The 50 Best Nonfiction Books of the Past 25 Years

This is one of the 743 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

Slate, 50 Books

Slate’s books team selects the definitive works of reporting, memoir, and argument of the past quarter-century.

This list was originally published in 2019 and was added to this site about 5 years ago.

View: List Grid Table
Cover of 'Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder' by Lawrence Weschler
Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder

Lawrence Weschler

Cover of 'Into the Wild' by Jon Krakauer
Into the Wild

Jon Krakauer

Cover of 'Madeleine's World' by Brian Hall
Madeleine's World

Brian Hall

Cover of 'The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down' by Anne Fadiman
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Anne Fadiman

Cover of 'A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again' by David Foster Wallace
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

David Foster Wallace

Cover of 'Out Of Sheer Rage' by Geoff Dyer
Out Of Sheer Rage

Geoff Dyer

Cover of 'The Tennis Partner' by Abraham Verghese
The Tennis Partner

Abraham Verghese

Cover of 'We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families' by Philip Gourevitch
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families

Philip Gourevitch

Cover of 'Home Comforts' by Cheryl Mendelson
Home Comforts

Cheryl Mendelson

Cover of 'The Battle For God' by Karen Armstrong
The Battle For God

Karen Armstrong

Cover of 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius' by Dave Eggers
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Dave Eggers

Cover of 'Borrowed Finery' by Paula Fox
Borrowed Finery

Paula Fox

Cover of 'American Ground' by William Langewiesche
American Ground

William Langewiesche

Cover of 'Random Family' by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
Random Family

Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

Cover of 'Can't Stop Won't Stop' by Jeff Chang
Can't Stop Won't Stop

Jeff Chang

Cover of 'Fun Home' by Alison Bechdel
Fun Home

Alison Bechdel

Cover of 'The World Without Us' by Alan Weisman
The World Without Us

Alan Weisman

Cover of 'The Night Of The Gun' by David Carr
The Night Of The Gun

David Carr

Cover of 'The Age Of Wonder' by Richard Holmes
The Age Of Wonder

Richard Holmes

Cover of 'Columbine' by Dave Cullen
Columbine

Dave Cullen

Cover of 'The Lost City of Z' by David Grann
The Lost City of Z

David Grann

Cover of 'Finishing The Hat' by Stephen Sondheim
Finishing The Hat

Stephen Sondheim

Cover of 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' by Rebecca Skloot
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Rebecca Skloot

Cover of 'The Master Switch' by Tim Wu
The Master Switch

Tim Wu

Cover of 'The New Jim Crow' by Michelle Alexander
The New Jim Crow

Michelle Alexander

Cover of 'The Possessed' by Elif Batuman
The Possessed

Elif Batuman

Cover of 'Travels In Siberia' by Ian Frazier
Travels In Siberia

Ian Frazier

Cover of 'The Warmth Of Other Suns' by Isabel Wilkerson
The Warmth Of Other Suns

Isabel Wilkerson

Cover of 'Harlem Is Nowhere' by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts
Harlem Is Nowhere

Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts

Cover of 'The Information' by James Gleick
The Information

James Gleick

Cover of 'Behind the Beautiful Forevers' by Katherine Boo
Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Katherine Boo

Cover of 'Far From the Tree' by Andrew Solomon
Far From the Tree

Andrew Solomon

Cover of 'The Old Ways' by Robert Macfarlane
The Old Ways

Robert Macfarlane

Cover of 'People Who Eat Darkness' by Richard Lloyd Parry
People Who Eat Darkness

Richard Lloyd Parry

Cover of 'Going Clear' by Lawrence Wright
Going Clear

Lawrence Wright

Cover of 'Lost Girls' by Robert Kolker
Lost Girls

Robert Kolker

Cover of 'The Trip To Echo Spring' by Olivia Laing
The Trip To Echo Spring

Olivia Laing

Cover of 'The Unwinding' by George Packer
The Unwinding

George Packer

Cover of 'Wave' by Sonali Deraniyagala
Wave

Sonali Deraniyagala

Cover of 'Citizen' by Claudia Rankine
Citizen

Claudia Rankine

Cover of 'The Sixth Extinction' by Elizabeth Kolbert
The Sixth Extinction

Elizabeth Kolbert

Cover of 'Stuff Matters' by Mark Miodownik
Stuff Matters

Mark Miodownik

Cover of 'Barbarian Days' by William Finnegan
Barbarian Days

William Finnegan

Cover of 'Dreamland' by Sam Quinones
Dreamland

Sam Quinones

Cover of 'H Is For Hawk' by Helen MacDonald
H Is For Hawk

Helen MacDonald

Cover of 'Negroland' by Margo Jefferson
Negroland

Margo Jefferson

Cover of 'The Odd Woman And The City' by Vivian Gornick
The Odd Woman And The City

Vivian Gornick

Cover of 'How To Survive A Plague' by David France
How To Survive A Plague

David France

Cover of 'Lab Girl' by Hope Jahren
Lab Girl

Hope Jahren

Cover of 'One Day' by Gene Weingarten
One Day

Gene Weingarten