The Books
Speaking as an historian (my degree is in History), the perpetual question is "How did this condition develop?" Unlike any other CRPG, "Daggerfall" provides a society with a rich background. This background is supplied in the form of books and treatises on various aspects of history and society, including many humorous pieces. As you will discover, Tamriel did not just spring into existence from nothing. It is replete with histories, legends, myths and all of the things you would expect to find in any society.
There are 90 books available in the game (not including the German version of Arkay, The God). You can find them as treasure, read them in Libraries or Guildhalls, or buy them from Bookstores, Pawnshops or General Stores. Some have useful information, but most are simply to provide background and atmosphere to the game. The following table of links will bring up the text of all of the books available in the game, plus works composed by players.
There is one work, a fragment from the "Book of Bugs," which is not listed here. I wrote it and posted it to the "Daggerfall" discussion group on AOL about 2 years ago, but neglected to retain a copy (or inadvertently deleted it). Written in Biblical style, it was a humorous attempt to explain the problem of the crates and boxes in player houses that kept gobbling treasures and the attempts by the programmers at Bethesda to deal with it. If anyone out there has a copy, I would really appreciate your sending it to me so I can include it here.
If anyone would like to submit their own work, I will be happy to consider it for inclusion on this page (as long as it is in keeping with the guidelines of Hometown AOL).