1. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
A 20th. Century classic, this book is a must-read. A black comedy covering the exploits of US Air Force personnel during the Second World War: their worries, survival techniques, corruption, exploitation and battles with their commanders who often present more challenges than those of the war itself.
Originally called Catch 18, but re-titled as Heller's publishers already had a current publication using the number 18, the phrase Catch 22 has now become part of the English language denoting any paradoxical situation from which there is no means of escape.
Our hero, Yossarian, knows that if he flies any more dangerous missions he'll get killed, so puts in a request to be grounded. But air crew can only be grounded if they are certified insane. Rationalising the fact that the more he flies the greater the chances are of him being killed, proves that he's not insane. So, he can't get grounded. A seemingly absurd contradiction, but in fact true. That's Catch 22. Some catch.
If you only read one book in your life, read this one. Superb.
"From now on, I'm thinking only of me". Major Danby replied indulgently with a superior smile: "But, Yossarian, suppose everyone felt that way." "Then," said Yossarian, "I'd certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way, wouldn't I?"
2. Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah - Richard Bach
A classic that you could read in a couple of hours and feel greatly uplifted by. Take your time though and carefully read this short, but beautifully written book.
Based on the assignment of messianic status on a person who is neither a messiah, nor wants to be, it is the ultimate self-reliance book, guiding the reader to find his own reason for the meaning of his life instead of assuming that its explanation lies elsewhere or in others. The writing seems as though it was effortless to create - its easy tone smoothly guiding the reader through the events and characters - but this is the talent of the writer who has crafted and shaped such a beautiful work that conveys an important message in such an elegant and persuasive way.
"Negative attachments, Richard. If you really want to remove a cloud from your life, you do not make a big production out of it, you just relax and remove it from your thinking. That's all there is to it."
3. Bearing the Cross - David J. Garrow
The definitive biography of Martin Luther King Jr., and the biography of biographies. Garrow's precision research has yielded a great tome that objectively and thoroughly details King's life and work. The book is distinguished by its impartiality and absence of subjective commentary. Instead, Garrow confines himself to reporting the facts of King's life and steers away from sanctifying his subject, allowing the reader to form his own opinions of the life, times and events of this great man.
A truly stunning, complete and painstakingly compiled piece of work that was worthily awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
"I've gone through this problem in my mind a thousand times about demonstrations. I am tired of demonstrating. I am tired of the threat of death. I want to live. I don't want to be a martyr. And there are moments when I doubt that I am going to make it through. I am tired of getting hit, tired of being beaten, tired of going to jail. But the important thing is not how tired I am; the important thing is to get rid of the conditions that lead us to march."
4. Animal Farm - George Orwell
A book short on length but deep in impact. Inspired by the events of the Russian Revolution the story is a satire telling of the overthrow of Farmer Jones' farm by the animals who set out to run a society based on equality for all. Then comes the selective exploitation and the selective seniority that leads to the revolution turning full circle creating a society that is more corrupt and oppressive than the one it replaced.
The strength of this work is its multiple levels: capable of being enjoyed by a child as an animal story and by an adult as a deeper social commentary on the corruptive potential of power.
"For once, Benjamin consented to break his rule, and he read out to her what was written on the wall. There was nothing there now except a single Commandment. It ran: ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS."
5. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
A smaller, but more perfectly formed, work than Steinbeck's epic Grapes of Wrath. The book tells the tale of 2 companions who search for work from one town to the other hoping to achieve their modest dreams of self-sufficiency and independence. Lenny, a giant simpleton, and George, his guarding companion make ends meet from one job to the other but generally lead a meagre existence far from their dreams until everything goes terribly wrong and the book leads to a tragic conclusion.
As with Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck is heavily influenced by the American Great Depression and its negative impact on people despite their inclination to better themselves. There's not much fun or excitement to be found here but the writing is exceptional and the final conclusion shocking and unpredictable.
"He looked down at her, and carefully he removed his hand from over her mouth, and she lay still. "I don't want ta hurt you", he said, "but George'll be mad if you yell." When she didn't answer nor move he bent closely over her. He lifted her arm and let it drop. For a moment he seemed bewildered. And then he whispered in fright: "I done a bad thing. I done another bad thing."
6. Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
A book whose success perhaps depends on your age when you read it: an important work if you're a teenager; but less impact when read later. This mainly due to it being a tale of an adolescent feeling alienated from society, who gets expelled from school, and his subsequent encounters in New York. Paradoxically, he hates the "phoniness" of the adult world (which he will inevitably become part of himself) and drives himself to a breakdown and recounts his adventures.
An extremely well-written book that, disturbingly, was in Mark Chapman's possession when he gunned down John Lennon in New York.
"If you really want to know the truth, I can't even stand ministers. The ones they've had at every school I've gone to, they all have these Holy Joe voices when they start giving their sermons. God, I hate that. I don't see why the hell they can't talk in their natural voice. They sound so phoney when they talk."
7. Insiders Guide to the 9 Personality Types, The Enneagram - Michael Goldberg
I don't usually go in for these kinds of modern self-analysis type methods but this one will surely grab you. The accuracy with which this book identifies character types, behavioural characteristics, personal foibles, likes and dislikes at times is a bit spooky. Having suspected what my character type may be out of the 9 listed I then proceeded to read about me as if I'd written it myself. When checking out people I know I found myself reading about them as though the book had known them as long as, and as well as, me.
Insightful and revealing, the big plus point is that you learn to see the best points in each character type and that the differences between each are needed.
"None of the 9 types has a monopoly on integrity, commitment, intelligence, vision, heart, or values."
8. Without a Doubt - Marcia Clark with Teresa Carpenter
Marcia Clark was the lead prosecutor in the double-murder criminal trial of O.J. Simpson. Candid, objective, self-critical, emotive and profane in her account of her own life and the trial, this is a gripping read that gives the view of events from the prosecution bench. A detailed account of the trial proceedings concludes that a mendacious defence team, incompetent judge, a race-obsessed jury, and the cult of personality, conspired to cause one of the biggest miscarriages of justice of the century: despite conclusive and exhaustive evidence to the contrary, the jury took just 2 hours to declare Simpson innocent and allowed the bad guy to walk free.
Some have been critical of Clark's direct and candid style but in doing so fail to appreciate that this isn't a dressed-up self-promotion but a great warts-and-all, no-holds-barred commentary on the intensity and injustice of this infamous case.
"Like someone walking out of the wreckage of a 747, I looked around and saw that I'd fallen 30,000 feet and my legs weren't broken. I wanted everyone to witness the fact of my survival...I wanted them to see that I'd stood for something. I wanted them to see that I'd put myself through hell for the right thing."
9. Revolution in the Head - The Beatles' records and the 60's - Ian McDonald
In this book Ian McDonald skilfully details the reasons for The Beatles having the greatest creative, musical and cultural impact of any band of the 20th. Century by analysing the Beatles' music with unprecedented precision and revelation. This is a feat in itself given the huge volume of critical material already available on the group. His Beatles analysis is complemented by a critique of popular music in general demonstrating how it reached its apogee in the 1960's and has since been in progressive creative and artistic decline.
Subjected to the most rigorous critical analysis, The Beatles' music emerges attaining the highest of standards.
"The monumentality of the orchestral contribution to Hey Jude - so simple, so surprising - was typical of The Beatles. Their instinct for what worked was rarely sharper, the huge chords suggesting both Jude's personal revelation and, along with the accompanying chorale, a vast communality in which artists and audience joined in swaying to a single rhythm all around the world - an affect which the more casual and ironic All You Need Is Love had not quite managed to conjure."
10. Dispatches - Michael Herr
This book was compiled from a series of magazine articles written by Herr for Esquire magazine during the Vietnam war, which were then augmented by Herr's original notes, and has become a worthy classic. The brutality and recklessness of war thrusts from this book's powerful on-site descriptions of contacts in a writing style that is well-suited to the subject-matter. Disturbing descriptions of the indiscriminate lethal actions of US troops spaced out on LSD make it a sorry chapter in the history of American overseas military conflict but as a journal of war it's a tour-de-force.
Subsequently diminished by Herr's later admission of including some fictional embellishments it is striking that the facts are so bizarre that they cannot be distinguished from whatever the fictional parts are.
"During the early morning of February 7 something so horrible happened in the Khe Sanh sector that even those of us who were in Hue when we heard the news of it had to relinquish our own fear and despair for a moment to acknowledge the horror and pay some tribute to it. It was as though the very worst dream any of us had ever had about the war had come true; it anticipated nightmares so vile that they could take you off shuddering in your sleep. No one who heard it was able to smile that bitter, secret survivor's smile that was the reflex to almost all news of disaster. It was too awful even for that..."
11. Last Train to Memphis, The Rise of Elvis Presley - Peter Guralnick
A factual account of the rise of Elvis Presley from innocence to innocence. This, the first of 2 volumes covering Elvis's life up until 1958, confirms Tom Parker to be the most innovative and manipulative manager of his time to whom Elvis left the running of everything. The book excels in its objectivity and honesty telling it the way it was seen by those who knew him.
Conceding that he had no part in the writing of songs credited as co-written by him, Elvis's naivety, shyness and honesty contrasts sharply with Parker's methods of maximising income from his quarry leading Elvis able to leave a meagre $1 million in his will. Written with such detail you feel you are actually there.
"The Colonel, said Mae, "and I don't mean this derogatorily, got dollar marks in his eyes." It was Jacksonville, said Oscar Davis, that marked the turning point - that was the real eye-opener, the Colonel said to him. By the time the show got to Richmond three days later, it was as if Elvis had never been anything but the Colonel's boy."
12. The Beatles' Recording Sessions - Mark Lewisohn
When asked what happened on a particular day in his life in the '60's, Paul McCartney replied "Ask Mark Lewisohn".
Definitively documenting, with unprecedented thoroughness, every recording by the biggest band that will ever be, this is the ultimate reference book of exactly what they recorded, where, when, how, with whom, and how many times. Indispensable.
"The Beatles were especially keen to sit in on the remixes of 'A Day in the Life', mono and stereo, and these were done next, utilising the 2 tape machines in sync, as invented by Ken Townsend on 10 February. But there was still some time left at the end of this session so The Beatles set about recording another of their experimental tracks. Ringo was to the fore on this one, the tape being 22 minutes and 10 seconds of drum beat, augmented by tambourine and congas. Quite what it was meant for is not clear. It was certainly never used, nor was it remixed."
13. The London Encyclopaedia - Ben Weinreb & Christopher Hibbert
An exhaustive definition of every London place, location, park, building, museum, church, road, alley, that is or that has ever been, it's mind-boggling the time and effort that must have been invested to create this ultimate reference book. As well as describing the places, entries also include literary references, historical facts and inspirations in a direct and concise writing style that takes the book beyond a detailed reference book.
Whether you know London, or have any interest atall in one of the great cities of the world, this is a vital title for your bookshelf.
"MONUMENT: ...But in the end a design of simpler Doric order was chosen. It was constructed of Portland Stone in 1671-7. It's total height is 202 feet, and it is the tallest isolated stone column in the world. At the summit is a flaming urn of gilt bronze symbolising the Great Fire...[which started] 202 feet away [from the 202 feet Monument].
14. Lord of The Flies - William Golding
Set on an uninhabited island, this book tells of the social breakdown, chaos and power shifts that develop in a group of children when cast outside of the conventional rules and order of the society they have come from. Their world gradually decays from structured, responsible, social order and an initial objective of organising themselves to survive, to virtual savagery and death - the social breakdown mirroring their personal breakdowns.
Whilst on one level a desert island-type story it is difficult not to see the message of how the dark, sinister dimension of human nature can rise to the surface when given the environment and opportunity to do so.
""Conch! Conch!" shouted Jack, "we don't need the conch any more. We know who ought to say things. What good did Simon do speaking, or Bill, or Walter? It's time some people knew they've got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us-". Ralph could no longer ignore his speech. The blood was hot in his cheeks. "You haven't got the conch," he said. "Sit down." Jack's face went so white that the freckles showed as clear, brown flecks. He licked his lips and remained standing."
15. Complete Nonsense - Edward Lear
Replete with classics like "The Owl and the Pussy-cat" and other less well known but equally entertaining rhymes, limericks and stories this is a treasure trove of quirky humour and word-play that has inspired many since. The skilfully written verse is embellished by amusing illustrations drawn by the author himself and verses arranged to visually attract and appeal to the child in their childhood, and beyond.
"There was an old person of Ewell, Who chiefly subsisted on gruel, But to make it more nice, He inserted some mice, Which refreshed that old person of Ewell."
16. Stonehenge Complete - Christopher Chippindale
The definitive book on the greatest of neolithic monuments in Wiltshire, England. Painstakingly detailing everything known and conjectured about Stonehenge this is a mine of information from the stone circle's layout and construction to even Stonehenge pub signs. Great as a reference book as well as a 260-picture illustrated narrative on the history of Stonehenge through 5 millennia, Chippindale humorously and seriously "writes the book" on Stonehenge.
"The overwhelming impression I have of the builders of Stonehenge is their sheer perverseness. The bluestones were lugged from Wales, their sarsens from up by Avebury, and this great pile was then built in the middle of chalkland (where timber, flint and chalk are the proper building materials). These alien materials were moreover used perversely, in a wooden method of construction literally translated into stone. The whole venture is wrong-headed and shows a deep obstinacy of attitude which might be said to be the strongest of all British national traits."
17. The Killing of a President - Robert J. Groden
The complete and exhaustive account of the JFK assassination, the alleged conspiracy, and the alleged cover-up, it's difficult to see this book ever being surpassed unless new material comes to light that addresses any of the many open questions on the subject. With the passing of time and the death of people from that era, the likelihood of anything new being uncovered seems to be evanescent; conversely, those factors may provide the conditions for the truth to be known. That is, if there is anything more to know. Is the whole scenario an enigma because there simply isn't anything more complicated than Lee Harvey Oswald having shot JFK from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository? Maybe for some, the explanation is too simple to fit the crime of the century.
Distinguishing itself from the hundreds of other JFK books by centring on a visual analysis of the event (by any standards, 650 photos and diagrams is exhaustive) the book at least succeeds in discrediting the hastily researched and compiled Warren Commission Report although can't clinch the evidence to prove that there was indeed a conspiracy, despite its clear editorial bias towards that conclusion.
"Witnesses who charged up the Knoll after the escaping gunman were reacting spontaneously to their convictions that the gunshots had been fired from the top of the slope in front of the President's car. But the area encompassing the Grassy Knoll, the Pergola, parking lot, and large railroad yard was a maze of potential escape routes. To catch an assassin would have been extremely difficult. Also, witnesses - and even police - were deterred from the chase by men who claimed to be Secret Service agents."
18. The Prehistory of the Far Side, The Far Side Gallery, The Far Side Gallery 2, The Far Side Gallery 3, The Far Side Gallery 4, The Far Side Gallery 5,... - Gary Larson
These are the funniest and most original cartoons of all time. Principally using cows, snakes, and nerdy humans as his characters set in everyday, and neverday, circumstances, Larson has a talent for not just cracking the joke but graphically portraying it with consummate skill. Sometimes the American in-jokes are lost on non-Americans; sometimes Larson himself can't recall the meaning of a joke; whatever, it's impressive that Larson produces such a high quota of hilarious and clever cartoons that hit the mark.
19. The New Rolling Stone Encyclopaedia of Rock & Roll - The Rolling Stone
An almost definitive listing of any group, artist and genre that has made any kind of mark in the world of contemporary popular music. Objective, critical, and comprehensive in its coverage, this is the product of meticulous research conveyed in a concise and very readable style. A researcher's and browser's delight.
"The impact of The Beatles - not only on rock and roll but on all of Western culture - is simply incalculable."
20. Thus spoke Zarathustra - Friedrich Nietzsche
Whilst fashionable to quote Nietzsche in some circles, it's important to ignore the pretension and approach this book impartially and read it for what its worth. Written with terrific uncompromising force and resolve, Nietzsche's credo is the paragon of individualism, from its zenith to its nadir - the enforcement of the ego that at times comes across as extremist and disturbing. A challenging, and at times, difficult read.
The ultimate herd-instinct iconoclast.
"The Self is always listening and seeking; it compares, subdues, conquers, destroys. It rules and is also the Ego's ruler. Behind your thoughts and feelings, my brother, stands a mighty commander, an unknown sage - he is called Self. He lives in your body, he is your body."
21. John Lennon - Ray Coleman
A meticulous account of John Lennon's life from a man who knew him to some degree and was with The Beatles throughout the 60's. Short on critical assessment and partly responsible for the deification of John Lennon, it's the antithesis of Albert Goldman's The Lives of John Lennon, whilst the truth lies somewhere in between. With little left to say on the subject-matter (unless the former Beatles divulge what they only know and have so far kept to themselves) this is essentially the last and definitive word on the life, and death, of John Lennon.
"For Sean's 4th. birthday and John's 39th. on 9th. October 1979 the Lennons threw a party at the Tavern on the Green, an elegant, glittering restaurant in Central Park. John was dressed soberly but wore his Quarry Bank tie to which he had grown attached. A Beatles fan sent a picture to a surprised Aunt Mimi, who challenged him about it. "Who are your spies?" John said. "Look, I've carried it around with me everywhere these past few years. I just like it." It confirmed Mimi's lifelong suspicions about her nephew's sentimentality: "He was a great big baby. He was no tough nut, never. I think he sometimes wanted people to think he was, but deep down, he was as soft as butter."
22. Three Men in a boat - Jerome K. Jerome
One of the most laid-back, low-key and reflective novels you could read - you can almost imagine the author rocking back in his chair with a pipe in his mouth recounting this story. Inspired by a boat trip he did make with some friends up the Thames river, the story veers between highly amusing and hilarious in its account of their mishaps as they make their way past well-known landmarks on the river at the end of the last century. Beautifully written.
"One young man I knew had a very sad accident happen to him the first time he went punting. He had been getting on so well that he had grown quite cheeky over the business, and was walking up and down the punt, working his pole with a careless grace that was quite fascinating to watch. Up he would march to the head of the punt, plant his pole, and then run along right to the other end, just like an old punter. Oh! it was grand. And it would all have gone on being grand if he had not unfortunately, while looking round to enjoy the scenery, taken just one step more than there was any necessity for, and walked off the punt altogether. The pole was firmly fixed in the mud, and he was left clinging to it while the punt drifted away. It was an undignified position for him. A rude boy on the bank immediately yelled out to a lagging chum to "hurry up and see a real monkey on a stick"."
23. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
A beautifully constructed and written book that deals frankly with the issue of indoctrinated racism in the southern states of America. The theatre is a small town of bigots fuelled by hypocrisy and irrational hatred who have their prejudices calmly challenged by a man who is race-blind and is driven solely by justice.
The author brings clear distinction between adults who have known nothing but racism and have an ingrained belief that they are right to behave that way, and children who are able to see without prejudice. Gradually, and paradoxically, the town's adults shows signs of maturing to the childrens' more objective way of seeing things.
"Shoot all the blue jays you want, but remember, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
24. In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
A true story, this book is a compelling account of a multiple murder committed by 2 vagrants and their senseless motives. Capote's writing style is very dry, detached, almost sterile which suits this story well by emphasising the coldness and callousness of the events. He also carefully structures the story by introducing all of the characters in parallel, enabling the reader to get to know them as people without prejudice, before gradually revealing the evil side of the 2 murderers before they commit their crime. The horror felt in this previously well-ordered community following the deaths is almost tangible.
The conclusion provides closure on the matter, but no relief, and brings into focus the vulnerability of everyone to mindless violence.
"He was a modest man but a proud man, as he had a right to be. He raised a fine family. He made something of his life. But that life, and what he'd made of it - how could it happen? Erhart wondered as he watched the bonfire catch. How was it possible that such effort, such plain virtue, could overnight be reduced to this - smoke, thinning as it rose and was received by the big, annihilating sky?"
25. The House at Pooh Corner - A.A. Milne
Children have a vast treasure trove of fictional characters to stimulate and entertain them from Peter Pan to Alice to The Jungle Book but Winnie the Pooh, and his friends, are arguably the most endearing characters of all. Milne had such a charming talent for story-telling as evidenced in these stories, originally written for his son, that portray halcyon days in a child's innocent world of long ago.
"There was a rustle in the bushes, and out came Pooh".
26. Rebel Hearts - Kevin Toolis
An insightful book that investigates the ways, means, and psyche of IRA members, Toolis succeeds where many have failed in this sensitive area by approaching the subject without jaundice, vitriol, or a green/orange pre-set agenda. A self-confessed Republican whose desire it is to see a united Ireland, he distinguishes himself by approaching the subject candidly and objectively, seeking the correlation between the organisation's methods and objectives. This is no brief snapshot of The Troubles by an outsider; instead it's the result of Toolis interviewing and socialising with his contacts over a mammoth 10-year period to understand their thoughts and motives that result in such bloodshed.
Ultimately, Toolis shares the goal of Republicanism but rejects the destructive means that deepen the open wounds rather than healing them. The striking impression is of the pathos of the violence and the polarisation of the 2 communities who substantially define themselves by their hatred of each other rather than what they are themselves.
"Frankie's remains had been accorded a hero's funeral but the stiff gait of the pall-bearers, the elaborate folding of the tricolour, could not disguise the mood of defeat. After 22 years of conflict neither the dead Volunteers around us, nor the republican leadership before us, had brought a United Ireland into being. The war and the very means to prosecute it had become as cloudy and as compromised as Frankie's last actions; Frankie's had not been a heroic death but a fatal fumble in a darkened doorway. Frankie's target, the IRA insisted, was military, but the rest of the world saw only a group of army bandsmen at a public concert."
27. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Shakespeare wrote his plays and sonnets during a period of high creative and cultural activity in England that reached its apogee during the reign of Elizabeth I. Inspired by events within England itself, and stories and themes from a Europe resurged by the Renaissance, Shakespeare created an unsurpassed canon of literary work remarkable in its volume, high quality, and consistency. Even if you've never read Shakespeare, you probably use his phrases and terminology every week without knowing it as so many of his concise turns of phrase have entered our everyday language.
To appreciate Shakespeare you have to give it time - text that is 400 years old, in its original form, without translation, and without modern colloquialisms is not going to be a speed-read like modern pulp fiction, especially as the plays were meant to be performed rather than simply read. If you do give it the time and commitment though, you will reveal the extraordinary talent of this great man who became the greatest playwright and sonneteer of all time and the literary equivalent to da Vinci or Beethoven.
A man able to say with a handful of words, what most of us are unable to do with a thousand.
"What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form, in moving, how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel! In apprehension, how like a god! The beauty of the world! The paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?"
28. The Story of English - Robert McCrum, William Cran, Robert MacNeil
An extremely well-researched and well-written book that traces the origins, influences, additions, adaptations, development and establishment of the English language to its current position in the world today. A fascinating account of the origins of human verbal communication; the rise and decline of limiting classical languages such as Greek and Latin (half of the New Testament is written with just 26 Greek words); the rise of French and Spanish established in different parts of the world through Empire and conquest; and ultimately to English, also largely established through Empire, but thriving as the world's first universal and living language substantially due to modern popular culture, technology and communications.
An insightful work that reveals a huge amount about the language you speak and thought you already knew so well.
"Of all the world's languages (which now number 2,700) it is arguably the richest in vocabulary [comprising] 500,000 words and a further 500,000 technical and scientific terms that remain uncatalogued. Neighbouring German has a vocabulary of about 185,000 words and French fewer than 100,000, including such Franglais as le snacque-barre and le hit-parade."
29. The World According to Garp - John Irving
John Irving's most well-known and best book about the highly amusing and less-than-amusing life and adventures of a novelist named Garp and his family. There are many passages that are very powerful and impact on the reader in a very vivid and memorable way but the book-within-a-book passage is a vehicle used by Irving for breaking off completely from the main threads and dealing with the subject of a horrifying rape in a particularly effective and dramatic way.
The book is very cleverly structured with interlocking themes and characters that may only reveal themselves on repeated readings. Although Irving tends to repeat himself by including favourite real-life likes and experiences such as wresting and Vienna Zoo, this is a classic.
"He had properly bullied every fast driver in the neighbourhood. The streets around Garp's house were cut in squares, bordered every block by stop signs; Garp could usually catch up to a car, on foot, provided that the car obeyed the stop signs. He raced down the street after the sound of the car. Sometimes, if the car was going really fast, Garp would need 3 or 4 stop signs to catch up to it. Once he sprinted 5 blocks and was so out of breath when he caught up to the offending car that the driver was sure there'd been a murder in the neighbourhood and Garp was either trying to report it or had done it himself."
30. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Based on a true, though embellished, story of Kerouac's hitch-hiking travels across America it doesn't take long to correlate the characters in Kerouac's story with his real-life friends and acquaintances. It could be argued that Kerouac lacked a great imagination as most of his books are autobiographical, but his ability to relate events in an original and exciting way, that is almost stream-of-consciousness writing, is beyond dispute.
The story has a stop-start quality that conveys the impulsiveness and random dynamic of the characters and their experiences - although this was greatly edited down from the original manuscript that had an excess of to'ing and fro'ing from one place to the next, the spasmodic atmosphere is still there and tangible.
"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, Burn, BURN like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centrelight pop and everybody goes "Awww!"
31. Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse
With its main character named Harry Heller, this is again a story based on the life of the author and one that explores Hesse's own fascination with the individual's spiritual and carnal needs. Symbolising this dichotomy is the Steppenwolf that is half man and half wolf, Hesse implies that carnal or hedonistic needs (as assigned to the wolf) are identifiably separate from the spiritual and loving needs (as assigned to the man) although they co-exist in the same body. The two are apparently mutually exclusive.
What this story succeeds most in doing is graphically demonstrating the multifaceted aspects of anyone's personality that, instead of being seen as mildly schizophrenic and abnormal, are in fact typical of the complexity of a human being. With self-analysis and assistance from the other characters, Hesse is able to come to terms with these distinct characteristics and reconcile them within his single being. As a result his character blossoms and grows from one of introspection and sadness to vivacity and at peace with his world. The reader is left wondering whether that translated into Hesse's real life or was something he still only aspired to.
"This Steppenwolf of ours has always been aware of at least the Faustian two-fold nature within him. He has discovered that the one-fold of the body is not inhabited by a one-fold of the soul, and that at best he is only at the beginning of a long pilgrimage towards this ideal harmony. He would either like to overcome the wolf and become wholly a man or to renounce mankind and at last to live wholly a wolf's life."
32. The Trial - Franz Kafka
One of the most disturbing books you could read about a man named Joseph K (perhaps an autobiographical allusion by the author) who is arrested for a crime he doesn't believe he committed largely because no-one will tell him what crime it is he is accused of. Heavy overtones of an oppressive, Eastern bloc, police-state pervade this story that defines Lord Acton's adage that "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". This battle of the ordinary man fighting against the pernicious state machine develops into the state paradoxically giving back K his physical freedom but subsequently controlling, subjugating and manipulating him. K eventually becomes his own worst enemy by deteriorating into psychological despair of trying to fathom what his fate may be which ultimately affects his personal and professional life.
A psychological magnum opus that succeeds in leaving the reader in a similar confused and frustrated state as the subject as there is no closure to, nor explanation of, K's predicament.
"'It is Justice' said the painter at last. 'Now I can recognise it' said K. 'There's the bandage over the eyes, and here are the scales. But aren't there wings on the figure's heels, and isn't it flying?' 'Yes', said the painter, 'my instructions were to paint it like that; actually it is Justice and the goddess of Victory in one.' 'Not a very good combination, surely' said K., smiling. 'Justice must stand quite still, or else the scales will waver and a just verdict will become impossible.' 'I had to follow my client's instructions' said the painter...But the figure of Justice was left bright except for an almost imperceptible touch of shadow; that brightness brought the figure sweeping into the foreground and it no longer suggested the goddess of Justice, or even the goddess of Victory, but looked exactly like a goddess of the Hunt in full cry."
33. Inside Intel - Tim Jackson
Even people who know nothing about computing can't help but to have noticed the phenomenal success and ubiquitous presence of the microprocessor. So how it got to where it is today is an interesting tale (well, it is to me) and this book is here to tell that tale. Tracking the genesis of Intel to its position as pre-eminent commercial micro-processor inventor, developer and manufacturer it shows how the company's management are fully aware that they could become the Pan Am of the computing industry at any time in the future so manage their company to stay ahead of the field.
Principally attributing the company's rapid rise to their CEO, Andy Grove, the book details Grove's regimental, belligerent and arrogant management style that alienated many but put Intel where it is today. A company of contrasts, providing generous stock options to its employees enabling some to retire in their 30's (financial security after burn-out), and management methods that included the company's brightest minds having to sign a naughty book if they arrived after the stipulated 08:00 start time despite them having worked until midnight the previous night.
A Dual 100 Ghz of a company, with personalities to match.
"With Andy Grove at the helm, it was not surprising that Intel's sales efforts should be deficient in diplomacy. Grove abhorred the fast cars, Dom Perignon, and expense-account entertaining that epitomised the Jerry Sanders way of doing business. He would never admit to believing in the old saying that if you invented a better mousetrap, the world would beat a path to your door. But his instinct told him that the job of an Intel field sales engineer was to visit a customer, take the better mousetrap out of his briefcase, put it on the table, tell the customer what the unit price was for orders of 10,000 and then ask him how many he wanted. And if the customer wasn't interested, you didn't waste time arguing; you just packed up your bag and moved on to the next call."
34. In Search of Excellence - Tom Peters and Robert Waterman
Books abound on business management, especially from people who excel in writing books about the subject rather than actually managing business. But this book is the best as it presents the experiences, successes and failures of America's most effective companies active in various market sectors. Effectiveness here isn't measured simply by one-dimensional profitability; whilst a critical objective this is also augmented by company longevity, progress, staff motivation, and, well, excellence.
The turgidity and power-management theatrics of so many other management guides is surpassed here by stimulating, committed and empirical evidence of how to succeed by having excellence as your corporate, strategic and tactical objective.
The book identifies 8 key qualities that characterise successful companies, whatever business they're in.
"At Foxboro, a technical advance was desperately needed for survival in the company's early days. Late one evening, a scientist rushed into the president's office with a working prototype. Dumb-founded at the elegance of the solution and bemused about how to reward it, the president bent forward in his chair, rummaged through most of the drawers in his desk, found something, leaned over his desk to the scientist, and said, "Here!" In his hand was a banana, the only reward he could immediately put his hands on. From that point on, the small "gold banana" pin has been the highest accolade for scientific achievement at Foxboro."
35. Paul McCartney, Many Years From Now - Miles Davis
Whilst George Harrison's autobiography was almost exclusively confined to his own life with barely 5 references to John Lennon, this is the Beatles authorised biography, as told to Miles Davis over hundreds of hours of interviews, that you'd want and expect. Despite a wealth of books already available covering every conceivable aspect of The Beatles from the outside, this casts even greater light from the inside, and in light of the death of Linda, in many parts, was very moving.
McCartney is frank and honest in his account of his life both inside and outside of The Beatles and wins many new friends in doing so. The authenticity of his recollections is vouched for by his accounts of the composition of every one but 2 of the Lennon-McCartney songs correlating with Lennon's - an objective analysis of the 2 discrepancies indicate that it is Lennon's recollection that was faulty rather than McCartney's.
Although the section on the Indica Gallery is a little tedious and self-indulgent on Davis's part and the proof-reading could have been better, the book gives vivid accounts of the making of some of the greatest and everlasting popular music ever written and augments full accounts of well-known Beatles incidents with revelations of McCartney's life that only he could reveal.
"It was wonderful because it turned it all around and the press stopped being a pressure and became a fun game. They didn't mind. Anything to fill a page. I remember John saying to me. "God, I remember walking behind a group of press and you at some cocktail reception. I was just hovering near, and you were giving them the world's greatest bullshit! Not a word of it was true", he said. l loved it though, it was brilliant. We did do that, so of course one or two of those stories have stuck."
Extracts © their respective publications
Critical text © NigelDavies.home@Virgin.net