A. Classical and Philosophical [Because the translation and editing make such a huge difference in these works, I’ve gone against tradition and placed that info before the actual author and work]
1. Robert Fagles’ translations of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Sophocles’ Three Theban Plays, and Aeschylus’ Oresteia.
2. The Hackett edition: Plato: Complete Works.
3. The Modern Library edition: The Basic Works of Aristotle.
4. Dumb Ox Books’ edition: St. Thomas Aquinas’ Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics.
5. Oxford World’s Classics edition: Aristotle’s The Nicomachean Ethics.
6. Classic Club edition: T. W. Higginson’s translation: Epictetus’ Discourses and Enchiridion.
7. Modern Library edition: Gregory Hays’ translation: Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations.
8. Oxford World’s Classics edition: P. G. Walsh’s translation: Cicero’s On Obligations (De Officiis).
9. Loeb Classic Library edition [In original Latin, and English translation by J. E. King]: Cireco’s Tusculan Disputations.
10. Modern Library two volume edition: Plutarch’s Lives.
B. Our American Heritage
1. George Washington: Writings. The Library of America.
2. The Adams-Jefferson Letters. University of North Carolina Press.
3. Notes of the Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 Reported by James Madison. Ohio University Press.
4. The Business of May Next: James Madison and the Founding. William Lee Miller, University Press of Virginia.
5. Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution. Richard Beeman. Random House.
6. The Heritage Guide to the Constitution. Edwin Meese III, Matthew Spalding, David Forte. Regnery Publishing and the Heritage Foundation.
7. How to Read the Federalist Papers. Anthony Peacock. The Heritage Foundation; First Principles Series.
8. The 5000 Year Leap: The 28 Great Ideas That Changed the World. W. Cleon Skousen. National Center for Constitutional Studies.
9. A Patriot’s History of the United States. Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen. Sentinel/ Penguin Group.
C. Nostalgia and Pure Pleasure
1. Boy Scout Handbook: A Handbook of Training for Citizenship Through Scouting. Sixth Edition, Second Printing, 1960. Boy Scouts of America. [Complete with ads at the back for - among other manly interests - Marlin, Winchester, Savage/Stevens, Remington, and Mossberg rifles, as well as Daisy BB rifles.]
2. The Family of Man. Created by Edward Steichen for the Museum of Modern Art. 1955.
3. Siddhartha. Herman Hesse. Tr. by Hilda Rosner. New Directions Paperback. Printed 1957.
4. The Poetry of Robert Frost. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1969.
5. Howl and Other Poems. Allen Ginsberg. City Lights Books, 1956 & 1959.
6. The Palm at the End of the Mind: Selected Poems and a Play. Wallace Stevens. Vintage Books Edition. 1972.
7. A Natural History of Western Trees. Donald Culross Peattie. Bonanza Books. 1953.
8. On the Loose. Jerry & Renny Russell. Sierra Club-Ballantine Books. 1967.
9. Tao Te Ching. Lao Tsu. Tr. by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English. Vintage Books. 1972.
10. Four Quartets. T.S. Eliot. Harcourt, Inc. 1943.
11. The Tokyo-Montana Express. Richard Brautigan. Dell. 1980.
12. The Hand of God: Thoughts and Images Reflecting the Spirit of The Universe. Edited by Michael Reagan. Templeton Foundation Press. 1999.
I too once had a ginormous library. But I realized that I would never read about 90% of my novels and other books again.
So I got rid of them. Kept the ones that I do look at again.
But I got rid of encyclopedias and dictionaries. They took up way too much space, and with the internet, I can get the freshest information on any subject they might cover.
I’m keeping all my Greek and Roman stuff, classic pulp paperbacks, illustrated first edition children’s books, and so on.
With failing vision, I parted with 99% of my books and am relying on Nook That way I can enlarge the font and manage to read for enjoyment again. Since I am downsizing now that would have had to happen anyway.
Perhaps, if I live too much longer, I will have to switch to an audio book service.
We adjust.
I hope you have a Bible, and read it. In the end it will be the only book that matters.
Just cuz.
I’ve over 15,000 volumes of which at least 1/2 are reference, textbooks, or history. I may some day be able to part with some of those that are fiction, but there will always be volumes that have more meaning than just their words due to their ties to a part of my past.
Books are my guilty pleasure if I start to part with them it will either be out of my control or because I know my time is at an end.
But my 20K comics that’s another matter all together :)
Isn’t it funny how we think of our books when we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel? I’m mulling over the same chore. So many books, so little time. I have, over time, given away a ton of books and still can’t find room for the ones I “can’t bear to part with.” I have kept my books on Theology from seminary. I still have the full Kittle set on the Greek, and all the reference books on Hebrew. I have practically no fiction books. I covet your number 4 & 9 & 12. I would also love to have the ones on Plato and Aristotle. Reading is life to me. If I ever lose the ability to read just bury me.
A couple years ago, I picked up a 52 volume set of Great Books of the Western World, copyright 1952, from a garage sale for $20! I don’t think they had ever even been OPENED, much less read. Don’t know if I’ll ever read them, but I want to. If I spent as much time reading them, as I do on Free Republic, I could probably be 1/3 of the way through.
The set includes authors from Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Hippocrates, Aquinas, Shakespeare, Milton, ADAM SMITH (YEAH), and even Marx and Engels. The one that I wish it had also is The Road to Serfdom, but I’m keeping my eye out! I find it difficult to get rid of books....
“avid reader since childhood”: one of the top 4 or 5 blessings a person can have!
‘4. The Business of May Next’ most helpful book on the Founding IMO. Can’t recommend it enough. Still haven’t read ‘A Patriot’s History of the United States’ though, of course, I know the author to be worthy.
Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, another good choice.
Surprised not to see Herodotus’ Histories on there. Fascinating that Man has changed none- zero, zilch- since his time!
Ye Olde Book Club Ping
Ye Olde Book Club Ping
Picked up a couple of detective novels at the same time.
I have a Kindle which is handy at times but we have an excellent, excellent used book store which I will never tire of and the number of books on my personal library shelf continues to expand despite the e-book revolution.
It’s interesting to see what others keep in their libraries. I have an extensive library of history books; no fewer than 36 titles just on the war between Nazi Germany and the USSR.
It's great to see a freeper author's name in your list. I have two of Larry Schweikart's books.
Every book that I have acquired in my 58 years of life I still own, unless it fell apart from too much reading. My will states that until they find new homes any and all money is to be used to support them till they are placed with a book lover before any money is dispersed to human relatives. Not quite but now that I think it, may be time to modify the will!
Before you give away a book, even to a fellow bibliophile check what it is worth, my Dirac’s The Principles of Quantum Mechanics 2nd Edition, is worth about a grand, but what shocked me was when the current gun control debate started again I recalled my favorite book on the subject, Unintended Consequences by John Ross. I was checking Amazon, thinking about submitting a review, I was surprised to see a book I bought back in 98? for $20 or so was now selling for $400 used.
In view of what has been happening to our country for 100 years, that we are seeing the ugly manifestation of Satan’s aaaaenda, may I suggest all Americans read “The Light and the Glory:”, by Peter Marshall and Davbid Manuel?
I have often said on thesee threads that without God there can be no America, for America and our Constitution was made for Christians by Christians. There was a day that unless one was a proven Christian, one could not run for pubhlic office! The sheep of His pasture have strayed, but He still searches for them.