My wife and I own a lot of books - I once estimated something like 10,000. We have so many that some of them are in boxes in the attic, boxes in the basement, and in rented storage. So I was interested to read this article in the Financial Times where some famous authors are interviewed about their book collections. There are also some nice photos of their libraries.
Those interviewed were also asked to list their top 10 books. I've read hardly any of the books listed in that article, but it did prompt me to make my own top list. These are books that had the most influence on me in various ways. They are not listed in any particular order, and I've probably forgotten a lot of important ones.
1. All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich-Maria Remarque
2. Look Homeward, Angel, Thomas Wolfe
3. The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien
4. An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers, G. H. Hardy and E. M. Wright
5. The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins
6. A Handbook of Integer Sequences, N. J. A. Sloane
7. The Art of Computer Programming, Donald Knuth
8. Recreations in the Theory of Numbers, Albert H. Beiler
9. Men of Mathematics, E. T. Bell
10. The Happy Hollisters and the Haunted House Mystery, Jerry West (Andrew E. Svenson)
11. The Caves of Fear, John Blaine
12. Mathematics, David Bergamini
13. Arrowsmith, Sinclair Lewis
14. The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury
15. The Basketball Diaries, Jim Carroll
16. Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger
17. APL\360 User's Guide, K. E. Iverson and A. D. Falkoff
18. Basic Programming, John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz
19. Getting Even, Woody Allen
20. A People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Jeffrey Shallit
Recurrent thoughts about mathematics, science, politics, music, religion, and
Recurrent thoughts about mathematics, science, politics, music, religion, and
Recurrent thoughts about mathematics, science, politics, music, religion, and
Recurrent thoughts about ....
-
Jeffrey Shallit
American mathematician, professor of computer science at a major Canadian university, & skeptic.
All comments are moderated to remove spam and duplication. Please be patient; your comment will usually appear within 12 hours.
Recursivity
Blog Archive
-
▼
2011
(96)
-
▼
November
(12)
- No, Virginia, Intelligent Design Isn't Dead
- I Used to Live in New Hampshire
- A New Self-Published Creationist Book?
- He's Definitely in Favor of Romney for President
- Waterloo Ignorance Day
- Encomiums for Incompetence: The Case of Phillip J...
- More Books
- Books
- Small Minds are Easily Amused
- Friday Moose Blogging
- "Pathological Liar" Horowitz Reflects on His Own M...
- Friday Moose Blogging
-
▼
November
(12)
21 comments:
I always enjoy looking over book lists compiled by people whose blogs I follow, as I often find a new book or several to read that I had not previously discovered. I was not, however, expecting to see a book from my childhood raise its head. My grandfather had the entire Happy Hollister series (left over from my mother and her brothers ) and I recall them fondly.
A nice selection! But Howard Zinn? The Communist?
Howard Zinn - among the great humanists and provocateurs of our time. His Peoples History... reduces its critics to muttering and then sputtering and then nonsense.
Truti
Great list, Jeff! Thing about Gene Wolfe and William Trevor (if they're not already in your bookcases and boxes).
:)
I recently retired, and am amazed at the stuff I am bringing home from the office--a few dozen cartons. But those items are mostly journals, textbooks and such. When I was younger, living with my parents, my brother and I had so many books we were stuffing them on the sill plate between floor joists.
Anon, are you saying that his "People's History" addresses and refutes the critics of that book within the book itself? He must be not only provocative and humanistic, but also prophetic.
Miranda,
No.
Truti
Truti, my question wasn't just a question, but an invitation to clarify what you meant.
And I guess Jeff doesn't care whether Zinn was a Communist or not, or just hasn't gotten around to investigating.
Miranda, what kind of reaction is this? You reminded me of this!
By the way, Jeff Shallit said:
"These are books that had the most influence on me in various ways."
Read the sentence again.
Takis, I don't get your question. Neither your cute cartoon, nor your last sentence, changes the fact that Jeff was influenced by (and assumedly liked) the American history book written by a Communist. I'm curious if he knew, at the time he read it, that Zinn was a Communist. And if he's just learning it for the first time now, if it makes him wonder about possible bias in the book.
Miranda:
You're as repulsive as Joe McCarthy, but luckily, much stupider and with less power.
Are you afraid to answer the question?
Did you know when you read the book that Zinn was a Communist, or are you discovering it now for the first time? Or, are you refusing to verify it for yourself merely because your nemesis mentioned it?
Nemesis? Don't flatter yourself.
Miranda said...
"Takis, I don't get your question."
Do I have to be explicit on something obvious? I don't think so. It's like having to explain the punch line of a joke. Maybe the joke is not good, but, I'm afraid, in this case, it is the audience who can't get the jokes.
As for the second remark, Jeff said, explicitly, that these books had the most influence on him in various ways. He did not specify how.
Get real, Takis. He liked the damn book.
This is no witch hunt. I'm simply asking if he knew about Zinn's communism. Let Jeff just be up front about it (and stop focusing on silly things like the word "nemesis.")
Miranda,
Truti, my question wasn't just a question, but an invitation to clarify what you meant.
No to your first question, and No thank you to your second.
You read some Zinn, and then read about Zinn.
Truti
"You read some Zinn, and then read about Zinn."
If I'm interpreting you correctly, you're saying it doesn't matter whether Zinn was a Communist or not. Then just say so. You too, Jeff.
Miranda, If I'm interpreting you correctly...
No.
Truti
"A People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn"
I think I'm going to pick up a copy of "A History of the Jewish People", by David Irving.
Hey Miranda, I haven't read the book you recommended, but thanks for suggesting it. I looked up some information on David Irving and realized he's one of those morons who don't accept historical facts. Be it as it may, it's always important to read what the idiots have to say. I recently tried to read something that a theologian, called William Dembski, wrote, titled "The Design Inference: Eliminating Chance through Small Probabilities (Cambridge Studies in Probability, Induction and Decision Theory)", only to see how idiotic some people's arguments can be. [It's such a shame to have "scholarly" books of this kind published by Cambridge Univ. Press, isn't it? But publishers just want to make money.]
A quick look at the qualifications of Zinn and Irving shows that the former is still considered a historian, but the latter has been disqualified. (Likewise, Dembski is not a mathematician or philosopher but a theologian/religionist.) One may not agree with the approach of the former, but it does appear to be a scholarly one.
I made up the book title, Takis. I was just trying to make a point, using an exaggerated analogy.
Post a Comment