Constellations
The books around Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey
Every book here sits next to Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey for a reason, and the reason is written on the line between them. Click a book and the books next to it appear beside it, without the map moving. The list below has every reason in words, and a way to make any of these the book in the middle.
How to read it
One book in the middle, its neighbours around it, and a line for every reason they are neighbours. The order around the ring is the ranking: the closest neighbour is at the top, and the rest follow clockwise outward.
- a line drawn on a claim about what the books are — a shared subject, or the same author
- a line drawn on how they sit in the catalogue — the same genre, a similar reading measure — which is weaker evidence and is drawn dashed
- the book you started from
- a book with a solid border has neighbours of its own: click it and they appear beside it, while the ring stays exactly where it is
Every line, with its evidence
-
America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell 2011 · 840L
The same subject (United States and History), the same narrower subject (September 11, New York and American/U.S. History), the same catalogue tag (Nonfiction) and the same genre (Nonfiction).
same subject · United Statessame subject · Historyboth filed under · Nonfictionsame narrower subject · September 11same narrower subject · New Yorksame narrower subject · American/U.S. Historysame genre · Nonfiction
-
Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley 2005 · 1060L
The same subject (Transportation/Vehicles and United States), the same narrower subject (Ships/Boats), the same catalogue tag (Nonfiction) and the same genre (Nonfiction).
same subject · Transportation/Vehiclessame subject · United Statessame subject · Historyboth filed under · Nonfictionsame narrower subject · Ships/Boatssame genre · Nonfiction
-
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle 1990 · 740L
The same subject (Transportation/Vehicles and Behavior), the same narrower subject (Bravery and Ships/Boats). Also within 140L of its reading measure.
same subject · Transportation/Vehiclessame subject · Behaviorsame narrower subject · Braverysame narrower subject · Ships/Boatsreading measure · 140L apart
-
Across America on an Emigrant Train 1993 · 1180L
The same subject (Transportation/Vehicles and United States), the same narrower subject (New York) and the same genre (Nonfiction).
same subject · Transportation/Vehiclessame subject · United Statessame subject · Historysame narrower subject · New Yorksame genre · Nonfiction
-
The Seventh Most Important Thing 2015 · 760L
The same subject (Behavior and Community Life), the same narrower subject (Helping Others and American/U.S. History). Also within 160L of its reading measure.
same subject · Behaviorsame subject · Community Lifesame subject · Historysame narrower subject · Helping Otherssame narrower subject · American/U.S. Historyreading measure · 160L apart
-
All That Trash: The Story of the 1987 Garbage Barge and Our Problem with Stuff 2018 · 800L
The same subject (Transportation/Vehicles and Community Life), the same narrower subject (Ships/Boats) and the same catalogue tag (Nonfiction).
same subject · Transportation/Vehiclessame subject · Community Lifesame subject · Historyboth filed under · Nonfictionsame narrower subject · Ships/Boats
-
Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure 2015 · 820L
The same subject (Transportation/Vehicles and United States), the same narrower subject (New York).
same subject · Transportation/Vehiclessame subject · United Statessame subject · Community Lifesame narrower subject · New York
-
Theodore Roosevelt: Champion of the American Spirit 2003 · 980L
The same subject (United States and Community Life), the same narrower subject (New York and American/U.S. History) and the same catalogue tag (Nonfiction).
same subject · United Statessame subject · Community Lifesame subject · Historyboth filed under · Nonfictionsame narrower subject · New Yorksame narrower subject · American/U.S. History
What the map is not showing
Coverage. 3,013 of the 3,815 books in the catalogue carry a curated subject tag, which is the strongest thing one book can share with another. Where a book has none, the map falls back to genre and reading measure — real reasons, drawn on the weaker line, but a beginning rather than a recommendation. The number above is also the work still to be done: a subject on the rest of the catalogue is the single change that would improve every map on this site at once.
Years and sizes. Two books published in the same decade are not more alike for it, and neither are two books of the same size. When they are neighbours here it is because of what they are, not when they were printed or how thick they are — which is why the ring around a book from 1937 can hold one from 1863 and one from 2003, and the list is better for it. The year is printed on a book's line because it is worth knowing, not because it draws anything.
Lists. Awards and recommended-reading lists are not used here at all. Every book on a list shares something with every other book on it, and that something is the list — which is what Treasury is for. Counting lists puts Holes next to The Hobbit.
One layer. This map shows what two books share. It cannot yet show what a book did for a reader — that a journey, or a funny voice, or being believed by somebody, is what made a book matter — because that is not written down anywhere in the catalogue. It comes from readers, and it is the next thing to build.
Back to Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey Start from another book