Simple words
have had the most profound effect on the world — its history, literature, art,
science, religion and economics. To know and to have read the great masters is
to understand and appreciate the complex interaction of world events as they
unfolded. 51 Great Books You Should Have Read (and Probably didn't) is
the first attempt to organize the great literature, both fiction and
non-fiction, in such a way as to demonstrate their world-wide impact.
This
invaluable book is a selection of 51 seminal works and a fascinating peep into
the beliefs, teachings and thought-processes of some of the greatest and the
finest minds who ever walked this planet.
Every
attempt has been made to introduce readers to books and literature that is
international in scope and spans the centuries. The works included are from
Homer's The Iliad, Plato's The Republic and Mahabharata to
Nelson Mandela's The Long Walk to Freedom and Alan Turning's
On Computable Numbers.
The works chosen are not necessarily the most famous — nor are their authors.
Rather, they are world literature masterpieces that every educated individual
should have at least some familiarity with.
In a few
short pages, you will learn about the authors, their background and influences,
as well as a good deal about the works themselves. In many ways this is a very
sophisticated book with many important topics — but it is presented in an
easy-to-read reference style. While note being simplistic by any means, every
effort has been made to ensure basic understanding of the authors and their
works.
Do remember
that the book has attempted to channel some of the greatest minds and the
greatest works into a few pages — which is a trick in itself! Nevertheless,
readers will get a treat of their intellectual lifetimes when they begin
sampling the many and the variety of writers and books.
Why are
these the greatest works of the ages: