Thread: Books that are must reads before you die ?

[QUOTE=JimmyHAD;517130]

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

When former President Truman was asked what he thought of the then new translations of the bible, as opposed to the King James, he said,"They took the poetry out of it." I agree with that sentiment.

He should have done as his predecessor and "re-arrange" it:

Jefferson Bible - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[QUOTE=Mandrake;517137]

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

He should have done as his predecessor and "re-arrange" it:

Jefferson Bible - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've never read the Jefferson bible. Your post made me think of the pre-King James English translations and what happened to the translators. Here is an interesting website on the topic.

Day of the Triffids and the entire of the Discworld series!

Gotta read all of them..!

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

When former President Truman was asked what he thought of the then new translations of the bible, as opposed to the King James, he said,"They took the poetry out of it." I agree with that sentiment.

I wonder if it was always that way or if in 1611 it read to the people of that time just like the newer versions do today to us. Even the "old" King James Bibles I see for sale today still read much easier than the first King James Bibles.

I wonder how crude or poetic the old greek and hebrew manuscripts are?

Several earlier posts made reference to the King James Version of the Holy Bible... In that same vein I thought the following monograph and a brief description of its contents might be of interest to some of the contributors to this forum's thread:

Alistair McGrath, In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture

Abstract:

In the sixteenth century, to attempt to translate the Bible into a common tongue wasn't just difficult, it was dangerous. A Bible in English threatened the power of the monarch and the Church. Early translators like Tyndale, whose work greatly influenced the King James, were hunted down and executed, but the demand for English Bibles continued to grow. Indeed it was the popularity of the Geneva Bible, with its anti-royalist content, that eventually forced James I to sanction his own, pro-monarchy, translation. Errors in early editions--one declared that "thou shalt commit adultery"--and Puritan preferences for the Geneva Bible initially hampered acceptance of the King James, but it went on to become the definitive English-language Bible. This fascinating history of a literary and religious masterpiece explores the forces that led to the decision to create an authorized translation, the method of translation and printing, and the central role this version of the Bible played in the development of modern English. McGrath's history of the King James Bible’s creation and influence is a worthy tribute to a great work and a joy to read.

-Canterbury Tales
-Beowulf
-Iliad and Odyssey by Homer
-Lord of the Rings (all three)
-A few of Jack London's
-A few of Michael Crichton's
-Animal Farm and 1984, as well as many/most of George Orwell's essays (I particularly liked "Politics and the English Language")
-The Omnivore's Dilemma (as well as his other books) by Michael Pollan
-Freakonomics and Super Freakonomics
-Moby Dick
-Mutiny on the Bounty
-The Scarlet Pimpernel
-Sherlock Holmes Series

to name but a few

Originally Posted by ControlFreak1

Has anyone tackled 'Les Misérables by Victor Hugo'? I have a very very old copy dated 18??, it's in English. I have some friends who are insane voracious speed readers, I think that one of them has read it.
The Dangerous Book For Boys - there's one for me.
How about The Holy Bible, or is that just a given, it has been printed and published far beyond any other book, you would think that the world's best seller would have to be on the list, maybe it's just a given. It can be rough though (Lord forgive me) in places (you know like when you hit the first 9 chapters of First Chronicles, that will try most people), it is for the most part a history book but has poetry, romance, action, military statistics.

I have tried to read the abridged version of Les Miserables, but it just dragged on and on. I never finished it because I put it in storage when I moved for work and have not picked it up again. Next time I plan to get an abridged version.

As far as books, anything by James Joyce, Dickens, Shakespeare, Tolkien, Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, John Locke's Treaties on Government. Also C.S. Lewis has a wonderful writing style.

If you are interested about reading as a skill then I would suggest "How to Read a Book" by Charles Von Doren and Mortimer J. Adler. It explains that most people read a elementary level and don't know how to read well. It includes techniques on how to read types of books, including speed reading and has a list of books to read to be well read. It is a great investment for people wanting to become better readers.

Great books in this thread. Keep it going.

______________________________
Great acts are made of small deeds.
-Lao Tzu

[QUOTE=JimmyHAD;517180]

Originally Posted by Mandrake

I've never read the Jefferson bible. Your post made me think of the pre-King James English translations and what happened to the translators. Here is an interesting website on the topic.

The jefferson bible or the life and morals of jesus of nazarath is a good, very short read. It only has one story told by matthew, mark and luke(IIRC). It was handed out to new members of congress until the nineties, then I guess they felt they didnt need morals in congress anymore. Jefferson took the italian, french, and latin translations went through them all, took things that only appeared in all three and removed all the fantastical stuff, leaving a very abridged bible, and one that non-religious people would get something out of, IMO, since all the dogma has been removed. It makes it more into a philosophy of jesus than a bible, IMO.

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

The Ice-Shirt (1990) (Volume One of Seven Dreams: A Book of North American Landscapes), Fathers and Crows (1992) (Volume Two of Seven Dreams: A Book of North American Landscapes), Argall: The True Story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith (2001) (Volume Three of Seven Dreams: A Book of North American Landscapes), and The Rifles (1994) (Volume Six of Seven Dreams: A Book of North American Landscapes) all by William T. Vollman

The Recognitions by William Gaddis

The Sot-Weed Factor by John Barth (hilarious)

Not a novel but one of the all time great works of literature is Labyrinths By Jorge Luis Borges.

"The amazing Maurice and his educated rodents" By Terry Pratchett....it's a short read but you've GOT to have read it.