Wow, so many great responses, thank you all for that! I'm going to throw in my personal favorite: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. Somehow it touches me in a way that no other book does. It's also quite short, I think I've read it at least 3 times in the last few years and found something new and insightful each time
Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?
41–48 of 48 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?
#42I personally recommend this book: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant A Guide to Wealth and Happiness. It was an old book but it is really classic. I think Naval's philosophy in this book has inspired me a lot and change my mindset in daily life.
Definitely not a classic by most definitions, but I agree that it's really good
Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?
#43What do you want to get out of reading "classics"? I can think of three types of book that are called classic. First, there are things that are simply old. Second are things that made substantial contribution to our intellectual heritage. Third, there are books that are exceptionally enjoyable to read because of the quality of writing. What are you after? Things that were interesting to me for representing older time…
> First, there are things that are simply old. Second are things that made substantial contribution to our intellectual heritage
I wish there was a way to easily distinguish one from the other. I find that the age of the book often distracts people from the actual content
Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?
#44There is a bookshelf called The Harvard Classics. The collection of literary works, philosophical texts, and scientific writings was initially titled "Dr. Eliot's Five Foot Shelf." It was assembled by Charles W. Eliot, who served as Harvard University's president. Almost all the books can be read for free in Gutenberg. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Classics https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/40 My fav…
I wonder if there are reading lists, similar to the Harvard Classics, but curated for a more contemporary audience based on which books are important now. After all, the first volumes of the Harvard Classics came out over a century ago, and the world has changed considerably since then. Does anyone know of any ?
Not a bookshelf.
But i'm a part of a local book-club where we discuss books based on "topic of the month"
Not sure if it would help. But you can find some very good recommendations there.
https://poongabook.club/meeting-archives-3.html (not a HTTPS website)
Twitter - https://twitter.com/poongabook?lang=en
Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?
#45I end up re-reading "Brideshead, Revisited" about once a year. It's the rare Christian book where every single character (regardless of their relationship with Christianity) is basically screwed up.
Is that rare? J.F. Powers's Morte d'Urban nearly meets that description.
It certainly seems rare for a book that is "pro-Christianity."
But maybe that's just my own blind spot?
Haven't read Morte d'Urban. It's on the list now, thanks!
Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?
#46The Count of Monte Cristo. Everyone loves it. It aged marvelously!
Not everyone. I found it tedious and poorly written/translated. I read it last year in the unabridged translation. Not for me.
Almost everyone except Blackstrat*
I read it in its original French, so perhaps it played a role. Dumas certainly has a unique writing style.
Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?
#47I personally recommend this book: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant A Guide to Wealth and Happiness. It was an old book but it is really classic. I think Naval's philosophy in this book has inspired me a lot and change my mindset in daily life.
Definitely not a classic by most definitions, but I agree that it's really good
Oh, have you ever read this book?
You make a fair point. I agree that by conventional definitions, this book may not be widely considered a 'classic'. Maybe just'personal classic'. After working for 8 years and finding myself at a career low point, this book completely transformed my mindset.
Keep an eye on this topic so that I can explorer which book I can read during the flight! Thank you
Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?
#48Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin Regardless of whether you are Protestant or not (or religious or not) - understanding the theological philosophy of one of the great thinkers of the Protestant Reformation is a wonderful addition to your own mental maps fo the world at large
I've had it on my shelves for a while. Maybe next year.
I had it on my shelves for years ... ended up borrowing an audiobook edition from my library and listening to it as my first sequential go-through :)