20 TYPES OF BOOKS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS (WITH EXAMPLES) - LITERATURE - 2025

There are several types of books, some of the most important are textbooks, reference, recreational, scientific or self-help. Some categories are informative and aimed at the general public, others for leisure, and others scientific, aimed at a smaller audience.

A book is understood to be any work written in the form of sentences, paragraphs and texts in which different and interesting ideas are reflected, which are then read and interpreted by each reader. They generally have an external cover that guarantees protection against constant use.

In its preparation, technological innovations are revealed that allow optimizing the quality of the texts, access to information, and obviously the production costs of each copy that guarantee its expansion in the market.

Currently, the new form of book known as a computerized or digitized book has become evident and with great boom, however this must be differentiated from hypertext, in which the information is structured through links, while an electronic book is the digital version of a printed book.

You may also be interested in these 101 recommended books to read in your life.

Book categories: the most common types

1- Text

It is used in schools and usually comes in printed format. It serves as a support material for the teacher's teaching, enriching the learning process.

They contain information on the different subjects taught in educational institutions, their main purpose is to serve the student to reinforce the knowledge acquired in classes. Example: 6th Grade Challenges.

2- Complementary

They are those that deal with a certain topic, supplying the student with the necessary information to deepen their knowledge. They provide important and up-to-date data to the reader or researcher that can be useful during the preparation of research papers or tasks. Example: The History of Airplanes.

3- For consultation or reference

They are quick reference books, provide an overview of the most important facts, contain specific facts and references on different topics or guide us on where to find them.

It is the resource in which the student can make a quick consultation before continuing with the investigation. They are very useful when preparing a written work. Example: Dictionaries, encyclopedias, among others.

4- Recreational

Those whose content is entertaining and fun, the characters are fictitious and two or more functions are rarely combined. They do not need to provide knowledge, because they are the product of the creativity of their authors.

The authors recreate their experiences or aspects of life that have caught their attention in imaginary stories told with words. Some examples are: stories, fables and comics.

5- Scientists

They are characterized because the concepts, theories or any other topic addressed are of a scientific nature, contain information from certain disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, astronomy, natural sciences, among others.

They present the physical realities of the world, as well as principles and laws that enjoy universal validity. Its language is very technical, the statements presented can be subsequently subjected to verifiability.

They assume that their readers approach them with a thirst to learn and solve doubts, consequently, scientific texts must be prepared to be consulted quickly and in no particular order. Example: Awesome Science.

6- Instructions

As their name indicates, they are used for the assembly, handling and configuration of various devices and devices, detailing how they should be used, in such a way that the activity to be carried out is simple and successful.

Whoever writes it must put himself in the place of the person who does not know the procedure to follow, therefore, this type of book must be clear, concise and easy to understand to solve problems in everyday life. They are in particular presented in the form of a manual, brochure or triptych. Example: Software books.

7- Literary and linguistic books

This classification is oriented to the field of language and its expressions, through the creation of literary works with linguistic terms and figures that shape a language, taking uses from the moment in which the author lives, and translating them into his works.

Use literary language, which pursues a certain aesthetic purpose to capture the interest of the reader. Its author looks for the right words to express his ideas in a select way and according to a certain style criterion. Example: Romeo and Juliet.

8- Technicians

They contain extensive documents in which a specific topic is analyzed. The terms used in them are specialized technical, with explanations and definitions of complex and interrelated concepts.

The recipients of these books are also experts in the field, or they intend to become one once their content has been assimilated, which is why they will be extremely demanding with the quality of the translation. Example: Automation Systems.

9- Informative

Source: User Sharonshih1 CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Its main purpose is to transmit knowledge about different topics. These books are written with various levels of complexity to suit the needs of the student.

It has two complementary functions: to answer the questions of the readers and to stimulate the boys and girls towards other topics of knowledge, always in an objective way. Example: Curiosities of the Human Body.

10- Disclosure

Source: User Gausanchennai CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) via Wikimedia Commons

This type of book is prepared by specialists in the field in the form of a collection, responding to the demand for information demanded by citizens, whose purpose is to disseminate theories, discoveries and research, inventions and advances.

They are related to science, technology and culture in general, among the most frequent topics are: environment, health or social and technological transformations among others. Example: The World through reason.

11- Religious

They are books designed to support a religion, they are considered divinely inspired and sacred. Generally, they are old collection pieces, of great mystical, historical, cultural and sociological content.

They have different types of presentation, they can be made in rolls, several volumes, or a single book. Example: The Quran.

12- Illustrated

They are made up of graphic images and literary stories that complement each other. They offer pleasure, entertainment and a creative experience to the reader, developing their capacity for criticism and perception to interpret what the illustrator wants to tell.

This type of book must present a very careful image, not only in terms of the quality of the illustrations, but also in terms of the aesthetic aspect of the book as a whole. His style and technique must be destined to captivate not only the little ones. Example: Macbeth by William Shakespeare.

13- Electronics

They are generally known as e-books, ecolibros or digital books. It is a publication in digital form of a book, stored on the web. Through them multimedia elements are incorporated and allow links to other pages of digital books.

They are presented as a comfortable alternative when carrying and moving. It should be clear that at no time e-books are intended to supplant the traditional printed book.

However, they are preferred by those who really like to read at all times and in all places. Example: Gabriel Infinita, memory of a writing experience.

14- Poetics

They are books written in verse, in which poetry plays a fundamental role under its epic, lyrical, religious, profane, popular and cultured forms. In its content, poetry has no rhyme, no quantitative rhythm, no meter in the sense of classical and modern languages.

Originally the poetic books had a ritual and communal character. It should be noted that the first poetic texts were created to be sung. We can find them in the Bible, specifically in the Old Testament, Example: The Song of Songs.

15- Biographical

Steve Jobs Biography

They contain aspects in which the life of a person is narrated. Through them, the most significant facts and circumstances that stood out in his life both publicly and intimately are remembered and made known, for this you must have as much data as possible.

Once all the information is obtained, all the content and ideas collected will be organized before beginning to translate them, as well as knowing how to discern from all that information which is really relevant and which can be discarded.

They are written in the third person, taking special care in every detail to be included to avoid giving a false testimony. Sometimes they can contain images. Example: Einstein, Passions of a Scientist.

16- Auxiliary materials

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They are collective works, conceived and designed with the aim of bringing experimental work closer to the main formal stages of the research process, such as hypothesis formulation, experimentation, analysis of results, discussions and conclusions.

They are those books that generally complement the activities of the textbooks, among these are the laboratory guides. Example: Soil Manual (Laboratory and Field Guide).

17- Didactics

They are produced by specialized publishers due to their difficult editorial and technical preparation, because for their realization it is necessary to take into account certain characteristics, such as: knowledge of child psychology, didactic qualities, mastery of color and form.

Its main purpose is the teaching or dissemination of ideas expressed in an artistic way, with an elaborate language and resources of philosophy. Its structure is flexible and must be governed by certain parameters such as brevity, simplicity and clarity. Example: The Magic Slate.

18- Travel

They expose the experiences and observations made by inhabitants of the same country or by foreigners, usually accompanied by maps and photographs made by the author. They make up a literary genre of great popularity for centuries.

It had a special development in the 19th century. These works usually have a non-fictional story written in the first person singular (or plural) that describes a trip, revealing different points of view, and mostly fantasy, since they invariably tell an adventure.

They are often based on exciting incidents in the itinerary or historical dramas that relate to the cities visited by the narrator, in which nostalgia is always present. Example: Towards Wild Routes.

19- Artistic

They are works of visual art, they exist in the physical world as a specific, unique fusion of form and content, mostly it is made by a plastic artist who is the creator himself, the one who designs, thinks and develops the project. They can be a single copy or a serial artist.

They contain combinations of different communication languages. They are characterized by being made of a wide variety of materials, not only paper as would be the traditional way of a book, other types of elements such as recycled materials can also be used.

These books generally have certain factors to consider, such as the conjugation between the image and the text, with the image prevailing over it. Sometimes they are unique copies, but other times they are produced in small editions. Example: Complete course of Drawing and Painting.

20- Self help

Self-help books are of general and therapeutic interest, they serve as a support for the reader because they address human issues. They transmit tips for daily happiness, keys to positive thinking, tricks to take control of life, to raise self-esteem.

A self-help book can be therapeutic in difficult times and at the same time can be an excellent antidote to give the reader more positive energy at a certain time. A leisurely reading of them is recommended to understand and assimilate what the author wants to convey to us. Example: The Power of Now.

References

1. Artium Catalog (2012) The artist's book. Recovered from: catalogo.artium.org.
2. Díaz de Tovar, I. (2004) Spanish and Literature 8º Grade. Editorial Logos CA Caracas. Venezuela.
3. Encyclopedia of Classifications. (2016). Types of books. Recovered from: typesde.org.
4. Illinois Early Leraning (2016) Informational Books for Young Children. Recovered from: illinoisearlylearning.org.
5. Iber Libro (2009) Religious books in IberLibro. Recovered from: iberlibro.com.
6. Uv.es (2015) Book Classes. Recovered from: uv.es.
7. Jiménez, J. (1987) Spanish and Literature 8º Grade. Editorial Monte Alto CA Caracas. Venezuela.
8. 10Tipos.com (2017) Types of Books. Recovered from: 10tipos.com.