Constellations
The books around Glory of the Seas
Every book here sits next to Glory of the Seas 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
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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 (Pre-Civil War, Civil War, & Reconstruction and Ships/Boats).
same subject · Transportation/Vehiclessame subject · United Statessame subject · Historysame narrower subject · Pre-Civil War, Civil War, & Reconstructionsame narrower subject · Ships/Boats
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The River Between Us 2003 · 740L
The same subject (United States and Interpersonal Relationships), the same narrower subject (Pre-Civil War, Civil War, & Reconstruction and Family) and the same genre (Historical Fiction).
same subject · United Statessame subject · Interpersonal Relationshipssame subject · Historysame narrower subject · Pre-Civil War, Civil War, & Reconstructionsame narrower subject · Familysame genre · Historical Fiction
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My Name is Sally Little Song 2006 · 780L
The same subject (United States and Interpersonal Relationships), the same narrower subject (Slavery and Family) and the same genre (Historical Fiction).
same subject · United Statessame subject · Interpersonal Relationshipssame subject · Historysame narrower subject · Slaverysame narrower subject · Familysame genre · Historical Fiction
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Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey 2002 · 600L
The same subject (Transportation/Vehicles and United States), the same narrower subject (Ships/Boats).
same subject · Transportation/Vehiclessame subject · United Statessame subject · Historysame narrower subject · Ships/Boats
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Across America on an Emigrant Train 1993 · 1180L
The same subject (Transportation/Vehicles and United States), the same narrower subject (California).
same subject · Transportation/Vehiclessame subject · United Statessame subject · Historysame narrower subject · California
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Benito Cereno 1855
The same subject (Transportation/Vehicles and History), the same narrower subject (Ships/Boats and Slavery).
same subject · Transportation/Vehiclessame subject · Historysame narrower subject · Ships/Boatssame narrower subject · Slavery
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Stop the Train! 2003 · 900L
The same subject (Transportation/Vehicles and United States), the same genre (Historical Fiction).
same subject · Transportation/Vehiclessame subject · United Statessame subject · Historysame genre · Historical Fiction
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Little Blacknose: The Story of a Pioneer 1929 · 4.7
The same subject (Transportation/Vehicles and United States), the same genre (Historical Fiction).
same subject · Transportation/Vehiclessame subject · United Statessame subject · Historysame genre · Historical Fiction
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.