An eclectic
list (likely to grow) of significant books I have read
and re-read
and will likely read again.
Note:
A brief summary of each book is a work in progress.
A quick
copy and paste into Amazon.com will give
you more
information
and tell you whether the book is even still available.
I am a reader who is constantly reading 3 or 4 books at the same time. Books are my friends in a way that television is for too many other people these days. My knowledge and ideas come primarily from the interplay of experience, reflection and books. (The Internet is becoming a definite resource and occasionally radio or television will engage me. I wish I could gain more from other people directly.) Someone with considerable wisdom once said "I wish I was as certain of anything as my critics are of everything". Reading makes one acutely aware of how limited one's knowledge is of the world and how it operates. It is impossible to achieve perfect knowledge and understanding of everything, but a little knowledge of many things and considerable knowledge of several things is far superior than ignorance.
The list that follows are books that were I to be told I could only take a trunk of my favourite books with me to a desert island, these are the books I would take.
The categories
would be
* Philosophy, Culture and Religion
* Economics and Politics
* Travel Writing
An interesting contrast
The Books:
(In no particular order at this time)
1. The Miracle of Being Alive (1989) by Tich Nhat Hanh
One of my favourite Buddhist sages and writers. All of his books
are terrific. He provides a simple yet
wise perspective on Buddhism and life in a unique way.
2. Technopoly (1992) by Neil Postman
Thoreau said to be wary of "becoming tools of our tools".
The recently deceased social critic Postman
was no luddite, but a sometimes too solitary seeming voice in the
wilderness telling us not to be blindly
enamoured and/or addicted to technology.
His other books are also worth a read.
3. God's Dust -- A Modern Asian Journey (1989) by Ian Buruma
A sharp observer and reporter of Asian culture and politics, Buruma
takes us on a fascinating journey through
several Asian countries, including Thailand, Burma and Japan.
4. Hunting Mr. Heartbreak (1990) by Jonathan Raban
5. Beyond Culture (1976) by Edward T. Hall
6. Essays in Idleness -- The Tsurezuregusa of Kenko by Donald Keene (Translator)
7. Jihad vs. McWorld -- How Globalism and Tribalism are Reshaping the World (1995) by Benjamin Barber
8. The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches by Matsuo Basho
9. Kitchen Confidential -- Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (2000) by Anthony Bourdain
10. The Lexus and the Olive Tree - Understanding Globalism (2000) by Thomas Friedman
11. Red China Blues -- My Long March from Mao to Now (1996) by Jan Wong
12. Fast Food Nation - The Dark Side of the All American Meal (2001) by Eric Schlosser
13. Myths to Live By (1972) by Joseph Campbell
14. The Hot Gates and Other Occasional Pieces (1961) by William Golding
15. The Way of Zen (1957) by Alan Watts
16. The Snow Leopard (1978) by Peter Matthiessen
17. How the Scots Invented the Modern World (2001) by Arthur Herman
18. Toward a History of Needs (1977) by Ivan Illich
19. Touch the Dragon - A Thai Journal (1992) by Karen Connelly
20.
A History of Knowledge - The Pivotal Events, People and Achievements of
World History (1991)
by Charles Van Doren
21. Korea - A Walk Through the Land of Miracles (1988) by Simon Winchester
22.
The Millionaire Next Door - The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy
(1990)
by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
23. Powershift - Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century (1990) by Alvin Toffler
24. The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy (1995) by Christopher Lasch
25. In Pursuit of Happiness and Good Government (1988) by Charles Murray
26. The Reenchantment of the World (1984) by Morris Berman
27. Free to Choose (1980) by Milton and Rose Friedman
28. The Roads to Sata (1985) by Alan Booth
29. Walden by Henry David Thoreau
30. Riding the Iron Rooster by Train Through China (1988) by Paul Theroux
31. Celebration of Awareness (1970) by Ivan Illich
32. The New Inquisition -- Irrational Rationalism and the Citadel of Science (1987) by Robert Anton Wilson
33.
The Monk and the Philosopher - A Father and Son Discuss the
Meaning of Life
by Jean-Francois Revel and Matthieu Ricard
34. The Patriot Game -- National Dreams and Political Realities (1986) by Peter Brimelow
35. The Lost Continent -- Travels in Small-Town America (1989) by Bill Bryson
36. Thus Spake Bellavista (1989) by Luciano de Crescenzo
37. The Name Above the Title: an Autobiography (1971) by Frank Capra
38. The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma (1987) Tranlated by Red Pine
39. The Once and Future King (1939) by T.H. White
40. Zorba the Greek (1963) by Nikos Kazantzakis
41. Blue Highways- A Journey into America (1982) by William Least Heat Moon
42. Living, Loving and Learning (1982) by Leo Buscaglia
43. The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh (1963) Edited by Mark Roskill
44. From the World of Roderick Haig-Brown -- Writings and Reflections (1982) by Roderick Haig-Brown
45. Lost Horizon (1933) by James Hilton
46. Graceful Simplicity -- Toward a Philosophy and Politics of Simple Living (1999) by Jerome M. Segal
47. The Wisdom of Lao Tse (1976) Modern Library
48. All the King's Men (1946) by Robert Penn Warren
49. The Call of the Upanishads (1976) by Rohit Mehta
50. The Language Instinct (1994) by Steven Pinker
51. Intellectuals (1988) by Paul Johnson
52. Dhammapada -- The Sayings of Buddha (1995) Translated & Commentary by Thomas Cleary
53. The Inland Sea (1993) by Donald Ritchie
54. Siddhartha (1971) by Herman Hesse
55.
The Zen Teachings of Huang Po (1958) Edited and Translated by John
Blofeld
Last updated June 2004