Over the next nine weeks, Wired.com is presenting a collection of galleries intended to help people become better geeks, nine items at a time. This is the first of the series.

Maybe you have a friends who aren’t into Wired. Or the whole geek thing. You’re friends with these people, so we’ll have to assume a certain level of intelligence. They can read, right? So what do you tell them to read to get them a footing in this weird, wonderful world?

Here’s a collection of books that should get you started on the road to geekdom, or at least get you conversant in this world. If you’ve read all nine of these, you are one serious, smart geek. If not, you’ve got some fun ahead of you.

The problem with making a list is that you need to set limits. The limits here are: nine books, no duplicate authors, none written by people employed in this building. Peace at home trumps all.

Above:

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master’s Guide, Gary Gygax, 1979

The hallmark of the true geek is attention to detail, and this book provides it in tiny sans-serif type over 240 pages. You don’t even have to be an adventurer to enjoy the obsessiveness that fills every page. There are tips on Treatment of Prospective Henchman, a Pummeling Table (that’s a chart, not furniture), and 20 types of insanity with detailed descriptions. Ostensibly a rules encyclopedia, the book really is a resource that gives people the tools to create entire worlds that their friends can explore and dream in.

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com