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The 100 Greatest Books, according to PD.com

Started by Requia ☣, February 28, 2009, 10:26:04 AM

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Requia ☣

We shall make a list!  In no real order, cause thats too much fucking work.  What books do you think should be on it, what books that are on it should be kicked off?  (say if you actually read the book or not).

Rules: 2/3rds of people who have read it must agree it belongs on the list for it to stay.
At least 2 people who have read it must agree it belongs on the list for it to get there in the first place.

Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll
Cannibalism in the Cars - Mark Twain (short story)
1984 - George Orwell
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Mysterious Stranger - Mark Twain


Quote from: The List So far
Dune - Frank Herbert
Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
A Modest Proposal - Johnathan Swift
The Constitution Of the United States
Common Sense - Thomas Paine
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Thief of Time - Terry Pratchett
Goedel, Escher, Bach - Douglass Hofstadter
No Exit - Sarte
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life - Charles Darwin
The Illuminatus! Trilogy, R. A. Wilson
Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson
American Gods, Neil Gaiman
Neuromancer W. Gibson
Fooled by Randomness, N. N. Taleb
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Breakfast Of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Phillip K Dick
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
Watchmen - Alan Moore
The Prince - Nicolo Machiavelli
1984 -George Orwell
Cyteen by CJ Cherryh
Fooled by Randomness/Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Surely you're joking mr. Feynmann - Richard Feynman
Steal This Book - Abbie Hoffman
Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash
Starship Troopers - Robert A Heinlein
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
The Art of Memetics - Unruh and Wilson
The Tao Teh Ching
Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing and Sniping in the Empire of Signs - Mark Dery
Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
Mort - Terry Pratchett
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - Tom Stoppard
Bulgakov - The Master and Margarita
Promethea - Alan Moore
Surely you're joking mr. Feynmann - Feynmann
Robert Greene - The 48 Laws of Power
Book of Five Rings - Musashi
Sun Tzu - The Art of War
Inflatable dolls are not recognized flotation devices.

Cain

Just out of interest, what would be the scoring criterea?  Cultural impact, technique, storyline etc?  Or should that be left up to us as individuals, to decide which we place more weight on?

(Also, if this list gets completed, I can probably compile a download of it)

Requia ☣

The criteria I'm using is cultural impact of PDers, books that qualify as among the best representations of the genre or idea ( Mysterious stranger), or just books I think everyone here would agree on if they read them.

Others of course are free to use their own criteria,
Inflatable dolls are not recognized flotation devices.

Aufenthatt


BADGE OF HONOR

Dune by Frank Herbert and Cyteen by CJ Cherryh are the best science fiction that I've read.
The Jerk On Bike rolled his eyes and tossed the waffle back over his shoulder--before it struck the ground, a stout, disconcertingly monkey-like dog sprang into the air and snatched it, and began to masticate it--literally--for the sound it made was like a homonculus squatting on the floor muttering "masticate masticate masticate".

Requia ☣

Inflatable dolls are not recognized flotation devices.

Jasper

Man And His Symbols, Carl Jung

ETA: A Short History of Nearly Everything, BIll Bryson


Mesozoic Mister Nigel

The Man who Fell in Love with the Moon - Tom Spanbauer
"I'm guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk," Charles Wick said. "It was very complicated."


BADGE OF HONOR

Quote from: KC on March 01, 2009, 12:40:13 AM
Quote from: Aufenthatt on February 28, 2009, 11:18:12 PM
Orwell off.



:argh!:

I'll second Dune, Cyteen I've never heard of.

Cherryh is my most favorite author of all time.  Like Dune, it's more about politics and personality than anything else.
The Jerk On Bike rolled his eyes and tossed the waffle back over his shoulder--before it struck the ground, a stout, disconcertingly monkey-like dog sprang into the air and snatched it, and began to masticate it--literally--for the sound it made was like a homonculus squatting on the floor muttering "masticate masticate masticate".

Faust

The Gormenghast trilogy is one of my favorite stories, I would put it pretty damn high.
Sleepless nights at the chateau

Requia ☣

Inflatable dolls are not recognized flotation devices.

Faust

Sleepless nights at the chateau

Iason Ouabache

Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Illuminatus! Trilogy - RAW/Robert Shea
Breaking the Spell - Daniel Dennett
The Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins
Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein
Demon Haunted World - Carl Sagan
You cannot fathom the immensity of the fuck i do not give.
    \
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Cainad (dec.)

Quote from: Iason Ouabache on March 02, 2009, 11:02:56 PM
Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Illuminatus! Trilogy - RAW/Robert Shea
Breaking the Spell - Daniel Dennett
The Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins
Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein
Demon Haunted World - Carl Sagan

Having not read the book(s), I'd really like to know why people like Narnia.

Granted, I'm biased because I've only ever seen the mindraeps that are the movies, but it seems to me that the story only exists to get across the following points:

1) If a really nice guy (or talking lion) with magical superpowers exists, you should pretty much trust that he'll make everything okay at a critical plot point. However, you will have to put up with annoying comments about believing in him. (Deus Ex Machina, anyone?)

2) Insufferably annoying young children are really, really good at remembering the above point. If you are a headstrong older sibling of said insufferable young child, expect to get your comeuppance.