Wow, no Slaughterhouse Five? Certainly a modern classic that en engineer might enjoy.
Slaughterhouse-Five - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In non-fiction I enjoy Oliver Sachs. Though "Audiophila" needed a heavier hand in the editing. Too long, slow. His earlier stuff is breezier.
Slaughterhouse-Five - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In non-fiction I enjoy Oliver Sachs. Though "Audiophila" needed a heavier hand in the editing. Too long, slow. His earlier stuff is breezier.
I'll second Enders Game by Orson Scott Card (in fact the whole series!) Another if you really want "humanities" would be "The Power of One" by Bryce Courteny.
Another I remember reading as a teenager was "One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksander Solzhenitsyn
for some reason I have undeline now and can't turn it off!
Tony.
Another I remember reading as a teenager was "One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksander Solzhenitsyn
for some reason I have undeline now and can't turn it off!
Tony.
The humanities aren't necessarily all about novels. There are also interesting and important books that are inseparable from a well rounded education.
For starters, try Plutarch's "Lives" as it was regarded for centuries as one of the fundamental cornerstones of a classical education. If you take the time to read it, you'll certainly understand why.
[Edit: Read the "Dryden" translation]
I could suggest many more, but try this one first.
Best Regards,
TerryO
For starters, try Plutarch's "Lives" as it was regarded for centuries as one of the fundamental cornerstones of a classical education. If you take the time to read it, you'll certainly understand why.
[Edit: Read the "Dryden" translation]
I could suggest many more, but try this one first.
Best Regards,
TerryO
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Yeah, good book and certainly educational but I would start reading fiction first and leave history and philosophy for last. Age matters. Besides, you could lose some enthusiasm in your own life if you read how great men were treated in theirs.
Yes, Iliad and Odissey are still great books even if you read them in prose.
Translation is key but there's a lot of good English literature to read so you're lucky.
If you enjoyed Monte-Cristo adventures you would probably like Victor Hugo and Poe stories as well.
IMO, Borges, Joyce and such are enjoyed best at a later age.
A couple nonfiction, non-textbooks I have read recently:
Archimedes Codex - Reviel Netz (a bit of a disappointment, but interesting.)
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins (gets tiresome, not that he isn't brilliant...)
An Ancestors Tale - Richard Dawkins
Galileo's Daughter - Dava Sobel (Interesting perspective)
Goedel Escher Bach - Douglas Hofstadter (not done yet)
Next on my reading list:
On Human Nature - E.O. Wilson
Archimedes Codex - Reviel Netz (a bit of a disappointment, but interesting.)
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins (gets tiresome, not that he isn't brilliant...)
An Ancestors Tale - Richard Dawkins
Galileo's Daughter - Dava Sobel (Interesting perspective)
Goedel Escher Bach - Douglas Hofstadter (not done yet)
Next on my reading list:
On Human Nature - E.O. Wilson
Yeah, good book and certainly educational but I would start reading fiction first and leave history and philosophy for last. Age matters. Besides, you could lose some enthusiasm in your own life if you read how great men were treated in theirs.
As "The Lives" was intended for a relatively young audience and was usually read at an early age, I'm not sure why it should be put off any longer than necessary. My children read Plutarch at around nine or ten years of age and I believe that many of the Founding Father's of the American Revolution read it at an even earlier age. I would think that an engineering student would have the mental maturity to read and learn from Plutarch.
The Humanities is the study of literature, philosophy, the fine arts, etc., as distinquished from the sciences. It is, quite frankly, concerned with those things that define, and impact the human condition. To break it down to it's essential core, it tends to run in a parallel course that influences, and is influenced by, History and Human Nature. It closely follows Hegel's Dialectic zig-zag pattern of human improvement with thesis, antithesis and eventually synthesis. The proper method, if one is at all serious, would be to start at the beginning and work forward, just as you construct the foundation of a house before you begin the finish work.
I agree with you, me being sarcastic gets me in some misunderstandings more often that I'd like. Anyway my point was that at an early age imagination flies and if you inflict it with too much reality (studies of men) it may wither.
I agree again, how could I not?
Stalker,
The age thing is certainly a concern, and there is an understandable tendency to shield young people from things that they may not be mature enough to deal with.
I remember when I was in Jr. High School that we were not permitted to read "Crime and Punishment" as it was deemed far too advanced (and perhaps stressful), for our tender years. Of course, a lot of us then had a burning desire to get the book from the library and read it, just to find out what was forbidden.
Who knows, maybe it was actually a psychological ploy to get us interested.
Best Regards,
TerryO
Here's a couple of musts.
Non-Fiction
"Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea"
Fiction
"A Voyage to Arcturus"
Ship of Gold is a great read . I still use the listing method described by one of the engineers for prioritizing projects when there are a million things you're interested in and intend to do.
If you're a can't put it down 'til it's done sort of reader then you'll love 'Arcturus. Sprawled on the couch at 3 in the morning it is one of the best books I've ever read. I finished it at sunrise and walking the early morning street with no one else around I felt like I had been somewhere really new. Some understanding there about how form (body) determines the type of consciousness.
Non-Fiction
"Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea"
Fiction
"A Voyage to Arcturus"
Ship of Gold is a great read . I still use the listing method described by one of the engineers for prioritizing projects when there are a million things you're interested in and intend to do.
If you're a can't put it down 'til it's done sort of reader then you'll love 'Arcturus. Sprawled on the couch at 3 in the morning it is one of the best books I've ever read. I finished it at sunrise and walking the early morning street with no one else around I felt like I had been somewhere really new. Some understanding there about how form (body) determines the type of consciousness.
Fahrenheit 451, The man in the high castle, Radio free Albemuth. I am an engineer and like sci-fi alot. The man in the high castle is I think the best book I have ever read, I cannot say more otherwise I spoil it.
Atlas shrugged was a decent story ruined by rands fanatical absolutism, she can only see black and white
Also 3rded enders game. Although not any of the latter in the series.
Atlas shrugged was a decent story ruined by rands fanatical absolutism, she can only see black and white
Also 3rded enders game. Although not any of the latter in the series.
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Keep the recommendations coming! I look forward to filling a bookshelf with these works, even if it takes me a few years to finish them.
Earlier today, I finished the unabridged version of the Count of Monte Cristo. It took me nearly a week to finish, being the longest book I have ever read (~1250 pages). However, I was greatly rewarded in my effort. The Count is possibly the most fantastic character in fiction I have ever had the pleasure of being introduced to. He almost takes on a superhuman nature. In addition, his revenge appears to be in the form of Divine justice rather than selfish vengeance since he reveals the villains horrible deeds to society. I was constantly at the edge of my seat while his elaborate plans were played out through the pages.
I recently purchased the Hardcover versions of Catch 22 and The Soul of a New Machine. They are considerably shorter than War and Peace and Atlas Shrugged, so I should be able to finish each of them in a day or two. Reading appears to be a considerably cheaper hobby than DIY Audio design
I'm going to build a bookshelf with my grandfather who, in addition to being a carpenter, has long had a passion for literature. I would like to fill it with these works and in 5 or 10 years, I should have it filled. My primary concern is wear and tear on the books. After a week of reading, my copy of the Count of Monte Cristo is already showing signs of wear. This problem is highlighted since I would like to keep these works for a long time. As a result, I am particularly interested in Hardcover versions in contrast to the readily available paperback versions.
I have found great difficulty in finding Hardcover versions of many of the recommended titles. In particular, the only Hardcover version of Plutarch's Lives (Dryden translation) I was able to find cost $125. I have found that many other titles I am interested in (ex. The Making of the Atomic Bomb) are no longer being printed in the Hardcover. Could anyone recommend how I should go about attaining Hardcover copies of such books that are still in good quality?
Also, has anyone read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations? I was at the bookstore today and it piqued my interest. However, I'm not sure if it should take precedence over other perhaps more relevant works.
Earlier today, I finished the unabridged version of the Count of Monte Cristo. It took me nearly a week to finish, being the longest book I have ever read (~1250 pages). However, I was greatly rewarded in my effort. The Count is possibly the most fantastic character in fiction I have ever had the pleasure of being introduced to. He almost takes on a superhuman nature. In addition, his revenge appears to be in the form of Divine justice rather than selfish vengeance since he reveals the villains horrible deeds to society. I was constantly at the edge of my seat while his elaborate plans were played out through the pages.
I recently purchased the Hardcover versions of Catch 22 and The Soul of a New Machine. They are considerably shorter than War and Peace and Atlas Shrugged, so I should be able to finish each of them in a day or two. Reading appears to be a considerably cheaper hobby than DIY Audio design
I'm going to build a bookshelf with my grandfather who, in addition to being a carpenter, has long had a passion for literature. I would like to fill it with these works and in 5 or 10 years, I should have it filled. My primary concern is wear and tear on the books. After a week of reading, my copy of the Count of Monte Cristo is already showing signs of wear. This problem is highlighted since I would like to keep these works for a long time. As a result, I am particularly interested in Hardcover versions in contrast to the readily available paperback versions.
I have found great difficulty in finding Hardcover versions of many of the recommended titles. In particular, the only Hardcover version of Plutarch's Lives (Dryden translation) I was able to find cost $125. I have found that many other titles I am interested in (ex. The Making of the Atomic Bomb) are no longer being printed in the Hardcover. Could anyone recommend how I should go about attaining Hardcover copies of such books that are still in good quality?
Also, has anyone read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations? I was at the bookstore today and it piqued my interest. However, I'm not sure if it should take precedence over other perhaps more relevant works.
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Regarding hardcover books you could try abebooks.com, in my experience the description usually fits the condition, so if the seller says it's good it usually is. Of course never bought from a seller with a bad rating, so I don't know.
Also I would not care too much about relevance, there will never be an agreement on the most relevant works. So if something piqued your interest just read it, you're doing it for fun after all.
Also Marcus Aurelius is certainly a classic.
Other recommendations
I second (or third) Catch 22,it is really funny while being a serious book about war, bureaucracy and mankind.
I really liked William Gibsons Neuromancer, it's really interesting to see where he was kind of close to todays world and where he was far off. It's quite dense and sometimes hard to follow because there are several interweaving stories at the same time.
And what's the deal with Ayn Rand?
Better read Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan - a seriously great book. I'd consider that time better spend than Atlas Shrugged.
Seriously drifting into political science: Actually I would definitely recommend reading Hobbes before reading Rand (and maybe the Discourse on Inequality by Rousseau or The Public and its Problems by John Dewey as a contrast to Hobbes before Rand as well)
Also I would not care too much about relevance, there will never be an agreement on the most relevant works. So if something piqued your interest just read it, you're doing it for fun after all.
Also Marcus Aurelius is certainly a classic.
Other recommendations
I second (or third) Catch 22,it is really funny while being a serious book about war, bureaucracy and mankind.
I really liked William Gibsons Neuromancer, it's really interesting to see where he was kind of close to todays world and where he was far off. It's quite dense and sometimes hard to follow because there are several interweaving stories at the same time.
And what's the deal with Ayn Rand?
Better read Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan - a seriously great book. I'd consider that time better spend than Atlas Shrugged.
Seriously drifting into political science: Actually I would definitely recommend reading Hobbes before reading Rand (and maybe the Discourse on Inequality by Rousseau or The Public and its Problems by John Dewey as a contrast to Hobbes before Rand as well)
Hardcover? I've been shopping the used book stores for over thirty years and have amassed hundreds of books (I've also read every one of them!)
Meditations is a worthwhile book by a man that fervently wished to be a scholar, but instead spent much of his life in the camp of the Roman Army trying to shore up a crumbling Empire. I guess it can be summed up in the phrase "Duty Bound."
Best Regards,
TerryO
I've bought thousands of books over the last 30 years. Regrettably I've probably only read at most 1/3rd of them. I get what interests me while browsing shelves, but also I've yet to see a title listed in a bibliography that I haven't found online, though not always at a low price. I spill my secrets here:
Ben's (not quite) First Ever Presence On The InterWeb: How and where I buy/get books.
I've read the first 50 pages or so of Atlas Shrugged. There's this company president who has been loyal to a supplier who's gone over a year without shipments, and it seems to me any board would have had that guy thrown out long ago. This was just too unrealistic for me. It' sells more copies now than ever, spurred on by the current political and economic situation, but I suspect one's time might be better spend reading a summary or "cliffs notes" version of it.
While tossing out titles, there's this short non-fiction book "How To Lie With Statistics." There's lots of, uh, "quaint" things from the '50's when the book was published, but the basic manipulations used by newspapers, other publications, politicians, etc. are there. Like Atlas Shrugged, it's still in print after all these years.
Ben's (not quite) First Ever Presence On The InterWeb: How and where I buy/get books.
I've read the first 50 pages or so of Atlas Shrugged. There's this company president who has been loyal to a supplier who's gone over a year without shipments, and it seems to me any board would have had that guy thrown out long ago. This was just too unrealistic for me. It' sells more copies now than ever, spurred on by the current political and economic situation, but I suspect one's time might be better spend reading a summary or "cliffs notes" version of it.
While tossing out titles, there's this short non-fiction book "How To Lie With Statistics." There's lots of, uh, "quaint" things from the '50's when the book was published, but the basic manipulations used by newspapers, other publications, politicians, etc. are there. Like Atlas Shrugged, it's still in print after all these years.
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