If you could only read one book for the rest of your life....

...what book would it be? (I know, it's a pretty sad thought, but let's imagine)

I am curious.
You may say why, but you don't have to.

 

This is mine



Or the Holy Bible.

 

If I could read only one book for the rest of my life it would have to be an Encylopedia .. shootin' for the letter G.

 

Probably not a novel, but a history book. And since it's the only one preferably about all of world history and not one that focusses on a small period in time or only a few centuries But since I usually read ones that focus on a specific topic I don't know a title (yet).

 

A specific topic history-wise?
What topic is it?

 

Have you read Toynbee's seminal work, A study of History?

 

This is of course inconceivable, but if I absolutely had to choose, it would probably be Edward Gibbons 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire', for both its quality and quantity. Otherwise, Thucydides 'History of the Peloponnesian War', both of which are at the top of my list of my favorite history books.

If it were to be religious, it would either be the Talmud or the Qur'an, both of which are deserving of endless study, although I'd be destroyed without being able to consult the Bible, or William James' 'Varieties of Religious Experience', or Mircea Eliades main book on global Shamanism.

 

By the way Janja, have you read Eusebius' Historia Ecclesiastica? I began reading it once it coincided with Gibbon's covering the conversion of Constantine, which turned out to be a good decision as Eusebius manages to leave out quite a bit, like, you know, Constantine jealously murdering his own son Of course, that was pre-faith, the dog..

 

Read it.
Loved it.

I haven't.
Interesting, I'll look into it.

 

I guess I will have to be practical and say a complete boring dictionary...if nothing else, I could learn every single word there is.....

 

I am certain that you would love it as well, if only for its importance to the history of the Church, being the first 'history of the Church', naturally!

And yes, Thucydides was an amazing man, of many talents.. have you read Xenophon's continuation, called 'Hellenika', which 'concludes' the very history that Thucydides sought to cover? The first sentence of Xenophon's 'Hellenika' is literally "And, after this..." picking-up from the last sentence which Thucydides left off his History with.

I am most excited to read a few other of Xenophons works, especially his Apology and his Anabasis. I am currently reading a work inspired by his Anabasis; that is, the Anabasis Alexandrou by Arrian, or the 'Campaigns of Alexander' as it is known in English. The inspiration does not end simply at the title, but the entire book is written in the style of a Xenophon, a Thucydides, even a Herodotus, minus the marvels.

 

You seem like an old scholar, young Jonathan!

 

Asimov's Chronology of the World.
1. Because it's by Isaac Asimov.
2. Because it's about history.
3. Because it's about world history.
4. Because it's written by Isaac Asimov.
5. Because it's a great book.
6. Because it's about the history of the earth.
7. It written by Asimov.
8. It's starts at the very beginning - the big bang.

 

Thesaurus

 

That'd be my second pick if I couldn't get my hands on a nice encyclo-pedia. This is the one I have, highly recommended

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t8/bluebird49/bbpix1/77540.jpg

 

Twilight.

 

Any of the books authored by the Dalai Lama.

I enjoy his writing, views and humour.

 

Us great minds think alike, don't we?:2thumbsup:

 

Drats,,,the clock on the computer said 9:54 when I hit reply...always happens to me.....damn.