1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List

This book is a delight for any bibliophile. Just reading through it to see how many of our personal favourites are mentioned is a great pleasure. And then there are the recommendations for similar books; this accounts for another 3 or 4 thousand books to think about. If you have a good-sized library you need this book, and if you want a good-sized library you need this book. I got a copy for myself and also one for my sister. She is delighted with it.

Great fun to see the recommendations and which books you have read or want to read.

Bought for friend for her 40th birthday - I think she liked it

If you're a sucker for lists, and especially book lists, this strikes me as a very nice choice. It passed my first two tests - the foreword wasn't a Little Jack Horner what-a-good-boy-am-I celebration by the author of his admirable bookishness. It was modest, informative, and rather amiable. So already I was willing to trust this curator, (who wrote the "A Common Reader" mail-order book catalogue for decades, so was already sort of pre-approved). The next test was to read one of his descriptive essays. (Each listed book comes with a brief essay and a load of background information about the book, including date of publication, other books by the author, similar books, and so on.) The first book on the list is Abbey's "Desert Solitaire". (The list is alphabetical by author.) I think Abbey is a great nature writer, but also a condescending sourpuss with a NIMBY problem and dismissiveness of anyone who doesn't fit his idea of an eco-warrior. Most reviews of "Desert Solitaire" rhapsodize about Arches National Park and overlook Abbey's kvetching. Mustich's essay, though, notes Abbey's "crankiness... and mordant quirky vehemence", while still giving him full marks as a nature writer and observer. O.K., I thought, Mustich isn't just a sugar coated sycophant, and appears to be trustworthy. The next books on the list are Abbott's "Flatland", Achebe's "Things Fall Apart", Ackerley's "My Dog Tulip", Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", and Henry Adams' "Education of Henry Adams". This tells you that the net here has been spread wide indeed, and it practically invites readers to argue about how this particular thousand was chosen. Since that's all part of the fun of books like this, that's all fine with me. (For what it's worth, I think these life list things should be organized on an ages of man theme, listing books in the order in which they should be read as the reader ages. A book that's just right for a teen might not tickle the fancy of an octogenarian, and I amused myself by trying to plot the books here into where and when I should have read them, if ever.) The selection is about evenly split between fiction and nonfiction, which is a bit unusual, but welcome. And there are certainly some unexpected choices. I would challenge any reader to skim through this book and not find at least a few enticing and previously unknown volumes. (Reginald Arkell's "Old Herbaceous" anyone?) As you might expect, the Western canon is heavily represented, but Mustich makes a credible attempt to cover what is available in translation. Anyway, this is a game and fair effort; the author is above board regarding his methods and his predilections, and the essays are enough to give the reader at least a brief taste of those books with which he is not familiar. Mustich is witty in an unforced way and enthusiastic, and as surveys and lists go, this one struck me as fun and engaging. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Wonderful reference book; glad to have it in my collection.

I am not usually someone who would normally choose a book with a title such as ‘1,000 Books to Read Before You Die’. I have seen many different iterations of books along the same lines and have been disappointed. But not this time. This book is phenomenal. The author has clearly thought about absolutely everything they could possibly consider including and then presented it in a truly accessible format. There is a wide breadth of genres included and this book does not suffer from ‘book snobbery’. It includes classics, contemporary fiction, children’s fiction, and many more. The descriptions of the books struck me as being carefully considered and are in plain, simple language. The end of each description also includes the following information: What (Genre), When, Award, Also by, Further reading, Try, and Adaptation. This allows the reader to explore other books in the same area or watch an adaptation. The inclusion of adaptations made me incredibly happy as although there are some terrible adaptations out there, there are also some fantastic ones. (I’ll forgive the author for neglecting to mention that Alan Rickman featured in Ang Lee’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility…). In the acknowledgments, the author mentions that this book is a culmination of fourteen years’ of work and it shows. An easy and solid five stars.

This book should come with a health warning – Do Not Read If You Can’t Resist Lists. Unfortunately I can’t, and now I have even more books on my TBR which was in any case ridiculously large. Great book. Fun, thought-provoking, intelligent, comprehensive. Essential reading for all book lovers.

This is an excellent resource and unmissable for any real bibliophile! I already have a ridiculous amount of books on my to-be-read list (both on Goodreads and on the bookshelves in my bedroom) but I am always looking for more. There are a lot of interesting titles featured here. I very much appreciated the way it was set out too. There are books from across the genres and era's meaning it will appeal to a multitude of people. Each title has information about the plot and the author and are arranged alphabetically which is appealing. I have no doubt that I will refer back to this time and time again. Recommended. Many thanks to Workman Publishing Company for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Gayet güzel ve edebiyat okurlari icin bir basucu kitabi.

O livro é muito bem feito com dezenas de ilustrações coloridas e foi feito um recorte muito bom dos autores e das obras. Excelente!

A well researched compendium of essential reading for the book lover. A MUST for the libraries of the literate

A five-star buffet invitation for the bookworms. A never-ending "what to read next" list from someone who was a renowned bookseller and is a lifelong avid reader himself. The production quality of the book is excellent as well. If reading is your passion, this is an absolute must buy for you. Don't hesitate.

I like the fact that the book came in premium condition.