100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (That Are Older Than 200 Years)

-pilgrim- : There is another version on page 1 of list

aulsmith: Silverbooks is correct, but I found it engaging. Of course, I was only 12 and never reread it, so I'm not sure how it would come off now.

: mostly propaganda

Turambar: True, Franklin does a good deal of propagandizing, but the book is a sparkling example of Enlightenment Plain Style as well as being one of our earliest examples of American Exceptionalism and a sort of Pragmatism. It doesn't matter if you agree with his views or not; it's undeniably significant.

karenb: Original version please! (No, really, the right one this time ;)

aulsmith : Definitely parts of it, but the whole thing? Nah.

lorax : Thumbing down just to counteract psdavid's proselytizing. I think parts are worth reading for basic cultural literacy, but nobody likes being preached at in a forum like this.

aulsmith : Again, parts of it. But the whole thing? Knowing some of it was done from unreliable manuscripts? Nah.

psdavid: A book in two parts, the old testament which is the new testament hidden and the new testament which is the old testament revealed. Every one of the 66 books (39 Old testament and 27 new testament) interlinks and joins with every other, written in original languages by 40+ authors spanning 2,000 years and many cultures. A book that attracts lively debate as to authenticity and yet every day sees more of its writings and dates confirmed by archaeological finds.

: Why not read one of the better translations, if you're going to read the whole wretched Bible in the first place?

aulsmith : I just read through them all and a lot of them are boring, repetitive and some of them are clearly drafts. Go with the ones that are anthologized.

aulsmith : The whole thing??? Are you folks crazy? Why would anyone who isn't a Catholic even care? (ETA: some good rebuttal points, but still, in my opinion, not worth reading in it's entirety. I found a few samples a good lesson on the limits of formal logic.)

cemanuel: Ridiculing those you disagree with? Nice demonstration of maturity. This is probably the most important book written between about 420 and the end of the Middle Ages about the most influential social institution in Western Civilization. Anyone interested in the development of Christianity would learn a LOT from it. In fact, if you're interested in the topic it's probably more important for non-Catholics to read it. And yes, if you're going to tackle it, you should read it in its entirety. Personally I think everyone should care about how our society developed. But I won't make fun of you for disagreeing.

Betelgeuse: Not the whole thing. I own an abridged version that suffices.

aulsmith : Awful. Instead of an adventure story, I got a White Man triumphs over nature with a sermon.

Betelgeuse: Wonderful. A gripping adventure and morality tale. More than a shipwreck story, it is also about repentance and humility. Defoe's novel has several Biblical parallels, including Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden, the parable of Jonah, and the sufferings of Job. Lessons can be learned from this book, if one overlooks Crusoe's anachronistic imperialism. But Robinson Crusoe is not a dour sermon. It is surprisingly fast-paced, and the first-person narrative gives it even more immediacy. Everyone knows the basics of the plot: the shocking discovery of the footprint, the appearance of Friday, the threat of cannibals, Crusoe's mastery of the island and its elements. There are also lesser known action sequences, such as the exciting wolfpack scene near the end of the book. A great early novel.

aulsmith : Not the whole thing. I took a seminar on Donne, and we didn't even read them all.

karenb : Agree that it's too late (1835, 1840) for this list

henkl : Not old enough

aulsmith : His non-English writings add nothing remarkable to the corpus I already rejected.

aulsmith : Dull, but important. Go for the Cliff Notes.

Betelgeuse: "He who destroys a good book, kills reason itself." A masterful defense against censorship, with the added benefit that it can be read in one sitting.

cemanuel : Agreed. The purpose of this list is specifically for alternatives to Amazon's. Great book though.

aulsmith : I understand why it's important, but it certainly didn't hold my interest.

anthonywillard : Less than 200 years old.

henkl : Not quite 200 years old.

aulsmith : This is an adaptation. There is another work on this list that represents the original.

CGlanovsky: Published in 1818

cemanuel : Not knocking the choice but there's another version of this on the first page of the rankings. I'd suggest switching your vote to that one so one edition gets all the votes. I did the same thing myself.

aulsmith : There are four editions of this work on this list. One is more than enough.

aulsmith : Published 1843

lorax : If you're going to read Don Quijote, read it, don't read a summary and pretend you read it.