Action thread

I say we start off small - how about make a list of their top 10 books and submit by next Friday?

Good idea!

I'm going to assume that everyone else is just shy and start with my own list, if that's okay

The Great Gatsby
The Grapes of Wrath
The Secret History
1984
And Then There Were None
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
From Russia With Love
Good Omens
To Kill A Mockingbird
His Dark Materials

Well, here's my shot at a top 10, although this was tough, and probably will change everytime I revisit... no particular order on this.

Possession by A. S. Byatt
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Persuasion by Jane Austen
The Road by Cormac McCarty
My Antonia by Willa Cather
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
How Late it Was, How Late - James Kelman
Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

(Lots of wonky touchstones)

His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
It, Stephen King
Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
And then there were none, Agatha Christie
Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt
Atonement, Ian McEwan
War and Peace Leo Tolstoy
Animal Farm, George Orwell

Kristin lavransdatter Sigrid Undset
Gone with the Wind Margaret
mitchell
Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck
War & Peace Leo Tolstoy
Raintree County Ross Lockridge
Lonesome Dove Larry McMurtry
The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver
The God of Small ThingsArundhati Roy
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
The Good Earth Pearl Buck

I'm sure I'll revise this later, but for now:

1984
The Bible
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Iliad
Hamlet
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Odyssey
Lord of the Rings
Le Petit Prince
Pride and Prejudice

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard

(I went over my allowance, hope no-one minds!)

Kim (Kipling)
Joy in the morning (Wodehouse)
The tempest (Shakespeare)
The origin of species (Darwin)
The wasteland and other poems (T.S. Eliot)
Paradise lost (Milton)
Bleak House (Dickens)
Die Blechtrommel / The tin drum (Grass)
La vie, mode d'emploi / Life, a user's manual (Perec)
Pride and Prejudice (Austen)

...this is impossible! I've used up my ten books, in the order they came to mind, and I haven't managed to get in any English or American novels or poems later than 1948. Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Thomas Mann, Dante, Chaucer, Balzac, Zola, Scott, George Eliot, Thackeray, and Cervantes should all be in there as well. Origin of species was the first non-fiction book that came to mind, but there are many others that should be in my list. I was tempted to include the Oxford English Dictionary and the Oxford book of English verse 1250-1918, but I think that would be cheating.

And I agree with pretty much all of the things that others have chosen above, too. Help!

It's tough, isn't it?? I think this is a good process though, because, like Thorold, I agree with almost everything everyone has posted, which include some I almost put on my list. In the end I went with my personal, really made an impact, stuck with me, changed my life, whatever, books, rather than trying to do the entire canon. And everyone's list is different so we'll have a nice chunk of titles to begin the process! I love seeing what people are selecting.

I'm tempted to make another thread for our top 25 because it's so much fun to think of the list and look at other people's :)

Mine are:

1) Franny and Zooey
2) The belljar
3) Catcher in the Rye
4 The joyluck club
5) War and Peace
6) I know this much is true
7) The hitchikers guide to the galaxy
8) The life of insects
9) Life of Pi
10) The poisonwood bible

1) The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Costain
2) Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach
3) Complete Blake
4) Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
5) Fictiones by Jorge Luis Borges
6) Lord of the Rings by Tolkien
7) Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis
8) Artist's way by Julia Cameron
9) A Monastic Breviary by Order of the Holy Cross
10) Omnium Gatherum a play by ???
11) City of Night by John Rechy

The best 10 is an impossible few; these are ones that changed the path of my life. And I've already edited and changed 5 of them!!!!

1) Das Glasperlenspiel, by Herman Hesse
2) De si braves garçons, by Patrick Modiano
3) Mémoires, by Voltaire
4) Hécate et ses chiens, by Paul Morand
5) Beasts, men and gods, by Ferdinand Ossendowski
6) Enquêtes, by Jorge Luis Borges
7) Voyage au bout de la nuit, by Louis-Ferdinand Céline
8) Oceanografie, by Mircea Eliade
9) Souvenirs pieux, by Marguerite Yourcenar
10) I have landed, by Stephen Jay Gould

Of course, this is only a random (and nostalgic) selection amongst my favourite books. I will never be able to come up with an all-time best 10...

We've had ten people post now, so we should have 100 books (technically we have 102, realistically we have less because of people picking the same ones).

Maybe we should put those books together now and try to put them in order, then we can add books to this core until we feel we have everything that should be in there in the list. What do people think?

admiral - thats sounds good to me - I will offer to count how many books get mentions - and then we can go from there

Okey doke. We're making progress. Hooray!

Grrrrr

Lt ate my post - I will try again in a little bit, but just to let you know that War and Peace was on the most lists - 4 people :)

How will I restrict this to just 10?? Well, here goes:

The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
The Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan

Okay, I wrote most of the books out and at some point it crashed my LT and ate my post - so I apologize that I wont write out this entire list - or I may break it up into lists of ten or something like that.

So, the books on the most lists are:
War and Peace - 4 lists
The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy - 4 lists
His dark materials - 3 lists
Lord of the rings - 3 lists
Pride and Prejudice - 3 lists
The secret histroy - 2 lists
Nineteen eighty four - 2 lsits
And then there were none - 2 lists
To kill a mockingbird - 2 lists
Jane Eyre - 2 lists
The poisonwood bible - 2 lists
Catch 22 - 2 lists

The rest of the books are only on one person's list.

I had a look at the list, and we have 93 books when the extra votes for the same books are taken out.

So, any suggestions where we go from here?

I realise I'm answering my own question, but anyway. If we count the 12 books in keren's post as safe, how about everybody votes for one other book to join that group, and then we have a vote from books in that smaller group to see what comes first? There'd have to be rules, like you can't pick a book to go into the group that you put in your top 10 in the first place. What do ye think?

If we're going to start voting, I think we should also ask people to give a short explanation of why they are voting for a certain book, otherwise it could get a bit boring.

Maybe we could allow nominating one book from your own list and one from another list?

I thought the original goal was to start with 10 each and build to our own 1000 -- was I wrong?

For brainstorming: please use the brainstorm-thread. There are more points for discussion there on how we are going to proceed :-) .

My true must-read list would be in high hundreds (at least), but here's a more or less random list of ten. Caveats: all such choices are severely limited by our personal circumstances--how many books we have read, background culture, taste etc. Therefore, I take it for granted that the following is understood: the must-read list is NOT a "best-reads" list. It is NOT unbiased (my major bias, for instance, is my Western background and cultural context), it is NOT a list of "favourite reads" and it does not fulfill all possible literary needs.

Which brings me to the issue of the purpose of the list. Is it educational? Desert Island entertainment? A showcase of civilisation's (the West's, judging by the most choices here) Great Achievements?

My list of ten is a mixed answer to these three possibilities...

Alphabetised by author:

The Bible.

Don Quijote. (Cervantes)

The origin of species. (Darwin)

Complete works. (Dostoevsky)*

Homeric epics.*

The book of disquiet. (Pessoa)

In search of lost time. (Proust)

Complete plays. (Shakespeare)*

The tale of Genji. (Shikibu)

To the lighthouse. (Woolf)

The Bible and Homer: because they ground the Western literary culture. Don Quijote and The tale of Genji: because they are uniquely brilliant, big, universal novels--and much more interesting than anything Tolstoy and the like ever wrote. The origin of species: for the first time, the Westerner really looked at nature, and truly saw it. This is also a beautifully written book, accessible to everybody--I wish more people knew this. Dostoevsky offers "a baptism of fire" (Berdyaev) to the fearless. Some find his intensity repugnant, his philosophy incomprehensible, and all too many are deceived when they approach him as a "regular" story-teller--say, Tolstoy, Gogol, Dickens etc. He was tormented and he torments: you either know that you need this, or you don't.

Pessoa and Woolf: a touch of necessary 20th century modernism. Woolf combined psychological insight and beauty of style with a genius unseen in English since Shakespeare. Pessoa is the modern everyman: alienated and alone, travelling as if escaping, blending West and East in a philosophy that seems religious, or a philosophical religion. Proust and Shakespeare, besides their literary grandeur, importance of influence and all that, provide the company of the entire world.

*Yes, I cheated. :)

Okay, to edit the books on most lists and to reflect the the new list just added, we have:

War and Peace - 4 lists
The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy - 4 lists
His dark materials - 3 lists
Lord of the rings - 3 lists
Pride and Prejudice - 3 lists
The secret history - 2 lists
Nineteen eighty four - 2 lsits
And then there were none - 2 lists
To kill a mockingbird - 2 lists
Jane Eyre - 2 lists
The poisonwood bible - 2 lists
Catch 22 - 2 lists

Adding

The bible 2 lists
The origin of species - 2 lists

children's books:
1. Winnie-the -Pooh
2. Mary Poppins
3. Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone
4. Watership down
5. Alice in wonderland
6. Pippi Longstocking
7. His dark materials
8. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time
9. The BFG
10. The neverending story
adult
11. To kill a mockingbird
12. Nothing new on the western front
13. the poisonwood bible
14. The stone diaries
15. Any human heart
16. The time traveler's wife
17. What I loved
18. Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
19. The unbearable lightness of being
20 Death in venice
various
21. Waiting for Godot
22. Hamlet
23. The diary of Anne Frank
24. The god delusion
25. If this is a man

I made a list of 25 books (it is not a top 25), hope that's ok. I saw the suggestion of doing 25 instead of 10, only later did I notice the 25-thread. I will post this list there as well.

Hi Mavras

I am only going to include your top ten for this thread - I hope you dont mind.

Hi Mavras

Im sorry to do this but I am going to have to ask you to revise this thread to your top ten including both adults and children. We were talking about eventually breaking up the list into sections, but for now - for this thread - we are only listing our ultimate top ten. To add your top ten kids and adults books would weight the list in your favour.

Sorry and thanks in advance

This is difficult, impossible even, I've taken out the titles that were already in the master-top ten, after that there will still sme heartwrenching choices, but I've managed it.

1. Winnie-the -Pooh
2. Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone
3. Watership down
4. The neverending story
5. Nothing new on the western front
6. The stone diaries
7. Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
8. The unbearable lightness of being
9. Death in venice
10. The diary of Anne Frank

I don't know if I agree with the idea of leaving out important books because they're already doing well enough....

keren, I'm making a change to my list: I had initially tried to avoid repeat authors, but I've found that I just can't deal with having His Dark Materials above The Odyssey. So, I'm replacing the former with the latter. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Not a problem Zoe and thank you Mavras for making the changes :)

Update to follow shortly

Okay, new list

War and Peace - 4 lists
The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy - 4 lists
Lord of the rings - 3 lists
Pride and Prejudice - 3 lists
His dark materials - 2 lists
The secret history - 2 lists
Nineteen eighty four - 2 lsits
And then there were none - 2 lists
To kill a mockingbird - 2 lists
Jane Eyre - 2 lists
The poisonwood bible - 2 lists
Catch 22 - 2 lists
The bible 2 lists
The origin of species - 2 lists

Adding

Winnie the Pooh - 2 lists

One change from above, His dark materials is now only on two lists

Also, there's a slight complication: I listed The Iliad and The Odyssey, while LolaWalser listed them combined as Homeric Epics. I'm not sure how we're going to deal with things like that, but I would put one of them on the list for now.

Okay, I have been mulling. As far as "greatness"--I am picking the ten books that caused the sharpest intakes of breath during the reading. I am a bit of an aesthete when it comes to reading, but a beautiful sentence is not my only criterion. These are not, I think, in order. Except the first one.

Ada, or ardor: a family chronicle by Vladimir Nabokov*
The garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Tractatus logico-philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein
The good soldier by Ford Madox Ford
Poems by T.S. Eliot
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
Nine stories by J.D. Salinger
Dead souls by Nikolai Gogol

This was really, really hard, and I am not satisfied with the list.

*I stopped myself from putting anyone on here more than once. I'll think about the top 25 for the other thread and I won't keep that limitation.

With the exception of one or two posters no one seems to question the validity and usefulness of such lists. They all seem to be made up of the predictable books that a curious high-school Anglophone student is exposed to - they don't include much poetry, philosophy or other non-fiction (I can barely imagine literature without the essay form) and they barely extend beyond English literary fiction; they are mostly recent works that over-represent the 20th century and modern tastes to a ridiculous degree; and (previously pointed out) they reflect a usually mundane, culturally specific notion of what literature is or is supposed to be.

Why a list? Why ten instead of three hundred and sixty six? Why ruin the variety, the ambiguities and the serendipities of good reading? Why trivialize every effort at recording the human experience into an amateur night pissing contest? Many of the best books I read did not provide pleasurable reading experiences; some were in fact a struggle or miserably translated with some imagination, determination and research required on my part to get at what the writer meant. Sometimes the reading experience was simply a string of states of intellectual and emotional suspension. More often that not, I remember and love a book because of the circumstances that surrounded it, the romantic notions that I ascribed to it in advance, rather than any inherent qualities that were pointed out in lengthy academic introductions, afterwords or notes.

How about a different kind of recommendation? What books can help someone reach the point at which they no longer see the world in redundant, anachronistic categories that are mainly superimposed and reinforced by unimaginative conformists and mediocre reactionaries - or, what books can help someone enjoy reading in itself without the constant, implicit reference to a stale, preconceived notion of 'quality'? What books bring a reader to the point where they begin to associate literature with life itself, instead of emulating their local hack's pedantic, narrow-minded straitjacketing of good books?

Very good idea Existanai. Why not make a thread of it?

I think creating a new thread misses the point.

I'm not really talking about my complaints, my tastes, or my suggestions for new lists.

I'm wondering aloud about the utility and purpose of top-whatever lists when it comes to any of the arts, at any time, on any site; why we prefer to rank books or movies or music instead of approaching them on their individual merits, in a substantive manner - for example, despite the ubiquity of Jane Austen or Haruki Murakami, I don't think I will ever get around to finishing any of their books simply because they interest me so little; I would much rather reread books I consider 'essential', that do not appear on any of the lists above, like a volume of Cavafy's poetry.

Well, when is a book essential? It differs for each person. Someone may indeed think that the books from Jane Austen are essential.

Existanai, are you recommending some sort of 'Books that made you feel good about life' list?

"I would much rather reread books I consider 'essential', that do not appear on any of the lists above, like a volume of Cavafy's poetry", you wrote, Existanai.

But those 'essential' books, like that volume of Cavafy's poetry, that should be 'approached on their individual merits', are they to special for a group or a thread on LT? I hope not.

And I'm certain that Cavafy himself would be very much impressed by the possibilities of LT (and, given the character of the little stories that are in many of his poems, very curious about the world of Jane Austen).

In short: poe iene tien omáda toe Kawáwi?

Existantai, I think you're tilting at windmills. I don't think anyone here is seriously claiming that it is possible to produce a single, definitive, ranked list of Great Books, any more than anyone over the age of nine believes that it's necessary to be able to rank all ones friends instantly in order of merit.

This is all a bit of harmless fun, in the course of which we may discover something about why it's so difficult to make this kind of list, puncture the self-importance of the person who wrote the "1001 books" book, and possibly discover some books we would actually like to read.

Bravo thorold - I couldn't have said it better!

#41: Well, when is a book essential? It differs for each person.

Yes, except for some reason most of the differences seem to amount to predictable and nearly identical tastes.

#42: are you recommending some sort of 'Books that made you feel good about life' list?

I am recommending that people think about why they bother with lists. I also recommend that people read what I wrote instead of responding with strawmen! :)

#44, 45: I think you're tilting at windmills... This is all a bit of harmless fun, in the course of which we may discover something about why it's so difficult to make this kind of list, puncture the self-importance of the person who wrote the "1001 books" book, and possibly discover some books we would actually like to read. ...

I completely agree, which is why I am suggesting a better approach to thinking about books, and about lists. Sadly it seems people would prefer to just react with their own little favourites instead of actually take the effort to do what you state, namely discover books and/or something about making lists.

In short: poe iene tien omáda toe Kawáwi?

Marieke, I don't read any Greek, despite my Greek name and some of my favourite works! :)

But those 'essential' books, like that volume of Cavafy's poetry, that should be 'approached on their individual merits', are they to special for a group or a thread on LT? I hope not.

No, but I am saying that every classic should be approached in this manner.

And I'm certain that Cavafy himself would be very much impressed by the possibilities of LT (and, given the character of the little stories that are in many of his poems, very curious about the world of Jane Austen).

I don't think they are incompatible.

The point I am trying to make is that such top ten lists are invariably predictable, narrow and reveal little about literature or the historical/cultural importance of works. They simply regurgitate and reveal what people have been taught to think or believe or feel about books within their cultural/educational sphere.

One of the greatest, if not the greatest novel I ever read, I read some 25 years ago: Elsa Morante's De Geschiedenis (Dutch translation of La Storia, tome 1 and 2, History: A Novel in the English language area).
I intend to reread this story of a mother and her little son (and the people around them) in wartime Rome, being crushed by history. It's about what life is, and what war is. More books are written about these things but not one as impressive as this one. For me.

I think creating a new thread misses the point.

Well, it's too late now, but this discussion could easily have taken place elsewhere in the same group. Just because you don't agree with the concept doesn't mean you have to ruin it for everyone else. I think we probably have to make a new action thread now, restricted to the actual lists of books, so that it's easier for keren to count them and for everyone to browse.

But since this thread is already lost....

The point I am trying to make is that such top ten lists are invariably predictable, narrow and reveal little about literature or the historical/cultural importance of works. They simply regurgitate and reveal what people have been taught to think or believe or feel about books within their cultural/educational sphere.

The thing is, these two concepts are closely linked. You can't separate the "historical/cultural importance of works" from "what people have been taught to think or believe or feel about books...". If everyone reads a certain book in school and is taught to believe that it's important, then it actually does acquire importance; people who haven't read that book lack a common cultural connection shared by many others. It's that connection, I think, that propels a book onto a "should read" list.

#48: Elsa Morante

Marieke, I have History: A Novel, but it's still on my insanely long 'to read' list. Thanks for bringing it up again!

#49: because you don't agree with the concept doesn't mean you have to ruin it for everyone else... The thing is... If everyone reads a certain book in school and is taught to believe that it's important, then it actually does acquire importance; people who haven't read that book lack a common cultural connection shared by many others. It's that connection, I think, that propels a book onto a "should read" list.

OK, here is my list

1. Sweet Valley High books
2. Tolstoy's books
3. The Bible
4. Nancy Drew books
5. Judith Krantz's books
6. Shakespeare's plays
7. Harry Potter books
9. Stephen King's books
10. Lord of the Rings (yeah!)

Heck, I'm out of space already... and I missed Danielle Steel, Dan Brown, Anne Rice, and oh, oh - Tom Clancy and Frederick Forsyth! And, oh, Nora Roberts...

And the graphic novels based on the Star Wars series... dig that stuff...

Edit: added italics.

I love the way you're still posting here, even though you clearly hate everything this group stands for. Personally, despite the eight lengthy posts you've written today, my own view hasn't been shaken in the least and I'm going to continue helping to write this list, however narrow and invariably predictable it may be.

Of course, the sarcasm I employed in reply to Zoe was completely juvenile and unwarranted; I apologize.

But - perhaps because of my 'bracing' attitude - I seem not to be understood despite lengthy clarifications.

I don't want to ruin anyone's enjoyment of lists or favourites - absolutely not - I simply think we could get a lot more enjoyment (and other benefits) from really stretching our tastes and ideas when it comes to sharing what we like and why; social/intellectual conformity of some degree is inevitable - biological, genetic, hard-wired or whatever you want to call it - but that doesn't mean we should always, by default, limit ourselves to our preconceptions and predispositions.

Just a reflection on the above: the listings are very much biased towards books written in English. I wonder if this would have differed 30 years ago when books in translation were more widely read and published? Well, this goes for the classics in general to a lesser degree also - they are less widely read.

I'd be fascinated to see what a poll of Spanish, German, French, Russian, Japanese, Indian readers would throw up.

Dear existanai, you're what we call in Holland a "volksopvoeder". Volksopvoerders were to be found in the circles of the leftish liberals and social-democrats since say 1860.
The mission of the true volksopvoeder is stated in the title of a book by one of them (Jac. P. Thijsse): "Ook den vogel moet leren omgaan met den mensch". (Even the bird has to learn how to get on with man)

Ah, but the issue is which men (or women) you want to get on with and to what purpose.

Maybe, antimuzak. If I read existanai well, I think his purpose is educational, like that of the Dutch "volksopvoeders", in whose rich tradition I put him, in spite of his views on lists.
There is always a bit of hybris and some snobbery in the true "volksopvoeder", but also a lot of generosity. For it's not a mean thing to want to lift other people to your own level. It's a mighty task. In the eye of the beholder.

Re: 53 - Hello antimuzak, and thank you for a note of agreement. Clearly I'm not the only elephant amok. ;)

By the way, since I'm Indian, I'd just like to point out that most Indians read in English, and thus would share the same Anglophone tendencies I'm criticizing when it comes to literary assessments. I can't even easily find certain classic Indian books or films in most parts of India. It is however easy to obtain one of the latest bestsellers or blockbusters mentioned, for example, in the NYT - the economic hegemony of the English-speaking West stretches deep roots into all other areas of life in most countries.

And the majority of French or Spanish or Russian readers, in my experience, have read or heard of popular figures like Dan Brown. In fact, as in any country, the majority would probably rather read the same instead of some 'boring classic' written in their language. However, that is not because Dan Brown is 'better' (assuming the adjective "good" can be comfortably associated with his books) than his French/etc. equivalent or some such ethnocentric notion.

The fact is, regardless of the existence of pulp anywhere in the world, more pulp tends to be imported from English-speaking countries than exported to them. Further, the businesses with the most capital and biggest marketing machines tend to be Anglophone or to have strong links; it is in their interest to keep things this way. (It's not a conspiracy but a natural consequence of businesses pursuing increasing profits.) In addition, people from economically disadvantaged countries tend to be more curious about the world outside theirs, and pop-Western stuff is usually the most ubiquitous and most standardized fare on offer. Sadly English speakers tend not to be curious about non-English stuff.

It usually takes a perspicacious, committed person to explore that which isn't readily available or instantly entertaining, and that's unique in any part of the world.

This is actually a fascinating and multi-dimensional topic - it extends beyond shallow economics and national stereotypes to collective psychology, imperialism, etc. - and I can't pretend to see beyond than the surface of things, but it clearly can't be discussed in depth when most people (not you, antimuzak) are not even interested in looking beyond their circle of contentment.

#54: you're what we call in Holland a "volksopvoeder"

Marieke, I looked up the word in an online dictionary and the translation was:

"1. N. Pompous, long-winded fart. Notably resident in online forums where the usual limitations of length or time do not apply to discussions."

I don't think we can be friends now!

I'm saying nothing as to how accurate that may or may not be...

You seem to be assuming that nobody who put English works in their lists has read any other language. I've read novels in English, Irish and French and translated works in Spanish, French, Italian, Arabic and Sanskrit. Have you ever come across a book called Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita? 500 years old, written in Bengali and Sanskrit. Hardly an indication of narrow tastes.

The reason I haven't put any of them in my lists is because I thought the books that I did put in my list were better. I don't see this as being a problem. I've certainly explored cultures and worlds different to my own, and have enjoyed the experience. That doesn't mean I'm going to abandon my own culture for the others. Not that I'm not choosing boks from other languages because I think English is a better language. This whole argument is ridiculous and I'm sorry I've wasted my time arguing back.

I agree with Admiral and Thorold. I think actually that our lists are not as narrow and predictable as you would have them be. I think that one was to know this is to look at the "most common" in the libraries on the thread. This is not a thread that Harry Potter is #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, and #7 as it is for the LT site as a whole; I think you are a spoiler.
This is a list for lists for whatever reason we choose to list -- can we just go back to those lists? In peace?

But still the question stands I think. What do we do with foreign titles?

My list:

1) Crime and Punishment (Norwegian: Forbrytelse og straff)
2) Mysteries (Norw: Mysterier)
3) To Kill a Mockingbird (Norw: Drep ikke en sangfugl)
4) Middlemarch (Norw: Middlemarch)
5) King Henry IV (Norw: Henrik IV)
6) Wayfarers (Norw: Landstrykere)
7) Out Stealing Horses (Norw: Ut og stjæle hester)
8) Oliver Twist (Norw: Oliver Twist)
9) The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy. Gentleman (Norw: Herr Tristram Shandys liv og meninger)
10) The Wild Duck (Norw: Vildanden)