If you’re a fan of "Lost," you know that well-placed books were just some of the many clues (and red herrings) that the producers tossed in to heighten the mystery. Some of the books speak directly about the castaways’ situation, while others are more philosophical. The books on this list were all referenced on the show in some way, whether being read by a character or student, glimpsed quickly on a shelf, or just used as thematic inspiration. Digging into them might not solve any of the series’ lingering mysteries, but it will get you closer to the action.
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll: Could there be a better way to get into the world of "Lost" reading than the classic tale of a girl gone down a rabbit hole into a bizarre dreamworld? The book appeared in the fourth season’s "Something Nice Back Home," when Jack read it to young Aaron, and the story’s elements also popped up in episode titles like "White Rabbit" and "Through the Looking Glass." (Poor Charlie.)
- A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking: Stephen Hawking’s book helped bring science to those without advanced math or training, and it explored tricky concepts like black holes and the origins of the universe in simple language. The book’s parallels with the series are obvious, and it appeared in Ben’s bedroom in "The Man From Tallahassee," and we also saw Aldo reading it while he was guarding the kidnapped Karl.
- The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis: Starting with "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," C.S. Lewis’ fantasy series wove adventure with religious allegory, as often happened on "Lost." What’s more, the character of Charlotte Staples Lewis was named as a nod to the author, and the DHARMA station known as the Lamp Post, located in Los Angeles and used to pinpoint the island’s location, is a reference to the lamp post of the first Narnia book.
- Everything That Rises Must Converge, Flannery O’Connor: Jacob was seen reading this collection of stories in "The Incident," the fifth-season finale. The book’s tales deal largely with family and society as well as the role of faith in the personal lives of the characters. Sounds like something John Locke would like.
- Fear and Trembling, Soren Kierkegaard: Although the book only makes one appearance, and a brief one at that — Hurley finds it in the sixth-season opener "LA X" — but the book’s explorations of the relationship between God and man are central to the world of "Lost." Kierkegaard wrote of making a "leap to faith," and the act of taking a leap of faith is one that’s discussed frequently on the show, usually between Locke and Jack. Locke’s obsession with being a "man of faith" makes this volume worth seeking out.
- The Invention of Morel, Adolfo Bioy Casares: Sawyer is seen reading this 1940 sci-fi novel in the fourth season episode "Eggtown." The book follows a fugitive living on an island who hides from the tourists who start to arrive there, only to find himself unable to interact with them. A number of strange things begin to happen that lead the narrator to question his sanity.
- Island, Aldous Huxley: Huxley’s fictional Pala Island was the naming inspiration for the "Lost" island’s Pala Ferry, and this novel about a shipwrecked journalist is a slightly sunnier companion piece to Brave New World.
- The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery: The inspiration for an episode title in the fifth season, this children’s book is worth a read for its eerie similarities to the world of "Lost": the narrator survives a plane crash (this one in the desert), and the prince of the titles lives on a faraway asteroid and claims that death is the only way home. Weirder: The author disappeared in flight in the 1940s.
- Lord of the Flies, William Golding: The classic novel about island survival and tribalism, William Golding’s book was referenced multiple times in dialogue and bears many emotional similarities to the series. The book’s examination of how easily societal rules can be abandoned in disaster situations was a heavy influence on the TV show.
- An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge: Locke briefly rifles through this book when he finds the Swan station, hoping to find a note tucked in its pages, but the book’s worth far more than just a skim. This classic short story by Ambrose Bierce is about a man who hallucinates a new life in the seconds before his death, making it a striking parallel for the events of the final season of "Lost."
- VALIS, Philip K. Dick: This sci-fi volume was on Ben’s bookshelf, and when he’s being held captive in the Barracks, Locke tells him to read it again in case he missed something the first time. The extent to which that statement was a taunt or an actual clue is up for debate, but the book makes for some trippy reading regardless. Dick’s book deals with religion and spirituality in dense and challenging ways, echoing the multiple religious viewpoints embraced by "Lost."
- Ulysses, James Joyce: Ben reads this in "LA X," and the book follows the journey of Leopold Bloom over the course of one day in town. The book is also a parallel with Homer’s Odyssey, another important "Lost" title.
- Odyssey, Homer: The epic poem and sequel to the Iliad traces the journey of Odysseus as he treks home to his beloved Penelope (the name of Desmond’s wife on "Lost"). What’s more, the series plays off the poem in several ways. Desmond’s attempts to get home to his Penelope are often thwarted by the sea (Charles Widmore standing in for the god Poseidon) and a cyclops (the one-eyed Russian Mikhail).
- The Turn of the Screw, Henry James: James’ book is one of the all-time classic ghost stories, all about a governess who realizes that her children are being haunted by the ghost of the woman who used to do her job. The "Lost" connection? Well, aside from appearing in the Swan station, the story is echoed in the eerie whispers heard throughout the jungle, which are revealed to be the movement of those souls trapped on the island.
- The Third Policeman, Flann O’Brien: Flann O’Brien died in 1966, a year before his novel was published to critical acclaim. The book is seen among Desmond’s things when he first flees the Swan, and the surreal, genre-bending sci-fi tale has a number of parallels with the series, from the DHARMA stations to the weird passages of time.
- Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein: Heinlein’s sci-fi classic inspired the name of an episode in the third season, the one where Jack hangs out in Thailand with Bai Ling. (It was a weak moment in the series’ run.) The novel deals with the struggle to assimilate faced by a human raised by Martians who then returns to Earth, a kind of awkwardness faced by the Oceanic Six when they made it back to the States.
- Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut: One of Vonnegut’s many classics, Slaughterhouse-Five follows Billy Pilgrim, a man unstuck in time, as he slides between different eras in his existence. The narrative has had an incredibly strong influence on "Lost," most notably with the character of Desmond, who’s different from everyone else and can travel through time in a special way. Billy sees a purple light the first time he travels, not unlike the one the survivors see when they skip through time.
- The Sheltering Sky, Paul Bowles: Here’s another one from Ben’s bookshelf that’s got plenty of resonance for "Lost" fans. The Sheltering Sky revolves around a married couple who travel to the African desert in hopes of reviving their marriage but who soon realize that the land around them is much more dangerous than they’d imagined. That’s pretty much every episode of "Lost," now that I think about it.
- A Separate Reality, Carlos Castaneda: A young Ben Linus brings this book to Sayid when Sayid is imprisoned in 1977, saying he’d read the book twice and thoroughly enjoyed it. The book is allegedly nonfiction, though its veracity has been questioned ever since its 1971 publication. A Separate Reality deals with different methods of perceiving reality, including different ways of understanding death, something that occurs again and again on the island.
- Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens: This was the book Desmond planned to read last before he died, and Penelope placed a love letter in it for him to find. Dickens’ final finished novel is about a man trying to make his fortune and marry his love, and the family plots and identity issues bear some resemblance to Desmond’s life.
- Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck: Steinbeck’s novel of life in the Depression deals with the emptiness and futility of certain dreams, as well as the dangers and pain of isolation. Sawyer reads the book and says it’s one of his favorites, and Ben quotes from it about what it means to be alone. "Lost" is all about watching some dreams die, and Steinbeck’s book is a powerful way to approach the subject.
- Animal Farm, George Orwell: In a flashback to before he was blown up, Leslie Arzt shouts, "The pigs are walking!" as a way to criticize what he saw as Jack and Kate’s grab for power. The line was a great reference to Animal Farm, George Orwell’s political parable about control in a society. A great read for those looking to explore history and get a better view on the infighting about the different groups of castaways.
- The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky: The great author’s final work deals with family, brotherhood, and fratricide. In addition to appearing in a few episodes — Locke gave Ben the book to read when he was being held captive as "Henry Gale" — the theme of a son’s revenge is seen in Sawyer’s murder of his father.
- Catch-22, Joseph Heller: Joseph Heller’s classic war satire is found by Desmond when the chopper crashes near the island. The book’s central idea — you’re condemned no matter what you do — pops up again and again on "Lost" in a variety of story lines in which characters are forced to act to save someone only to watch their actions inevitably harm someone else. (The incident that killed Juliet comes to mind.)
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum: The iconic children’s classic is all over "Lost," from episode titles ("The Man Behind the Curtain") to the fact that Ben tried to pass himself off as a man named Henry Gale, a nod to Dorothy’s uncle in the book. It’s also a wonderful story of a heroine’s journey home, something the castaways spent years trying to accomplish.