An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

Umberto Eco

2 books referenced

Books by Umberto Eco

The Name of the Rose

Referenced in 6 episodes

615. Disneyland: The Modern American Utopia

November 06, 2025

Context:

Referenced when introducing Umberto Eco as 'the author of The Name of the Rose' before discussing his postmodern analysis of Disneyland.

603. Greek Myths: The Riddle of the Sphinx (Part 2)

September 24, 2025

Context:

Referenced in connection with Aristotle's lost book on comedy, noting that 'Umberto Eco fans will recognize that in The Name of the Rose.'

403. The Mystery of the Pregnant Pope

December 28, 2023

Context:

Referenced as a comparison when discussing the story of Guglielma and Maifreda: 'It's like something out of The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco novel' - used to describe the extraordinary medieval heresy episode.

361. The Lost Library of Alexandria

August 20, 2023

Context:

Referenced as having a library modeled on Borges's Library of Babel. This is Umberto Eco's novel, though the author is not explicitly mentioned in the transcript.

85. Sherlock Holmes

August 12, 2021

Context:

Referenced as containing a tribute to English character through William of Baskerville, who is modelled on Sherlock Holmes

4. We’re all so 17th Century

November 09, 2020

Context:

Mentioned alongside The Secret History as one of the great historical novels comparable to An Instance of the Fingerpost.

Foucault's Pendulum

Referenced in 3 episodes

466. The Murder of Franz Ferdinand: The Conspiracy (Part 2)

July 03, 2024

Context:

Mentioned as a comparison to the idea that the Black Hand invented elaborate rituals and spy thriller elements specifically to impress the young conspirators.

398. JFK: The Mystery is Solved (Part 7)

December 11, 2023

Context:

Referenced as a comparison to Don DeLillo's Libra, noting that both novels deal with conspiracy theories that are constructed and then seem to become true.

12. Conspiracy Theories

January 04, 2021

Context:

Described as 'the great novel about conspiracy theories' that takes every great conspiracy theory in history (Knights Templar, Rosicrucians, etc.) and bundles them into one super conspiracy theory