by Inspector Javert on January 25th, 2007

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I'm looking for a book to read - can anyone name any good classical literature, histories, or philosophies?

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by criticalmass on January 25th, 2007
Anything by Milan Kundera, my favourite is Immortality. He's a Czech/French writer, but his books are very powerful true works of art.
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by Nobody on April 23rd, 2007
the book of John in the Bible. Pay special attention to John 3:16.
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- great answer.
  
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  by singwell-is off researching a lot on April 23rd, 2007
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by Jimmyp on April 26th, 2008
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Les Miseralbles by Victor Hugo
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
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- Les Miserables was a wonderous novel.
  
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  by Inspector Javert on May 4th, 2008
- I read it in high school and I still remember it. It had an effect on me. Is your avatar name an indication that it effected you too?
  
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  by Jimmyp on May 4th, 2008
- Indeed indeed.
  
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  by Inspector Javert on May 4th, 2008
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by UneFille on April 26th, 2008
Try George Eliot, Jane Austen, Evelyn Waugh, E.M Forster, and Shakespeare.
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by Will on April 25th, 2008
Atlas Shrugged.........Ayn Rand
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by La Dulce Andreita on April 25th, 2008
Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was phenomenal. I also like 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell.
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by aydeology on January 29th, 2008
Anything by Descartes!
- The Flowers of Evil
- The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
- The Birth of Venus (historical fiction)
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by anonymous on January 29th, 2008
Classic - Middlemarch by George Eliot
History - Henry the V by W. Shakespeare
Philosophy - The Republic by Plato
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by hijklmno on April 25th, 2007
I'll take you at your words and make three random suggestions.

Good classical literature? Go very far back and read The Golden Ass by Apuleius - it's a Roman novel, funny, mystical and you can get a very readable translation of it by Robert Graves.

Good history? Well, I like Marco Polo's travels - it's a flawed travelogue. But gives a good insight into completely alien cultures and the character of Kublai Khan.

Philosophy? I've been on a Schopenhauer spree these days - he's a very readable philosopher. You can get an excellent little edition of his essays and aphorisms.
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by nong33 on April 23rd, 2007
Have you read the Divine Comedy? I have and I love it.
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by singwell-is off researching a lot on April 26th, 2008
Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. A hard read because of the 16th century language, and largely ignored these days because it is Christian, but it changed society when it was written.
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by [Deleted] on April 26th, 2008
Dante's Inferno
The Great Gatsby
Gone with the Wind
Kahlil Gibran
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- Ah, the Comedy. Always a fun read, that one.
  
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  by Inspector Javert on May 4th, 2008
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by 8 Jan 2004-10 Dec 2009 on April 25th, 2008
I am a fan of Neal Stephenson, especially the Baroque Cycle.
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by CSWarn on April 24th, 2007
Paradise Lost by Milton.
Wicked by Maguire
Gone With The Wind by Mitchell
Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintanence- Sorry I can't remember the name of the author, and the name is kind of ugh- but its a good philosophical read.
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- Paradise lost is good. you have to read 'between the lines' to really understand what he's saying though. Gettin some background info is definitely worth it.
  
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  by aydeology on January 29th, 2008
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by Nelson - Jetpacking from bed on April 23rd, 2007
Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. All four books in the trilogy (yes, there are four books in this trilogy, it will make sense after reading). It will give you the answer to life, the universe, and everthing.
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by singwell-is off researching a lot on April 23rd, 2007
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. Largely unread now, but a classic read for hundreds of years.
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by jonrobin on April 23rd, 2007
Definitely The Oddysey...

And Oedipus
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by sol on January 29th, 2008
Sophies world. Its a philopophie book & about the history of. But its in a story format so makes it an easy read.
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by lazaruslong138 on January 29th, 2008
robert heinleins-stranger in a strange land-mandatory reading in some colleges-banned in others--just my choice--might enjoy it-smile and enjoy the day
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by Halskiisaklink on April 25th, 2008
No, but I can recommend Plexus by Henry Miller. Decent stuff.
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by Simon on January 29th, 2008
Breakthrough By Meister Eckart
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by FaerieWhings on January 29th, 2008
this was a great book:

http://www.galileosdaughter.com/home.shtml
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by kidAmy on January 29th, 2008
The Oresteia, by Aeschylus. It's actually three plays, but once you start, you really need to keep going. Not sure if this is what you're after, but when you said "classical", well, I went classical.

;)
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by tomsims on January 25th, 2007
Carl Sandburg's 3 volume biography of Abraham Lincoln.
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Question

I'm looking for a book to read - can anyone name any good classical literature, histories, or philosophies?

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