Projects/Wikipedia increasingly used as book source

Report by Nicholas "Zanimum" Moreau - September 2005

As of September 13, 2005, Amazon.com has scanned 227 books either referencing or discussing Wikipedia. Not all of the books are necessarily non-fiction classics by any stretch of the imagination, but the statistic is still quite an impressive display of Wikimedia's popularity.

A great amount of topical books use Wikipedia as a source, from scientific matters like Tsunami: The Most Terrifying Disaster, to pop culture trends like Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind The Da Vinci Code (presumably the first book sourcing Wikipedia to be reprinted).

Self-help gurus have helped themself to our free content, including Approval Addiction: Overcoming Your Need to Please Everyone (ISBN 0446577723).

Some authors have less of a hold on the English language than others. Marci Hamilton referred to the Simple English Wikipedia for information on terrorist, referenced in her book God vs. the Gavel : Religion and the Rule of Law. Simple English Wikipedia is meant solely for those learning the language.

Perhaps most interesting of all the books was Morgan Spurlock's May 2005 fast food exposé Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America. While he's accused of sensationalism is much of his work, Spurlock has instantly become one of the most prolific documentarians in the world.

For the complete list of books, see Wikipedia as a book source.