Via cat blogger (Kevin Drum at Mother Jones), another damn list!

This time, top nonfiction books.

I guess The Guardian (UK) recently compiled a list of the 100 greatest nonfiction books, and so the NY Times did a similar, more casual listing – they asked employees to submit list of five favorite nonfiction books (results here).

As Drum notes, some interesting results from the NYT list:

• There was a four-way tie for first place (not ranked; just how many times mentioned). There were 33 lists submitted and the top overlap were books on only three lists. That’s all over the place. With movies, half of the lists would have had “Gone With the Wind,” “Citizen Kane,” “The Godfather” and/or “Star Wars” before wandering off somewhere.
• Virtually all the books listed were written after 1900. Really? Virtually nothing good before that?

I guess part of the problem is what is a “best” or greatest” book. I have my own list of Top Ten [everythings], including a list of Top Ten Nonfiction.

Yet I realize that many of the books I listed were my favorites, not necessarily the greatest nonfiction ever. I loved both The Song of the Dodo and The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but I realize that, a hundred years from now, few will be reading the former (a shame!), yet the latter will still be relevant. It’s the best book that I’ve read about the subject – and that subject will never get old.

Shouldn’t the Bible – whether you’re a believer or not – at least be on just about all lists? Then how about the Koran and so on?

And shouldn’t Origin of the Species and Das Kapital at least be on the list? What about Walden? The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire? Alexis de Tocqueville’s brilliant – and unbelievably prescient – Democracy in America? Plato’s Republic? These are not necessarily easy books, but – once read – they stick with you for life. None are on the NYT list.

Friday Night Lights, is, however. Go figger.

Ah, lists. They never fail to inspire ire and spark conversation. Good!