Best books of all time

[Wicked Pilot]

In no order what so ever:

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

The Crucible - Arthur Miller

MacBeth - William Shakespeare

Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe

[Sienthal]

Amergin: Odyssy of the Irish
One of my personal favorites, a nifty fiction based off the old norse bards, and how they arrived in Ireland.

And...*Shudder* I know this is blasphemous, but, the Harry Potter books are pretty good...They're supposed to be better later. I learned that the later books are definately not meant for children either.

Also, one of my favorite Shakespearean plays that I read was The Merchant of Venice. And Antigone is another good play.

[lgot]

Those are all excellent books. I did not like Brave New World so much as I liked Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis," though. Perhaps you should try that one and see what you think. It has the same "feel" as many of the ones that you have, here.

I have already did it . My juvenille literature was made of Agatha Christie, Artur Clarke and all the classics that my father had just to impress the visitors ; )
But that happened a long time and Kafka did not left me the impression those other books. But then, I have re-read then several times (I have not did that with Ulysses...But then, mostly people do not even try it anymore) but I did not with kafka. Perhaps i should, since re-reading helped to see some of those books within a light of new perspective.
The Brave New World is here for two reasons: One of the few books that deal with autoritary society and science genetic control that do not end in a persimist way. Its interesting how Huxley actually end saying that society is good and individuality is also and do not give any easy moral solution. And Because Huxley story. How he was a elitist which started to write to defend facism and social darwinism and such thing, but ended not being able to do it and letting the story follow a new line. And how he ended doing it in his life.

BTW, the name is actually "The Divine Comedy," and it is commonly referred to as "Dante's Inferno," for obvious reasons. You are quite correct, however, it is an excellent book and one of the most notable classics of that period. Indeed, it is one of the most memorable and lasting books in history. No other book has so successfully been passed down in imagery in all of history. Even to this day, much of what Dante wrote on hell is used by clergy and atheists, alike. It is perhaps the best book ever written, in terms of imagery, and well worth the read.

I read it in portuguese (which is Divna Comedia) and i wasnt sure about its english name, so i used just the Comedy and dante in hope to be enough. Dante is a genial person. I wish a lot to get in hands his book about the story of war in italy and the one about the history of his city from roman empire until now, without much success.
True, someone pointed Illyad and Odyssey, also books i read, also ever lasting books.

[Master of Ossus]

In no order what so ever:

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

Hmm... Interesting pick over Grapes of Wrath, but I can see where you're coming from. An excellent book in and of itself, it is sometimes overshadowed by some other Steinbeck books.

BTW, Crucible, Antigone, Journey..., and TKaMB are all great. I agree with you that Journey... was better than 20,000 Leagues.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

What are the best books of all time and why?

Some of my favorites are:

1. Lord of the Flies--best symbolic book ever written by far. Poignant, and powerful, it tells the story of a society of children better than anything else I can imagine. It is the best book ever written, IMO.

Wasn't too bad. Though I wouldn't say it was a great book. I don't much like the others though, so . . .

1:) The Odessey -- Hehe, it's got high romance, supernatural action and adventure, and killing . . . lots of killing. What's not to like? And it's a classic. It made a helluva TV movie and is easily accessible by all audiences.

2:) Plays by Shakespeare -- Hamlet and Othello. Both very awesome stories. Both adapted very well to modern mediums such as film.

4:) Forward the Foundation and The Positronic Man by Isaac Asimov. Very touching stories, I thought.

5:) Of Mice And Men: Well, it's still being read today. A very good story of how life was back at the beginning of the century.

6:) Animal Farm: It just works on so many levels. It adapts well to modern mediums.

7:) Brave New World: Published in the 50s, it provides a very disturbing look how the future could turn out through engineering society and genetics.

That's my quick list.

[Ubiquitous]

Here is my top 5:

1) Lord of the Rings
2) The Passing of the Technomage trilogy
3) The Godfather
4) Vlad the Drac [Not a 'classic', but it was the first book I ever read and got me into reading books]
5) Consider Phlebas [Ian Banks, sci-fi novel, unlike anything I have ever read]

Currently I am reading A Game of Thrones and Ender's Game.

[Doomriser]

The Bible.

[Mr Bean]

Lol you mean the book that advises you to kill your Best Friend/Son/Daughter/Wife/Anyone else if they commit the crime of not being Chrisitian?

[RayCav of ASVS]

1:) The Odessey -- Hehe, it's got high romance, supernatural action and adventure, and killing . . . lots of killing. What's not to like? And it's a classic. It made a helluva TV movie and is easily accessible by all audiences.

[perverted thread hijack]

My favorite part was when Odysseus killed those servant girls

[/perverted thread hijack]

[RayCav of ASVS]

The Bible.

Methinks something happened to Doomriser

[Mr. B]

Maybe thoe people at the creationist site got to him.

[Master of Ossus]

The Iliad and The Odyssey - If there is such a thing as timeless stories, these would fit the bill perfectly.

Epic of Gilgamesh - While many lines of this story are still missing, it is still an excellent look at friendship, loss, human frailty, death, and the desire for immortality.

Rights of Man, Common Sense, The Age of Reason - Thomas Paine was briliant. That's all I can say.

There's many more I would add, but this will do for now.

Ah, the Epic of Gilgamesh. There's a new one on this thread. I can't really disagree with it, either. BTW, Fahrenheit 451 is a great read, too, for whoever posted that.

[Master of Ossus]

Lol you mean the book that advises you to kill your Best Friend/Son/Daughter/Wife/Anyone else if they commit the crime of not being Chrisitian?

Hey, come on, guys. If you want to debate some of the different picks here, that's great, but if you are just going to tell someone off than I'd rather you do it on another thread. He might also be referring to the Bible's literary elements, many of which were revolutionary at the time parts of it were written. Even today, many writers in several mediums return to the Bible for inspiration (including George Lucas, JRR Tolkein, JMS, Harper Lee, and MANY other writers--some of which are mentioned on this very thread). If you are going to attack someone's picks, PLEASE do so in a reasonable manner. And remember that just because someone likes a book does not necessarily mean that they believe in the philosophy that it promotes. For instance, it is possible to like Gulliver's Travels without being a Communist. Many people take this stance, including me. While not a Communist, I even went so far as to place Gulliver's Travels on my top ten list!

BTW, this goes for RayCav, too. I just saw Mr. B's post, first, scrolling down from the top of the thread.

Thanks for your cooperation on this manner.

[The Yosemite Bear]

1. Oh, the Places You Will GO! (hey it's the work of a TRUE MASTER)
2. Book of the Five Rings (Miamoto Musashi)
3. The Lorax
4. The Butter Batter War
5. The Legend Of Robin Hood Book II

[Mr. B]

Has anyone ever read Jules Verne. He was the author who got me into sci-fi, along with star wars.

[XPViking]

Some pretty good authors and books that I like. John Le Carre (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Constant Gardener), Jules Verne (20 000 Leagues Under the Sea), HG Wells (The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, War of the Worlds), Aldous Huxley (Brave New World), George Orwell (1984), Homer, and The Bible.

XPViking


edit: forgot to add Tolkien (the trilogy).

[Dalton]

Let's see here...no particular order mind you...

*Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
*Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide - Douglas Adams
*Ender's Game/Ender's Shadow - Orson Scott Card
*Good Omens - Terry Pratchett
*Jingo (and pretty much the rest of the Watch books) - Terry Pratchett
*Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
*The Adventures of Robin Hood - This was a Reader's Digest release apparently, but I still loved it. Dunno the author.
*Specter of the Past/Vision of the Future - Timothy Zahn
*Island of the Blue Dolphins (A Robinson Crusoe-like book, forgot the author)
*Hatchet - Gary Paulsen ("Young Adult" book, but still a favorite, shame I lost it)