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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Books to Save in the Event of the End of Civilization

I know, this isn't a happy topic, but it's also an excellent way to focus the mind because it causes the individual to think about what's important, good, and fundamental about their society. Below is a partial list of the items I've collected over the years that I consider "keepers." My complete library can be found at LibraryThing.com. I probably need to add more. I've also solicited inputs from friends on Facebook and Twitter to see what people say...if anything.

Non-Fiction and Reference

Fiction

Friend Recommendations

"Well, as much as I find them loathsome, contradictory and -- depending the translation -- poorly written, all the so-called holy books: Torah, New Testament, Quran, the Mahabharata. But I would include them with the other great mythologies, The Iliad, The Aeneid, The Odyssey, The Tain, the Epic of Gilgamesh as they really did encompass some of the earliest rules of law."

"The Lost World"

"I like anything by John Irving and Ernest Hemingway"

"Homesteading Space, obviously. The most thorough history books I could find, and as many science texts as I had room for. And A Canticle for Liebowitz, just for the irony."

"I would preserve the 'Great Books' collection from St. Johns College. They basically run the gamut from history, literature, mathematics, etc. Always been fascinated by their curriculum."

"I was thinking Cat in the Hat & Where the Sidewalk Ends. Oh, and the Calvin & Hobbes collection!"

"Where the Wild Things Are"

"All the Discworld books!"

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