Like anything else, building such a list depends on criteria, but I tried to pick books which covered the most ground, were well-written, and that I go back to often.
This is my list of the 10 best.
JFK AND THE UNSPEAKABLE, Jim Douglass
ACCESSORIES AFTER THE FACT, Sylvia Meagher
THE LAST INVESTIGATION, Gaeton Fonzi
RECLAIMING PARKLAND, Jim DiEugenio
BREACH OF TRUST, Gerald McKnight
HISTORY WILL NOT ABSOLVE US, E. Martin Schotz
THE YANKEE AND COWBOY WAR, Carl Oglesby
INTO THE NIGHTMARE, Joseph McBride
FALSE MYSTERY, Vincent Salandria
FORGIVE MY GRIEF, Penn Jones
In the years from 2011 to 2021, there have been several excellent books on the assassination. These are ones I consider to be excellent additions to the literature:
BURYING THE LEAD, Mal Hyman
THE JFK ASSASSINATION, Jim DiEugenio
THE DEVIL'S CHESSBOARD, David Talbot
THE DEEP STATE IN THE HEART OF TEXAS, Richard Bartholomew *
*With the caveat that I published this book and Richard is a friend.
There are also some enormously important essays that have been written over the years which are accessible either on the net or in archives. Here are a few of the best, in my opinion:
“The Chicago Plot to Kill JFK,” Edwin Black
“The Posner Report: A Study in Propaganda,” David Starks
"A Philadelphia Lawyer Analyzes the Shots, Trajectories and Wounds,” Vincent Salandria
“John F. Kennedy’s Fatal Wounds: Witnesses and the Interpretations from 1963 to the Present,” Dr. Gary Aguilar
“Is Vincent Bugliosi Right that Neutron Activation Analysis Proves Oswald's Guilt?,” Dr. Gary Aguilar
“Who --- is Ron Rosenbaum?,” Edgar F. Tatro
“The Other Murder,” Larry Ray Harris
“Exit Strategy - In 1963, JFK ordered a complete withdrawal from Vietnam” - James Kenneth Galbraith
"Why is the Rockefeller Commission so Single-Minded about a Lone Assassin in the Kennedy Case?,” Dr. Cyril Wecht
“Assassination as a Tool of Fascism,” John Judge
“The Last Words of Lee Harvey Oswald,” Mae Brussell
“Nazi Connections to the JFK Assassination,” Mae Brussell
“Between the Signal and the Noise,” Roger Feinman
There are many other fantastic essays at the CTKA site. Other essays, like for example Ed Tatro’s takedown of Ron Rosenbaum, can be found at the Poage Legislative Library, run by my friend Ben Rogers. Look up the “Penn Jones collection” on the web at Baylor University for a wealth of material.
A few of my other favorite books:
DESTINY BETRAYED (2nd edition), Jim DiEugenio
UNDERSTANDING SPECIAL OPERATIONS, Dave Ratcliffe
BITING THE ELEPHANT, Rodger Remington
JFK: THE BOOK OF THE FILM, Zachary Sklar & Oliver Stone
THE ASSASSINATIONS, ed. Jim DiEugenio & Lisa Pease
SPY SAGA, Phil Melanson
THE OSWALD AFFAIR, Leo Sauvage
THE KENNEDY CONSPIRACY, Paris Flammonde
Additionally, there are other vital books on the case that provide either unique research or a unique perspective on the case. I think these all belong in any researcher’s library.
SURVIVOR’S GUILT, Vince Palamara
THE GIRL ON THE STAIRS, Barry Ernest
HARVEY AND LEE, John Armstrong
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (2nd edition), Dick Russell
THE SEARCH FOR LEE HARVEY OSWALD, Robert Groden
JFK: THE CIA, VIETNAM, AND THE PLOT TO ASSASSINATE JOHN F. KENNEDY, Fletcher Prouty
ON THE TRAIL OF THE ASSASSINS, Jim Garrison
THE ECHO FROM DEALEY PLAZA, Abraham Bolden
CONSPIRACY, Anthony Summers (Summers retitled his book for later publication NOT IN OUR LIFETIME. Don’t get that one. Try to find the original.)
INSIDE THE ARRB, Doug Horne
BLOODY TREASON, Noel Twyman
THE PRESEIDENT AND THE PROVOCATEUR, Alex Cox
THY WILL BE DONE, Gerald Colby Zilg
PRAISE FROM A FUTURE GENERATION, John Kelin
A few of his books cited in this volume:
IBM AND THE HOLOCAUST
WAR AGAINST THE WEAK
INTERNAL COMBUSTION
He does excellent work that I endorse wholeheartedly.
A few more books which are excellent for researchers:
Feral House has just published a collection of Mae Brussell’s work. I can’t recommend her work more highly. It’s called THE ESSENTIAL MAE BRUSSELL, edited by Alex Constantine.
Also, read as much John Judge as you can. Most of it is online and all of it is brilliant, especially “Good Americans” and “The Black Hole of Guyana.” There are also numerous YouTube videos of his talks. In addition, I edited and published a volume of his work called Judge for Yourself.
RFK assassination
THE ASSASSINATION OF ROBERT F. KENNEDY, Bill Turner and John Christian
WHO KILLED BOBBY? Shane O’Sullivan
SHADOW PLAY: THE KILLING OF ROBERT KENNEDY, Phil Melanson
ASSASSINATION: ROBERT F KENNEDY 1925-1968, editors of UPI
A LIE TOO BIG TO FAIL, Lisa Pease
MLK assassination
THE MARTIN LUTHER KING ASSASSINATION, Phil Melanson
ORDERS TO KILL, William Pepper
AN ACT OF STATE, William Pepper
MURDER IN MEMPHIS, Mark Lane and Dick Gregory
THE 13TH JUROR, trial transcripts
TRUTH AT LAST, Lyndon Barsten
A MEMOIR OF INJUSTICE, Tamara Carter
MALCOLM X assassination
THE JUDAS FACTOR, Karl Evanzz
MALCOLM X: A LIFE OF REINVENTION, Manning Marable
CONSPIRACYS, Baba Zak Kondo
THE FBI WAR AGAINST TUPAC SHAKUR AND OTHER BLACK LEADERS, John Potash
GENERAL POLITICAL RESEARCH
PROPAGANDA, Jacques Ellul
THE TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY, Jacques Ellul
AHEAD OF THE PARADE, Sherman Skolnick
THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING AND THE POLITICS OF TERROR, David Hoffman
THE KILLING OF KAREN SILKWOOD, Richard Raschke
THE AFTERNOON OF MARCH 30, Nathaniel Blumberg
INTERLOCK, Patricia Goldstone
PRISONER OF INFINITY, Jasun Horsley
THE VICE OF KINGS, Jasun Horsley
REVOLUTION'S END, Brad Schreiber
CHAOS, Tom O'Neill
THE AMERICAN POLICE STATE, David Wise
PATTY HEARST AND THE TWINKIE MURDERS, Paul Krassner
MURDER AT THE CONSPIRACY CONVENTION, Paul Krassner
THE HIDDEN PERSUADERS, Vance Packard
THE STATUS SEEKERS, Vance Packard
FOUR ARGUMENTS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF TELEVISION, Jerry Mander
IN THE ABSENCE OF THE SACRED, Jerry Mander
THE CAPITALIST PAPERS, Jerry Mander
PROGRAMMED TO KILL, David McGowan
WEIRD SCENES INSIDE THE CANYON, David McGowan
JOURNEY INTO MADNESS, Gordon Thomas
THE POLITICS OF HEROIN, Dr. Alfred McCoy
IN THE SHADOWS OF THE AMERICAN CENTURY, Dr. Alfred McCoy
NEMESIS, Chalmers Johnson
KILLING TRUTH, William Blum
THE MIGHTY WURLIZTER, Hugh Wilford
THE CULTURAL COLD WAR, Frances Stonor Saunders
DARK ALLIANCE, Gary Webb
DRUGS OIL AND WAR, Peter Dale Scott
THE ROAD TO 9/11, Peter Dale Scott
BLOWBACK, Christopher Simpson
SECRET AGENDA, Linda Hunt
THE MAFIA THE CIA AND GEORGE BUSH, Pete Brewton
TRADING WITH THE ENEMY, Charles Higham
HENRY FORD AND THE JEWS, Neil Baldwin
THE SERVICE, Reinhard Gehlen
NO LOGO, Naomi Klein
SPOOKS, Jim Hougan
SECRET AGENDA, Jim Hougan
SILENT COUP, Len Colodny & Robert Gettlin
THE HALDEMAN DIARIES, H. L. Haldeman
ABUSE OF POWER: THE NEW NIXON TAPES, Stanley Kutler, ed.
THE OUTLAW BANK, Jonathan Beaty & S.C. Gwynne
SPIDER’S WEB, Alan Friedman
THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM, Bethany McLean
IN BANKS WE TRUST, Penny Lernoux
THE UNDERGROUND HISTORY OF AMERICAN EDUCATION, John Taylor Gatto
A HISTORY OF THE GREAT AMERICAN FORTUNES, Gustavus Myers
THE HISTORY OF THE STANDARD OIL COMPANY, Ida Tarbell
CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, John Perkins
A GAME AS OLD AS EMPIRE, ed., Steven Hiatt
GLOBALIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS, Joseph Stiglitz
SECRET AND SUPPRESSED, ed., Jim Keith
THE OCTOPUS, Kenn Thomas & Jim Keith
TRUMPOCALPYSE NOW, Kenn Thomas
SEX AND ROCKETS, John Carter
THE ASSASSINATION OF JULIUS CAESAR, Michael Parenti
DIRTY TRUTHS, Michael Parenti
REARVIEW MIRROR, William Turner
HOOVER’S FBI, William Turner
THE PIED PIPER, Richard Cummings
IN DEFENSE OF FOOD, Michael Pollan
AMERICAN THEOCRACY, Kevin Phillips
PSYCHIC DICTATORSHIP IN THE U.S.A., Alex Constantine
THE COVERT WAR AGAINST ROCK, Alex Constantine
THE ANGLO AMERICAN ESTABLISHMENT, Carroll Quiqley
A CENTURY OF WAR, William Engdahl
AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH, Neil Postman
THE RELENTLESS REVOLUTION, Joyce Appleby
NICKEL AND DIMED, Barbara Ehrenreich
BAIT AND SWITCH, Barbara Ehrenreich
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY
SOUL ON ICE, Eldridge Cleaver
MALCOLM X SPEAKS, edited by George Breitman
THE BLACK PANTHERS SPEAK, edited by Philip S. Foner
THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY RECONSIDERED, Charles E. Jones
WOMEN, RACE, AND CLASS, Angela Davis
SHACKLED AND CHAINED, Eugene Puryear
THE ASSASSINATION OF FRED HAMPTON, Jeffrey Haas
BAD BLOOD: THE TUSKEGEE SYPHILIS EXPERIMENT, James Jones
MEDICAL APARTHEID, Harriet Washington
REVOLUTIONARY SUICIDE, Huey P. Newton
WAR AGAINST THE PANTHERS, Huey P. Newton
TO DIE FOR THE PEOPLE, Huey P. Newton
SEIZE THE TIME, Bobby Seale
READY FOR REVOLUTION, Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael)
BLACK POWER, Stokely Carmichael
THE NEW JIM CROW, Michelle Alexander
FORCED INTO GLORY: ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S WHITE DREAM, Lerone Bennett, Jr.
EYES ON THE PRIZE, ed. Dr. Clayborne Carson
THE MALCOLM X FBI FILE, ed., Dr. Clayborne Carson
More books of interest in alternative history and viewpoints (with kind assistance from Dr. Faith G. Harper:
HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE OF INDIGENOUS AMERICA
EDUCATION FOR EXTINCTION: AMERICAN INDIANS and the BOARDING SCHOOL EXPERIENCE, David Wallas Adams
CONQUEST: SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND AMERICAN INDIAN GENOCIDE, Andrea Smith
UNQUIET GRAVE: THE FBI AND THE STRUGGLE FOR THE SOUL OF INDIAN COUNTRY, Steve Hendricks
A CENTURY OF DISHONOR, Helen Hunt Jackson
A LITTLE MATTER OF GENOCIDE: HOLOCAUST AND DENIAL IN THE AMERICAS 1492 TO THE PRESENT, Ward Churchill
PRISON WRITINGS: MY LIFE IS MY SUN DANCE, Leonard Peltier
CUSTER DIED FOR YOUR SINS: AN INDIAN MANIFESTO, Vine Deloria, Jr.
HOW CHOCTAWS INVENTED CIVILIZATION AND WHY CHOCTAWS WILL CONQUER THE WORLD, D.L. Birchfield
A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, Howard Zinn
THE LONE RANGER AND TONTO FISTFIGHT IN HEAVEN, Sherman Alexie
THE HOUSE OF PURPLE CEDAR, Tim Tingle