Books That Changed the World
- Downloads：5920
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-14 10:51:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：James Andrew Taylor
- ISBN：1782069429
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Books That Changed the World tells the fascinating stories behind 50 books that， in ways great and small， have changed the course of human history。 Andrew Taylor sets each text in its historical context and explores its wider influence and legacy。 Whether he's discussing the incandescent effect of The Qu'ran， the enduring influence of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations， of the way in which Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe galavanized the anti-slavery movement， Taylor has written a stirring and informative testament to human ingenuity and endeavour。 Ranging from The Iliad to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone， the Kama Sutra to Lady Chatterley's Lover， this is the ultimate， thought-provoking read for book-lovers everywhere。
Reviews
Antonio Gallo
，
Forse questo è il libro al quale ho assegnato il maggior numero di etichette。 Come sempre， quando scrivo una recensione， ad ogni "tag" che scelgo per registrare la presenza di un libro nella mia biblioteca digitale， assegno una specifica idea。 Qui viene per primo la parola "amore" che si lega al piacere di leggere， scrivere， pensare， giudicare， riflettere su di un libro che possa ben definire e rinforzare allo stesso tempo questa passione che va sotto il nome di bibliomania。 Sono 50 i libri che Forse questo è il libro al quale ho assegnato il maggior numero di etichette。 Come sempre， quando scrivo una recensione， ad ogni "tag" che scelgo per registrare la presenza di un libro nella mia biblioteca digitale， assegno una specifica idea。 Qui viene per primo la parola "amore" che si lega al piacere di leggere， scrivere， pensare， giudicare， riflettere su di un libro che possa ben definire e rinforzare allo stesso tempo questa passione che va sotto il nome di bibliomania。 Sono 50 i libri che secondo l'autore hanno cambiato il mondo。 Un pensiero piuttosto ardito questo， direi， in quanto cambiare il mondo non credo sia nelle capacità di nessuno di poterlo fare davvero。 Un mondo fatto di milioni e milioni di esseri pensanti， passati， presenti e futuri。 Vi pare una cosa possibile？ Io penso in tutta modestia che il mondo non "cambia"， siamo noi a cambiarlo ogni ogni giorno nel momento in cui questo stesso mondo cambia noi。 Questi 50 libri hanno certamente concorso a cambiare me e chi li ha letti， ma non potremo mai dire come， quando e perchè。 Non è poi detto che il processo sia finito。 Se ho cominciato a leggere e scrivere quando avevo tre/quattro anni nella piccola tipografia di mio padre nel secolo e nel millennio trascorsi， e se ho continuato a leggere nel corso di tutto questo tempo， questi 50 libri， ed anche tutti gli altri， che leggerò fino a quando sarà possibile， il mio cambiamento， il cambiamento del mio "mondo" è destinato a continuare all'infinito。 Perchè questa è la forza della immaginazione di chi pensa， legge e scrive per lavoro， per vivere e per dare un senso alla propria esistenza。 Sono libri questi che non si finiscono mai di leggere perchè ogni qualvolta li prendi in mano e li rileggi， sono sempre diversi， ti raccontano qualcosa di nuovo， allargano la vita oltre il tuo invisibile orizzonte。 Questi libri sono mondi che pur essendo mondi chiusi， anch'essi cambiano nel mentre cambia il mondo esterno in cui si trova chi li legge。 Tutto è destinato a scorrere e a trasformarsi all'infinito 。。。 。。。more
Aprilleigh
，
Interesting book， although I find his inclusion of the first telephone directory ludicrous and the contemptible The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion offensive。 Yes， it was influential in the worst possible way， but why would anyone want to give that piece of trash a spotlight？The write-ups for each of the featured books （about 4 pages each） are full of interesting details about the books， authors， and their place in history， but I find the choices a little confusing。 For example， for Ptol Interesting book， although I find his inclusion of the first telephone directory ludicrous and the contemptible The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion offensive。 Yes， it was influential in the worst possible way， but why would anyone want to give that piece of trash a spotlight？The write-ups for each of the featured books （about 4 pages each） are full of interesting details about the books， authors， and their place in history， but I find the choices a little confusing。 For example， for Ptolemy， instead of The Almagest， arguably his most influential work， the author chose to focus on Geographia。 Huh？It was worth perusing from the library， but I have no desire to pick up my own copy， which sort of surprised me。 。。。more
Leila Mota
，
I was attracted by the word "books" in the title - I was in a bookshop at the airport and I was looking for something interesting to read that wasn't a best seller （nothing agains them， btw）。 Some years have passed and then I got into the quarantine spirit。 It's as if time has slowed， no need to fill the day with things to do outside （necessary or pleasurable）， and I started to select activities - and books - that have been put aside for lack of time or inclination。 This is an easy book to read。 I was attracted by the word "books" in the title - I was in a bookshop at the airport and I was looking for something interesting to read that wasn't a best seller （nothing agains them， btw）。 Some years have passed and then I got into the quarantine spirit。 It's as if time has slowed， no need to fill the day with things to do outside （necessary or pleasurable）， and I started to select activities - and books - that have been put aside for lack of time or inclination。 This is an easy book to read。 It's divided in short chapters， each one describing one book， in a personal selection aiming to encompass those that the author sees as the most relevant for the humankind。 One may disagree with the selection but I think that it's fair。 It really covers a wide range of literary examples of human knowledge that established new parameters in diverse fields。 It was nice to see some of the books that were so important in my life and it was good to learn a little bit of many others that I haven't had the opportunity to read。 Maybe I won't read those but I'm able to understand its importance。 All in all it's a very useful book。 。。。more
Cardamon
，
Ihan kiintoisa vilkaisu useaan kuuluisaan tai vaikutusvaltaiseen teokseen historian varrelta。 Toki kun pyritään esittelemään 50 teosta ja pohtimaan niiden vaikutusta ja meriittejä， ei hirveän syvälle kaikkien kohdalla päästä。 Se onkin teoksen sekä hyvä että huono puoli。 Teokset， jotka lukijaa itseään kiinnostaisivat enemmänkin， tuntuvat jäävän pintaraapaisuiksi， mutta toisaalta niistä vähemmän kiinnostavistakin jaksaa hyvin lukea muutaman sivun tuntematta tarvetta hyppiä eteenpäin。 Ja jokainenha Ihan kiintoisa vilkaisu useaan kuuluisaan tai vaikutusvaltaiseen teokseen historian varrelta。 Toki kun pyritään esittelemään 50 teosta ja pohtimaan niiden vaikutusta ja meriittejä， ei hirveän syvälle kaikkien kohdalla päästä。 Se onkin teoksen sekä hyvä että huono puoli。 Teokset， jotka lukijaa itseään kiinnostaisivat enemmänkin， tuntuvat jäävän pintaraapaisuiksi， mutta toisaalta niistä vähemmän kiinnostavistakin jaksaa hyvin lukea muutaman sivun tuntematta tarvetta hyppiä eteenpäin。 Ja jokainenhan voi tutustua kiinnostaviin teoksiin tarkemmin jälkikäteen。Kaikista teosvalinnoista en tietenkään ole samaa mieltä eikä kaikkien teosten kohdalla mielestäni pystytä perustelemaan niiden oikeutta esiintyä ”maailmaa muuttaneena kirjana”。 Toisaalta meistä jokainen kokoaisi hieman （tai erittäin） erilaisen listan kuin kaikki muut eli ei ole realistista odottaa， että kaikki valinnat kävisivät lukijan omaan järkeen。 Enimmäkseen pidän kuitenkin valintoja ihan perusteltuina。Sen sijaan vaikeampaa on antaa anteeksi kirjaa riivaavat lukuisat kirjoitusvirheet。 Niitä esiintyy lähes joka sivulla， joillain sivuilla useita （virheitä nimien oikeinkirjoituksessa， epäloogisuuksia vuosiluvuissa， ihan vain lyöntivirheitä。。。）。 Tämä riepoi aika tavalla ja vaikeutti tekstiin uppoutumista。 Tekstissä oli muutenkin jonkin verran vaikealukuisuutta ja raskaiden lauserakenteiden aiheuttamaa kömpelyyttä， mistä syystä välillä virkkeitä piti tavata pari kertaa ennen kuin niiden merkitys kirkastui。 Sitä en osaa sanoa， vaivaako tämä ongelma myös alkukielistä teosta vai vain suomennosta。 Tämä kirja käy hyvänä esimerkkinä siitä， miten harmillista on， ettei viimeistelyyn ja oikolukuun ehditä/haluta enää aina panostaa。 Kirjan tekemisessä ja kääntämisessäkin on ollut suuri työ， jota kirjan ostaja ja lukija pääsisi paremmin arvostamaan， kun kieliasukin olisi huoliteltu。 。。。more
Tanya Turner
，
This was an interesting survey of fifty books most of which feature heavily on many lists of ‘best’ or ‘most significant’ with a few oddities amongst the usual suspects， such as the first telephone directory。 The gimmick here being that they are books that have had an impact on the world， not just sold a lot of copies or generated a lot of book reviews。 As with any list， Taylor’s choices can be questioned， generally when he picks something that， while clearly popular and widely read， the argumen This was an interesting survey of fifty books most of which feature heavily on many lists of ‘best’ or ‘most significant’ with a few oddities amongst the usual suspects， such as the first telephone directory。 The gimmick here being that they are books that have had an impact on the world， not just sold a lot of copies or generated a lot of book reviews。 As with any list， Taylor’s choices can be questioned， generally when he picks something that， while clearly popular and widely read， the argument for it being world。-changing is less clear。 For example， no-one can argue about the significance of the Bible or the Quran on people’s behaviour， it is less clear if ‘Pride and Prejudice’ changed the world， or just changed the literature that came after it。 （And I say that as an Austen fan）。 Austen did not invent the drawing room culture of the Georgian era， rather she reported it and immortalised it in her worlds， but I’m not sure that changed the world， certainly not in the same way that the works of Karl Marx have， for good or ill。 So this was an interesting read， but like any list based on opinion rather than numerical fact， it is open to challenge and debate， but maybe that is part of the point， to get people thinking about how books can effect the world。 。。。more
Shatha A Abduh
，
I love the fact that this small book not only gives you a bit of info about each 50 books but it gives you the summary from a good perspective I swear it is really rare to find a writer that would mention what good a book Carrie's without being a prejudices I love the fact that this small book not only gives you a bit of info about each 50 books but it gives you the summary from a good perspective I swear it is really rare to find a writer that would mention what good a book Carrie's without being a prejudices 。。。more
Annukka
，
Pikakelauksella läpi kirjallisuuden historian merkkiteoksia。 Yhdestä kirjasta kiinnostuin niin paljon， että taidan sen lainata kirjastosta。 Ja yhden kirjan oli itse lukenut kokonaan ja toisesta pätkiä。 Tämä kirja oli ensimmäinen laatuan minulla: kirja， jossa on listattu 50 maailman x asiaa。 En täysin tyrmää muotoa tämän perusteella， mutta en ihastunut ikiajoiksikaan tähän kirjatyyppiin。
Becky
，
Read this for a university project about the power of the written word and the impact it's had on society， economy， politics， religion etc。， and I've been looking into lots of different texts from different eras to see the ways they have altered our world and whether the world would be the same without print （novels， posters， leaflets etc）。 This was a really helpful addition to my research and I have dog-eared it， sticky tabbed it and annotated it and I'm looking forward to referring back to it Read this for a university project about the power of the written word and the impact it's had on society， economy， politics， religion etc。， and I've been looking into lots of different texts from different eras to see the ways they have altered our world and whether the world would be the same without print （novels， posters， leaflets etc）。 This was a really helpful addition to my research and I have dog-eared it， sticky tabbed it and annotated it and I'm looking forward to referring back to it to draw the information from it。 This is a great read regardless of whether you're reading it for pleasure or for research - I enjoyed reading this and I learned a lot from it。 I've definitely added a good chunk of knowledge to my repertoire thanks to this！ 。。。more
Cathie
，
What a great read， several of the books I had not heard of and will be adding to my “Must Read” list。 Wonderful way that the book is organized and the information it shares about each book and its place in history and how it literally changed the world。 Read it:）
C B
，
Short write-ups about 50 major books， most of which I'm now old enough to know I will never read。 The entries are not especially engaging， certainly nothing got pushed up my must-read list based on what is written here。 An OK time-killer when you don't have time to get immersed in a more sustained book。 Short write-ups about 50 major books， most of which I'm now old enough to know I will never read。 The entries are not especially engaging， certainly nothing got pushed up my must-read list based on what is written here。 An OK time-killer when you don't have time to get immersed in a more sustained book。 。。。more
yamiyoghurt
，
An enjoyable read which provided the synopsis of the curated books and the author's input on their significance in how they have influenced the world as we know today。 An enjoyable read which provided the synopsis of the curated books and the author's input on their significance in how they have influenced the world as we know today。 。。。more
Paging Snidget
，
Fairly interesting。 Agree with most of his list and reasoning。
Deborah Pickstone
，
An interesting collection and thoughtful inclusions （and， one has to assume， exclusions） to this list of 50 influential books。 Naturally， the MOST influential books in the world's history can never be quantified， only qualitatively proposed。 However， I think the collator's justifications for his list were pretty sound。 I was personally delighted to see The Collected Poems of Wilfred Owen included as both influential in the more clear-eyed view of war that underpinned the pacifist movement and as An interesting collection and thoughtful inclusions （and， one has to assume， exclusions） to this list of 50 influential books。 Naturally， the MOST influential books in the world's history can never be quantified， only qualitatively proposed。 However， I think the collator's justifications for his list were pretty sound。 I was personally delighted to see The Collected Poems of Wilfred Owen included as both influential in the more clear-eyed view of war that underpinned the pacifist movement and as an outstandingly talented poet。 As he died at 20 and left only one slim volume of poetry what could he have written had he lived？ For me， that triste thought applies to a number of exceptionally talented artists who died young in that war or in the influenza epidemic that followed - Egon Schiele being another。But I digress。。。。。。。at which I am so skilled in doing！ Worth a read。 If you think there are books that have been missed out - or SHOULD have been omitted， I'd be very interested to discuss it！ You can find his list here http://www。greaterbooks。com/taylor。html 。。。more
Lily Nikolova
，
A really briliant and logical approach to fiction and non-fiction books I was suprised how short but full and with quotes are the items about each book=）
Ali Albaijan
，
Books are established widely upon the 50 must read books， or movies must watch。 However。 This book can gather all books from the start of living towards today。 Books might influence the world。
Anastasiaadamov
，
Cliffnotes on some of the most influential books from human history。 Rather informative but mostly oriented on English speaking world。 Made me add some of the mentioned works to my reading lists and goals。
Mandy Dimins
，
Originally published on Unravellations。I'm not sure what made me pick up this book， so different as it is from my usual reading。 However， it wasn't a bad choice at all。 Books That Changed The World is basically a comprehensive list of books that have asserted a great influence on thought and literature， and Andrew Taylor also provides concise and relevant background information regarding the time period and culture that the book was written and published in。 He does not center his list around bo Originally published on Unravellations。I'm not sure what made me pick up this book， so different as it is from my usual reading。 However， it wasn't a bad choice at all。 Books That Changed The World is basically a comprehensive list of books that have asserted a great influence on thought and literature， and Andrew Taylor also provides concise and relevant background information regarding the time period and culture that the book was written and published in。 He does not center his list around books of literary importance， also including those of scientific， philosophical and political importance。I like that he also disclaimed in his introduction that this list was， of course， subjective and that it was his own take of what were the most influential books in history。 If this disclaimer had been missing， I would have things to say about the subjectivity and Eurocentric view of history the book posits。 In any case， he also provides evidence of the influence that each book enjoys and how it has altered humans' way of thinking over time。Confession: I did skip past certain books that I wasn't interested in， particularly the ones on economics but also some others。 Nevertheless， I gleaned plenty of interesting facts and cleared up some of my own misconceptions about certain books （especially the Greco-Roman classics which I am very unfamiliar with） along the way。 For example， I never knew that the Kama Sutra was actually an unillustrated volume of text， and much like the rest of the world， I had thought it only to be some kind of kinky sex manual。 I was enlightened on this point。 I did not know also that before William Harvey's groundbreaking work on hemology， men thought that an infinite supply of blood was made from the liver。 I also learned that William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge paved the way for poetry as it is written today， an intimate way of looking at human experience， and that before Lyrical Ballads was published， poetry were usually story-like epics dealing with philosophy， religion or history， such as in Iliad or Paradise Lost。The only complaint that I have， I guess， isn't really much of a complaint - I was spoiled for Madame Bovary before I even read it！ :（ If there are any books on the list that you have yet to read and want to remain un-spoilt， I would recommend that you skip its relevant chapter in this book。 Taylor provides a short synopsis of each book's plot， which may reveal important plot points。Contents:1。 Homer - Iliad （c。 8th century）2。 Herodotus - The Histories （c。 5th century BC）3。 Confucius - The Analects （5th century BC）4。 Plato - The Republic （4th century BC）5。 The Bible （2nd century BC - 2nd century AD）6。 Horace - Odes （23 - 13 BC）7。 Ptolemy - Geographia （c。 AD 100 - 170）8。 Mallanaga Vatsyayana - Kama Sutra （2nd or 3rd century AD）9。 The Qu'ran （7th century）10。 Avicenna - Canon of Medicine （1025）11。 Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales （1380s-90s）12。 Niccolo Machiavelli - The Prince （1532）13。 Gerard Mercator - Atlas， or， Cosmographic Meditations （1585-95）14。 Miguel de Cervantes - Don Quixote （1605-15）15。 William Shakespeare - First Folio （1623）16。 William Harvey - An Anatomical Study of the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals （1628）17。 Galileo Galilei - Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems （1632）18。 Isaac Newton - Principia mathematica （1687）19。 Samuel Johnson - A Dictionary of the English Language （1755）20。 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - The Sorrows of Young Werther （1774）21。 Adam Smith - The Wealth of Nations （1776）22。 Thomas Paine - Common Sense （1776）23。 William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Lyrical Ballads （1798）24。 Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice （1813）25。 Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol （1843）26。 Karl Marx - The Communist Manifesto （1848）27。 Herman Melville - Moby-Dick （1851）28。 Harriet Beecher Stowe - Uncle Tom's Cabin （1852）30。 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary （1857）31。 Charles Darwin - On the Origin of Species （1859）32。 John Stuart Mill - On Liberty （1859）33。 Leo Tolstoy - War and Peace （1869）34。 New Haven District Telephone Company - The Telephone Directory （1878）35。 Sir Richard Burton （translator） - The Thousand and One Nights （1885）36。 Arthur Conan Doyle - A Study in Scarlet （1888）37。 Sigmund Freud - The Interpretation of Dreams （1899）38。 The Protocols of the Elders of Zion （1905）39。 Wilfred Owen - Poems （1920）40。 Albert Einstein - Relativity: The Special and the General Theory （1920）41。 James Joyce - Ulysses （1922）42。 D。 H。 Lawrence - Lady Chatterley's Lover （1928）43。 John Maynard Keynes - The General Theory of Employment， Interest and Money （1936）44。 Primo Levi - If This is a Man （1947）45。 George Orwell - Nineteen Eighty-four （1949）46。 Simone de Beauvoir - The Second Sex （1949）47。 J。 D。 Salinger - The Catcher In The Rye （1951）48。 Chinua Achebe - Things Fall Apart （1958）49。 Rachel Carson - Silent Spring （1962）50。 Mao Zhedong - Quotations from Chairman Mao （1964）51。 J。 K。 Rowling - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone （1997）One thing that I realised from reading this book， however， is that there is usually great resistance and controversy whenever a new revelation is made that contradicts everything that people at that time thought to be true， as in the case of medical experts denouncing William Harvey for his discovery of the way blood is circulated， or the Catholic Church's anger and rejection of Galileo's heliocentric theories on astronomy， or even the ban on D。 H。 Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover， the overturning of which paving the way for the modern attitude to sexual openness。It makes me question the things that we consider "controversial" and defying reason in our time and age。 Would they one day also become known as works of genius or progressive thought， and the rest of us derided by posterity for our backward thinking？ 。。。more
Val Penny
，
Andrew Taylor is a British author who was born in Stevenage， England on 14 October 1951。 He is best known for his crime novels， which include the Lydmouth series， the Roth Trilogy and historical novels such as the best-selling The American Boy and The Anatomy of Ghosts。 Taylor has been nominated for several prizes and had won many more including the Cartier Diamond Dagger， CWA New Blood Dagger， the Martin Beck Award and CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award。 So when a writer of this calibre p Andrew Taylor is a British author who was born in Stevenage， England on 14 October 1951。 He is best known for his crime novels， which include the Lydmouth series， the Roth Trilogy and historical novels such as the best-selling The American Boy and The Anatomy of Ghosts。 Taylor has been nominated for several prizes and had won many more including the Cartier Diamond Dagger， CWA New Blood Dagger， the Martin Beck Award and CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award。 So when a writer of this calibre produces Books That Changed The World， I take notice of his opinion。 It is particularly useful now that I have taken over leading the local book group from my friend， the respected author， Evelyn Hood。 What a set of shoes to fill！So， in Books that Changed the World Andrew Taylor sets himself the task of choosing and profiling the fifty most important and influential books in the history of the world。 He has selected books from every field of human creativity and intellectual endeavour and covers genres from poetry to politics， fiction to philosophy， theology to anthropology， and economics to physics。 In doing so the author has created a rounded and satisfying picture of how fifty towering achievements of the human intellect that have been important to building societies， shaping values， enhancing understanding of the world， enabling technological advancements， and reflecting concerns and dilemmas， strengths and failings。Andrew Taylor sets each work and its author firmly in historical context， summarizes the content of the work in a series of engaging and lively essays。 He also questions， and explores the works wider influence and legacy。 Books that Changed the World is a fascinating and informative read。None of the inclusions will really surprise the reader。 Of course， they include The Bible and The Qur’ran， I was not surprised to see Quotations from Chairman Mao included too。 The inclusion of the Telephone Directory amused me as I do not consider it a book， as such I suppose Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language also falls into this observation。 However， their significance cannot be denied。 I agreed with the inclusions of Charles Darwin’s Of The Origin of Species and The General Theory of Employment， Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes。 There is also no dispute about the First Folio of William Shakespeare’s plays nor the Poems of Wilfred Owen， War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy or The Catcher in the Rye by J。D。Salinger。 However， I was surprised to see reference to J K Rowling’s Harry Potter， but not the Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Silent Spring by Rachel Carson but not Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet。However， I am really not complaining。 It was wonderful to have the opportunity to delve deeper into the library of great books， Books that Changed the World is a thought-provoking and stimulating read， and the likely cause of many an impassioned debate in book clubs and beyond。 I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Claire Baxter
，
Yes this was a simple book and highly subjective。 But it was easy to read and the brief chapters made it easy to pick up and put down。 It was really interesting to learn about the background to the books and the controversies they caused in their times。 As the author says， everyone will have their own opinions as to what books should/shouldn't be on the list （I thought Les Miserables was unlucky to miss out） but there is no doubt that the ones on the list are important books and l enjoyed learni Yes this was a simple book and highly subjective。 But it was easy to read and the brief chapters made it easy to pick up and put down。 It was really interesting to learn about the background to the books and the controversies they caused in their times。 As the author says， everyone will have their own opinions as to what books should/shouldn't be on the list （I thought Les Miserables was unlucky to miss out） but there is no doubt that the ones on the list are important books and l enjoyed learning more about them。 。。。more
Rachel
，
This book was easy to read and took me about a day and half to read。 I picked it up from the library， intrigued by the concept。 It is definitely an ambitious and contentious undertaking。 I did not expect to be convinced by the whole list though certainly he had the chance for most of the books in terms of their influence。 I think it would have held more weight if it was books or writers， as for some it is clear that the body of work of the author has been influential rather than just one book。 I This book was easy to read and took me about a day and half to read。 I picked it up from the library， intrigued by the concept。 It is definitely an ambitious and contentious undertaking。 I did not expect to be convinced by the whole list though certainly he had the chance for most of the books in terms of their influence。 I think it would have held more weight if it was books or writers， as for some it is clear that the body of work of the author has been influential rather than just one book。 I would say the inclusion of Goethe did not convience me and the analysis at time was a little thin， for example the Harry Potter chapter made no mention of the tradition of English boarding school books。On the plus side， I learnt a few things and have a few more books I would like to read thanks to this book。 。。。more
Brian
，
And one that didn't。 Short overview of the contents of each， with an even shorter analysis of how each changed the world。 The Bible？ OK。 Catcher in the Rye？ Um。。。 And one that didn't。 Short overview of the contents of each， with an even shorter analysis of how each changed the world。 The Bible？ OK。 Catcher in the Rye？ Um。。。 。。。more
Rachelle Chapman
，
I found this book very interesting， particularly the chapters on books I was unfamiliar with， but which contributed significantly to the way we think and see the world。
Mark
，
Although not everyone will agree with the 50 books chosen it is a good selection。 I found of gave a good summary of each book。 There are quite a few spoilers for fiction books so be warned。 It was interesting reading the author's justification of why the book was so influential。 I will never get around to reading all of these books so it was a good way to learn about then but also I have now added a few to my reading list！ Although not everyone will agree with the 50 books chosen it is a good selection。 I found of gave a good summary of each book。 There are quite a few spoilers for fiction books so be warned。 It was interesting reading the author's justification of why the book was so influential。 I will never get around to reading all of these books so it was a good way to learn about then but also I have now added a few to my reading list！ 。。。more
Stephen King
，
Fascinating book。 How many had I read？ About 12-15 of them。 How many had I heard of？ 48， I think。 But I learnt something new about all of them， and the choices themselves were very revealing。 I'm sure other people （and certainly other nationalities） would query the choices。 No Brecht？ And in terms of books that changed the world （although not， of course， for the better） where is Mein Kampf？ Sure to provoke plenty of discussion， I really enjoyed this。 Fascinating book。 How many had I read？ About 12-15 of them。 How many had I heard of？ 48， I think。 But I learnt something new about all of them， and the choices themselves were very revealing。 I'm sure other people （and certainly other nationalities） would query the choices。 No Brecht？ And in terms of books that changed the world （although not， of course， for the better） where is Mein Kampf？ Sure to provoke plenty of discussion， I really enjoyed this。 。。。more
Damaskcat
，
I can imagine that any list of the books which changed the world is going to produce different reactions in every reader。 I found this book an interesting read as it does more than just give information about the book itself but also attempts to explain how and why each book produced major changes。Here are the books you might expect to find in any list like this: Einstein on relativity and Darwin on the origin of the species; the Bible and the Koran; Freud on the interpretation of dreams and Pri I can imagine that any list of the books which changed the world is going to produce different reactions in every reader。 I found this book an interesting read as it does more than just give information about the book itself but also attempts to explain how and why each book produced major changes。Here are the books you might expect to find in any list like this: Einstein on relativity and Darwin on the origin of the species; the Bible and the Koran; Freud on the interpretation of dreams and Primo Levi on surviving concentration camps; De Beauvoir's The Second Sex and James Joyce's 'Ulysses' - not to speak of Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' and Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'。 With many of the fifty books I found myself nodding in agreement but with others I was questioning why this book and this author instead of others？ Why Primo Levi and not Viktor Frankl？ Why Freud and not Jung？ Surely it was the telephone itself which had the effect on communications and not the first telephone directory itself？This is a thought provoking read and perhaps one for book clubs to consider as I could imagine it might well produce a lot of discussion on which books should have been excluded from or included in the definitive list of the fifty books with the most influence on the world。 I received a free copy of this book for review purposes。 。。。more
GONZA
，
Some beautiful discoveries， the usual fixed presences and some notable absences。 Book suitable for bibliophiles and for anyone who is looking for some summaries of classic he will never read， one out of all: Joyce's Ulysses。Alcune belle scoperte， le solite presenze fisse e alcune notevoli assenze。 Libro adatto ai bibliofili e a chi sta cercando qualche riassuntino di classico che non leggerá mai，uno su tutti l'Ulisse di Joyce。 Some beautiful discoveries， the usual fixed presences and some notable absences。 Book suitable for bibliophiles and for anyone who is looking for some summaries of classic he will never read， one out of all: Joyce's Ulysses。Alcune belle scoperte， le solite presenze fisse e alcune notevoli assenze。 Libro adatto ai bibliofili e a chi sta cercando qualche riassuntino di classico che non leggerá mai，uno su tutti l'Ulisse di Joyce。 。。。more
Eva
，
Impressive list with which I would mostly agree。 But。。。 are the spoilers necessary？
Louise
，
6/10
RV
，
Whilst not finishing this book， I did I write a review about the reason why and what I thought about it on my blog。 Whilst not finishing this book， I did I write a review about the reason why and what I thought about it on my blog。 。。。more
Al Bità
，