The Globe and Mail's 50 Greatest Books

[Duncan]

They name one per week in no particular order with fairly extensive commentary, even if it often ends up in gushing.

Here's the one for Moby Dick (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080718.w50booksmobydic k/BNStory/Entertainment/home). Others are listed at the side.

[Spinal]

I always think it's weird when something like King Lear is on a list of greatest books. I mean, yes, I suppose many people experience it in book form, but it's a play.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I can't stand when The Bible makes the list. Look, it's influential, obviously, and it may have it's moments, but it's insufferably boring to read for the most part.

This list seems pretty cliche thus far. Still, their entries are pretty good.

[D_Davis]

Plus, the Bible is a collection of different books. It's an anthology of writing including narrative prose, poetry, parables, and mythology. I don't think any religious texts should be included in best book lists, it just seems stupid to me.

[Mysterious Dude]

Oh yeah. Das Kapital. I could totally go for some of that right now.

[D_Davis]

As far as religion non-fiction goes on a list like this, I would rather see something like Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton, or Mere Christianity by Lewis, or something written by another theologian of a different religion. Something that is more of a singular vision by an individual author, something more personal.

[Melville]

As far as religion non-fiction goes on a list like this, I would rather see something like Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton, or Mere Christianity by Lewis, or something written by another theologian of a different religion. Something that is more of a singular vision by an individual author, something more personal.
How about St. Augustine's Confessions, which is on the Globe and Mail's list?

As for the Bible and play scripts, I don't see the problem. They're all written works collected in book form, so why exclude them? (Other than the fact that, as KF noted, most of the Bible is boring and repetitive.) It makes the list more interesting than a list of best novels or something equally restrictive.

[D_Davis]

How about St. Augustine's Confessions, which is on the Globe and Mail's list?


Yes - didn't see that one.

[Duncan]

The reason I like this list a lot more than your average one is that is doesn't limit itself to "book" in the strictest sense. It seems more like a list of beautiful or important ideas, emotions and aesthetics collected in bound paper. So yeah, it includes T.S. Eliot's Collected Poems even though they were released in different books earlier. Many people (billions) think that The Bible or The Koran is the most profound collection of writings ever put to page. They also don't consider them boring and repetitive. I've had more than one talk with a Muslim where they argue truth from aesthetics, ie. nothing more beautiful has ever been written than The Koran. I think that's reason enough to include them. I also love that they include philosophy texts, which often get overlooked in lists like these. And biological texts. And economics texts. And plays. And short story collections. Plus, it gives you 500 words on the book from someone who is an expert in the field.

[Qrazy]

Aside from a few excluded entries this list is superior:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Books

The Globe and Mails strikes me as a truncated and slightly amended version of that... i.e. superfluous.