The Rare Books scattered across Albion, aside from being entertaining, are needed for a quest, The Pen is Mightier... which you'll receive from Samuel in Brightwall. Collecting all of them is a game-spanning task, and you'll only be able to get the last of them until after you've finished the game's main story.

These Rare Books may actually be harder to find than the other collectables in the game, owing to the fact that they don't make any noise, are rather small and inconspicuous, and can be hidden quite well. Aside from following the guide below, there are no real tips to give - just examine every book you see to make sure it can't be picked up, although most Rare Books are usually placed in vaguely conspicuous places, such as on counters, ledges, benches, etc.

Note: Please check the bottom of this page for the books requested by Samuel during the course of the quest.

	Bowerstone Castle 1/1 "Alchemy and Immortality": Becomes available after you've become King or Queen. Head up the stairs and take a left at the door to the Throne Room. When you reach the bedroom, turn right and you'll see this Rare Book resting on a child's bed.
	Bowerstone Industrial 1/2 "Famous Killers: Terence Posture": This one's easy to miss. Head to The Riveter's Rest tavern and look on one of the tables next to the piano to find it.
	Bowerstone Industrial 2/2 (The Cesspools) "Dangerous Things: Gunpowder": Found inside The Cesspools, the small dungeon area you'll explore during the quest Kidnapped. The trapdoor to The Cesspools can be found in a house across from the Bowerstone Shelter and Orphanage. The cautionary volume is on one of the tables in the first room.
	Bowerstone Market 1/2 "The Tyranny of Tyrants": Check inside The Cock in the Crown tavern, on the second floor. From the Bowerstone Market square, head into the tavern and up the stairs. The book is on the second table you'll pass by.
	Bowerstone Market 2/2 "The Grasping Avarice of Kings and their Lackeys": Another one that's easy to miss. Find The Dollhouse, a townhouse outside the walls of Bowerstone Market, heading out towards Millfields. Climb up the stairs to the second floor to find this Rare Book sitting on a bed.
	Bowerstone Old Quarter 1/1 "Dangerous Things: Industrial Machinery": Head to the small park at the top of the Old Quarter and you'll find the Rare Book sitting on the statue's base.
	Brightwall Village 1/5 "Famous Kings of History IV: Markus Ivy": Can be found early on in the tavern near the Brightwall market. Go up the stairs to the second floor, near where Walter is holding the unconscious Mercenary during the In Wolf's Clothing quest, and enter the bedroom. The Rare Book is on the nightstand.
	Brightwall Village 2/5 "Attack of the Killer Puffins": This amusingly-titled work is hidden in a not-so-amusing place. To get it, head to Fabulous Furnishings in Brightwall, past the job boards, then circle around behind the building to pluck the Rare Book off of the windowsill.
	Brightwall Village 3/5 "The Very Unsafe Book for Boys, Vol. 2: Ovens": This one is located inside Two-Knock House. Run towards Brightwall Academy and you'll find the house on the left side, across from the Silver Chest. Head to the second floor and grab the tome from the railing.
	Brightwall Village 4/5 (The Reliquary) "How to be a Master Swordsman": Search the right wing of the hall when first entering the Reliquary and you'll find this book on a pedestal in plain view.
	Brightwall Village 5/5 "Famous Killers: Carl Tendency": This one's only available once you've accepted the quest An Ancient Key. During this quest, you'll guide Saul to a library inside the Reliquary. Inside this library you'll find the Rare Book on a pedestal in one of the corners.
	City of Aurora 1/2 "The Very Unsafe Book for Boys, Vol 1: Hang Gliders": Can be found resting on a shrine near the Wanderer's Rest house. To find it, head down the path from the Demon Door and take a left up the road - look for a stone arch and the shrine is right on the other side. There's an Evil Gnome right above the book, so if you haven't smashed him to bits yet, listen for his voice.
	City of Aurora 2/2 "The Amazing Exploits of Baron Barnaby Beadle": Resting on the right-hand side of the altar in the city's temple.
	Driftwood 1/1 "Dangerous Things: Stargazing In Remote Areas": Check inside the Driftwood Mines, on the left-most large island. It will only be available after developing Driftwood; see Pest Control for details. Search inside and you'll find the Rare Book on top of a crate.
	Dweller Camp 1/1 "Famous Kings of History: King Cedric": A tricky one to find. From the centre of the Dweller Camp, turn around and make your way up the winding path along the mountainside, up to the lone caravan, Wimpet's Sniffle, at the top. This Rare Book on a monarch's love of shadow puppetry can be found on the table within.
	Millfields 1/3 "AdventureQuest: A Select Your Own Endeavour Book": Requires you to accept the Bored to Death quest from Max and Sam in Mourningwood. The book becomes available during the quest, when the crypt in the Millfields cemetery opens up and Hollow Men attack you. The book is lying on the ground just inside.
	Millfields 2/3 (Reaver's Manor "Dangerous Things: Lightning": Available after you've completed the quest The Masquerade. Return to the Manor and check the room immediately on the left as you enter; the Rare Book rests on a table opposite the fireplace.
	Millfields 3/3 (Dankwater Cavern) "Liver of Darkness": Only available after completing the main story and the side-quest Hobnobbing With Hobbes. Head to where you last saw Dans Mourir, pass through the Hobbe camp, and when you get into the main cavern, swim your way in the direction of the entrance to find this lovely "cookbook" on a table.
	Mistpeak Valley 1/2 "How to be a Crack Shot": Located inside the small ticket booth outside the Mistpeak Monorail Station, on the front desk.
	Mistpeak Valley 2/2 (Chillbreath Caverns) "Famous Killers: Xavier Smedley": Found near the frozen pond near the middle of Chillbreath Caverns. The book will either be resting on a stack of crates or, due to a graphics error, floating in mid-air next to them.
	Mourningwood 1/2 "The Mibbs-Spagmo Theory of Gluttony": This one's waiting for you near the Organic Ink tattoo shop in the Eco-Warrior Village, sitting on top of one of the crates underneath the building.
	Mourningwood 2/2 (The Ossuary) "Famous Kings of History: Old King Oswald": Pretty easy to miss this one. When you're doing the quest Gone But Not Forgotten, or afterwards, climb up to the balcony near the Gold Door by taking the stairs near the dungeon's entrance. You'll find this Rare Book on the railing overlooking the chasm below.
	Shifting Sands 1/1 (Sandfall Palace) "Dangerous Things: Ladders": Found inside the Sandfall Palace during The Desert Star. Head across the bridge in the first large cavern, then turn right at the end to find this Rare Book sitting on the ledge.
	Silverpines 1/1 "The Very Unsafe Book for Boys, Vol 3: Boxing": Found just outside Finkelhouse Farm, a cabin within the Silverpines village. Search on the crate on the right side of the cabin for this prized tome.
	Sunset House 1/1 "The Extraordinary Homunculus of Baron von Orfen": Waiting for you on one of the benches behind the gazebo with the moving statues.
	Requested Book 1/5: Mistpeak Valley (Chillbreath Caverns) "The Book of Mysteries": Found after returning 5 standard Rare Books to Samuel. You'll need to talk to Samuel in order to be able to find this one. After receiving the quest, make your way to Chillbreath Caverns, making sure to enter through the right passage it's up from the lake, hugging the left-hand side of the hill. Once inside, proceed to the very end of the Caverns and you'll find a large bandit campsite. Deal with the bandits and climb up to the top of the ledge to find the Rare Book resting on a table.
	Requested Book 2/5: Bowerstone Old Quarter (Cellar) "The Invocation of the Watchers": Available for the finding after you've returned 11 books to Samuel. Speak with him and he'll give you a Trapdoor Key, which works with a trapdoor in Bowerstone Old Quarter; you'll find the trapdoor near the exit to Bowerstone Industrial. Inside, you'll find a small museum; shoot the Flit Switch on the pedestal and continue activating it, watching as it destroys the room. The Hobbe statues will attack you shortly, but they're easy to defeat. Eventually the Flit Switch will open some bookshelves leading to this Rare Book.
	Requested Book 3/5: Mourningwood "The Pangs of Sunset": A rather easy book to find. After being asked to collect it by Samuel, simply head to the Mourningwood cemetery and dig up the grave near the tree on the left. The book contains an... er, well, let's call it a "fan fiction" account of the Hero of Bowerstone's companions.
	Requested Book 4/5: Shifting Sands "Reaver on Reaver": A scandalous and extremely rare book. You'll find it stranded all the way out in the deserts of Shifting Sands. Naturally, you won't be able to reach it until you have full access to Aurora after becoming Albion's ruler. Trek out into the sands, past the massive stone arch in the middle of the desert, then turn right and you'll find this Rare Book buried near some wreckage, protected by a squad of Sand Furies.
	Requested Book 5/5: Brightwall Village (The Reliquary) "The Book of Doom": In order to collect this ancient tome of evil, you'll need to not only have all previous 29 Rare Books returned to Brightwall Academy, but you'll also have to have finished the main story, as the book in Dankwater Cavern won't be available until after you've finished the quest Hobnobbing With Hobbes. This book is found within the Reliquary, in a separate area that's only accessible for this quest. Head through the main hall and trundle down the stairs, until you reach a locked door on the right-hand wall. Use your key to open it and continue down the corridor battling hordes (and I mean hordes) of Hollow Men on the way. You'll eventually emerge on the lowest floor of the hidden library you uncovered earlier in your travels, and The Book of Doom is waiting for you on a pedestal within.