Books in The Witcher 2 can be inspected and read, just like their real world counterparts. Some books confer a mechanical benefit when read, such as granting your character knowledge of a particular monster type. Others simply act as quest items or help convey extra setting information about the world. In some cases, reading books you find as quest items can help you solve puzzles or otherwise understand what is happening with a quest line’s story.
You primarily obtain books by purchasing them from merchants or by looting them. Sometimes obtaining a given book signifies that you’ve progressed the plot to a certain point. A handful of books are encrypted, so you must go find another character to crack the code for you. If you attempt to read these, you get scrambled text samples.
Note that all books have a weight of 0, so you can carry as many as you want without taking up any encumbrance. Information you read in many books is added to your in-game journal. You can then sell that book back to a merchant but keep all of the knowledge you gained by reading it.
| Book | Orens |
|---|---|
| About Dragons | 11 |
| The Alchemical Wedding | 4 |
| Ambassador Shilard Fitz-Oesterien's First Letter to the Emperor | 0 |
| Ambassador Shilard Fitz-Oesterien's Second Letter to the Emperor | 0 |
| Ambassador Shilard Fitz-Oesterien's Third Letter to the Emperor | 0 |
| Ancient Manuscript | 0 |
| The Arachas - A Study | 7 |
| Arrest Warrant | 1 |
| The Art of Magic | 4 |
| Aryan La Valette - Interrogation Report | 0 |
| Astrological Chart | 0 |
| Astrological Curios | 0 |
| Balin's First Map | 1 |
| Balin's Journal I | 1 |
| Balin's Journal II | 1 |
| Balin's Journal III | 1 |
| Balin's Journal IV | 1 |
| Balin's Second Map | 1 |
| Balin's Third Map | 1 |
| Baltimore's Directions | 0 |
| Bane of the Vrans | 0 |
| Baroness La Valette - Interrogation Report | 0 |
| Beings of the Element of Earth | 9 |
| Beings of the Element of Fire | 0 |
| Bernard Loredo's Letter | 0 |
| Blood of Elves | 4 |
| Bruxae - Eulogists of Death | 5 |
| Captain's Log | 0 |
| Cecil's Map | 0 |
| The Conclave of Mages | 4 |
| Count Maravel's Correspondence | 0 |
| Dandelion's Poetry Sketchbook | 0 |
| Dearhenna's Memories | 1 |
| Dearhenna's Notes I | 0 |
| Dearhenna's Notes II | 0 |
| Dearhenna's Notes III | 0 |
| Dearhenna's Notes IV | 0 |
| Dearhenna's Notes V | 0 |
| Dethmold's Grimoire | 0 |
| Dmitri's Letter of Safe Passage | 1 |
| Dorian's Diary | 0 |
| Do It Yourself | 4 |
| Drowners: A Textbook for Initiates of the Order of the Flaming Rose | 2 |
| The Dun Banner | 4 |
| The Duties and Goals of the Lodge | 6 |
| Falsified Orders Changing the Convoy's Route | 0 |
| The Feudal Society and Its Enemies | 4 |
| Finely Scribbled Notes | 1 |
| From the Annals of Mahakaman history | 4 |
| Gargoyles, Gutters, Splutters - Maintenance and Repair | 6 |
| The Good Book | 4 |
| The Gnomes of Mahakam and Tir Tochair | 0 |
| The Grand Triple | 4 |
| The Great Book of Herbs | 4 |
| Harpies - Daughters of the Gale | 5 |
| The History of the Council of Mages | 4 |
| A Hog Named Henselt | 0 |
| The Horrors of War: Rotfiends | 4 |
| Hospital Files I | 0 |
| Hospital Files II | 0 |
| Hospital Files III | 0 |
| Hospital Files IV | 0 |
| Hospital Records | 0 |
| How to Kill a Bullvore | 6 |
| The Immortelle or the Dwarven Herb | 1 |
| Invisible Ink | 0 |
| Journal from the Eyla Tarn | 0 |
| The Kayran - A Monograph | 11 |
| The Legendary Accursed | 9 |
| Legend of the Blasphemer | 4 |
| Legend of the Oathbreaker | 4 |
| Legend of the Kinslayer | 4 |
| Legendary Treasures | 0 |
| Letter with a Soldier's Supplication | 0 |
| The Life and Death of the White Rose | 4 |
| Louis Merse's Report | 0 |
| Lure of the Temptress | 5 |
| Magic and Power | 4 |
| Malget's Notes | 0 |
| Margot's Farewell Letter | 1 |
| Margot's Letter to Iorveth | 1 |
| Margot's Notes | 1 |
| Marshall Milan Raupenneck | 4 |
| Medical Notes on Patient 15 | 0 |
| Monstrum, or a Portrayal of Witchers | 4 |
| More than Aretuza | 4 |
| Nekkers in the Mist | 2 |
| The Niflgaardian Provinces | 4 |
| Olcan's Notes | 1 |
| Olcan's Receipt | 0 |
| Of Trolls and Trolling | 7 |
| The Pontar Valley | 4 |
| Renauld aep Matsen's Letter | 0 |
| The Realms of Nordlings | 4 |
| Report for Thaler | 1 |
| The Rose and the Flame | 4 |
| The Rudiments of Pathomorphology | 1 |
| Ruined Letter | 0 |
| Rune Placement Description I | 0 |
| Rune Placement Description II | 0 |
| Rune Placement Description III | 0 |
| Rune Placement Description IV | 0 |
| Rune Placement Description V | 0 |
| Rune Placement Description VI | 0 |
| The Runes of Power I | 5 |
| The Runes of Power II | 5 |
| The Runes of Power III | 5 |
| The Runes of Power IV | 5 |
| Scribe's Notes | 0 |
| Serrit's Notes | 0 |
| Shilard Fitz-Oesterien's Order | 1 |
| Slaves of the Curse | 7 |
| Soldiers' Note to Visionary | 0 |
| Soldiers' Orders | 1 |
| Song of the Hunt | 0 |
| The Temerian Royal Dynasty | 4 |
| The Temerian Special Forces | 4 |
| The Thanedd Coup | 4 |
| Three Years Among the Endregas | 4 |
| Tournament Announcement | 0 |
| The Valley of Flowers | 4 |
| Venoms and Poison | 0 |
| Veyopatis - A Forgotten God | 4 |
| The Visionary's Notes I | 0 |
| The Visionary's Notes II | 0 |
| The Visionary's Notes III | 0 |
| The Viziman Uprising | 4 |
| The Wars for Upper Aedirn | 4 |
| The White Flame | 4 |
| The Wild Hunt | 0 |
| Wild Hunt Investigator's Notes | 0 |
| Wraiths: Fear and Trembling | 5 |