reference books for villains

I have a book called A Writers Guide To Character Traits by Linda N. Edelstein PhD [a psychologist]

It's a brilliant book, my first stop when I'm constructing characters. It contains psychological profiles of types of careers; criminal types; sexual styles; and psychological disorders.

http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html

I'm not a psychologist, and psychology is what you're looking for.

. . . . but it occurs to me that case studies of particular evilfolks might be of use. These would be found in the field of Criminology. I do NOT know these works -- but this is an example of what's out there ... here, here,


Some True Crime books are not mere sensationalism, but have a psychlogical slant. And Capote's In Cold Blood might be interesting.

From the title of the thread I assumed this would be about which books an evil genius would have on their bookshelf. I'm so disappointed...

"The Psychology of Military Incompetence" is about the most useful book I've read in quest for villains. The real villains in history are often a bewildering mixture of cunning and complacency; people who'd rather shoot the messenger than hear things that interfere with their plans; who'd do anything for their own personal sense of importance; who go about rational goals irrationally, and irrational goals rationally....