To Kill a Mockingbird

Illusions: great book about the adventures of a reluctant messiah

Al Franken's Lying Liars. I wouldn't want the survivors(?) to make the same mistakes we did.

sanaequitas wrote:Easy choice.

The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov.

As much as I love Sir Dr. Isaac, and he has a treasured place on my bookshelf, he just never invested himself in producing great prose.

non-concur

"Stranger in a Strange Land", Robert Heinlein

Seriously - it tooks hours for someone to propose this one? The prose is beautiful, the plot straightforward. The messaging is kind of 'beat-you-over-the-head', but for an alien (or a teenager) it shows everything we aspire to be, and everything that we wallow in, hindering our aspirations.

On a similar note, if folks are hard-over for Ayn Rand, I'd recommend Fountainhead over Atlas Shrugged as a piece of literature.

50 Shades of Grey. Just kidding. The Encyclopedia Britannica.

nellb123 wrote:Alice In Wonderland

At least an Annotated Alice with Through the Looking Glass. At least the annotation makes clear some of the convoluted political context, and why Alice constitutes sattire (and not just abstract surrealism).

Guns, germs and steel.

Details the development of mankind and why some regions have prevailed over others (European). How natural selection and evolution have shaped the human world.

This book would help us learn from the mistakes of the old world.

On the Beach, or Childhoods End. Both excellent stories about the end of the world.

The Foundation Trilogy by Asimov

Mein Kampf

Tales from the Dying Earth by Jack Vance

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. After all, it starts with the end of the world and it's the greatest piece of fine literature ever written.

"On The Nature Of Things" by Lucretius.

If the world is ending who the hell do we have to prove mankind to? Seems a bit late for that.

ZerosReaper wrote:So in essence you're suggesting that children's books may well indeed be the most valuable literature that mankind has ever produced?

Well, he's suggesting they'll be the most valuable archaeological find for hypothetical people sifting through what's left of us after we're gone.

And while I'm here, I'll drop a vote for the collected works of Douglas Adams.

All of Stephen Colbert's books

DA! "The world is ending"? Who would have time to read?

I agree with those who selected Catcher in the Rye.

I would have to say my copy of the works of Mark Twain.

I have seen the Twilight Zone about the world ending (or a World War)and the guy with thick glasses has survived somehow. Then he drops his glasses and no longer can read any books from the library that he has come across.

Here is a link to the episode guide:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Enough_at_Last


Of course with the advent of devices like the Kindle and other hand held devices, he could have had a book read to him. That is if he could keep it charged and already had downloaded lots of books before the network went down from Amazon. If using a laptop, there is a chance of the hard drive crashing.

I must get back to working on my compound and self sufficient farm/ranch for when things hit the fan.

"But main street's still all cracked and broken!" "Sorry mom the mob has spoken!" -"MONORAIL!"

Moby Moby (Melville)

I'd also try to sneak a couple Led Zeppelin cds and a copy of Bongo Fury by Frank Zappa

One more vote for the Bible.

Galapagos -- Vonnegut

Complete works of Rudyard Kipling. 'Kim' is the best explanation of Afghanistan/India/Pakistan and their dynamics today ever written. Nothing has changed since it was published in 1900- culture & attitudes especially. The children's books-'Just So Stories', the 'Jungle Book' etc. aren't just for children.

angela522 wrote:The Holy Bible

Agreed.

People do realize that the world ending? No power, probably no gas...NO electricity. How do they plan on watching something with no way to watch it? Grab a book and read. LOL

For all of you that voted for the bible, which perverted version since the Niacean Council are you willing to agree on? Or is it possible that someone is suggesting one of the Coptic /Gnostic printings from the original Greek or the Dead Sea Scrolls so it would include what is left of the Gospel of Mary?

Kind of sad that nobody mentioned "The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes".

I'm surprised that nobody has suggested a history textbook. Seriously, fellas? I guess one could argue that the Bible is sorta, kinda, at least partially about history but it doesn't cover the interesting stuff.

But that being said, I'm with "it doesn't matter because the world just ended."

Hitchhiker's guide.

rottndachs wrote:The world has ended. Nobody is here to read the book, so what is the point?

Eh, "The Book of Eli" implies that after the world ends, humans still manage to survive. It could be a more figurative "end of the world".

Or, in the event of an actual "end of the world", Grab your towel and hitch a ride on the passing alien vessel that's come to wipe out your civilization!

Everyone's already said Douglas Adams, Shakespeare, and the Holy Bible.

I gotta go with Encyclopedia Brittanica. I do. Either that, or the complete-and-up-to-date Guiness Book of World Records, or a complete boxed set of Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not (the books, not the videos)

Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Fascinating read and would never notice the end of the world

The Grapes of Wrath. What a brilliant writer Steinbeck is.

BUT my real answer is the Harry Potter series. Just because it makes me feel like a kid again and it brings me great joy. Joy is a good thing. Dumbledore's Army!

angela522 wrote:The Holy Bible

Right there with you :-) I'm a bit alarmed that I had to look a ways down the comments to find someone saying it.

But as I asked above which version?

Skanning wrote:Right there with you :-) I'm a bit alarmed that I had to look a ways down the comments to find someone saying it.