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100 Best Non Fiction

Gem

Gem

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HERE are the 100 best non fiction titles, I haven't even heard of most of them before. Are there any you would add/takeaway from the list?
 
There are 2 or 3 on both lists which I *think* might be on my TBR list, but I have never read any of them (or heard of most) before so I can't really say.

I was suprised that Wild Swans by Jung Chang wasn't on it... but maybe thats just because I thought it was good...
 
I thought I read a lot of nonfiction, but there are only two titles on either list that I've read:

Dumbing Us Down- John Taylor Gatto (I've also heard him speak)

Undaunted Courage-Stephen Ambrose
 
tartan_skirt, yep Wild Swans should definetly be on the list. I wonder what criteria the Board used.

ABC, Same here, I thought I read a great deal of non fiction too...apparently not, or perhaps I just read the crappy ones.:confused:
I recognised more titles from the Board list than the Reader ones, which is a first.

Dogmatix, no problem, i'm glad you enjoyed the link:D
 
Gem said:
tartan_skirt, yep Wild Swans should definetly be on the list. I wonder what criteria the Board used.

ABC, Same here, I thought I read a great deal of non fiction too...apparently not, or perhaps I just read the crappy ones.:confused:
I recognised more titles from the Board list than the Reader ones, which is a first.

Dogmatix, no problem, i'm glad you enjoyed the link:D
Click to expand...

Gem, I'd guess you're NOT reading the 'crappy' ones at all..this is just like any other list of "bests" -its highly subjective. These lists are meant to be used to find possible candidates for our tbr piles..I won't be wasting time beating myself up over not having read what these annonymouse people think are the best nf choices out there.
 
Gem, I'd guess you're NOT reading the 'crappy' ones at all..this is just like any other list of "bests" -its highly subjective. These lists are meant to be used to find possible candidates for our tbr piles..I won't be wasting time beating myself up over not having read what these annonymouse people think are the best nf choices out there.
Click to expand...

I've read 5 (ie. nearly completed:D ) from the board list, I'm not worried I haven't read more. I tend to use lists like these to add to my fiction pile, but for non fiction I tend to pick books with subjects that I have an interest in or am interested in learning about.
My 'crappy' comment was meant tongue in cheek.
I'm curious to know how on earth they could possibly compare non fiction to compile this list
 
Nice list! I don't normally read non-fiction, but I've been wanting to get into it. I'll be checking out some of these titles soon. :)
 
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington; This is an excellent book, I had about fifty copies of these and I had my students read most of this book along with some essays by W.E.B. DuBois to compare and contrast. Very readable book.

The Road to Serfdom by F. A. Hayek; Definitely one of the most under-rated books that has ever existed.

Libertarianism: A Primer by David Boaz;One of the more fascinating books on the list. This one is just an annotated collection of articles by different peopel that highlight libertarian thought throughout the years.

I'm a bit surprised by the number of free-market, laissez-faire capitalism books.:confused: To get even more picky, I don't see why the two Ayn Rand books listed made the list. They are here minor works and really aren't that great IMHO.
 
I've read one and it features on both lists: The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels.

But, to the people that do these polls and always forget to ask me, when doing a readers' poll, try not to ask such questions of Terry Goodkind fans.
 
I must be older than I thought. I can't believe I've read six of those suckers, a couple of them, many years ago. Furthest back is The Autobiography of Malcolm X, then later, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek; also read A Room of One's Own, Operating Instructions, and In Cold Blood. Oh, almost forgot Elements of Style.

No philosophy or religion on my list. :D

ABC makes a great point - scads of books, and by scads I mean, a fantastic number of books, are *off* that list, and really good/useful ones too. For example how-to: The Joy of Cooking is a super primer for someone who's not done much in the kitchen, but I guess that's a nonfiction genre. I know there's another thread for nonfiction recommendations so I'll quit.

Nice list for the TBR.
 
If their fiction list is any indication, the Modern Library only includes American novels in its lists. Which would explain the exclusion of Wild Swans.
 
I've only read In Cold Blood, and that was because it was selected as Book of the Month.

Did anyone notice what #21 and #75 were? Must be really good if it's listed twice ;).
 
Thanks fo rthe great link Gem... It will provide me with some good ideas in the future for non-fiction titles to read.

I've actually only heard of 2 or 3 titles on the lists. And I thought I was a heavy non-fiction reader...:confused:
 
Should I infer Miss Ayn Rand is pretty popular in the states?

Aspects of the Novel, by E. M. Forster, that's the only one I've read.

This is a good non-fiction guide, though; some titles here have picked my interest.
 
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