John S. MajorBesprekingen

Comprehensive but achievable outline of significant books covering most cultures and topics up too WWII, with a supplementary of contemporary books also.

Jag får av någon anledning minst lika stor glädje av att läsa böcker om böcker som böckerna själva. Därför äger jag numer fyra olika verk på temat »Böcker att läsa innan du dör«. Denna, senast införskaffade är också den äldsta. Den har fått den bisarra underrubriken »The classic guide to world literature«. Detta är enbart sant om världen tolkas som det som går att se från USA, speciellt nordöstra delen. Majors bidrag är tydligt: diverse klassiker som inte ingår i den västliga traditionen, som exempelvis en hel del kinesisk och japansk litteratur. Men likafullt är detta en högst amerikansk bok, med en hel del författare som exempelvis en tysk, fransk eller spansk skribent knappast skulle funderat över att ta med.

Det som finns är också högst konventionellt. Det är nästan rörande att i förordet få förklarat att boken är till för de som kanske inte hört talas om alla dessa författare men vill ägna sitt liv åt att bilda sig. Denna förhoppning har i alla fall det goda med sig att även om urvalet inte framstår som särdeles personligt gör i alla fall texterna och omdömena det: det här är ingen övning i att visa vem som bäst behärskar akademisk jargong, utan allt är skrivet på tämligen klar, om än intellektuell, prosa av någon med klara egna åsikter och mod att stå för dem.

I alla fall ett omdöme framstår som mycket klarsynt: att Freuds betydelse var i avtagande. Med diverse teorier om det sexuella psyket avskuddade framstår det för samtiden som ett tydligt tecken på att att åsikterna är tjugofem år gamla att författarna gärna framhåller när någon är homosexuell, eller kommer med utvikningar om udda familjeliv eller andra sexuella böjelser. Annat som gärna noteras: om någon inte är vit och om någon inte är engelsktalande.

Förutom den tunga inriktningen mot engelsk litteratur kan urvalet naturligtvis som alltid ifrågasättas och diskuteras i detaljer – den stor del av nöjet med den här typen av verk är ju att missnöjt undra varför i hela fridens namn någon egentligen kan tycka att allt av Shakespeare verkligen behöver läsas men inget om Sherlock Holmes, eller för den delen något som har minsta doft av genre (det är nästan så man önskar att de inte skulle tagit med Tolkien i den avslutande samlingen med hundra författare de inte riktigt vet vad de skall göra med; det hade nästan känts ärligare).

Men även detta är väl tecken på ändrade tider: den typ av uppdelning i seriös och populär kultur författarna håller sig med har alltmer förlorat aktualitet. De skrev vad de tyckte, och om inte annat så kan man säga att det de skrev blev betydligt mer underhållande i sig självt än vad deras efterföljare mäktat med.

3USHELFJ

Fascinating book on reading and lists of great books to read.

The idea of a western cannon of literature is becoming less and less viable with the major shifts in sensibilities that are constantly 'tornadoing' back and forth over it.

Books like this will hardly be published in the future. For those of us that still think there is value in reading parts of the old and moldy cannon this is as good a choice as any I suppose.

The title is appropriate btw, it truly will take a lifetime to read this long list of some of the greatest writings ever. I've barely scratched the surface myself.

Were it not for this book I would have never thought for a second that it would be worth reading the Epic of Gilgamesh for example.

Which it is.

It would take far longer than I have left to read everything on this list and frankly, there are more than a few that I would not read (or re-read) if I had 3 lifetimes ahead of me. For instance, he adores Fitzgerald

The updated version of Fadiman's original plan for a lifetime of reading. Bringing the work up to date with a broader reach makes it a valuable reference tool in addition to being a delight to dip into. I'm always challenged by the many books I have yet to read, not too mention those I want to reread.

This is one of those books you can look over and browse as you see fit. Fadiman, now with help from Major, lay out a plan for the educated reader. As they state, this is not meant per se for those who already have a fairly extensive education. It is more for those who need to read more, or feel they have gaps in their reading, or wish to challenge themselves a bit. The book is basically a collection of short essays on the books they list. I was happy to see I have read a good number of them, but still have a few to go with some I just have no intention of reading. Anyhow, this was on my TBR shelf for a while, and I finally got it out of the way.

For thousands of years, traders and travelers journeyed the Silk Road. Through the narrative and full-color pictures, the physical challenges and risks the travelers took, what they traded along the Silk Road, what ideas and languages were exchanged, and the kinds of people who lived along this often-dangerous thoroughfare, are revealed.

This is for the fourth edition, of which I skimmed through the entries for works I've already read. I found Fadimam to be a bore. Major's reviews were added for some non-western balance and are interesting in that regard. I don't see this as more than a curiosity.

'The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History' is the story of how silk was produced in China and delivered 7,000 miles away to the Byzantine Empire. The nonfictional account is narrated by author John Major, who holds a Ph.D. in Asian studies from Harvard and beautifully illustrated by Stephen Fieser.
In the back of the book, there is a section labeled "A Closer Look" and it delves a bit deeper into a dozen locations and concepts discussed in the text. The story is told beginning in China, passing through the major stops on the arduous journey, and ending in Byzantium. The author does not provide an abundance of detail as I suppose this book was geared toward younger readers so to make up for this, there is additional information in the back of the book for those who wish to have more information. The story is easy to follow along, but with such foreign words as 'Taklamakan' and 'Dunhuang' I felt there should have been phonetic pronunciations included to aid readers and storytellers alike.

This is a must have/read for all book lovers/readers. The books are listed alphabeticalllly by author as well as by genre. Each book has a summary as well as "essays" as to what too look for or how to get the most out of the book. Even a brief bio on the author. Excellent!!!!

I am a dedicated reader of the NLRP for 25 years now. Love it, making progress, continuously consulting it.

I have a "reading challenge" I've been working on for 22 years or so. It's the "Lifetime Reading Plan" compiled by scholar and author Clifton Fadiman. He wrote a book of that title around thirty years ago that's been revised a couple of times. It's kind of the original "Beowulf on the Beach", in that it takes over 100 authors who have contributed great writings over the past 3000 years or so, gives a profile, defines the flavor, and gives a rationale is to why it would behoove you to read it. This journey has benefited me over and above any formal education that I have received, and I'd advocate anyone else to take this journey.

Not quite what I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Think of all those terrible 101 books you have to read in your life that you've seen. The boring mundane lists of classics no one wants to read or have heard you should read but don't want to tackle. But now take it to the next level with two intellectuals whose writing is just plain captivating to give not only a synopsis of specific author's literature but recommendations of how to read them, think about them, ingest them, or even view them. Each of the authors writes not purely academically but light heartedly with a sense of bookish humor that will have you mesmerized. Each little section talks about an authors life, a little about the era and about which books not to read or are must reads. It starts off chronologically with the story of Gilgamesh and Enkdu all the way to modern literature. I found in greatly enjoyable and informative and have made it a permanent addition to my collection. I got a kick out of learning more about authors I'd already known I'd loved and fell in love with a few more I thought I knew but had all wrong. I love both Clifton Fadiman's writings as well as his daughters Anne Fadiman and would recommend any of their books too - book on book enthusiasts or just plain book enthusiasts

I picked up this book from my library, and surprisingly, it ended up being a one-night read itself. I have no idea who these guys are (I think a father/son duo) but their two to three page summaries of each of the books and why you should read them were fun and well written.

I jotted down a few of the books from their list of 100 that I'm interested in. My question to you guys is: have you read any of them? The ones with asterisks next to them, I've heard about and plan on reading. Others, I might be familiar with the author, but not the novel. And still others, I've NEVER heard of (neither author or novel).

As a caravan of precious silk makes its way across central Asia to Europe, its traders have to contend with harsh climates, bandit attacks, and dangerous terrain. Certain features, such as the writing of the word "silk" in the language of every country the traders travel across and the earth-toned watercolor illustrations add to the realism of the story.The artist plays a lot with movement and drapery, coming in for a close-up of two veiled women inspecting a bolt of cloth or zooming out to take in a bird's-eye view of a marketplace or cityscape. The double-page spread of bandits attacking the caravan in Samarkand epitomizes this style, getting right in the thick of the action with flashing swords and emotional faces.

The Silk Route is arranged geographically, with each new page bearing the name of the next city on the road. The dedication page carries a map of the entire route, showing all the stops along the way. Starting in Chang'an, the capital city of Tang Dynasty China, merchants load camels with bolts of silk to trade. The silk changes hands several times as it wends its way across central Asia, traversing deserts, mountains, and, finally, the Mediterranean Sea.

For some children, the vocabulary and references to so many different places and peoples may become confusing, especially since the author doesn't specifically define all of them. He often provides contextual clues as to the definition of words like "yurt" and "porcelain", but all the new material can become overwhelming for some kids. Perhaps this book was written for an older audience than it ended up being marketed to. With this in mind, I probably wouldn't recommend The Silk Route for kids under 2nd or 3rd grade, even though children of this age probably aren't being read to nearly as much as their younger counterparts and won't be able to puzzle it out on their own yet.

The premise here is that the books under discussion can be read in one night. Perhaps, if you don't have a life with other obligations! That quibble aside, this book is a treasure. The titles are a wonderful mix of fiction and nonfiction; of known and lesser-known authors; of modern and classic titles. The treatment of each title is comprehensive, witty, and approachable. I was swamped with titles I MUST read.

I picked this book up at a library book sale (discarded) and it was a little beat up, a couple of nicks to the cover with slightly yellowed page eges. It sat around the house a year or two before I started reading it. Once I did I quickly realized what a gem this book is. The authors (brothers I believe) give wonderful, brief (2-3 pages) reports of the recommended books. Their writing is superb with a nice blend of book information and author background information. In cases where giving away too much of the book's conclusion would spoil the read, they show proper restraint and do not disclose the outcome. Information about the books editions, publishing information,whether or not the book is still in print, etc..is given at the end of each book review. There is a nice mix of fiction, travel, memoirs, and non-fiction books reviewed. When I first started reading the book I went through the list of books in the contents and checked the ones I had read. Then I started putting a "x" by the ones I wanted to read. I finished up marking a lot or "x"s. I Love this book and have since laminated the book for maximum protection. It makes me very happy that I was able to give this little tattered, discarded book a loving home. Highly recommended and only wish that I could read a book, any book, in one night!

This is a wonderful and comprehensive anthology but one thing drives me insane: why include English-language poems. The only justification I could give for this is "native" and or "post-colonial" literature written in English. Give those pages and pages and pages of British and American poets over to poems in translation?! Give more of what whoever picks up the book wants: literature in translation. Mad, mad, mad in every sense!

This is an engaging list of time-tested works, the "classics" of East and West. Authors from the southern hemisphere (Latin American and African) are sparse but not completely absent. For 133 authors, short blurbs are provided which describe a bit about the author and the primary recommended work. There is also a list of 100 20th century authors with a short paragraph for each, and this list is of course less canonical than the first, although most of the names will be familiar to many. I'll be the first to admit that many British authors are over-hyped by academia (and I find most tedious), but this global list seems more well-rounded than many I've seen. Books that last are in most cases books that actually have something to say, books that are timeless because they touch on those universal aspects of the human condition that do not change so much over the years. Having been sorely disappointed by many praised modern works, I have found myself far more frequently pleased with those works considered classics. I appreciate having a valuable guide, short descriptions I can use to select which works might just be worth my time.

Well-written essays about authors and their most accomplished works. At this point, I am focused more on Western literature, so the Eastern authors were superfluous. Indeed, it may be worth a look at an earlier edition prior to the addition of the eastern authors.

Interesting list that had me note 21 titles that I may like to read. There were many that I had already read, but never in one night. I guess I savor my sleep too much to try to read The Hobbit in one night.

Learning about the Silk Road is an important part of understanding Chinese history and trade.

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1437651

I can't say enough good things about this book. It's like having a wonderful course of classic literature at my fingertips.

When I first got this (Christmas 1999) I immediately went through and marked all the books I had read. Suddenly I felt like my years at University were worth something! I take it off the shelf often- to help refresh my memory on a given book or author, to plan what next to read etc. The write-ups on the books and authors really are great. My husband went to Columbia when Fadiman was there teaching. I envy him that.

I am putting this on my shelf so that people can read about it, but have no intention of trading or releasing. This reference book doesn't leave the library!