hey Seraphim... thanks for the link to the spreadsheet. Glad you found a version that was useful for you.
For those that have only just stumbled across the 1001 books list, it's intended to trace the history of the development of the novel and the title is, of course, tongue in cheek. I know some people get all bent out of shape with people telling them what they "must" read, but for those of us like me who haven't a clue what books have been historically important, this list has totally changed their reading lives.
I'd say I'm a much more informed reader now than I was when I first encountered the the book 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die in 2006. At that point I hardly read any fiction because I was bewildered by all the titles and authors. I had no idea what to choose when I walked into a bookshop. Now, I know how to make my own choices as well as how to give or take the advice of so-called literary experts.
So, I've very much enjoyed the fact that the list has been published.
By the way, the list that is on listology and which Seraphim originally posted is the original edition of the book first released in 2006. It was heavily criticised as being to anglocentric. In 2008, a revised edition was published in the UK. 282 books were changed and it became much more representative of world literature. In March 2010, a third edition was published in the US with 11 changes, all books published since the 2008 edition.
The spreadsheet edition that Seraphim got (Lite) includes just the 2010 list. The Full version includes books from all three lists as well as a ton of other features.
Good to be on this forum by the way. I'd not heard of it before this topic came up and look forward to getting to know you all a bit more.
A.
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1001 Books You Must Read
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- Genocide
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Re: 1001 Books You Must Read
That list makes me depressed. Do you think ANYONE has read all 1001? Author of the list excluded. I usually LOVE lists but this one makes me want to commit su.
arukiyomi, thanks for the update on the list. I like that they added more global titles.
arukiyomi, thanks for the update on the list. I like that they added more global titles.
Dropping glasses just to hear them break.
- DWill
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Re: 1001 Books You Must Read
I scanned it to see how it looked for me, and the impression I got was, not too good. But at my age, I do have a kind of peaceful, unanxious feeling about this. I think now (out of necessity) that quality matters and quantity hardly at all--you know, the "good books though few" thing that Milton said. Find some books you love and reread them rather than thinking you need to expand your life list like a bird-watcher. Novels are great, but they are, from one point of view, repetitive and variations on a theme.
My interest was piqued by #971 from the 1700s, The Female Quixote. Would like to read that along with Robert Tulip!
My interest was piqued by #971 from the 1700s, The Female Quixote. Would like to read that along with Robert Tulip!
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Re: 1001 Books You Must Read
I agree DWill, especially about The Female Quixote -- my eyebrow raised when I read that one, too!DWill wrote:I scanned it to see how it looked for me, and the impression I got was, not too good. But at my age, I do have a kind of peaceful, unanxious feeling about this. I think now (out of necessity) that quality matters and quantity hardly at all--you know, the "good books though few" thing that Milton said. Find some books you love and reread them rather than thinking you need to expand your life list like a bird-watcher. Novels are great, but they are, from one point of view, repetitive and variations on a theme.
My interest was piqued by #971 from the 1700s, The Female Quixote. Would like to read that along with Robert Tulip!
- President Camacho
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Re: 1001 Books You Must Read
Yikes, I've only read 15 and most came before 1900's. I guess I'm going to live a very long time if I have to read some of that garbage before dying. Faulkner? That dude sucks!
- wilde
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Re: 1001 Books You Must Read
"The Female Quixote" piqued my interest too, but my library doesn't have it. D:
- Genocide
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Re: 1001 Books You Must Read
President Camacho wrote:Yikes, I've only read 15 and most came before 1900's. I guess I'm going to live a very long time if I have to read some of that garbage before dying. Faulkner? That dude sucks!
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you serious? I hope you mean the band because William Faulkner is a beast. I mean.... to each their own. :]
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Re: 1001 Books You Must Read
Ok, maybe I haven't given him a fair shake but The Sound and the Fury made me Furious and the only sound to be heard was the book as it nestled itself comfortably in the trash. That book was unreadable! It was soooooo hoooooorrrrible.
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Re: 1001 Books You Must Read
:laugh2:President Camacho wrote:Ok, maybe I haven't given him a fair shake but The Sound and the Fury made me Furious and the only sound to be heard was the book as it nestled itself comfortably in the trash. That book was unreadable! It was soooooo hoooooorrrrible.
I love it! You're reading obscure, hypothetical intellectual discourse between two philosophical giants, and you find Faulkner to be unreadable. I find that to be absolutely hilarious! Well done, Camacho, you've given me a good laugh for the day.
That being said, I've been avoiding reading The Sound and the Fury for a very long time now, much to the chagrin of my father and brother, who hold the book as the best work of fiction ever written. From how people have described his writing and my own attempts to read some of his other works (a horrible short story about a bear comes to mind, as well as my pitiful attempt to read As I Lay Dying) suggests to me that his writing/subject matter may not be to my liking. From the way some people talk, I almost feel like he's a man's writer, and that I would feel alienated and unable to understand the characters because I'm not into manliness, nature, or survivalism, and although I love the fact that the title is taken from Shakespeare, I fear I won't enjoy The Sound and the Fury as much as I should. Although, if I can make it through Don Quixote, I can probably make it through Faulkner. Maybe not anytime soon, but I wouldn't rule it out completely. It is on my "to read before I die" list, along with Les Miserables, everything ever written by Vonnegut that I have not already read, The Once and Future King, and Remembrance of Things Past, among others. Yeah. I've got my work cut out for me.
There are just too many books and too little time. Thus my distaste for silly lists that tell me what I "must" read. I'll determine that for myself, thank you, with a little help from my friends and my Amazon.com recommendations.
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Re: 1001 Books You Must Read
If you like being utterly confused, having long conversations with retards, or torturing yourself... that book is awesome. If you don't then do yourself a favor and cross it off your list.