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Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.

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Re: Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.

#101

Post by mahmud »

Scott_MacGregor wrote: post #73
mahmud wrote: post #25

The Story of Civilization; 11 volumes of pure joy. Will and Ariel Durant will make you fall in love with mankind. The most humanist take on history I have read. I read them over 6 years and I still live under the Durants' spell. Exquisite and delightful read. Muqadimat Ibn Khaldun. History, Sociology, Political Science, Scientific Empiricism, Theology, Superstition, Gossip, Leadership, Trivia .. it's everything. It f…

Muqadimat Ibn Khaldun. You make this book seem very interesting. Based on your description and explanation of it, I think many people from outside the Islamic culture might find this book fascinating (buy a copy) if it came with a running dialog inserted into the text as needed that explained the history and cultural beliefs of that time. Might be a best seller in the west.

The unequaled Franz Rosenthal did a translation of the Muqadima (Prolegomena in Greek) in English:

http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ik/Muqaddimah/index.htm

My copy of it is Arabic but heavily annotated by researchers. A translation of that would be great, I know.

Short bio:

http://www.cis-ca.org/voices/k/khaldun.htm

Longer bio (PDF):

http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/books/ibn-khald.pdf

N.B: This is a medieval personality and the text is ancient. Please read it under that light. He lived 1332 - 1406 CE.

Re: Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.

#103

Post by niyazpk »

Two good books I read recently:

1) Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku

2) The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (I haven't read Atlas Shrugged yet. So cannot compare them.)

Yesterday I finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and it is a very good book too.

Currently reading: What They Teach you at Harvard Business School: My Two Years Inside the Cauldron of Capitalism by Philip Delves Broughton

Re: Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.

#106

Post by marcamillion »

Words that work: It's not what you say...it's what they hear - by Frank Luntz (awesome book about the power of language and linguistics - a must read for anyone that wants to know the power of communicating)

Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely - haven't finished but pretty interesting so far.

Oh...I have been consumed by life recently and want to start slowing down...looking forward to digging into this book when I get a chance:

In praise of Slowness - http://www.amazon.com/Praise-Slowness-Challenging-Cult-Speed...

Re: Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.

#107

Post by nikolayv »

pg wrote: post #36

My Family and Other Animals Medieval Technology and Social Change

Recommendation from me: Have your child read a Gerald Durrell book (My Family and Other Animals is one of his best) when they are 12-15. It will be a fantastic read and will make them dream about pursuing something of their own, most likely animals at first, but other things later.

Not so sure HN type adults will enjoy Gerald Durrell as much :).

Re: Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.

#109

Post by lux »

ekpyrotic wrote: post #39

'Elements of Style', Strunk & White. It has changed my life. For the last two years I have endeavoured to simplify my thoughts/ideas, so they can be communicated precisely. It's hard, painful work. That aim has recoloured my being: music; literature; art. Philip Glass. Hemingway. Mondrian. I am not the same person.

Francis from Francis and the Lights actually cites this book as his main musical influence.

Re: Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.

#110

Post by Scott_MacGregor »

mahmud wrote: post #101
Scott_MacGregor wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Muqadimat Ibn Khaldun. You make this book seem very interesting. Based on your description and explanation of it, I think many people from outside the Islamic culture might find this book fascinating (buy a copy) if it came with a running dialog inserted into the text as needed that explained the history and cultural beliefs of that time. Might be a best seller in the west.

The unequaled Franz Rosenthal did a translation of the Muqadima (Prolegomena in Greek) in English: http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ik/Muqaddimah/index.htm My copy of it is Arabic but heavily annotated by researchers. A translation of that would be great, I know. Short bio: http://www.cis-ca.org/voices/k/khaldun.htm Longer bio (PDF): http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/books/ibn-khald.pdf N.B: This is a medieval personali…

Interesting cultural material, thank you.
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