1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

I love this book. I love other books in this genre. I love lists of books that "everone must be read." They serve many useful purposes. Not only do they expose readers to works they would never consider, but they give the reader some sense of continuity, something to follow, some idea of where we have been with our literature. This particular list of books goes further than some by giving us a bit of the history of the work being addressed along with the plot line. This is very useful information. Also, just look at the reviews so far concerning this book. Almost everyone has some disagreement with which books were included and which were left out. Folks, this is a health thing. If I had read 60 some odd reivews and everyone had agreed to this author's selection, then I would have been gravely worried. I myself disagreed with a number of choices and there were certainly at least 100 additional works I would have included had I written the book. Again, this is healthy! I was quite encouraged when I read all these reviews...people are actually reading and actually thinking for themselves. This is truely wonderful and this is one of the primary strenths of this particular book...it brings out opinions, it causes the reader to think. I for one am glad it is on my shelf. I turn to it quite often and enjoy each and ever page, even if I do not agree with everything between it's covers. The book does indeed lean toward the 20th century as several others have pointed out here. This is okay. This is the author's opinion and that opinion is just as valid as mine, even though we don't agree in this area. I have plenty of other list that do include pre 20th century literature and can use those. The book is well organized, easy to read and, as I said, quite useful. Recommend this one highly.

I did a very naughty thing today. In fact I'm still hiding the evidence from my husband. I bought a book. Not any old book. An expensive "do I really need another?" book, aptly named "1001 books you must read before you die" - Preface by Peter Ackroyd, and general editing by Peter Boxall. Advertised as a comprehensive reference source, chronicling the history of the novel and it's an absolute beauty. For a smallish book it's thick, weighing the equivalent to two, or three 1lb bags of sugar. (I don't know, I'm useless at things like that - they either heavy or they're not!) Anyway, it's so weighty it's definitely not for reading in bed when you are sleepy, unless you want to knock yourself out for a week! I have to admit I prefer the British version's cover, to this bland design. Not only does it look good with a cover designed (in primary colours) by David Pelham for A Clockwork Orange, written by Anthony Burgess (1972), it's smooth, shiny and smells good, too! Compared to that, the blue cover doesn't really come close. But it's what's in it that counts. I plan to go through the book and read every single novel the two Peter's recommend, and share my findings on my website. Starting from Aesop's Fables, (4BCE), which I own and have never read - to Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005) that I admit to avoiding when it first came out because it sounded too pepped up by those wealthy critics I love to hate. It's going to cost a fortune if I can't these recommended books in any of my local libraries, however, I'm a bibliophilist and it's the price I'm (almost) willing to pay! Anyway, I'm a reviewer. It's my job! From what I have read so far, this is worth every penny.I'm not bothered if I do or don't agree with the two Pete's findings - it will be fun testing each and every book out. This book alone gives a bibliophile a sense of direction, a new chance to discover critically acclaimed masterpieces, cult classics, and an introduction to some contemporary fiction titles that may have passed you by. Featuring over 600 full-colour images of books covers and frontispieces, posters and other contextual images, this is a dream come true for me. It also supplies you with quotes from authors and their novels, which makes this even more of delight to read, considering this is a reference book. I gave "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" five stars because just the thought of it gets me excited! Incidentally, as I rushed out of the shop with my book clutched tightly to my chest, scanning the car park for my car (wishing I'd taken more notice where I parked), I couldn't help but wonder how ironic it would be if I died in a car crash on the way home, and they discovered this book "1001 books you must read before you die" in the boot of my car...

I collect this genre of books. This is the ultimate collector's volume. The listings are broad-ranging, the descriptions are succinct and to the point, and the list covers the ancient to the contemporary. It is the best compendium of fiction writing in my collection.

I read a lot of books. I have often looked at the various "books about books" and been disappointed. They are usually geared toward the casual reader, and they never prove very useful to me. This book is different. First of all, it's gorgeous. I am not thrilled with the cover, but the inside illustrations and pictures are all terrific and good quality. Almost every page contains either an author photo, or full color picture of the book cover. The books listed all have wonderful no-spoiler, intelligent summaries. I find myself learning things about novels I've already read, and I have been reshuffling my "to read next" pile as I go along. This is an eclectic selection, even though admittedly it's Western oriented. I don't know if any reference book can have everyone's favorites - there are a lot of novels out there. Yet this one is very comprehensive and satisfying. Highly, highly recommended.