Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
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1,000 Books to Read Before You Die
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New Book with 1,000 Books to Read
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Juliana
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Oct 30, 2018 10:55AM
Has anyone else checked out the newest non-Boxall book covering 1,000 Books? I went to a talk with the author James Mustich last night. He has a different take then Boxall, this book includes a diverse mix of non-fiction and fiction and based many choices on his years as a bookseller. I'm browsing through the book right now and it has some great recommendations and even includes children's books.
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I took a look at this book and was impressed. The list reflects a more well-rounded reader than the Boxall list. Mustich included many of the Greek and Roman classics plus Shakespeare and the Bible that I have felt should have been included in the Boxall list. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are so much more important than Chaireas and Kallirhoe!! The themes in these works are timeless and are reflected in literature through the ages.
The books are listed alphabetically -- I prefer the chronological listing in Boxall because it allows you to see the development of themes over time. However, Mustich has some interesting sublists at the back of the book -- Mysteries, Family Reading, etc. -- which help you find books in favorite genres.
The inclusion of non-fiction (history, biography, etc.) is also great. It gives you some perspective on the people and times in which the books were written. As a former elementary teacher, I applaud the inclusion of children's literature (though Boxall does this also), as these are the books that got most of us started on reading.
I remember when Mustich came out with the mail-order book catalog A Common Reader: Books for Readers with Imagination in the mid-1980s. It was the only place I could find the classic books I wanted to read and it was the amazon.com of its time.
Yes, and I bought it. I also love that it includes plays and poetry, nonfiction, and kids� books. What I really like is that most (but not all) authors only have 1 book selected. What a nice change, though of course I don’t always agree with the one selected.I agree that it is much more well-rounded, though there are also a lot more books I can’t see myself ever picking up!
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