The Telegraph has come up with the 110 books they claim will constitute the perfect library. As with any list like this, I don’t do well. But I enjoy examining them and seeing what specific entities (in this case a British newspaper that focuses on European classics) think I ought to have read.
Here’s how I fall out with their list:
Classics: I’ve read four completely (Austen, Bronte, Trollope, and Swift); two more are on my to-read list for this year.
Poetry: This is the hardest category, as I’ve definitely read snippets of at least all of the poets they’ve include. I’d have to look at the specific works to see which ones I’ve read completely. I know it’s at least one, but it could easily be more.
Literary Fiction: Thank god for Toni Morrison. Otherwise I haven’t read any of these, although I’ve read other work by some of the authors.
Romantic Fiction: I’ve read two (Rebecca and Gone with the Wind and two others are on my list to read soon.
Children’s Books: At last! a category in which I do well! I’m not sure if I’ve read Treasure Island all the way through or if I’ve just read snippets. I do know I didn’t like it (although I can see its merits). Otherwise I agree with and have read the lot.
Sci-Fi: It strikes me that usually you’re either a fantasy reader or a sci-fi reader and I definitely fall into the former category. I’ve read 1984 and am in the middle of listening to the Librivox version of Frankenstein through CraftLit. Should I bother with any of the others? It seems like I ought to read Jules Verne at the very least…
Crime: I haven’t read any of these, although I have read some of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Collins, Christie, Chandler, Doyle, and Hammett are all on my list.
Books that Changed the World: I’ve read excerpts of nearly all these works, but was turned off by de Tocqueville’s introduction the only time I ever attempted to read any of them unabridged. This category, in particular, would seem to be a weak link in my literary creds. Any suggestions on where to start first?
Books that Changed Your World: Mayle’s work is a favorite and I read A Child Called ‘It’ back in middle school, I think. I gave up on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance from disinterest. Truss, Schott, Adams, and maybe Gladwell are all on my list.
History: I think it’s a bad sign that I’ve hardly even heard of any of these books…
Lives: I started Gaskell at one point…
Hmmm… looks like I’d better hit the non-fiction section of the library sometime soon…
I think that it’s a worse sign that, in this day and age, they can still list that many history books and none of them deal with non-European history. Well, ok, Seven Pillars of Wisdom technically does, but that’s really a technicality.
Comment by Elspeth 04.07.08 @ 9:37 pmI too have not heard of any of those history books. But I can highly recommend Christie, Hammett, and Chandler in the crime category. After you have read the books for the latter two, you might enjoy the films and radio shows as well. Perfect for a night in with fire and popcorn.
Comment by Debby 04.07.08 @ 10:52 pmI always find these list interesting and rarely if ever agree with them. Of all those I have read 11 and have another 5 or 6 on bookshelves to be read in my home. I could list many, many other books that I think should be on the list that aren’t, but that is why these lists are fun to read and talk about.
Comment by Carl V. 04.09.08 @ 7:14 amThe first part of the list had me feeling pretty good. I’ve read many of the Classics (5/10 with plans to read 2 more) and bits from all but 2 in poetry. But it went downhill from there. I’ve read nothing from the Literary Fiction category and in Romantic Fiction, my biggest claim is to having seen the BBC miniseries of “I, Claudius” (wonderful, but not for the faint of heart). I made a slight comeback in Children’s Books (6.5/10) and Science Fiction (4/10) only to falter in Crime (1/10). Let’s not even talk about Books That Changed the World. My world went largely unchanged by “A Year in Provence” and “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” though Mayle made me want to visit Provence and should I go, I’ll bring a towel. In college, I read Thucydides and Herodotus, but I’ve completely forgotten whatever it was they said. How’s that for History? As for Lives, why didn’t they just leave out that category and kept the count at 100?
There was only one book on the list that made me feel bad. Why haven’t I read “Winnie-the-Pooh”
Comment by Karen 04.09.08 @ 8:09 pmI am going to have to print out the list and check off to see how many I have read. Poetry is something that I have always loved so maybe I will get lucky there.
Comment by Mia 04.11.08 @ 12:11 pm