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The 16 types of books that exist (according to different criteria)

The 16 types of books that exist (according to different criteria)

April 13, 2024

We are many individuals that enjoy devouring a good book from time to time, either when we go on a trip and have a long wait at the airport or when we want to learn new things about our profession with one of the handbooks so interestingly useful. the market.

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Types of books and how they are classified

But not all books are the same. Some publishing works are for consultation, others explain fantastical stories and others are illustrated. In addition, each book can be presented in a differentiated format, or addressed to a specific audience.


In today's article we will review the kinds of books that exist , according to different criteria.

1. According to your format

According to its format and presentation, the books can be:

1.1. Paper books

The paper book is the classic book, the one of a lifetime . It may have a soft cover or a hard cover, but the text is on paper. Although new formats have appeared thanks to new technologies to be able to read editorial works, this is still a widely used format.

1.2. Electronic books (ebooks)

The electronic book has been gaining ground in recent years for its enormous comfort . To be able to read it, it is necessary to have a device, such as a "kindle", that is, an electronic book reader, or a tablet. Although it is also possible to download electronic books on the mobile phone.


1.3. Interactive books

Interactive books are digital books that, in addition to classical reading, allow the reader to interact and perform activities. For example, online exercises. This type of books use all the resources offered by the latest technological advances to offer a qualitatively different experience to readers. In addition, some of them can even raise an interesting dialogue between the world of literature and that of videogames.

2. According to your literary genre

Books can also be classified according to their literary genre , that is, according to its content and its literary objective. Within this category, we only find works of fiction.

2.1. Lyric

The lyric genre is characterized because the author expresses feelings, imagination or thoughts . It is narrated in the first person, in which the subjective condition of the writer stands out. Within this genre, we find:


  • Ode : It's a kind of pensive poetry and its tone is praise.
  • Anthem : It is a lyrical text that expresses patriotic passions, positive feelings and celebration
  • Elegy : Poetic work that expresses negative feelings such as melancholy, self or others pain.
  • Eclogue : It is characterized by the expression of affectionate feelings for what surrounds us and usually comes in the form of dialogue.
  • Song : It is a poem that expresses feelings, for example, of love.
  • Satire : It presents an acid humor, somewhat burlesque, in which one criticizes own or social corruptions.

2.2. Epic genre

The author expresses himself through the narrative and presents the facts in a fictional environment , teaching the reader the world objectively, without showing their feelings. Now, the author can make dialogues so that his characters express their emotions and reflections. There are different epic subgenres:

  • Epic : Explains actions that should be remembered for heroic deeds and the legendary feats of a character or town.
  • epic poem : Account for legendary or fictional adventures of one or more heroic characters.
  • Romance : It tells brave, emotional and sentimental stories.
  • Fable : Generally written in prose or verse. the main characters are animals or inanimate things. Thanks to the fable it is possible to extract a lesson or moral.
  • Story : It tells a fictional event that is usually brief and with few characters.
  • Legend : It tells a real or fabulous event, wrapped in mystery.
  • Novel : It is an extensive narrative, with a more developed story than a story. Includes both characters of reality, as imaginary.

2.3. Drama

It is characterized by an episode or conflict conceived by internal relationships between the characters . The narrative is wrapped in dialogue.

  • Tragedy : Highlights the passionate nature of terrorist problems or conflicts.
  • Comedy : The conflict is seen with humor.
  • Drama : The story is shown in a serious context.
  • Tragicomedy : There are tragic and then comic sequences.
  • Melodrama : The dramatic parts of the work are exaggerated.

3. Other types of books

In addition to the previous classifications, it is possible to find other types of books according to several criteria and characteristics:

3.1. Extended reading books

Long-term books include novels and stories . It is ideal that they are small and light books so that the reader can transport them anywhere to read them whenever they want. Also, since they contain a narrative of a chain of events, they usually have well-defined beginnings and endings.

3.2. Reference books

The reference books are also known as reference books . They are not read followed, but the reader comes to them only when you get a specific data or to resolve a specific question, so that your summary is very useful to go directly to the home page of the section of interest. Some examples are: an encyclopedia, a dictionary or the phone book.

3.3. Informative books or manuals (essays)

Informative books and manuals, unlike the previous ones, can be read in full . They deal with topics of interest such as, for example, a field of psychology. They treat problems, solve doubts and provide photos, diagrams and diagrams to clarify the information. They are also known as "essays": they are prose texts that analyze a specific topic objectively and documented.

  • Recommended article: "The 25 best books of Psychology that you can not miss"

3.4. Illustrated literature

They treat stories through drawings . Generally, the illustrations are accompanied by a small text, so it is necessary that there is close cooperation between the illustrator and the typographer.

3.5. Biographies

Biographies are the story of a person's life narrated on the other, in which the latter describes the facts achieved and the failures. There are also autobiographies, in which the author narrates his own story.

3.6. Sacred books

The sacred books are textbooks considered sacred by different religions . For example: the Bible or the Koran, which are the reference texts of Christianity and Islam, respectively. The difference with the other works is that traditionally they have been attributed a connection with the divine.

3.7. Pocket books

Pocket books are lightweight texts, small in size and very manageable to be transported to any place. They are not usually very extensive books.

3.8. Comics

Comics are stories explained through vignettes with illustrations , which usually have a short text narrated by the characters themselves. Although it used to be a genre whose readers were children and adolescents, in recent times comics also cause a stir among adults, and in some circles have become known as graphic novels.

3.9. Sagas or Trilogies

The sagas are collections of books from the same story, where each volume complements the previous book . When the saga is composed of three books or volumes, it is called a trilogy. Some of them are mythical sagas, like those of Iceland, and others are author, more recent.

3.10. Score book

Score books are books in which it is possible to find musical scores to be able to play different instruments, including the voice. Logically, they are widely used by musicians to know perfectly the musical pieces they want to interpret.


Measuring Personality: Crash Course Psychology #22 (April 2024).


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