It's widely said that you cannot judge a book by its cover, but there is now a display in the Harrison Memorial Library that begs to differ with that euphemism. The fiction floor has on display several unattractive volumes with nondescript covers whose contents are considered some of the most remarkable writing ever penned. The discussion of classics begs a clear definition of "classic" and while it is a fairly subjective choice to call a book a classic, most people will agree with the notion that it should encompass a novel that is "first-class, memorable and enduring." There are several lists that one can consult to determine those tomes that most touch readers, past and present and will likely continue to endure as "classics." The Modern Library Association published its own list of 100, which readers then followed with one of their own. These lists can be found at
Modern Library. Then there are several lists that I consulted (ten to be exact) to determine those novels that appeared on at least two lists. Some of these lists are:
In addition to consulting these lists, I consulted The Book That Changed My Life
in which 71 writers list the books that matter most to them. From all this research, I can safely list four books that seem to be named over and over as "must-reads". These four are:
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Happy reading and I would love to hear from you about your list of "must-read" classics.
OK...Tim Blomgren here...at the library today, the librarians told me to respond to a post. Since we are talking about "what makes a classic" I thought I would share my list of the 15 books that inspire me.
ReplyDeleteOK...here are the 15 books that inspire me...
1. Short Line to Paradise by Hank Johnston (a train ride to Yosemite...made me a railfan...also taught me to look for the tangible things in this world that are often missed).
2. Drinking from a Cold Spring by Erin Gafill (a wonderful yet pragmatic celebration of Big Sur, painting, beauty, and life in general).
3. The Oz Series by L. Frank Baum (America's first fairytales...much more than the 1939 movie...incredible creativity and character development in all of the 14 books).
4. East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Steinbeck's magnum opus on the area in which I live...makes everything around me seem larger than life...)
5. Valley of the Moon by Jack London (Everyone, I mean EVERYONE, who lives in America in the year 2013 needs to read this. Jack London saw this "Occupy Wall Street" thing coming 100 years ago).
6. Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington (Another book way before its time...B. T. Washington's work ethic and work philosophy is as true as it was 100 years ago).
7. A MidsummersNight's Dream by Shakespeare (Just the idea of a bunch of people going out into the woods and having all this magical stuff going on is very intriguing to me).
8. We, the Jury: Deciding the Scott Peterson Case by Mike Belmasseiri et al. (I knew Mike Belmasseiri, Juror #4 in the Scott Peterson Case...believe it or not, he is a LOT bigger than the 15 minutes of national fame he received. He taught me the value of leadership and organization...something desperately needed in our society today).
9. Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. (Bradbury is [was] a very approachable man who can talk about anything...he and I talked at length about monorail transportation...I see examples of his Martian Chronicles vingettes everywhere)
10. The Emigrants (series) by Vilhelm Moberg. (For better or worse, this is story of my people...the Swedish Emigrants who came to Minnesota in the 1850's. Very accruate historical fiction)
11. Idiot's Guide to Geocaching. (I found this book at the REI in Fremont in December 2004 and my life has never been the same.)
12. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (Frazier told me that once had three choices in life...be a lawyer, be a part-time college prof with no benifits, or write a book....he wrote a book).
13. Mort D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory (Given to John Steinbeck by his Aunt Mollie in in 1908, this inspired Steinbeck into the world of letters...this specifc book has a very dubious history...it should be in a museum, but it is not...I had it in my hands once in the late 1990's)
14. Joined at the Heart by Al and Tipper Gore (Tipper Gore speaks with class for all of us with mental illness...its a shame she could not have taken it to the White House).
15. The stop sign at the Hillcrest and Yale Way in Livermore, CA...my first word that I read in 1963.
Tim, Thanks for the list. I have not read all of these, but I will agree that Cold Mountain was very moving, and that East of Eden was a masterpiece of place. The way Steinbeck brought to life this area is something not many writers are able to do. My favorite Steinbeck, though is still "Sweet Thursday" (the sequel to "Cannery Row"). So do you know where the original Mort D'Arthur is that was given to Steinbeck by his Aunt?
ReplyDeleteRenee, You're welcome...Steinbeck's original Mort D'Arthur is a very interesting story. Perhaps we can talk about this when I come in on Tuesday. Basically, I found it in a display case in an antiquarian bookfaire in San Francisco. After an "is that what I think it is?" moment, the vendor opened the case and handed to me. Upon opening the cover, I saw the "To John From Aunt Mollie 1908" and the vendor wanted $10,000 for it. Later, I saw Thom Steinbeck (his son) at the Thunderbird Bookstore when it was in the Barnyard. He said that the book was part of some Steinbeck memorabilia that was going to be donated to Stanford University and it all got stolen. Thom discouraged me from chasing the vendor down because by now the memorabilia has changed has numerous times and it would difficult to establish "fault"...as I said we can talk more on Tuesday if you would like. -Tim
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