This is a perfect list, not because it is one that I (or anyone else) would have compiled, but because it consists of your beloved lifelong literary companions. So much more valuable (and fun to read!) than a concoction, from some pseudo-omniscient perspective, of "greatest" books.
This seems like a portrait of the writer as a young man--you, Boze. What has shaped your sensibilities and corresponded with them.
It reminds me that the world of books is so very vast. And, it is critical that we read what appeals to us and (to echo theologian Howard Thurman) "brings us most alive."."
I learned alot reading your list and the thumbnail sketches--e.g., "one can’t help wishing Milton had gone with his initial plan to write an epic about King Arthur" in the context of "Paradise Lost."
You awakened my desire to re-encounter some great works--e.g., "Chaucer’s style is uniquely untranslatable, his joy so capacious, his wit so shrewd and keen."
You made me appreciate a possibility--that a literary critic and biographer, Peter Ackroyd, could be a genius in his own right: "one creative genius contemplating another."
Keep promoting the incalculable benefits of reading.
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” – Frederick Douglass
I can't argue with any of this, even those I haven't read and those I don't like as much as you do. But to sensibly argue that Susannah Clarke is our greatest living author (though I might argue John Crowley, who alas is probably finished writing), to list David Copperfield despite its flaws because it so fully transcends those flaws, and is perhaps the most "great-hearted" books ever; to note that The Count of Monte Cristo is simply the greatest adventure novel of all time -- a book that maintains its sheer intensel glee in storytelling for a full 1200+ pages ... there are many reasons to read great books but the best is because you love them; and it seems clear that you do.
All the Christie, Austen, and Dickens on your list (and Piranesi! War and Peace!) convince me that you have superb taste. I personally think Montgomery's Anne or Emily superior to I Capture the Castle, but more bemusing is the absence of Brothers K. I keep scanning the list wondering if I have overlooked Middlemarch! You have surely read it, and I am all agog to think it didn't make your list. Perhaps I will post this note, and then I will suddenly see it (the Substack equivalent of calling someone over at the store and asking where the mustard is, and then you see it right in front of your face when they get there.) This was such a fun read. I am going to add the ones I haven't read to my TBR. Many thanks.
An incredible list with such delightful surprises. Special Topics in Calamity Physics! Such an incredible novel that has seemingly vanished from the literary consciousness. Thank you for including it here.
Gosh, I love seeing which books others cherish. Thanks for sharing! My list would include Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset, The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene, A Tale of Two Cities, and Anna Karenina.
Lovely to see Diana Wynne Jones on this list, hers are some of the most inventive fantasy books I've had the pleasure of reading- with some of my favourite villains anywhere! I don't know if you've ever tried Eva Ibbotson's longer children's work (The Star of Kazan, Journey to the River Sea, The Dragonfly Pool) but I highly recommend it, for a similar quality of completely wonderful child character.
This is a perfect list, not because it is one that I (or anyone else) would have compiled, but because it consists of your beloved lifelong literary companions. So much more valuable (and fun to read!) than a concoction, from some pseudo-omniscient perspective, of "greatest" books.
This seems like a portrait of the writer as a young man--you, Boze. What has shaped your sensibilities and corresponded with them.
It reminds me that the world of books is so very vast. And, it is critical that we read what appeals to us and (to echo theologian Howard Thurman) "brings us most alive."."
I learned alot reading your list and the thumbnail sketches--e.g., "one can’t help wishing Milton had gone with his initial plan to write an epic about King Arthur" in the context of "Paradise Lost."
You awakened my desire to re-encounter some great works--e.g., "Chaucer’s style is uniquely untranslatable, his joy so capacious, his wit so shrewd and keen."
You made me appreciate a possibility--that a literary critic and biographer, Peter Ackroyd, could be a genius in his own right: "one creative genius contemplating another."
Keep promoting the incalculable benefits of reading.
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” – Frederick Douglass
Oh Boze! This has given me such pleasure. I was so happy to find Gormenghast there - and I Capture the Castle! Happiness, to browse a friend’s list.
Well done, Boze. I’ve ready many (most?) of them. But…
My dear friend Fyodor Dostoevsky is conspicuously absent. 😎
Still, well done. 👏🏼
I need to read The Double again. It was on the version of this list that I wrote in 2021!
I had to look up that book:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Double_(Dostoevsky_novel)?wprov=sfti1#
I can't argue with any of this, even those I haven't read and those I don't like as much as you do. But to sensibly argue that Susannah Clarke is our greatest living author (though I might argue John Crowley, who alas is probably finished writing), to list David Copperfield despite its flaws because it so fully transcends those flaws, and is perhaps the most "great-hearted" books ever; to note that The Count of Monte Cristo is simply the greatest adventure novel of all time -- a book that maintains its sheer intensel glee in storytelling for a full 1200+ pages ... there are many reasons to read great books but the best is because you love them; and it seems clear that you do.
All the Christie, Austen, and Dickens on your list (and Piranesi! War and Peace!) convince me that you have superb taste. I personally think Montgomery's Anne or Emily superior to I Capture the Castle, but more bemusing is the absence of Brothers K. I keep scanning the list wondering if I have overlooked Middlemarch! You have surely read it, and I am all agog to think it didn't make your list. Perhaps I will post this note, and then I will suddenly see it (the Substack equivalent of calling someone over at the store and asking where the mustard is, and then you see it right in front of your face when they get there.) This was such a fun read. I am going to add the ones I haven't read to my TBR. Many thanks.
Such a great list. I cheered for The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Box of Delights
Fabulous, idiosyncratic list - lost of surprises, in the best possible way.
An incredible list with such delightful surprises. Special Topics in Calamity Physics! Such an incredible novel that has seemingly vanished from the literary consciousness. Thank you for including it here.
The best reading list I've come across in recent years.
For me Cat Among the Pigeons was one of the forgettable Christies, haha. Endless Night was really something though.
Gosh, I love seeing which books others cherish. Thanks for sharing! My list would include Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset, The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene, A Tale of Two Cities, and Anna Karenina.
Ackroyd on Dickens was an unexpected and inspired inclusion.
This list is incredible. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing this, it's always a pleasure seeing what books matter most to other folks
Lovely to see Diana Wynne Jones on this list, hers are some of the most inventive fantasy books I've had the pleasure of reading- with some of my favourite villains anywhere! I don't know if you've ever tried Eva Ibbotson's longer children's work (The Star of Kazan, Journey to the River Sea, The Dragonfly Pool) but I highly recommend it, for a similar quality of completely wonderful child character.
Nothing better than coming across a booklist that has some of your old favorites alongside new-to-you titles!
In token of appreciation, a few favorites (in no particular order) that I would say are in a similar vein:
1. King of Shadows, Susan Cooper. A bit hard to describe because it’s many things all together. Light and fun and unexpectedly transcendent.
2. Lais of Marie de France. There are a few lais I haven’t gotten to yet, but the ones I’ve read so far are splendid.
3. Parnassus on Wheels, Christopher Morley. A quirky, hilarious paean to books.
4. Marmion, Sir Walter Scott. A delightfully gothic tale, punctuated and enlivened by chatty interludes from Scott.
5. Gentian Hill, Elizabeth Goudge. I’ve always thought there was just a touch of both Dickens and Kenneth Grahame to Goudge.
Thank you! Each of these looks right up my street.
Excellent! Happy reading!