Posted on 05/25/2006 2:36:19 AM PDT by Remole
This is the season for graduations (High School and University, especially). Any suggestions for book titles as gifts?
I am giving one nephew E.F. Schumacher, A Guide for the Perplexed.
Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan: with selected variants from the Latin edition of 1668. Ed. Edwin Curley. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1994.
Witness, by Whittaker Chambers
One of the essential books for understanding modern American history.
McGuffey's Eclectic Readers (Primer, six readers, and, of course, the McGuffey Cat having a butterfly on its nose).
Ellis, Edward S., A.M. and Horne, Charles F., M.S., Ph.D. The Story of the Greatest Nations. New York: Francis R. Niglutsch, 1907.
Heilman, Robert B. Magic in the Web: Action and Language in Othello, Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1956.
Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan: with selected variants from the Latin edition of 1668. Ed. Edwin Curley. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1994.
Kierkegaärd, Søren. The Sickness Unto Death. Trans. Alastair Hannay. New York : Penguin, 1989.
Kaufmann, Walter. Tragedy and Philosophy. New York: Doubleday, 1968. Potts
Rand, Ayn. The Ayn Rand Lexicon. Ed. Harry Binswanger. New York: Penguin, 1988.
Velikovsky, Immanuel. Ages in Chaos; from Exodus to King Akhnaton. New York: Doubleday, 1956.
Velikovsky, Immanuel. Oedipus and Akhnaton; Myth and History. New York: Doubleday, 1960.
West, Willis Mason. The Ancient World. Revised edition. New York: Allyn and Bacon, 1913.
Williams, Raymond. Modern Tragedy, Essays on the idea of tragedy in life and in the drama, and on modern tragic writing from Ibsen to Tennessee Williams. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1966.
Thompson was as liberal as all get out, but the book is still one of the best worms-eye views of a presidential campaign. Good for kids interested in politics and a generally entertaining story.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.
Hands down one of the best books written in the last 20 years. A good all-around read.
Among the Believers and Beyond Belief by V. S. Naipaul.
Two books that examine Islam from the viewpoint of an outsider. The former is about Arab Muslims, the latter about non-Arab Muslims. While Naipaul can be criticised for dwelling too much on the negative, his books are much better than the political dreck that is published these days.
The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis.
The story of a callow 19-year old and his relationship with a girl named Rachel. I read it when I was 19 and thought that it was brilliant.
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer.
Not a comprehensive history of Nazi Germany, but not a turgid slog either. Excellent for history buffs.
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
An excellent history book, but also an excellent book about leadership and the nature of the presidency.
1984 by George Orwell and The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick.
Both masterpeices of social commentary and science fiction.
Dumas Malone's Jefferson and His Time
Books by or about Ronald Reagan especially his autobiography, An American Life, In His Own Hand, and God and Ronald Reagan.
NON-FICTION
The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleopn Hill
How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Magic of Thinking Bug by David Schwartz
The Road to Serfdom by Frederick Hayek
Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell
FICTION
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
The Magic of Thinking BIG by David Schwartz
The other title is by Orkin! :-)
The Road to Serfdom, F.A. Hayek.
Matthew Bracken's - Enemies Foreign and Domestic
I'm puzzled by the question. You're suggesting that today's graduates actually read instead of just IMing with their friends??
The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon's Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness by Steven K. Scott. It is a very good book, and it is easy to read. I highly recommend it. It is about how to apply the proverbs to succeed in life.
Good book.
Publisher's Synopsis:
Dr. Bennett is currently working on his next work, America: The Last Best Hope, a two-volume history of the United States. America: The Last Best Hope is a vibrant account of this country's record from before the Founding of the United States to the present day. In recent decades, many histories have treated the American story largely as a social study of missteps and injustices. This treatment is different. Dr. Bennett does not shrink from any hard truths about the nation's past, and he trumpets the glory, romance, and exceptionalism of American achievement. At 512 pages, the first volume covers the discovery of the Americas to the eve of World War I. Volume Two takes readers from World War I to September 11, 2001. The first volume will be published and released May 23, 2006 by Nelson Current, and the second in 2007.
Twilight in the Desert, by Matthew Simmons.
Perhaps a bit heavy for the high school graduate - required reading for those finishing college.
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