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100 Books That Changed the World
A chronological survey of the world's most influential books.
Many books have become classics, must-reads or overnight publishing sensations, but how many can genuinely claim to have changed the way we see and think? In 100 Books that Changed the World, authors Scott Christianson and Colin Salter bring together an exceptional collection of truly groundbreaking books - from scriptures that founded religions, to scientific treatises that challenged beliefs, to novels that kick-started literary genres.
This elegantly designed book offers a chronological survey of the most important books from around the globe, from the earliest illuminated manuscripts to the age of the ebook publication.
Entries include: The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer (750 BC), Gutenberg Bible (1450s), The Quran (AD 609-632), On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, Nicolaus Copernicus (1543), Shakespeare's First Folio (1623), Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Isaac Newton (1687), The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith (1776), The Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft (1792), On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin (1859), Das Kapital, Karl Marx (1867), The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud (1899), The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank (1947), Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung (1964), A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking (1988).
Many books have become classics, must-reads or overnight publishing sensations, but how many can genuinely claim to have changed the way we see and think? In 100 Books that Changed the World, authors Scott Christianson and Colin Salter bring together an exceptional collection of truly groundbreaking books - from scriptures that founded religions, to scientific treatises that challenged beliefs, to novels that kick-started literary genres.
This elegantly designed book offers a chronological survey of the most important books from around the globe, from the earliest illuminated manuscripts to the age of the ebook publication.
Entries include: The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer (750 BC), Gutenberg Bible (1450s), The Quran (AD 609-632), On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, Nicolaus Copernicus (1543), Shakespeare's First Folio (1623), Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Isaac Newton (1687), The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith (1776), The Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft (1792), On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin (1859), Das Kapital, Karl Marx (1867), The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud (1899), The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank (1947), Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung (1964), A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking (1988).
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2018
29 people are currently reading
498 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 7, 2024
Enjoyable journey through one hundred books most of which i just heard about without having the chance or "the will" to read them.
That book gave me more insight on why great and influential books are being considered or looked at that way. It sheds light on the uniqueness of every book and the controversies that were raised over it when published. Bedsides giving the background story for writing the book.
I highly recommend it for any bookworm.
That book gave me more insight on why great and influential books are being considered or looked at that way. It sheds light on the uniqueness of every book and the controversies that were raised over it when published. Bedsides giving the background story for writing the book.
I highly recommend it for any bookworm.
January 26, 2019
From the I Ching to Harry Potter, a whole range of books, some I'd read, some i want to read and some I'd not heard of! Enjoyed the easy, concise reviews of each book. Recommend this book.
September 4, 2019
Originally published online at BORG.com.
Lists, and by extension, books with lists, are the stuff that sprout conversation. Sometimes good conversation, sometimes knock-down-drag-outs, but always something to talk about. We saw that last month in our look at Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies that Are Out of This World, and it applies to Scott Christianson and Colin Salter’s new audacious work, 100 Books that Changed the World. This book is not merely a list of books, but an argument supporting why the authors think each book merits recognition. After all, with more than 2 million new books published each year (300,000 per year in the U.S. alone) and documented writings going back thousands of years, whittling them all down to 100 is a bit daunting at a minimum. Grade schoolers, college liberal arts and sciences majors, and everyone else has probably encountered a list like this before, usually styled the “greatest,” “most influential,” or “most significant” books ever written. Ultimately, readers may find the compilation of 100 books that “changed the world” results in a very similar set of books.
What would make your list? You can probably list 20 included without much work. The authors state in their preface that there are 50 books everyone would agree should be included. Think religion and myths (the Torah, the Bible, the Quran), math and science (Euclid’s Elements of Geometry, Copernicus’s On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, Newton’s Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematica), philosophy and politics (Plato’s The Republic, Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, Thomas Paine’s The Rights of Man), works of fiction (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings), classic children’s books (Aesop’s Fables, Grimm’s Fairy Tales), works of the often-disputed literary greats (I’m looking at you, James Joyce), and works of long undisputed literary masters like Homer and Shakespeare. Yes, these are all “givens” for a list like this. But noteworthy great additions I don’t recall seeing on a list like this before include Louis Braille’s Procedure for Writing Words, Music and Plainsong in Dots, Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, and Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. And no author made the list more than once, except the writers of the Bible, which appears on the list twice: for the Gutenberg Bible and the King James version.
The authors hope their book “makes you question your own choices or ours, or introduces you to a book.” Criticisms of 100 Books that Changed the World aren’t going to be all that dire as much as simply topics for discussion. They’re the same critiques of any list or book like this. Thirty-seven books on the list were written by authors from England, removing the inclusion of any books from some countries. The list is heavily back loaded, with 26 books from the 19th century and 35 books from the 20th century–explainable in part since the authors didn’t have a lot to select from the first 3,000 years covered. The oldest book included is the I Ching, roughly 4,800 years old, and the most recent, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein, only four years old. The late history scholar Robert E. Schofield postulated that historians cannot accurately assess the influence of a historical period unless at least 50 years has transpired, and consistent with that theory, nine books shouldn’t have made the cut, removing books like Salmon Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, Art Spiegleman’s graphic novel Maus, and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
It’s a good mental challenge to compare and contrast what you think should make the list and why. How would the list change based on the impact of books on you personally? Based on your favorites or what you think rate as the best books? Another set of writers might look at “changing the world” from sheer book sales (the Bible, the Quran, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung, and several Harry Potter books would top that list) or maybe a more scientific estimated metric of the volume of people personally changed by each book (would that add more books from the large, older republics like China, Russia, and India?)–Michael Hart took on a similar project nearly 20 years ago with his controversial book The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History. I’ve listed (in bold) only 24 of the 100 books here. What do you think make up the remaining 76? The BBC put out a list this year with only 38 in common and PBS did a similar list with only 13 in common (Christianson and Salter’s selections are much, much better than both of those lists).
You will find 100 Books that Changed the World is a great reading prompt. Can’t think of what to read next? Flip through this book for an idea. Feel like your brain is lacking in a certain area of history? This might help. Wondered what they were talking about when they mentioned the I Ching in The Man in the High Castle? Bingo–This book well definitely put you on the right track.
100 Books that Changed the World is available in a hardcover edition featuring rich, full-color reproductions of excerpt pages and covers from its selections, presented in chronological order with a page of text and a page of art devoted to each book.
A great read with knowledgeable information everyone should have, as a unique gift, or get it for yourself, 100 Books that Changed the World is available now from Universe Publishing.
Lists, and by extension, books with lists, are the stuff that sprout conversation. Sometimes good conversation, sometimes knock-down-drag-outs, but always something to talk about. We saw that last month in our look at Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies that Are Out of This World, and it applies to Scott Christianson and Colin Salter’s new audacious work, 100 Books that Changed the World. This book is not merely a list of books, but an argument supporting why the authors think each book merits recognition. After all, with more than 2 million new books published each year (300,000 per year in the U.S. alone) and documented writings going back thousands of years, whittling them all down to 100 is a bit daunting at a minimum. Grade schoolers, college liberal arts and sciences majors, and everyone else has probably encountered a list like this before, usually styled the “greatest,” “most influential,” or “most significant” books ever written. Ultimately, readers may find the compilation of 100 books that “changed the world” results in a very similar set of books.
What would make your list? You can probably list 20 included without much work. The authors state in their preface that there are 50 books everyone would agree should be included. Think religion and myths (the Torah, the Bible, the Quran), math and science (Euclid’s Elements of Geometry, Copernicus’s On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, Newton’s Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematica), philosophy and politics (Plato’s The Republic, Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, Thomas Paine’s The Rights of Man), works of fiction (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings), classic children’s books (Aesop’s Fables, Grimm’s Fairy Tales), works of the often-disputed literary greats (I’m looking at you, James Joyce), and works of long undisputed literary masters like Homer and Shakespeare. Yes, these are all “givens” for a list like this. But noteworthy great additions I don’t recall seeing on a list like this before include Louis Braille’s Procedure for Writing Words, Music and Plainsong in Dots, Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, and Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. And no author made the list more than once, except the writers of the Bible, which appears on the list twice: for the Gutenberg Bible and the King James version.
The authors hope their book “makes you question your own choices or ours, or introduces you to a book.” Criticisms of 100 Books that Changed the World aren’t going to be all that dire as much as simply topics for discussion. They’re the same critiques of any list or book like this. Thirty-seven books on the list were written by authors from England, removing the inclusion of any books from some countries. The list is heavily back loaded, with 26 books from the 19th century and 35 books from the 20th century–explainable in part since the authors didn’t have a lot to select from the first 3,000 years covered. The oldest book included is the I Ching, roughly 4,800 years old, and the most recent, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein, only four years old. The late history scholar Robert E. Schofield postulated that historians cannot accurately assess the influence of a historical period unless at least 50 years has transpired, and consistent with that theory, nine books shouldn’t have made the cut, removing books like Salmon Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, Art Spiegleman’s graphic novel Maus, and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
It’s a good mental challenge to compare and contrast what you think should make the list and why. How would the list change based on the impact of books on you personally? Based on your favorites or what you think rate as the best books? Another set of writers might look at “changing the world” from sheer book sales (the Bible, the Quran, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung, and several Harry Potter books would top that list) or maybe a more scientific estimated metric of the volume of people personally changed by each book (would that add more books from the large, older republics like China, Russia, and India?)–Michael Hart took on a similar project nearly 20 years ago with his controversial book The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History. I’ve listed (in bold) only 24 of the 100 books here. What do you think make up the remaining 76? The BBC put out a list this year with only 38 in common and PBS did a similar list with only 13 in common (Christianson and Salter’s selections are much, much better than both of those lists).
You will find 100 Books that Changed the World is a great reading prompt. Can’t think of what to read next? Flip through this book for an idea. Feel like your brain is lacking in a certain area of history? This might help. Wondered what they were talking about when they mentioned the I Ching in The Man in the High Castle? Bingo–This book well definitely put you on the right track.
100 Books that Changed the World is available in a hardcover edition featuring rich, full-color reproductions of excerpt pages and covers from its selections, presented in chronological order with a page of text and a page of art devoted to each book.
A great read with knowledgeable information everyone should have, as a unique gift, or get it for yourself, 100 Books that Changed the World is available now from Universe Publishing.
June 23, 2022
Got this as a birthday present from my bestie & I’ve been reading about a book/day. It works well as a sort of literary amuse-bouche and has directly led me to adding 2 books to an already toppling TBR (and strongly considering a couple more).
I might not be interested in reading all 100 books mentioned in this; but they all had something interesting about them; be they fascinating facts about the conception of the work, it’s impact on our society or about the author’s life. A good gift to consider for your bookish friend.
I might not be interested in reading all 100 books mentioned in this; but they all had something interesting about them; be they fascinating facts about the conception of the work, it’s impact on our society or about the author’s life. A good gift to consider for your bookish friend.
June 19, 2023
I enjoyed this far more than I thought I might.
Often this type of "100 best" book is a decent idea thought up in a commissioning meeting which gets put together by a hack on a deadline, the result being a soulless procession of entries that you feel obliged to trudge through for self-improvement purposes. By their nature, list books lack narrative drive, and that is the unsurprising case here - but in general I was impressed by the quality and commitment of the writing (even if one of the authors is a notch better than the other).
Anyone can throw together 600 words on the Kama Sutra and Pride & Prejudice and The Cat In The Hat, but in this case they tend to be as complete vignettes as you might hope for, providing the necessary interesting historical context, a taste of the literary style and little gems of insight. As a random example, did you know that the fugitive slave Frederick Douglass (Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, published 1845) was "the second-most photographed American of the nineteenth century, after Abraham Lincoln"? I did not...
Part of the fun of these books - even when they're rubbish - is second-guessing the selection, and that's certainly the case here. I had little to argue about until we got to the 20th century, especially the latter half, at which point I wondered how Mein Kampf or something by Hannah Arendt didn't make it but Maus by Art Spiegelman did. Solzhenitsyn's One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich is there but with absolutely no reference to The Gulag Archipelago, “the book that brought down an empire”, according to Doris Lessing no less. Hawkings's unreadable A Brief History of Time makes it ahead of Sagan's brilliant genre-creating Cosmos. There's no Conrad, Hemingway, Steinbeck or Fitzgerald. No Gatsby! No Catcher In The Rye or Catch-22. No Little Prince. No Second World War by Winston Churchill.
The latter is perhaps no surprise, given the fashion of the day. Instead we get three feminist titles between 1949 and 1972, including the (relatively) random Ways of Seeing by John Berger, and then — following Thomas Piketty's Capital In The Twenty-First Century (has this changed the world yet? Not that I can see) — we finish with Naomi Klein's This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs The Climate, which is the author's third most famous and world-changing book after No Logo and The Shock Doctrine , neither of which deserve to be here either. Authorial (or publisher’s?) wishful thinking, no doubt.
Nevertheless, there's no way a list like this can satisfy everyone, and what it loses in its last few pages it more than makes up for in wonderful and fascinating full colour visuals of early edition covers and imprint pages of the books in questions.
So I sincerely recommend this one – a book that should end up on your living room shelf rather than in the guest loo.
Often this type of "100 best" book is a decent idea thought up in a commissioning meeting which gets put together by a hack on a deadline, the result being a soulless procession of entries that you feel obliged to trudge through for self-improvement purposes. By their nature, list books lack narrative drive, and that is the unsurprising case here - but in general I was impressed by the quality and commitment of the writing (even if one of the authors is a notch better than the other).
Anyone can throw together 600 words on the Kama Sutra and Pride & Prejudice and The Cat In The Hat, but in this case they tend to be as complete vignettes as you might hope for, providing the necessary interesting historical context, a taste of the literary style and little gems of insight. As a random example, did you know that the fugitive slave Frederick Douglass (Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, published 1845) was "the second-most photographed American of the nineteenth century, after Abraham Lincoln"? I did not...
Part of the fun of these books - even when they're rubbish - is second-guessing the selection, and that's certainly the case here. I had little to argue about until we got to the 20th century, especially the latter half, at which point I wondered how Mein Kampf or something by Hannah Arendt didn't make it but Maus by Art Spiegelman did. Solzhenitsyn's One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich is there but with absolutely no reference to The Gulag Archipelago, “the book that brought down an empire”, according to Doris Lessing no less. Hawkings's unreadable A Brief History of Time makes it ahead of Sagan's brilliant genre-creating Cosmos. There's no Conrad, Hemingway, Steinbeck or Fitzgerald. No Gatsby! No Catcher In The Rye or Catch-22. No Little Prince. No Second World War by Winston Churchill.
The latter is perhaps no surprise, given the fashion of the day. Instead we get three feminist titles between 1949 and 1972, including the (relatively) random Ways of Seeing by John Berger, and then — following Thomas Piketty's Capital In The Twenty-First Century (has this changed the world yet? Not that I can see) — we finish with Naomi Klein's This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs The Climate, which is the author's third most famous and world-changing book after No Logo and The Shock Doctrine , neither of which deserve to be here either. Authorial (or publisher’s?) wishful thinking, no doubt.
Nevertheless, there's no way a list like this can satisfy everyone, and what it loses in its last few pages it more than makes up for in wonderful and fascinating full colour visuals of early edition covers and imprint pages of the books in questions.
So I sincerely recommend this one – a book that should end up on your living room shelf rather than in the guest loo.
January 19, 2019
100 Books that Changed the World is exactly what is says on the tin, a full page on each book identifying and describing how it had an impact on a certain aspect of the changing world. When you think of the phrase ‘changed the world’, so many things can spring to mind which would be subjective based on people’s beliefs and experiences. However, this book has to cover everyone’s perceptions of the world and how they feel it has been adapted over time. Therefore it covers topics that have revolutionised today’s society, that is still constantly changing and developing, this includes scientific discoveries, movements in the waves of feminism and the creation of new genres of books, just to name a few.
It’s meta, a book about books, that ranges from a text from c.2800 BC all the way to 2014. It features unrivalled works in their respective topics such as ‘On the Origin of Species’ by Charles Darwin, religious texts such as the Gutenburg Bible and the Quran and classic literary works such as Ulysses by James Joyce and 1984 by George Orwell. It’s an eye-opening look into texts that were founded by archaeologists, or created through the words of oral tradition, or that just began as recurring columns or journal articles in newspapers or magazines before they became published books.
It’s fascinating to think that there are books out there I never would have known existed and yet they have indirectly made an impact on my live. For example, Mary Wollstonecraft’s ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’ is a feminist manifesto that liberated women and made them realise there should be equality between the genders, especially in terms of education. Although we still aren’t completely where we should be in terms of gender equality, Wollstonecraft’s radical publication definitely created a successful movement and has a well-deserved place in this book.
Overall, I would recommend anyone with even the slightest fascination about books to read this as it is truly inspirational. It has changed the way I think about cultures and religions I was ignorant about and classics that influenced new realms of literature. I am truly thankful for this book and the books within the book.
It’s meta, a book about books, that ranges from a text from c.2800 BC all the way to 2014. It features unrivalled works in their respective topics such as ‘On the Origin of Species’ by Charles Darwin, religious texts such as the Gutenburg Bible and the Quran and classic literary works such as Ulysses by James Joyce and 1984 by George Orwell. It’s an eye-opening look into texts that were founded by archaeologists, or created through the words of oral tradition, or that just began as recurring columns or journal articles in newspapers or magazines before they became published books.
It’s fascinating to think that there are books out there I never would have known existed and yet they have indirectly made an impact on my live. For example, Mary Wollstonecraft’s ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’ is a feminist manifesto that liberated women and made them realise there should be equality between the genders, especially in terms of education. Although we still aren’t completely where we should be in terms of gender equality, Wollstonecraft’s radical publication definitely created a successful movement and has a well-deserved place in this book.
Overall, I would recommend anyone with even the slightest fascination about books to read this as it is truly inspirational. It has changed the way I think about cultures and religions I was ignorant about and classics that influenced new realms of literature. I am truly thankful for this book and the books within the book.
February 27, 2022
I always enjoy these list type books, seeing what people pick and there is a good selection here, many I would agree with - from religious texts, to scientific, to historical, to memoirs, to novels. It's all there. Some of the books I hadn't heard of before so that was interesting, and some of course I knew but there were snippets of information about them that I didn't.
Some of the selections were intriguing - for example, of Charles Dickens vast canon of work, why choose 'David Copperfield', or why Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' over Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights'? You get a hint of the answers to these questions while you're reading. The book looks at why each of these books deserves their place in the list and what each of them did to change the world, some more obvious than others.
There are plenty of images of the development of the book covers and frontispieces from when they were first published to the modern day, and it is written in an easy to read style with quotations from the book discussed where applicable. It's certainly a book I'll come back to when I want to expand my reading list a little more!
Some of the selections were intriguing - for example, of Charles Dickens vast canon of work, why choose 'David Copperfield', or why Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' over Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights'? You get a hint of the answers to these questions while you're reading. The book looks at why each of these books deserves their place in the list and what each of them did to change the world, some more obvious than others.
There are plenty of images of the development of the book covers and frontispieces from when they were first published to the modern day, and it is written in an easy to read style with quotations from the book discussed where applicable. It's certainly a book I'll come back to when I want to expand my reading list a little more!
March 19, 2020
An interesting review and description of 100 books that the author thinks changed the world. I would agree with most, but not all. It is interesting to the the progression of books through the centuries, and along the trail old friends I have read and a couple I never heard of. A nice break and easy read for a reader.
April 8, 2018
It feels kinda meta, reviewing a book about books, but, as a bookworm, I can’t resist this kind of non-fiction. 100 Books that Changed the World taught me a lot and inspired me to try some previously unheard of titles.
I’m not just a massive bookworm. I’m fascinated by books beyond the pleasure of simply reading them. I can remember the point of my life where I first read certain titles and the powerful impact some of them had on me. Some changed my mind about certain genres, some changed my mood on a given day and some changed the way I saw the world.
This book of books is a fascinating archive of the written word, starting with a 4,800 year old text, and detailing the history of books themselves. I learned that ‘the oldest printed texts were stamped into clay while it was still wet, then baked into permanence’. There’s also an image from the original copy of the 1450s Gutenberg Bible – the first book to be printed using movable type.
It’s weird to think that the current and future generations of students have so much knowledge at their fingertips. They can find the answer to virtually any question in seconds. I can remember asking my dad questions growing up and being told to look it up in the dictionary or encyclopaedia. Hundreds and thousands of years ago, people relied on handwritten copies. ‘Books carry new knowledge into the future’.
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know of my fascination with feminist literature and non-fiction. I made a conscious effort to read books by and about inspiring women last year and will continue to do so – empowered women empower women, after all. And I love the acknowledgment of such titles in this book: ‘Books have been particularly instrumental in changing the attitude of men towards women, and of women towards themselves’.
I learned about Mary Wollstonecraft’s manifesto for feminism, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), and plan to track it down in the library when I return to work. Fun fact: her daughter, also called Mary, went on to write Frankenstein, at a time when female novelists were still rare. Talk about girl power!
It took me a long time to appreciate any books which were not modern. I resented having to read the classics at school and it wasn’t until my early 20s that I fell for the work of Jane Austen. I was pleased to see Pride and Prejudice featured in this book: ‘Jane Austen’s romantic comedy of manners pokes fun at some absurdities of English social life at the end of the eighteenth century, but the human foibles that she represents recur in every age’.
This book has encouraged me to think about the books that have changed my life, so look out for a future post. It’s also helped me prioritize my bucket list of books – unfortunately life is too short to read all of the books. On top of that 4,800 year archive, there’s one book published for every 350 people in the UK every year! I’d best get started…
I’m not just a massive bookworm. I’m fascinated by books beyond the pleasure of simply reading them. I can remember the point of my life where I first read certain titles and the powerful impact some of them had on me. Some changed my mind about certain genres, some changed my mood on a given day and some changed the way I saw the world.
This book of books is a fascinating archive of the written word, starting with a 4,800 year old text, and detailing the history of books themselves. I learned that ‘the oldest printed texts were stamped into clay while it was still wet, then baked into permanence’. There’s also an image from the original copy of the 1450s Gutenberg Bible – the first book to be printed using movable type.
It’s weird to think that the current and future generations of students have so much knowledge at their fingertips. They can find the answer to virtually any question in seconds. I can remember asking my dad questions growing up and being told to look it up in the dictionary or encyclopaedia. Hundreds and thousands of years ago, people relied on handwritten copies. ‘Books carry new knowledge into the future’.
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know of my fascination with feminist literature and non-fiction. I made a conscious effort to read books by and about inspiring women last year and will continue to do so – empowered women empower women, after all. And I love the acknowledgment of such titles in this book: ‘Books have been particularly instrumental in changing the attitude of men towards women, and of women towards themselves’.
I learned about Mary Wollstonecraft’s manifesto for feminism, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), and plan to track it down in the library when I return to work. Fun fact: her daughter, also called Mary, went on to write Frankenstein, at a time when female novelists were still rare. Talk about girl power!
It took me a long time to appreciate any books which were not modern. I resented having to read the classics at school and it wasn’t until my early 20s that I fell for the work of Jane Austen. I was pleased to see Pride and Prejudice featured in this book: ‘Jane Austen’s romantic comedy of manners pokes fun at some absurdities of English social life at the end of the eighteenth century, but the human foibles that she represents recur in every age’.
This book has encouraged me to think about the books that have changed my life, so look out for a future post. It’s also helped me prioritize my bucket list of books – unfortunately life is too short to read all of the books. On top of that 4,800 year archive, there’s one book published for every 350 people in the UK every year! I’d best get started…
December 28, 2019
Tài liệu rất cần thiết hỗ trợ trong việc nói về những cuốn sách chưa đọc :D (chứ đọc cái quyển đấy ko thì ko nói được đâu, mình cũng mới vác về chứ chưa đọc)
Danh sách có nhiều cuốn rất quen, nhiều cuốn đã đọc, nhiều cuốn nghe danh đã lâu nhưng chưa đọc, có cuốn chắc ko đọc nổi (vì chắc phức tạp) nhiều cuốn lần đầu nghe danh.
Điểm thú vị là ko chỉ điểm sách, mà danh sách này được trình bầy theo trình tự thời gian nên cảm giác mình đi cùng lịch sử.
Theo danh sách này mới thấy độ lệch về mức độ phổ biến của các cuốn sách tại VN. Vd: the canterbury’s tale, có vẻ khá phổ biến ở Tây Âu nhưng mình mãi gần đây mới biết tên và ko biết tý gì về nội dung luôn. Hoặc có cái sử thi Gilamesh là lần đầu nghe tên luôn.
Có nhiều cuốn rất rất phổ biến, nhưng chắc tại ko phải lĩnh vực của mình nên ko biết như Gray’s Anatomy (chỉ biết có cái series Grey’s ...)
Đọc cũng biết được thêm nhiều về cuốn sách du lịch đầu tiên, từ điển đầu tiên, nội trợ đầu tiên.
Tất nhiên chả có danh sách nào chính xác, người nói thế này thế nọ và tác giả biên soạn cũng nói đây ko phải là danh sách 100 cuốn hay nhất, hoặc hay nhất của 1 tác giả. Mình thì thấy danh sách này bị ảnh hưởng của văn hoá Tây Âu - Anh Mỹ nhiều. Các cuốn sách gần đây thì có vẻ chưa đủ thởi gian để thẩm nên mình thấy lựa chọn ko chính xác.
Sách in đẹp, có ảnh của các ấn bản (cố gắng đầu tiên) của các cuốn sách
Danh sách có nhiều cuốn rất quen, nhiều cuốn đã đọc, nhiều cuốn nghe danh đã lâu nhưng chưa đọc, có cuốn chắc ko đọc nổi (vì chắc phức tạp) nhiều cuốn lần đầu nghe danh.
Điểm thú vị là ko chỉ điểm sách, mà danh sách này được trình bầy theo trình tự thời gian nên cảm giác mình đi cùng lịch sử.
Theo danh sách này mới thấy độ lệch về mức độ phổ biến của các cuốn sách tại VN. Vd: the canterbury’s tale, có vẻ khá phổ biến ở Tây Âu nhưng mình mãi gần đây mới biết tên và ko biết tý gì về nội dung luôn. Hoặc có cái sử thi Gilamesh là lần đầu nghe tên luôn.
Có nhiều cuốn rất rất phổ biến, nhưng chắc tại ko phải lĩnh vực của mình nên ko biết như Gray’s Anatomy (chỉ biết có cái series Grey’s ...)
Đọc cũng biết được thêm nhiều về cuốn sách du lịch đầu tiên, từ điển đầu tiên, nội trợ đầu tiên.
Tất nhiên chả có danh sách nào chính xác, người nói thế này thế nọ và tác giả biên soạn cũng nói đây ko phải là danh sách 100 cuốn hay nhất, hoặc hay nhất của 1 tác giả. Mình thì thấy danh sách này bị ảnh hưởng của văn hoá Tây Âu - Anh Mỹ nhiều. Các cuốn sách gần đây thì có vẻ chưa đủ thởi gian để thẩm nên mình thấy lựa chọn ko chính xác.
Sách in đẹp, có ảnh của các ấn bản (cố gắng đầu tiên) của các cuốn sách
April 18, 2025
"100 Books That Changed the World" de Scott Christianson es una obra imprescindible para quienes buscan ampliar su cultura general y conocer los textos que han marcado un antes y un después en la historia del pensamiento humano. Con un formato claro, atractivo y visualmente bien diseñado, este libro reúne una selección de títulos que han influido en ámbitos como la política, la ciencia, la religión, la filosofía y la literatura.
Cada entrada ofrece una breve descripción del contenido, el contexto histórico y la relevancia del libro destacado, lo que permite al lector formarse una idea global del impacto cultural de cada obra. La selección es diversa y equilibrada, incluyendo desde clásicos como "La República" de Platón hasta textos más recientes como "Un mundo feliz" de Aldous Huxley o "El segundo sexo" de Simone de Beauvoir.
El mayor valor de este libro radica en su capacidad de despertar la curiosidad intelectual. No es un manual académico, sino una guía de descubrimiento, ideal para lectores que deseen orientarse en el vasto mundo de las letras con criterio y referencias sólidas.
Le otorgo una calificación de 5/5. Es una herramienta útil, inspiradora y bien editada para quienes desean leer con sentido histórico y amplitud cultural.
Cada entrada ofrece una breve descripción del contenido, el contexto histórico y la relevancia del libro destacado, lo que permite al lector formarse una idea global del impacto cultural de cada obra. La selección es diversa y equilibrada, incluyendo desde clásicos como "La República" de Platón hasta textos más recientes como "Un mundo feliz" de Aldous Huxley o "El segundo sexo" de Simone de Beauvoir.
El mayor valor de este libro radica en su capacidad de despertar la curiosidad intelectual. No es un manual académico, sino una guía de descubrimiento, ideal para lectores que deseen orientarse en el vasto mundo de las letras con criterio y referencias sólidas.
Le otorgo una calificación de 5/5. Es una herramienta útil, inspiradora y bien editada para quienes desean leer con sentido histórico y amplitud cultural.
June 23, 2023
堅硬書皮、光滑內紙，每則的介紹裡都只占兩頁版面，包含適中的字數和兩張以上的彩色圖片；大小適中好掌控，裝訂結實容易翻閱。這樣的書放在「新到讀書」的櫃子裡，很難不把它借回家的。
100本改變世界的書中，我看過17本，聽過書名但沒看過的39本，多少看過一些但終究沒看完的9本。
做完算術可知，在其他35本書悄悄改變世界的時候，我是茫茫然，毫無所悉。
不知道是規定用多少字來介紹一本書，但寫過教科書的我知道，要在固定的字數裡寫出重點是要一些本事的。至於為何在茫茫書海中認為這100本書最重要，也許只有作者能回答，只是沒能在每晚睡前看10本書介紹的速度中找到答案。
因為資料龐雜，選了三本書的內容抄下來：
〈雨果擔心英文版和美國版的悲慘世界銷售情形，發了一封電報給倫敦的出版商，「？」，出版商回電「！」〉(p. 120)
《To Kill a Mockingbird》的作者Haper Lee和寫了《In Cold Blood》的Truman Capote是好朋友，但後來兩人鬧翻了。不，應該說Capote不再理Lee。Lee很遺憾地說：
〈我是他認識最久的朋友，不過我做了一件楚門無法原諒的事：寫了一本能賣的小說。〉(p. 185)
看過的少少的17本中，最想重看的絕對是《百年孤寂》；至於35本從未知曉的書呢，則有一本還沒看完介紹就下定決心一定要借來：《觀看的方式》(Ways of Seeing)。理由如下——
(此書是)一系列關於我們如何觀看藝術作品的哲學討論。伯格所謂的『觀看』指的既是藝術家處理題材的手法，也是觀眾衡量那些藝術品的方式。
一個藝術家感知的方式，是基於藝術家所處時代的信念與價值觀而來。例如：中世紀藝術家把地獄畫成一片火海，是因為地獄在當時民中的心目中就是那個樣子。…肖像畫所呈現的樣貌通常是為了討好委託藝術家的贊助人，而且也是為了彰顯所有權，不論擁有的是頭銜、地位或家庭。…
「赤裸」(naked)與「裸體」(nude)在語意上的差別：
一個只是表示沒穿衣服，另一個則表示被人看見赤裸的模樣；一個僅僅表示沒有穿著打扮，但是在另一個字裡，不穿衣服卻成為一種穿著打扮。
大部分的古典畫家都把裸女的體型描繪得很理想化，而且這些女人通常不是看著畫中其他人物，而是畫外的觀眾——所謂觀眾，主要就是男性委託人、作品的擁有者。柏格認為，女性已經學會以畫作擁有者的眼光來看待自己，也宿是從男人而非女人的觀點出發。他寫道：「男人觀賞女人。女人看著自己被觀賞。這不只決定了大多數的男女關係，也決定了女人與自己的關係。」(p. 198)
寫得多好啊！
終於，終於對哲學的語彙發生興趣了。
100本改變世界的書中，我看過17本，聽過書名但沒看過的39本，多少看過一些但終究沒看完的9本。
做完算術可知，在其他35本書悄悄改變世界的時候，我是茫茫然，毫無所悉。
不知道是規定用多少字來介紹一本書，但寫過教科書的我知道，要在固定的字數裡寫出重點是要一些本事的。至於為何在茫茫書海中認為這100本書最重要，也許只有作者能回答，只是沒能在每晚睡前看10本書介紹的速度中找到答案。
因為資料龐雜，選了三本書的內容抄下來：
〈雨果擔心英文版和美國版的悲慘世界銷售情形，發了一封電報給倫敦的出版商，「？」，出版商回電「！」〉(p. 120)
《To Kill a Mockingbird》的作者Haper Lee和寫了《In Cold Blood》的Truman Capote是好朋友，但後來兩人鬧翻了。不，應該說Capote不再理Lee。Lee很遺憾地說：
〈我是他認識最久的朋友，不過我做了一件楚門無法原諒的事：寫了一本能賣的小說。〉(p. 185)
看過的少少的17本中，最想重看的絕對是《百年孤寂》；至於35本從未知曉的書呢，則有一本還沒看完介紹就下定決心一定要借來：《觀看的方式》(Ways of Seeing)。理由如下——
(此書是)一系列關於我們如何觀看藝術作品的哲學討論。伯格所謂的『觀看』指的既是藝術家處理題材的手法，也是觀眾衡量那些藝術品的方式。
一個藝術家感知的方式，是基於藝術家所處時代的信念與價值觀而來。例如：中世紀藝術家把地獄畫成一片火海，是因為地獄在當時民中的心目中就是那個樣子。…肖像畫所呈現的樣貌通常是為了討好委託藝術家的贊助人，而且也是為了彰顯所有權，不論擁有的是頭銜、地位或家庭。…
「赤裸」(naked)與「裸體」(nude)在語意上的差別：
一個只是表示沒穿衣服，另一個則表示被人看見赤裸的模樣；一個僅僅表示沒有穿著打扮，但是在另一個字裡，不穿衣服卻成為一種穿著打扮。
大部分的古典畫家都把裸女的體型描繪得很理想化，而且這些女人通常不是看著畫中其他人物，而是畫外的觀眾——所謂觀眾，主要就是男性委託人、作品的擁有者。柏格認為，女性已經學會以畫作擁有者的眼光來看待自己，也宿是從男人而非女人的觀點出發。他寫道：「男人觀賞女人。女人看著自己被觀賞。這不只決定了大多數的男女關係，也決定了女人與自己的關係。」(p. 198)
寫得多好啊！
終於，終於對哲學的語彙發生興趣了。
July 7, 2022
This book is essentially a list of the most influential books that in one way or another, affected the world. It ranges from scientific to religious, from fiction to non fiction - and everything in between.
I think most of these, if not all, are familiar to book readers. Hell, the general populace will have definitely heard of most of these books. But I appreciated Scott Christianson's descriptions of each book that go along with the images of first editions of the books. His summaries are short and concise, which makes this list particularly easy reading. I actually wouldn't have minded a bit more detail for the books, but Ill take what I can get.
I wrote down more than a few from this list that I will be reading in the coming months/years. This is a great guide for learning about the history of some of the most famous pieces of literature - literally ever. Highly recommended for book lovers.
I think most of these, if not all, are familiar to book readers. Hell, the general populace will have definitely heard of most of these books. But I appreciated Scott Christianson's descriptions of each book that go along with the images of first editions of the books. His summaries are short and concise, which makes this list particularly easy reading. I actually wouldn't have minded a bit more detail for the books, but Ill take what I can get.
I wrote down more than a few from this list that I will be reading in the coming months/years. This is a great guide for learning about the history of some of the most famous pieces of literature - literally ever. Highly recommended for book lovers.
October 2, 2024
I had time to spare.
If I step into a book store or library, hours would pass.
You won't find details in this work.
I found this gem. It's an introduction to selected 100 books in the World.
I believe Great books should be read, discussed over course of our lives.
Charles Darwin's Origin of Species & Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations are my favorites
Recommend giving this book as a gift!
If I step into a book store or library, hours would pass.
You won't find details in this work.
I found this gem. It's an introduction to selected 100 books in the World.
I believe Great books should be read, discussed over course of our lives.
Charles Darwin's Origin of Species & Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations are my favorites
Recommend giving this book as a gift!
January 14, 2019
I’ve read lots of these 100 books and this is as excellent version. My edition was a convenient size to read despite being a hardback and had good quality paper. There was an interesting selection of books. I had heard of most of them but a few wild cards spiced things up. Each book had some interesting, clear information plus nice photos.
July 31, 2022
Book seemed biased to western esp. British writing, also doesn't sample PRE- BC and till 500 AD. However summarisation was superb.
Few selection don't really qualify as 'changing' the world , while few may have been selected just because it courted controversy.
PS - Mahabharat couldn't have been ignored esp. if 1 bn + people follow ( My Indian bias)
Few selection don't really qualify as 'changing' the world , while few may have been selected just because it courted controversy.
PS - Mahabharat couldn't have been ignored esp. if 1 bn + people follow ( My Indian bias)
May 18, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. Know that there is never going to be a book of “top” books that pleases everyone. So not to be annoyed about what is not in lit. Just enjoy and ponder these books that have indeed influenced and or reflected the change of times.
January 12, 2025
A beautiful high quality book. I love that it’s not a regurgitation of bucket list books—there were quite a few books mentioned I had never heard of. I debated rating this five stars because it’s solid but I would have loved even more graphics.
December 30, 2018
Fabulous, saves reading the books, but has inspired me to try a few.
May 14, 2019
Good reference book and difficult to argue with the choices made. Clear and concise arguments made for each books conclusion.
January 18, 2020
Absolutely worth to be read. This book goes through history showcasing brief introductions to the most important pieces of literature ever produced.
September 23, 2020
It would be a good deal, if to read only half these books in ones lifetime.
This book is well written about all 100 of these books.
This book is well written about all 100 of these books.
August 13, 2022
WORTH A LOOK
As a quick overview it is worth a look just to see someone’s opinion; but you are left wanting more.
As a quick overview it is worth a look just to see someone’s opinion; but you are left wanting more.
August 14, 2022
Not a great overview. Many iffy reasons for why the books should be there.
January 5, 2025
A summary of 100 books from the ancients to current literature that changed thoughts and inspired generations.
June 5, 2025
this was a good coffee table book.
December 9, 2024
The omission of the Bhagavad Gita; the cornerstone of ancient Indian philosophy and the de facto book of Hinduism, the world’s oldest religion, is glaring. Other than that, this compilation is a fascinating and enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews