No idea on "Plexes," though.

The Symbology of Runes by Smidgeon the Great. A dictionary of runes, but presented in-game in summarized form, so it's not actually helpful. 

That Beer Needs a Head on It by Yongi. Recipes and serving suggestions for alcoholic beverages. Yongi is an NPC staying at the Gilded Lizard in Vesper.

Thirteen Months in a Year by Euralyn. A novel about a war and a family of magic-users in a fantasy kingdom called Corellethra. Sequel: Black oon, Red Day.

Thou Art What Thee Eats by Fordras. A nutritional analysis that pre-dates the Atkins craze by suggesting meats and vegetables ahead of carbohydrates. The author recommends certain foods in order, and I think it roughly corresponds with how filling those foods are in-game.

Thy Message Received by For-Lem, translated by Jillian. An essay written by a gargoyle to humans, noting the prejudice and hatred by which the gargoyles have been treated, which mystifies them since it was humans who destroyed their land and not the other way around. It expresses hope but pessimism. For-Lem is a wingless gargoyle found in Vesper, while Jillian is a scholar at the Lycaeum. It feels like this could be based on a real book, but I can't think of one.

To Be or not to Be by Wislem. A primer on the gargish language, the joke being that gargoyles speak entirely in infinitives ("to welcome you, Avatar!"). Wislem is an advisor of Lord British and is found at the castle.

To the Death! by Zaksam. A manual on the fighting styles of Britannia. Zaksam is an NPC in Vesper, a combat trainer who believes war with the gargoyles is inevitable.

The Transitive Vampire by Karen Elizabeth Gordon. This is a real book by a real author, originally published in 1984. As best I can tell, it's a real book about English grammar and syntax, but all the examples are vampire-themed and there are vampire illustrations. If there's something deeper going on, someone's going to have to tell me. I suppose if it actually gets people to read a book on grammar, there are no bad ideas.
            

Go figure.

          

Tren I, II, III, IV . . . XVII. An autobiography by "the obtuse mage" which "reveals Tren's life in all of his incarnations as he continually strove to possess more powerful beings." As far as I know, we never meet a mage called Tren, nor do we ever see an application of magic that involves possession of beings.

The Trio by Leepeartson. A collection of songs "for a variety of stringed and percussion instruments" by three master bards. Maybe a reference to Trio, a 1987 Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt album: "Leepeartson" is plausibly a play on "Dolly Parton." [Edit: a commenter's opinion that this could represent a reference to Geddy Lee, Neil Peart, and Alex Lifeson of the band Rush is more persuasive.]

Two in the Fold by Morian. A novel about two thieves from Britain who infiltrate the royal castle.

Ultima: The Avatar Adventures by Rusel DeMaria and Caroline Spector. An account of the Avatar's exploits after Ultima III.  This is a real-life strategy guide for Ultima IV, V and VI, presented as a novelization. The in-game version is deemed by the Avatar to be "amazingly accurate."
           

           

Up Is Out by Goodefellow. A treatise on gravity and mass, including "falling apples." It's a clear analogue to Isaac Newton, but I otherwise don't know if the title and author are a reference to anything. If Goodefellow is an actual Britannian trying to research physics, his life is going to be rough.

Vargaz's Stories of Legend. This anonymous book is subtitled Reasons Why One Should Never Build Doors Facing North or West. The book has two stories, one about a plague of locusts foretold by Father Antos (Ultima II and IV) which destroyed houses with north-facing doors. The other tale suggests that monsters fleeing sunlight are more likely to flee east and thus invade houses with west-facing doors.

The Way of the Swallow by Foiles. Summarized as the story of a mother deeply loved by her family. It ends with her death. I don't know if this is making any kind of reference or not.

The Wayfarer's Inn register. This tavern in Britain lists five recent guests: John-Paul of Serpent's Hold, Horffe of Serpent's Hold, Featherbank of Moonglow, Tarvis of Buccaneer's Den, and Shamino. I later found Shamino shacking up with an actress, so he probably only had to stay for one night. I don't believe Tarvis or Featherbank appear in the game, but John-Paul is in fact the ruler of Serpent's Hold and Horffe is his Gargish captain of the guard.

What a Fool Believes by P. Nolan. The book only has a brief paragraph, describing it as "the story of a bard, a blonde, and a bottle . . . a classic tale of the war between the sexes." There's a song of this name, of course, recorded by the Doobie Brothers and Aretha Franklin among others, but it doesn't mention a blonde or a bottle and has no association with anyone named "Nolan" (although, in a weird twist, the R&B artist Nolan Porter did cover the song, but not until 2011).

What Color is Thy Blade? by Menion. Written by the weaponsmith in Serpent's Hold, this book describes how to forge a blade. Possibly-useful during the Forge of Virtue expansion.

What Could Be Left but the Ashes by N. Flaims. Essays about volcanic eruptions. (The author's name is a pun: "in flames.") One story is "told by Fendora, a young woman from Minoc, who claims to have experienced a volcanic eruption near every one of the five towns in which she has lived." That's not surprising given how often the landscape of this world is re-made by volcanoes and earthquakes. 

When Starts the Adventure by Sabra. The story of a warrior who, in the process of adventuring, notices that the land is balanced in good and evil.

White Rain by Perrin. Another Perrin book, this one describes the effects of winter weather on plants.

Why Good Mages Like Black Magic by Magus. An argument for "applying magic for the benefit of society as opposed to selfish, personal gain." I'm not sure if it's making any real-world reference.

The Winning Number by A. P. Berk. A sequel to The Five Stages of Lawn Care visits the boys 10 years later.

The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum. The real book from the real world, except that in the real world, the author is L. Frank Baum. It is given a quick summary in-game. I assume it's in Lord British's castle because I stole it for him as part of an Ultima VI side-quest.

The Write Stuff by Perrin. A treatise on the importance of literacy and what makes for good literature. Perrin appears in the game at Empath Abbey. He's a scholar of eclectic pursuits who has also written several other books, including The Hundred and Eleven Year, Three-Month, Seven-Day War and The Dragon Compendium.