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100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man’s Library
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Welcome back! Enjoy your stay, and don't forget to man up!
Amazon Listmania: The Essential Man’s Library Part II
Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins
Just like The DaVinci Code, but on hallucinogenic mushrooms…and written 30 years prior. A psychedelic story of a wandering musical troupe that settle down to open “Captain Kendrick’s Memorial Hot Dog Wildlife Preserve,” and somehow get mixed up with the Vatican. The motto:
“The principal difference between an adventurer and a suicide is that the adventurer leaves himself a margin of escape (the narrower the margin, the greater the adventure).”
White Noise by Don Delillo
This National Book Award winner was more right on in 1985 than Delillo could have possibly known. The drug Dylar is the supposed answer to man’s fear of death, yet causes users to lose their minds. This is an extremely enjoyable read, particularly relevant and funny in its examination of how people act in a climate of fear (hello Homeland Security) and under a “hail of bullets” from advertisers and imaginary enemies alike. The lesson: secretly hold out for the wonder drug and/or fountain of youth, but live each day like it might be your last…in a good way…and still show up to work unless you really, really know it is your last day on earth.
Ulysses by James Joyce
Just buy it and put it on your bookshelf and remember this from the book: “A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.” We suspect that even those who have written their doctoral thesis on the book only pretend to have read every word, but a good friend of mine said not to question an academic on things of this nature, so if you encounter someone who has built a career around Joyce, don’t ask if they actually read it.
The Young Man’s Guide by William Alcott
The Young Man’s Guide is a thorough resource which deals with the formation of character in a young man with regard to the mind, manners, and morals. It also has a good amount of insight on the topics of marriage and business. A strong foundational book for a young man asking the practical questions of how to live life while minimizing both terrible temporal mistakes and, well…the wrath of God. As is stated in the introduction, it is Alcott’s intention to influence young men such that they contradict the stereotypes of thoughtlessness, rashness and an unwillingness to be advised or taught. Alcott was prescient in writing this book and would probably roll over in his grave if he saw the modern race of man-babies that play X-Box for 20 hours each week and are perpetually bartending their way through junior college.
Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
This Western novel written in 1985 is not only considered to be McCarthy’s personal masterpiece, but also one of the greatest books of the 20th century. As the title suggests, the story is marked by extreme violence and contains many religious references. Isn’t that what the history of man is all about?
Seek: Reports from the Edges of America & Beyond by Denis Johnson
Through a collection of short stories that take you from a Bikers for Jesus convention to the 13 year olds with semi-automatic machine guns in Liberia, Johnson uses rich prose to examine the role of a man as a potted plant, observing his surroundings and soaking it up. In this story, horrific violence in seeming other worlds contrasts with the comparatively safe process of self-discovery in different U.S. subcultures. This will absolutely open your eyes to the simultaneous beauty and horror of our world, and remarkably, he does it without sounding condescending, jaded and bitter…he is just there, and you will absolutely see everything that he sees.
“In the Ogaden, life comes hard, but these have won through yet another day, unlike all the others they’ve lost to sickness, famine, massacres, battles. The villagers sit close together, everyone touching someone else, steeped in a contentment that seems, at this moment, perpetual. It occurs to the writer that the secret way to happiness is in knowing a lot of dead people.”
Crime And Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
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One of the most amazing aspects of this masterpiece is that it was written by Dostoevsky as part of his resolve to deal with some serious financial hardships. The lesson isn’t to quit your job and write that novel you’ve been meaning to write…but many of us can relate to that sense of personal ambition and pride in the face of fear and financial stress. Again, take the moral lessons from the characters’ mistakes, don’t model your life after them.
“‘Oh God, how loathsome it all is! and can I, can I possibly….No, it’s nonsense, it’s rubbish!’ he added resolutely. ‘And how could such an atrocious thing come into my head? What filthy things my heart is capable of.’”
…Ah, the classic moral dilemma arising from something as simple as a justified murder.
Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
The mysterious drifter is always an intriguing protagonist. One of Hesse’s best known works, Steppenwolf gained much popularity through the Beat and hippy genenerations of the 50’s and 60’s which related to his common theme of search for spirituality outside the boundaries of society.
The Book of Deeds of Arms and of Chivalry by Christine De Pizan
An example of what we can learn about being better men from the perspective of a woman (de Pizan pictured above, instructing her son). She wrote this classic in the 15th Century, a time period not known as the peak of gender equality. Of course, we can project this into our work and not use the text as the foundation to build a neighborhood militia group.
“No one is afraid to do what he is confident of having learned well. A small force which is highly trained in the conflicts of war is more apt to victory: a raw and untrained horde is always exposed to slaughter.”
The Art of Warfare by Sun Tzu
Written in the 6th Century, this has been one of the most influential texts in strategy and planning, especially emphasizing an ability to adapt to changing circumstances and environments rather than having a rigid plan and staying the course through to disaster.
“So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will fight without danger in battles.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.”
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Considered by many to be the greatest work of fiction, it is a goldmine of quotes surrounding a central theme that could be summed up by “all that glisters is not gold.” This is also a great reminder that it is great to be a dreamer and a visionary, but remember to keep (at least somewhat) grounded in reality.
“I would do what I pleased, and doing what I pleased, I should have my will, and having my will, I should be contented; and when one is contented, there is no more to be desired; and when there is no more to be desired, there is an end of it.”
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
This one is tough, because you want it but you don’t…but a wise friend once said, upon being flattered for his world travels “yeah, well you go to all these places always knowing that one day you will come back to somewhere.” We all have friends who are, or some of us may be personally, drifters, soaking up each place like a sponge, and then leaving for the next whistlestop. It is the classic battle between stability/same vs. mobility/change. In the end, the self-centered opting out of human interaction might not be quite as romantic as you hoped. All good things in proportion dear friends. His realization (”Happiness Only Real When Shared”) is the great counter-balance to that primitive urge to walk alone into the wild. Or at least think about the fact that snow melts, and rivers get higher.
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
This epic vision of afterlife is valuable because it challenges us to examine the roots of what we believe and why, and the role of faith in our lives. Further, it is a vision of a world (or worlds) beyond our every day concerns, which is particularly fascinating because it was very much influenced by both Muslim and Catholic thoughts, beliefs and history.
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
The precursor to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this is a good one to read (or re-read) in advance of the 2010 release of the movie adaptation which is being directed by Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth). This is the foundation of it all, and this passage demonstrates the effect on all men (and dwarves) when faced with the prospect of power.
“Their mere fleeting glimpses of treasure which they had caught as they went along had rekindled all the fire of their dwarfish hearts; and when the heart of a dwarf, even the most respectable, is wakened by gold and by jewels, he grows suddenly bold, and he may become fierce.”
The Rough Riders by Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt’s own account of his experience commanding the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War. A great war history from a man who lived it himself. From his account, a man can learn what it means to be a true leader. TR set the example for his men and they followed because they simply respected him.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Considered by Steinbeck himself to be the work that he had been preparing for throughout his entire life. If you have had the chance to read this, or if anyone has ever talked about this book to you…perhaps you have been graced to read or even hear an excerpt from the legendary opening to Chapter 13:
Sometimes a kind of glory lights up the mind of a man. It happens to nearly everyone. You can feel it growing or preparing like a fuse burning toward dynamite[...]Then a man pours outward, a torrent of him, and yet he is not diminished. And I guess a man’s importance in the world can be measured by the quality and number of his glories. It is a lonely thing but it relates us to the world. It is the mother of all creativeness, and it sets each man separate from all other men.
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
Written during the English Civil War, Hobbes’ work is one of the foremost authorities in political theory and contributed greatly to Enlightenment philosophy. Leviathan’s primary concern is the centralized power of the sovereign state existing to maintain order and peace both within and without. A valuable resource, as a man never knows when he is going to be commissioned with the task of forming a new government.
“In the first place, I put for a general inclination of all mankind, a perpetual and restless desire of power after power, that ceaseth only in death.”
The Thin Red Line by James Jones
The author’s fictional depiction of the Guadalcanal Campaign during WW2. Portraying various wartime activities most would consider repulsive, Jones gives account without judgment. With the current events of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, this work is very relevant today.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
A satirical depiction of the social climate in the South just before the turn of the century, “Huck Finn” is largely considered to be the first Great American Novel. Twain’s take on the issue of racism and slavery was initially criticized upon publication and remains largely controversial to this day.
The Politics by Aristotle
From the man that gave pointers to Alexander the Great we can all take note. His writings created the first comprehensive system of philosophy, including morality and aesthetics, logic and science, politics and metaphysics. Though it is thought that much of Aristotle’s work has been lost over the years, it is not a bad idea to take in the surviving words from one of the founding figures of Western Philosophy.
“Now if some men excelled others in the same degree in which gods and heroes are supposed to excel mankind in general… so that the superiority of the governors was undisputed and patent to their subjects, it would clearly be better that once for all the one class should rule and the others serve. But since this is unattainable, and kings have no marked superiority over their subjects… it is obviously necessary on many grounds that all the citizens alike should take their turn of governing and being governed.”
First Edition of the The Boy Scout Handbook
This is the book that started the Boy Scout movement. If you’re a former Boy Scout, you’ll be amazed at the amount of useful information the first edition manual has compared to Scout manuals today. In edition to teaching essential scouting skills, the first edition of the Boy Scout Handbook also includes stories of adventure and bravery that will excite and inspire any man.
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
A poet, musician and expert swordsman. That is a true Renaissance Man. Unfortunately, Cyrano had a tragically large nose which affected his confidence enough to keep him from professing his love for the fair Roxanne, even on his deathbed. I wasn’t exaggerating when I used the word “tragic.” Also, one must respect the play responsible for introducing the word “panache” to the English language.
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
For its honest and graphic depiction of sex, this book was deemed “pornographic” by state courts upon its New York publishing in 1961. This ruling, however, was later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court and the book became very influential in the sexual revolution of the 60’s and 70’s.
The Crisis by Winston Churchill
A fictional Civil War era romance between a New England lawyer and a southern belle, written by the “American Churchill” but often mistaken for the British Prime Minister who shared the same name. Out of respect for the American’s work, the British Churchill offered to add his middle initial to any of his own published writings to avoid confusion.
The Naked and The Dead by Norman Mailer
Taking place in World War II, this is widely considered to be one of the best war novels ever written. As a young man, Mailer showed extraordinary insight into power relationships between the soldiers and their superiors. Further, the soldiers also deal with various degrees of compassion while fighting to maintain a belief in the capacity of humanity to be good while engaging in the brutality of war and being forced to follow orders against their ideals in some cases. A prime example of his superb insight into the workings of many systems and organizational structures, which is still relevant in today’s wars and corporations alike:
“To make an Army work you have to have every man in it fitted into a fear ladder… The Army functions best when you’re frightened of the man above you, and contemptuous of your subordinates.”
Great books … Remarcable
I’ve seen a little error
“The Catcher in the Rye” not “The Catcher and the Rye”
This is pure awesomeness, guys! Off to the library see you in a few weeks
This will give me something to do for the next…few years…I like the list. I have read about a dozen of those, but I look forward to reading the rest
Very well-done list- every time I thought of a new one, I’d see it on the next page. I might be female, but you’ve sure given me some great summer reading suggestions. Great job!
You have 4 books on Teddy Roosevelt, but have neglected to include The Fountainhead? Come On! I understand Teddy is a great man, and this site has a cery high opinion of him, but the Fountainhead is an incredible book that teaches a man to stand for what he knows is true, no matter the opposition. It may have been written by a woman, but she showed the world what makes up true manhood.
I would also like to give a runner-up prize to “The Sea Wolf” by Jack London. The transformation to a self-realized man is a voyage we should all take.
Much like when I go to a record store and forget what I went in there for in the first place, when summer rolls around, I try and make it a point to read books I’ve always meant to read but never got around to only to forget which books those are.
I will be coming back to this page for the remainder of the summer. Thank you very much.
Bravo….this is a great list indeed. I will be referring back to this list for some time as I read through this list of great works. Sadly the only book I have read in its entirety that is on this list is “Moby Dick” I have read a good portion of the “Holy Bible” as well. Now I need to go to the library
Great list. Your readers might also like to reference the Harvard Classics “Shelf of Fiction,” which they can peruse online: http://www.bartleby.com/hc/
Sorry, but no list of Essential Man Books should ever include anything by Rand or especially Vonnegutt.
I remember an old Yale Daily News item on students’ favorite authors that included the line “a few, apparently under the impression they were still in high school, named Kurt Vonnegut.�
Vonnegut is an anti-American, terrorism apologist.
Excellent list, men. To ensure that these actually get read, I’d encourage your readers to develop a reading plan. Pick a few titles each month and you could easily get through the list in two years. This is how I’m planning to read 50 books in the next year:
http://michaelgowin.com/blog/50-books-project/
Great list! I’m particularly pleased that you included “The Hatchet,” one of my childhood favorites that I hadn’t thought about in years.
Also, The Bible. I think a great book for young men specifically inside the Bible is Proverbs. Filled with some incredible wisdom and advice for everyday living. I have been reading one per day for the past several years and still find something new to chew on each time I sit down.
This is up there in the Top 5 Blog Posts I’ve ever read. Excellent work!
Scanning the list at first, I had fond memories of the books on the list I’ve read, and was motivated to pick up a few more on the list that I haven’t.
I agree with Cameron - the obviously missing text is the Bible. (Heck, it even literally means “Book”.) But I’ll add to his Proverbs suggestion… Sirach is the book for men.
This a good list. However, it’s pitiful that there is only one book by a Black author. (Alex Haley/Malcolm X)
These are classics, powerful books that deserve to be in this list.
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Native Son by Richard Wright
The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
The Souls of Black Folk by WEB Dubois
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
Some additions:
“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens
“The Lord of the Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkien
“The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint Exupéry
“The Screwtape Letters” by C. S. Lewis
“The Chronicles of Narnia” by C. S. Lewis
“Mutiny on the Bounty” by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
The various Sherlock Holmes mysteries by Arthur Conan Doyle
Interesting list…so real thought provoking stuff…..
But….
No Byron?
No “Proverbs of Heaven & Hell by Blake”
No Last of the Mohicans?
Some glaring omissions…but perhaps this might lead to a recommended classic book of the month as a feature?
What do you think?
Rita Hayworth & the Shawshank Redemption (Stephen King)
Brilliant list, want to go buy a lot of these books now, but I would say the the inclusion of Moby Dick is faulty. It is one of the worst books I have ever read… ever. But overall, great list.
Awesome list! Posted and shared it with friends.
Some additions:
- Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
- The lord of the rings books. I know that you have the Hobbit on there, but I liked the other ones better
- Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
- Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegutt
If you guys could create an Amazon list it would be great to keep track.
@Robbie Cooper: Even if I had never read anything by the authors you mentioned, just your simple fascist comment should be enough to prompt me to devour their work. First, anti-american and supporting terrorism are two concepts so far apart that you can’t see one from the other, 2nd, since when is different oppinion than yours a crime or a ban-able offense (you say they shouldnt be included)?.
And one other thing, stop making the stupid assumption that the internet is only for americans and by americans - you’re not even the majority of internet users anymore. And anti-american is one group I’m proud to stand with, since it’s been a long long time being “pro-american” has meant anything good.
Thank you for your time,
CC
“Hate and Loathing in Las Vegas”
“Atlas Shrugged” is in fact a great book, but the Bible should be the first one recommended in this list as several of the other commenters mentioned. I would recommend the book of Proverbs, but also the books of Ezekiel. You will find that chapters 38 and 39 are cooking to become a reality.
Many blessings,
Art Gonzalez
Check my Squidoo Lens at: Quantum Knights
You forgot Gulliver’s Travels!!!!!
A must read
Wow, you took like every book I hate and put it in a list. Catch-22, Catcher In The Rye, The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Gatsby…that’s hilarious.
I agree with a lot of your choices here, and would also recommend To Kill a Mockingbird. Great book. I am definitely going to get the ones you listed that I haven’t read yet
I have read about 22 of these books. 2 books need on here that arent. And they are The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Johnny Got His Gun.
this is a really great list though!
Nice work!
An interesting list!
However, Thoreau did NOT spend his years at the pond writing “Walden” (a common misconception). He was actually writing his first book, “A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers”.
“Walden” was written a few years later.
Great list, though I agree with some of the others about ones that were left off. That said, it’s only a list of the 100 ‘manliest’ - not the 100 best, so that makes for a serious difference.
In any case, I’ve compiled the list into a .pdf document (because I have that kind of time) that may help others. You can download it here.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guan Zhong is also a book read by many all around the world. A hard read but still a very good book.
“the jungle” by upton sinclair
“ficciones” by jorge luis borges
“100 years of solitude” by gabriel garcia marquez
“les miserables” by victor hugo
Oops, sorry, thought I had gone through the whole list when I recommended To Kill a Mockingbird, but I missed seeing you had already listed it!
@Gene;
It’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, not Hate and Loathing in Las Vegas
@Robbie Cooper;
As Concerned Citizen already said to you, accusing a writer of being anti-American for whole the world to read is just stupid. nobody cares about these things, other posters just made comments that were worth reading in addition to this list, or were useful for the author, who by the way have done a nice job. Also being anti-American does not make you or anybody a better or worse writer, so please keep it down and let people enjoy reading the list and comments please.
@ author;
Great list as i have already said. Some additions might be Perfume by Patrick Suskind (1989) for general reading. The Meaning of Hitler by Sebastian Haffner (1969) due to the increase of neo-nazism in many countries, whilst most people don’t even knew who Hitler was beside a dictator and mass murder. It’s an easy to read 200 page analysis of Hitler (Not a biography).
I’m currently reading Catcher in the rye and find it very amusing. People who also liked it might wanna read Ryu’s Murikami’s 69 (Get the translation by Ralph McCartny) for it has the same storytelling, but another story, country and culture.
For Whom the Bell Tolls was set in the Spanish Civil War, not the U.S. Civil War, as its entry implies.
Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom The Bell Tolls” is set in the Spanish Civil War - specifying “Civil War” is hardly specific enough and might lead many to assume you are speaking of the United States Civil War. The two conflicts could hardly be more dissimilar.
How do I get this list in a word doc or excel sheet?
The list is incomplete. No one should go through life without having read “Stranger In A Strange Land” by Robert A. Heinlein.
More than 85% the books on this list are totally unworthy, and some of the omissions are inexcusable. To leave out Dream of the Red Chamber, Shallow Soil, and so many of the truly great books is just lame. Did a 8th grader compile this?
Billy Budd by Herman Melville: When the Law is wrong
It might be helpful to have a list of links to these books on Amazon, or another place to buy these books. You could even use affiliate links to earn revenue. That way we could add the books to our Amazon wish list, instead of having to copy and paste. Maybe I’m just lazy…
there’s kind of a major problem w/ your Oddessy / Illiad entry. it’s a compendium of GREEK lore, not ROMAN. maybe if you are passing yourself of as literary critics & manly men, mistakes should be checked before posting.
Surprised that there wasn’t any Bukowski. His carefree attitude is a great example of not having to worry too much about life, and just take it as it comes and enjoy what little pleasures you might have while they last.
Some mention of Lovecraft would have been wonderful as well. No matter how big and important we are, we are actually insignificant specs of life in a massively huge universe of the unknown.
Great list - A lot of essentials yet many books I’ve never heard of - Also, I’d recommend Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (unabridged) - Hugo has a way of capturing the essence of that time and its ideas better than most I’ve read.
Cool list I might read one……or burn it
Hey Cameron Schaefer what’s up!? I’m a friend of Ryan Rayborn’s. Didn’t expect to see a comment by you here.
This list is great. It’s a shame that I’m just discovering it on the tail end of my spring reading push. Studying will take over in June.
Only complaint… no Of Mice and Men. However I do realize that East of Eden is included. Have not read past the introduction thus far, but I can’t wait! He is a fantastic writer.
With regards to A River Runs Through It, it’s the Blackfoot River, not the Black. The Milltown Dam that flooded the cataracts described in the book has been removed. The river runs free for the first time in almost a hundred years.
there’s kind of a major problem w/ your Oddessy / Illiad entry. it’s a compendium of GREEK lore, not ROMAN. maybe if you are passing yourself of as literary critics & manly men, mistakes should be checked before posting”
Yes, that’s the funny part, it seems that he (definitely a male) hasn’t even read them. Oprah’s list are barely worse than this.
For Whom the Bell Tolls was set in the SPANISH civil war … otherwise good list.
Seriously if The Count of Monte Cristo is not on here then I just cant give this list the A+ it deserves …
COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO< READ THE ORIGINAL BY ALEXANDRE DUMAS !
Vonnegut is a humanist. Not a terrorist apologist.
If we all had been able to write our favorites, this list would have been in the thousands. Narrowing it down to 100 (manly books) was the difficult part, and many of you have written some books that just barely missed the list.
Glad most of you enjoyed the list.
@All-Thanks for the corrections. We’re not literary critics or experts, just some guys who enjoyed these books. With 100 entries, there’s going to be some mistakes. We’ll make the changes.
I hate to be another one of those guys that lists off more books for you to include, but I’m going to. First and foremost, great list. My additions are no to replace any of these, but to add to them. Second, Jason and Ross are girls themselves, and should not have been allowed to contribute to this list. Here are my additions:
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
Endurance - Alfred Lansing
Survival In Auschwitx - Primo Levi
Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Coleman
The Raven - Edgar Allen Poe
Solid list, but maybe a bit more international representation?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombian) — One Hundred Years of Solitude, Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Milan Kundera (Czech) — The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Immortality
Graham Greene (British) — The Comedians, The End of the Affair
Chinua Achebe (Nigerian) — Things Fall Apart
Pablo Neruda (Chilean) — Heights of Macchu Picchu, The Captain’s Verses
Arundhati Roy (Indian) — The God of Small Things
…and a few other worthwhile reads…
Walt Whitman — Leaves of Grass
R.W. Emerson — Nature
Robert Penn Wilson — Spin
Isaac Asimov — Foundation Series
Tao de Ching — Lao Tzu
The Diamond Sutra — Siddhartha Guatama
“Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig” This is a horible book. A decent list before this.
I would have included these books: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce and Demian by Hermann Hesse; otherwise a great list.
One word …. Bukowski
Also…The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
Krakauer’s first name is spelled Jon in one place, John in another.
It’s “Jon.”
How about Henry Miller? In one of the books, Tropic of Cancer, or Sexus, Nexus, (I’ve forgotten) he describes a penis as a lead bar with wings. Common, that’s manly.
Real men read Jane Austen
What about the Aubrey Maturin series by Patrick O’brian? Or even 2 years before the mast. The very first book about life on the California coast in 1835?
I love the list and have read most of them. My only issue is why is there not a single mention of Upton Sinclair? The Jungle and Oil! in my opinion are essential for the growth and development of any man, and are perfect lessons in man’s dark side.
wot, no Burroughs? - Surely “Naked Lunch” or perhaps “Junkie”
J.G. Ballard’s “Crash”
and as mentioned previously, how about Hunter S. Thompson? “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail” or “Hells Angels” more than “…Las Vegas” in my opinion.
‘heart of darkness’ joseph conrad
Atlas Shrugged is a great book IN SPITE of Ayn Rand’s horrible writing skills.
It would be far more popular if she utilized the services of an actual editor. He would have chopped a good 20% of crap out of it that includes mindless banter (alongside very meaningful discussions), unrealistic romance tangeants and the FAR too detailed look into everyone’s mind.
Notably absent from this list is Starship Troopers.
A cracking list indeed- some belting reads!
I’d have included:
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham.
Gives a level headed way of dealing with finances, very appropriate given current financial climates.
Hey, great list. I would add “Cryptonomicon” by Neal Stephenson as the 101st, along with just about any of his other works, each of which will give you some nugget of understanding about how the world really works, and are otherwise entertaining and funny. To tackle one of the shorter ones, try “Cobweb”.
Wow! what a great list.. As a compulsive collector of things, I now have a mission to collect each of these books and read them. Thanks for giving me a new hobby (as if I needed a new one). Keep up the great work!
p.s., I don’t fault your list at all, unlike many posters here who chastise you for having forgotten their one favorite. That’s what comments are for, people.
Including a book by P.G.Wodehouse, e.g. ‘Jeeves’ or ‘Mr. Mulliner’ will make the collection complete.
ROBBIE COOPER got his little pecker stepped on.
Wonderful list, I would also recommend A Prayer for Owen Meany as a great read for any guy.
Hmmm… not bad, despite a very clearly American list (nothing wrong with that, ’specially if the audience is American)… I’d also add my vote for “100 Years of Solitude”. An epic, if there ever was one.
What a wonderful blog, and excellent list.
Many of these books have been significant in my life. Atlas Shrugged particularly opened my mind at a very formative period in my late teens.
Peace,
Alec
Pretty nice list. Though I was surprised at the inclusion of multiple books by Steinbeck, Hemingway, and even a McCarthy - but no Faulkner?
Also: you’ve got some great pictures of the books here. How’d you go about collecting those?
“The Virginian”
How about Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States”? I thought I’d see that one for certain.
Oh…and no Charles Bukowski? You certainly wouldn’t find him on a Must-Read list for women…
This is a great list…for women too
Oh and this…tj on May 14th, 2008 11:19 am Oh…and no Charles Bukowski? You certainly wouldn’t find him on a Must-Read list for women…
I like him and I am a girl.
four roosevelts, was the necessary? also, two vonneguts and not a single pynchon… I would have liked to see gravity’s rainbow on the list
Great list, although I personally don’t think that the Bible belongs in it. We should put this medieval belief in “gods” behind us and focus on things that actually exist and are important.
I would think to include the following:
Where the red fern grows
The crossing
Fear and loathing in las vegas
I would have added Aesop’s fables, but overall this is one of the best reading lists I’ve ever seen. I’ve read a bit less than a quarter, but I’m planning on reading most eventually.
There are a lot of solid books on this list, but way too much in the way of Teddy Roosevelt and Steinbeck. I was happy to see Dashiell Hammett and Edgar Rice Burroughs. However, I am surprised that writers like Robert E Howard, HP Lovecraft and Philip K Dick aren’t on here.
Lovecraft’s work reminds us we’re absolutely insignificant in the truest sense of the word. Dick’s reminds us to keep our eyes open so that we don’t forget about the wonders around or or lose ourselves in the noise. Howard’s Conan stories tell us that absolutely no one is in control of us but ourselves.
And despite what some people might say, being a man isn’t ALL about liking old stuff. The civil war is great and all, but again, too much reliance on a particular subject.
Instead of the bible, I might’ve put Takuan Soho’s The Unfettered Mind or even Yoshikawa Eiji’s Musashi on here. Musashi especially as it walks us through the life of one of the most famous swordsmen in history and his growth from a young punk into an iron pillar of a man, absolutely open but without a sign of weakness.
@ A
I love women who read Bukowski.
Buk took poetry to the places where poetry was never welcome. Poor houses, streets, bars. The stock rooms of shitty jobs.
I’ve always argued his case on the sexism issue. I don’t think he was so terrible towards women. He just wrote about the people in his life, which included some awful women (and he probably describe them accurately). In many moments, he was capable of incredible bouts of love poetry.
Speaking of which…no ee cummings.
Great post. Lots of good comments thus far. The only thing I’d add is that there’s a little too much Steinbeck. As Robert Gottlieb, writing in the New York Review of Books, recently put it, “The extraordinary thing about John Steinbeck is how good he can be when so much of the time he’s so bad.” (See http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21264 for the full article — it’s well worth reading.) Hence a suggestion: replace the Steinbeck with books readers have suggested above.
Damn, whoever compiled this list sure was hung up on Teddy Roosevelt.
Heh. I was almost to the end of the list, and starting to hold out faint hope that you wouldn’t pander to the Christian screamers by putting the Bible on it, when there on the last page … bang, you had to do it. There would be shrieks up to the sky if you didn’t include it, wouldn’t there? Wussies. Wading through the Bible, for a non-Christian, is excruciating. How about a few more books on science and reason instead? How about Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of Species”? Steven Pinker’s “How the Mind Works.” Or even Tom Paine’s “The Age of Reason.”
(Oh, reading the preceding comments, I see the Christian screamers have chastised you for not putting the Bible FIRST. Gawd, how typical.)
Just a question too: Have any of you READ Huck Finn lately? It might be the first great American novel, but it just isn’t that good. Twain’s one of my heroes, but this book is written like Twain lost interest in it about 3/4 of the way through, and then just hurried to finish. I’d recommend his “Innocents Abroad” as more readable.
I’d probably include a good-sized dictionary on my Top 100 list, and — these days — maybe something on grammar and punctuation.
Considering this list is probably aimed at stupid Americans (I’m one of them), why not something on how to win the lottery, or a book or two on having the perfect orgasm? And where’s The Britney Spears Story???
And what about:
Sinclair Lewis’ “The Jungle”?
Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451″?
Heinlein’s “Stranger in a Strange Land”?
Wilson Rawls’ “Where the Red Fern Grows”?
Nathaniel Branden’s “The Psychology of Self Esteem”?
And just my opinion, I don’t think you can be a properly-grounded macho guy without reading Dr. Suess’ “Fox in Socks.” Out loud, to kids.
@S3An3Rs I agree. Count of Monte Cristo should have been on the list.