What are your ten classic books?

[CivCube]

Once upon a time, I started a thread for CFC's own list of classic books--books that are considered essential to understanding the world in fiction and non-fiction. This time around, you must post ten. No more, no less. Please explain why.

1. The Bible - Let's get this one out of the way. Find yourself a good companion guide and get started on Semitic/Abrahamic culture.
2. Shakespeare's works - Arguably the most influential writer ever when it comes to dramatic characterization, storytelling, diction, poetry, etc.
3. Walden, Thoreau - A rambling thesis on self-empowerment that is far more thoughtful and compassionate than Ayn Rand's ideas.
4. Strunk and White's Elements of Style - Because learning to write better will help you to read better and appreciate better prose.
5. Poetry of Rumi and Hafiz - Like Shakespeare, what these two have written are surprisingly modern and relevant.
6. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy - Before HBO character epics like The Wire, there was Tolstoy's look at different parts of Russian society during Napoleon's siege.
7. Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud - One of the most influential books for me. Aside from gaining a better appreciation of the format, it also forces one to really think about how format can influence communication.
8. Lore of Running, Tim Noakes - Contains tons of statistics, scientific studies, and important suggestions for running.
9. Interpersonal Process in Therapy, Edward Teyber - I find Teyber's approach to be just as useful in therapy as cognitive-behavioral techniques. You can apply it to fiction and actually read characters' intentions better.
10. Robert E. Howard's Conan stories - Because it's Conan and because Howard's gritty detail and storytelling are just as entertaining as ever.

I reserve the right to say I'm wrong about all of this.

 

[Dachs]

Strunk and White don't even follow their own rules in the book

 

[Perfection]

First one to say GGS

 

[Plotinus]

And if you'd like to tell us what "GGS" is supposed to mean in an entirely contextless comment, perhaps I won't delete it.

Here is my incredibly western and anglo-centric list - based on the idea that the list is supposed to help us understand the world we live in:

(1) The Bible, taking this as a single book.
(2) Shakespeare, taking this as a single book.
(3) The works of Plato - again, blah-de-blah.
(4) The works of Aristotle.
(5) Thomas Aquinas' Summa theologiae.
(6) John Milton's Paradise lost.
(7) Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights.
(8) James Frazer's The golden bough.
(9) Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote.
(10) Joseph Conrad's Nostromo.

 

[Disgustipated]

No mention of the Kama Sutra? Shame.

 

[Lillefix]

Adding to the other suggestions: What about the Divine comedy and thousand and one nights. And Decameron.

 

[warpus]

I'm going to do a sci-fi version of this (in no particular order)

1. Dune (Herbert)
2. Ender's Game (Card)
3. Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)
4. Neuromancer (Gibson)
5. 1984 (Orwell)
6. Brave New World (Huxley)
7. The Time Machine (Wells)
8. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Clarke)
9. Rendezvous with Rama (Clarke)
10. Solaris (Lem)

 

[GoodGame]

I think the Bible is classic, as is Dune.

Most of my other recommendations would be for the latest edition of undergraduate course textbooks.

In terms of human history, I think the American Civil War is in general Classic, though I'm not sure which books on the subject are truly classic, other than I'd recommend Shelby Foote's narrative of the civil war.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

In no particular order.........

Catch 22..........hilarious and nothing else remotely like it
Anna Karenina.........Tolstoy`s best . more concise that W A P

Don Quixote...........The Don is just a great guy and who can resist 16th century fart jokes
The mote in Gods eye............my favourite sci-fi
War and Peace........laboured in parts but just so epic
The Godfather.........lightning pace and a great insight into another world
Animal Farm.........ingenious
The grapes of wrath..........Steinbeck in my opinion the best American writer

any of the books in the Flashman series.............words can`t describe how hilarious these are..........highly recommended if you have never tried one.

pity I can`t find anything Australian to even remotely make the list

 

[Dachs]

In terms of human history, I think the American Civil War is in general Classic, though I'm not sure which books on the subject are truly classic, other than I'd recommend Shelby Foote's narrative of the civil war.

James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom. Which has merit chiefly because the author spends probably more time on the non-fighting aspects and the runup than on the fighting itself.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Not read many classics. Here's some I would put on my list, in no particular order:

The Lord of the Rings (bit long winded though)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - best kid's book adults can also enjoy
Stormbringer (Michael Moorcock) - great fantasy book
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (Robert Tressel) - classic book about socialism
Euclid's Elements
Dracula (Bram Stoker)
The Demolished Man (better put some SF on there, this was best I have read)
Shakespeare has to be on there (complete works)

I'd also have a good dictionary on the list since I play Scrabble so much

 

[Earthling]

I'm going to do a sci-fi version of this (in no particular order)

1. Dune (Herbert)
2. Ender's Game (Card)
3. Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)
4. Neuromancer (Gibson)
5. 1984 (Orwell)
6. Brave New World (Huxley)
7. The Time Machine (Wells)
8. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Clarke)
9. Rendezvous with Rama (Clarke)
10. Solaris (Lem)

I make take out Rama and include H2G2, failing that a LeGuin work (and perhaps both have priority over something else on there), but really solid list nonetheless.

In no particular order.........

Catch 22..........hilarious and nothing else remotely like it
Anna Karenina.........Tolstoy`s best . more concise that W A P

Don Quixote...........The Don is just a great guy and who can resist 16th century fart jokes
The mote in Gods eye............my favourite sci-fi
War and Peace........laboured in parts but just so epic
The Godfather.........lightning pace and a great insight into another world
Animal Farm.........ingenious
The grapes of wrath..........Steinbeck in my opinion the best American writer

Another great list, and 100x recommendation for the Moties, but it is a bit less well-known book for whatever reason.

I too think Steinbeck is really solid, especially for the 20th century, but I'd have to recommend Twain otherwise if you are just looking at top American literature.

By the way I think Perfection was referring to a bunch of technical publications

 

[Meteor Man]

Sorry for bumping this guys, but this is a great thread, and I'd like to keep it going.

1. Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - he is one of the greatest writers ever, possibly the greatest writer
2. 1984 by George Orwell - another great writer, and an even greater book, 1984 really capitvates the mind.
3. Animal Farm by George Orwell - this guy is a master at depicting totalitarialism in this classic, which is just so (as Rugbyleaguefan pointed out) ingenious.

Another author: Ernest Hemingway. A great American literary for sure. I've read a couple of his short stories.

 

[Harvin87]

1. Hundered years of solitude (Gabriel García Márquez)
2. The brothers Karamasov (Dostoievsky)
3. The Stranger (Albert Camus)
4. The Sun also Rises (Hemingway)
5. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel García Márquez)

 

[GoodSarmatian]

No mention of the Kama Sutra? Shame.

There isn't much useful stuff in there, it's mostly just a guide about how an Indian nobleman should behave. It features helpful advice like 'don't marry a woman who has a hot younger sister'.

 

[JohannaK]

Ah, I haven't read enough "classics" to be able to put a Top 10, I have just a few:

1. A Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez
2. The Lord of the Rings, by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
3. Republic, by Aristocles (aka Plato)
4. 1984 by Eric Arthur Blair (aka George Orwell)
5. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
6. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
7. Las Aventuras del Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes

 

[mayor]

If you're listing the Bible as essential for understanding the world of fiction and non-fiction you should also list other holy books.

If you only list the Bible you should change the OP to 'understanding the world of fiction and non-fiction of the western world'.

 

[emzie]

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows.

The other 3 don't matter much.

 

[Narz]

I enjoyed a hundred years of solitude, surprised to see it make people's top 10 lists though.

I have some non-fiction books in my sig but I'll stick with fiction for now (off the top of my head, probably not my ultimate classics list if I had more time to think but whatever ).

1. The Power of One
2. Siddhartha
3. Narcissus and Goldmund
4. Ishmael
5. The Long Walk
6. Slaughterhouse Five
7. Of Mice & Men
8. One Flew Over the ****oo's Nest
9. The Duplicate

Can't think of a 10th right now.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

And if you'd like to tell us what "GGS" is supposed to mean in an entirely contextless comment, perhaps I won't delete it.

Here is my incredibly western and anglo-centric list - based on the idea that the list is supposed to help us understand the world we live in:

(7) Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights.

This one is going to require an explanation. I read it about a year ago, to see what the hype was about (and because I'm and omgwtf Bronte sisters fan), and walked away very disappointing. I've never seen a story with such roundly horrible people for characters. I mean, it was a great story and all, but with the exception of Isabella (who is merely pathetic) everyone else in the story is just a really bad person. Why is this book so essential to understanding our world, or even just the literature aspect of it?


The rest of the list I cannot help but agree with.