Summary
Stardew Valleyrewards reading in a big way thanks to the many Books of Power. These books can be found through different avenues. Some can be given as rewards, others can be purchased. There is even a book that can be dropped by monsters you’ve slain in The Mines.
When considering which Books of Power you want to buy or grind to find, it can be challenging to know what to devote your time and money to. Which Books will give you the biggest bang for your buck? This list is here to help guide you toward the most helpful Books.
Updated on Jul 28, 2025 by Marissa Fiore: The Books of Power add an element of fun and excitement to the game thanks to their many benefits, turning you into a super farmer. This list was updated to add more Books for your consideration as well as change the level of importance of The Book of Stars.
This list ranks the Books of Power based on their usefulness.
15The Art O' Crabbing
Crabbing isn’t the most lucrative form of money-making in the Valley, butThe Art O' Crabbingbook makes it better. After reading it, you have a 25 percent chance of getting double your catch. From crab pots, of course. If you get your hands on it more than once, then you’ll get Fishing experience instead.
One of the problems with this book is how to obtain it. There are two ways. One is to get theiridium level prize inthe SquidFest event. If you don’t, then you canbuy it from the Bookseller for 20,000g but only in or after year three. By then, you may have little need for crabbing and any money you could make from it.
Many of the Books of Power give you experience toward a skill if you happen to obtain multiple copies. You can also trade then to the Bookseller for various items.
14Queen Of Sauce Cookbook
The Queen of Sauce is a TV show that airs every Sunday in Stardew Valley, and if you tune in and watch, your farmer learns a new recipe you may make once you’ve upgraded your home. If you miss an episode, it’s not game over, as you can try again the next Wednesday.
But if you do miss a recipe, you’re going to be waiting quite a long time unless you have theQueen Of Sauce Cookbook, which will instantly teach you all the recipes you’d learn from the show, saving you a lot of time and heartbreak if you missed an episode. If you want this book,it costs 50,000g from the Bookseller.
This book is incredibly helpful if you’re trying to achieve perfection because you have to cook at least one of every recipe in the game.
13Friendship 101
Look. Sometimes, when you get caught up in running your farm, you forget to check in on and give gifts to villagers. Even that special someone might be waiting a long time. Well,Friendship 101can help you with that by making it easier to befriend your neighbors. Reading this will give a small boost to filling those much-needed hearts.
you’re able to snag this book fromthe prize machine that is in Mayor Lewis' home, which means you’re going to need some Prize Tickets.It is always the ninth prize from the machine, so keep gathering those tickets and collecting those hearts. You can alsobuy it from the Bookseller in Year Three, but it willset you back 20,000g.
12Woody’s Secret
So many of the crafting recipes in Stardew Valley require wood that, as a resource, you run out of very quickly. It doesn’t help how much wood you need for building from Robin. But withWoody’s Secret, you have a chance to get twice the wood from chopping down a tree.
Although you can buy wood from Robin any time her shop is open, it can end up draining away all of your money if you need a lot or if you aren’t making a lot of money yet. Fortunately, this Book can be foundby chopping down trees or purchased with 20,000g from the Bookseller.
Woody’s Secret will not drop until you’ve chopped down 20 trees.
11Treasure Appraisal Guide
As you progress through the game and find more and more geodes, you’ll start to get duplicates of many of the artifacts in the game. Once you’ve read theTreasure Appraisal Guide, you will sell your artifacts for triple the original price.
It can give you a new reason to crack open your geodes in the later stages of the game when you have so many from The Mines, Skull Cavern, and theVolcano Dungeon. Or, in the early part of the game, this can boost your money made on any given day; you can buy thisfrom the Bookseller for 20,000gbut you can alsofind it inMystery BoxesandArtifact Troves.
10Ol' Slitherlegs
It is so bothersome when you walk through your farm and are moving so slowly. Well, that’s no longer true. Thanks toOl' Slitherlegs, you will move faster when you are walking among your crops and navigating your farm.
This Book of Power may not progress the game’s story or help you earn Perfection, but your movement speed is something you will always notice and, if you’re farming and harvesting your crops, hours can tick by before you’ve finished. You canbuy this from the Bookseller for 25,000g.
9Horse: The Book
So, if movement speed equals importance, think about how fast you could go if your horse was faster too. Once you have one, of course. Well, be introduced toHorse: The Book. You will gain more speed while you are riding on horseback, no matter where you are galloping through.
Now this book can’t be found in the wilds. No chopped trees or dig spots will produce it. Instead, you have tobuy it from the Bookseller for 25,000g. It’s a hefty price tag and might take time to achieve, especially after paying to build the stable and finally have your horse. But it will be worth it at any stage of the game. Well, you can pass it up in your earliest days.
8Monster Compendium
This may be a niche book if you aren’t a fan of going into the Mines, Skull Cavern, or, well, fighting any of the monsters in the game. But if you do like battling those beasties, you’ll love finding theMonster Compendium. This book increases the chance of monsters dropping double their loot.
Now for some things, getting two bone fragments might not float your skeletal boat. But monsters that drop diamonds? Dust Sprites that give you coal? This can be a big deal when you are looking for materials that either only come from monsters or are easier and/or cheaper to get from monster loot. And that’s exactly how you find this book.All slain monsters can drop it. But if you don’t get it that way, you canbuy it from the Bookseller in Year Three for 20,000g.
7Animal Catalogue
One of the biggest complaints Stardew Valley players have had is that Marnie never seems to be at her shop when you need her the most. Realistically, Marnie has a schedule she follows, but it has become a big topic of conversation among the fan base.
Well, ConcernedApe heard and made theAnimal Catalogueso you can purchase things from Marnie even when she’s not around.You can buy this Book of Power from Marnie herself for 5,000g, but only after the start of Year Two.
6Dwarvish Safety Manual
Once you start exploring Skull Cavern, bombs become a must to help you quickly descend and gather as much ore and other resources as possible, but when they explode, you’re going to get hit and lose a decent amount of health if you’re in their radius. If you aren’t careful, this can make your farmer pass out or be vulnerable to monsters who will finish your health off.
But theDwarvish Safety Manualmakes it so that bombs do less damage to you, which can help prevent you from getting into a tricky situation that ultimately ends your Skull Cavern run. You canpurchase this from the Dwarf in The Mines for 4,000g.
