Product Description

For discerning bibliophiles and readers who enjoy unforgettable classic literature, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die is a trove of reviews covering a century of memorable writing. Each work of literature featured here is a seminal work key to understanding and appreciating the written word.The featured works have been handpicked by a team of international critics and literary luminaries, including Derek Attridge (world expert on James Joyce), Cedric Watts (renowned authority on Joseph Conrad and Graham Greene), Laura Marcus (noted Virginia Woolf expert), and David Mariott (poet and expert on African-American literature), among some twenty others.Addictive, browsable, knowledgeable—1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die will be a boon companion for anyone who loves good writing and an inspiration for anyone who is just beginning to discover a love of books. Each entry is accompanied by an authoritative yet opinionated critical essay describing the importance and influence of the work in question. Also included are publishing history and career details about the authors, as well as reproductions of period dust jackets and book designs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14253 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-07
• Released on: 2006-03-07
• Original language: German
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 960 pages

About the Author
Dr. Peter Boxall is a lecturer in English Literature at the University of Sussex. He has published widely on twentieth and twenty-first century fiction and drama.

Customer Reviews

a grain of salt...please...
Too much is made of the content items in this series, as if though they were meant to be the non-plus ultra of reference guide for bibliophiles or film buffs, or architecture enthusiasts, etc. More than anything I take these wonderful publications and use them as great starting off points. In the countless millenia of human history, it's well understood that not every significant work of art, regardless of medium, will make it into a volume that limits the entries to 1001; however, the bulk do make it. I then take advantage and try to become more familiar with the minor ones, which, in most cases, I know nothing about. Yes, there are questionable entries, for example Saarinen's TWA terminal at JFK. Yes, it's a very noteworthy example of his style but is seeing it a life altering experience, in comparison to the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu or the Louvre? For me, the answer is no, for someone else it may very well be and that's, I believe, the point of this series. As we all know, art is very subjective and the editors involved, choose accordingly based on their knowledge and tastes. Some folks take these things way too seriously, instead of just enjoying the content. No one thing is ever going to be all things to all people and that's what a number of folks seem to sometimes forget.

1001 days and nights
In my 70+ years, I have read, perhaps, 1001 books that are not related to my profession. Certainly many would not be included on any but an idosyncratic list. 1001 Books...is a well organized overview of the greatest literature man has produced. It provides a roadmap to reading those works of which one might be unaware and as a stimulus to read further the works of any author that intrigues. Of course, from any reader's point of view the list misses great works. How could it not for there are certainly more than 1001 books one might read and it reflects the author's point of view. 1001 Books...is a valuable resource.

for the love of books
many reviewers have given this book a low rating because it leaves out many great works but i think that is unfair. no anthology can list all great literature and everyone is entitled to their own opinion of what books MUST be read. personally, i found this book very entertaining. i curled up on the couch and flipped through it for hours, reading the short synopsis on each book and marking pages of books that i had never heard of, which were MANY. i am an avid reader. i spend hours on Amazon, looking for new titles. i am at the library almost everyday to keep myself from spending my entire paycheck on books. so as a lover of books, i'm giving this book 5 stars because it gave me so many titles to look up and explore. i'm sure i have a long enough list of "must reads" to last me a lifetime now. and isn't that was a bibliophile looks for when they pick up a book like this?