This topic is a very subjective one, and I realise that there will be many disagreements with my selected 10 books. Feel free to add any additional books with a reason, to the comments field. You may even want to contribute a much larger list for future inclusion on the site.
In order of creation, here is the list of top 10 books that changed the world.
1. The Bible – Various Authors (circa 30AD – 90AD) [Wikipedia]
There can be no doubt that the Bible has done more to change the face of the world than any other book. A mere two hundred years after it was created, it brought about the conversion of the entire Roman Empire from paganism to Christianity. Since then, Christianity has become the largest single religion in the world (with 2.1 billion adherents). The oldest and largest of the Christian groups is the Roman Catholic Church whose membership (1.05 billion) is equal to the size of all other Christian groups combined.
The Bible comprises two books – the Old Testament (taken from the Greek edition used by Christ and the apostles) and the New Testament (written by some of the Apostles of Jesus after his death – including St Paul who did not meet Christ during His lifetime).
The Gutenberg bible (a copy of the Latin Vulgate) was the first book ever published on the printing press. The Bible is the most purchased book in the world.
2. The Qur’an – Various Authors (650AD to 656AD) [Wikipedia]
The Qur’an is the holy book of the Islamic religion. The founder of Islam, Mohammed told his followers that he was given revelations by the Angel Gabriel. These revelations (spanning 23 years) form the basis of the Qur’an. After Mohammed’s death in 632 the Qur’an was recorded by word of mouth only; it was not for another 20 years that the various memories of his words were collected and combined.
The Qur’an is considered by Muslims to be the last revealed word of God (after the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Christian Bible). In recent years much debate has occurred over the content of the Qur’an – with its opponents claiming that it advocates war and murder of non-believers. Muslims generally claim that this is not the case and state that opponents of Islam are taking the text out of context.
3. The Summa Theologica – St. Thomas Aquinas (1265 – 1274) [Wikipedia]
The Summa Theologica is a multi-volume set of books which outlines in the most precise manner, the doctrines and beliefs of Christianity. It was held in such high regard, that second to the Bible, it was the book most used for reference at the Council of Trent (1545 – 1563). Its influence was felt all across the Christian World as the reforms of the Council of Trent were implemented.
To this day, the Summa Theologica is the primary teaching tool used in Roman Catholic seminaries and its author is regarded as a Doctor of the Church (a title reserved for only 33 great thinkers in the history of Christianity). It is also worth noting that St Isidore (popularly considered Patron Saint of the Internet) is also seen as a Doctor of the Church.
Buy the Summa Theologica at Amazon.com
4. The Rights of Man – Thomas Paine (1791) [Wikipedia]
Paine, an English writer, influenced American Democracy and Democracy in general with his writings. According to Paine, the sole purpose of the government is to protect the irrefutable rights inherent to every human being. Thus all institutions which do not benefit a nation are illegitimate, including the monarchy (and the nobility) and the military establishment.
When the French Revolution broke out, Paine went to France where, despite his ignorance of the French language, he was promptly elected to the National Convention. His absence from England at this time was fortuitous because the publication of The Rights of Man caused such a furor in the country that Paine was put on trial in absentia and convicted for seditious libel against the crown.
Buy The Rights of Man at Amazon.com
5. Either/Or – Søren Kierkegaard (1843) [Wikipedia]
Either/Or portays the two lifeviews, one being consciously hedonistic and one based on ethical duty and responsibility, in two volumes. Each lifeview is written and represented by a fictional pseudonymous author and the prose of the work depends on which lifeview is being discussed. For example, the aesthetic lifeview is written in short essay form, with poetic imagery and allusions, discussing aesthetic topics such as music, seduction, drama, and beauty. The ethical lifeview is written as two long letters, with a more argumentative and restraint prose, discussing moral responsibility, critical reflection, and marriage.
This book, by the father of existentialism has been highly influential with other existentialists. Despite its great popularity, it was not published in English until 1944. Existentialism is a philosophical movement that claims that individual human beings have full responsibility for creating the meanings of their own lives. It is a reaction against more traditional philosophies, such as rationalism and empiricism.
6. Communist Manifesto – Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (1848) [Wikipedia]
This tract, written by communist theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels at the behest of the Communist League, has become one of the most influential political tracts in history. The Manifesto suggested a course of action for a proletarian (working class) revolution to overthrow the bourgeois social order and to eventually bring about a classless and stateless society.
Perhaps the most famous quote from the work reads: “The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Working men of all countries, unite!”
Buy the Communist Manifesto at Amazon.com
7. Experimental Research in Electricity – Michael Faraday (1855) [Wikipedia]
Faraday was an English chemist and physicist whose many experiments with electricity ultimately lead to his invention of electromagnetic rotary devices which formed the foundation of electric motor technology. Although he received little formal education and thus higher mathematics like calculus were always out of his reach, he went on to become one of the most influential scientists in history. It was largely his experiments that lead to electricity becoming viable for use in technology.
During his lifetime, Faraday rejected a knighthood and twice refused to become President of the Royal Society. He died at his house at Hampton Court on August 25, 1867. He has a memorial plaque in Westminster Abbey, near Isaac Newton’s tomb, but he turned down burial there and is interred in the Sandemanian plot in Highgate Cemetery.
Buy Experimental Researches in Electricity at Amazon.com
8. On the Origin of Species – Charles Darwin (1859) [Wikipedia]
This book by Darwin is considered a seminal work in the field of evolutionary biology. It proposes that over time, through natural selection, species evolve. It was a highly controversial book as it contradicted many religious views on biology at the time. Darwin’s book was the culmination of evidence he had accumulated on the voyage of the Beagle in the 1830s and expanded through continuing investigations and experiments since his return to England.
The book is readable even for the non-specialist and attracted widespread interest on publication. The book was controversial, and generated much discussion on scientific, philosophical, and religious grounds. The scientific theory of evolution has itself evolved since Darwin first presented it, but natural selection remains the most widely accepted scientific model of how species evolve. The at-times bitter creation-evolution controversy continues to this day.
Buy On the Origin of Species at Amazon.com
9. The Second Sex – Simone de Beauvoir (1949) [Wikipedia]
The Second Sex is the best known work of Simone de Beauvoir. Beauvoir wrote the book after attempting to write about herself. The first thing she wrote was that she was a woman, but she realized that she needed to define what a woman was, which became the intent of the book. It is a work on the treatment of women throughout history and often regarded as a major feminist work. In it she argues that women throughout history have been defined as the “other” sex, an aberration from the “normal” male sex.
Simone de Beauvoir (a pioneer of the feminist movement) argues that women have historically been considered deviant, and abnormal. She submits that even Mary Wollstonecraft considered men to be the ideal toward which women should aspire. Beauvoir says that this attitude has limited women’s success by maintaining the perception that they are a deviation from the normal, and are outsiders attempting to emulate “normality”. For feminism to move forward, this assumption must be set aside.
Buy The Second Sex at Amazon.com
10. Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand (1957) [Wikipedia]
Atlas Shrugged was Rand’s last work before she devoted her time exclusively to philosophical writing. This book contains a variety of themes that would later become the core of her philosophy Objectivism. She considered it to be her magnum opus and is it the most popular of her non-fiction work.
While the book was largely a critical failure, it had an enormous poplar success. As far as influence in the world, the Objectivist philosophy gave much to the Libertarian movement which has enjoyed great popularity around the world.
In a three-month online poll of reader selections of the hundred best novels of the twentieth century, administered by publisher Modern Library, Atlas Shrugged was voted number one. She has a large following in the celebrity world, including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who have been selected to play the two main characters in a trilogy of films that aims to bring Atlas Shrugged to the silver screen in the near future.
Buy Atlas Shrugged at Amazon.com
Technorati Tags: Books, literature
2overpar: Both books sound very interesting. I may have to add them to my Amazon wishlist.
Hail!
What do you think about Tokio Hotel? >:)
Ignoring the entire Ayn Rand conversation, I would suggest (as at least an honorable mention that has yet to be brought up on this page) “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” While not a brilliant work of literature its effect at the time, humanizing slaves, and bolstering the abolishenist movement has had a significant world impact. While some responders may contend that this is an American-centric view. I believe that the Civil War, the emancipation, and the continued racial relations in the country which were shaped by all that followed have a dramatic impact on the world.
I can’t believe that Also Sprach Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche was not mentioned. The quote “God is dead” shook the world.
Got “Atlas Shrugged” yesterday thanks to this list
Gonna start it tonight. Just thought I’d share.
Hobolad: you will love it – one of the most mind opening books I ever read.
Hi John Waters, all,
Just to mention the download of Lane’s Lexicon is completely legal as it is now out of copyright and in the public domain.
http://www.studyquran.co.uk/LLhome.htm
I should know, because I am the one who put it online and did the appropriate research first.
WM: Thanks for the comment – it is much appreciated!
maybe you should have included the number 2 book in the online survey, battlefield earth, by the irrepressible l.ron, he has a mediocre following in the celebrity world
The remarkable thing about Atlas Shrugged is that Ayn Rand was able to sustain such a level of hatred, misanthropy, and the manipulative misrepresentation of opposing viewpoints for 1500+ pages. I do not think that anybody else could have done so. A truly amazing achievement by a pathologically venomous woman.
ChrisG: I did not find the book to be filled with hatred at all – she presents the left wing view in an extreme light to put her point accross (which is why left wingers almost all hate it) – I certainly felt the principles were fair – why should the producers not stop producing when they are being raped by the non-producers?
Wow with all this talk about Atlas Shrugged I might have to read it now. I have to say I don’t think it would have made my top ten list (wow I say that and I have not read to book) mainly because ‘top ten’ is a very high bar. It is even harder for a book that has not been able to show that it can stand the test of history yet. (who knows maybe Atlas Shrugged will)
However, it sure seems that the book can stir up some discussion in the present day and you have to give a book a ‘tip of the hat’ if it can do that.
jfrater: By presenting her socialist characters as universally villainous, Rand is hoping that her readers equate personal villainy with an entire philosophical idea. It is called the Straw Man argument, and is a well-known logical fallacy. Also, about halfway through the book there is a horrific train wreck, and Rand spends pages describing how every single person who died deserved to die because they gave to charity or something. I just think that her justification of their deaths is a strong statement of hatred for humanity.
Blizzard: By all means, you should read Atlas Shrugged. I despise the book but I have to admit that it is a very important and seminal work, and has obviously inspired much debate.
ChrisG: I see what you are saying – but is this not the perfect opportunity to use the strawman argument… in a fictional work? The point of it is not to prove socialism wrong or evil, but to illustrate a society living in an extreme version of it. The right wingers in the book were all also extreme. When I first read the book I didn’t know much about politics but it inspired me to read more about it – so it lead me to some understanding of socialism and capitalism.
Darn it! I wanted to say “The Cat In The Hat” but Gravy (#27) beat me to a Dr. Seuss reference.
This changed my LIFEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!
Judge as you will, but the Satanic Bible is a wonderful read. I am not a Satanist but the author is probably the wittiest writer I have ever come by, and I read about a book a day, everyday. It also clears up alot of misconceptions of “satanism.” It is not a religion that worships the christian depiction of satan, infact the name is just used as a prod to get the bible-thumpers all hot and heavy.
I recommend the book for anyone who is open-minded and free-thinking. Anton LaVey brings up tons of valid points, and through out the book you’ll find bits and pieces that will leave you saying, “Thats exactly what I think!!!”
It reads like a collection of essays and is easy to follow, best of all you can get it for under 10 bucks(US dollars). Even if you don’t agree with what the book says it will make you think and also you’ll probably want to debate your issues with the nearest person!
I think Alfred Kinsey’s “*****uality and the Human Male” and “*****uality and the Human Female” are sadly left off this list.
dante divine comedy
3 words: UNCLE TOMS CABIN
I’m not sure if this is considered a book as much as a pamphlet but Common Sense by Thomas Paine was a pretty influential book. It helped to turn public opinion in favor of the American Revolution.
To leave John Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Two Treatises of Government off the list is perplexing to say the least. Especially when Either/Or is included. I like Either/Or a lot better (“Crop Rotation” is one of the funniest and most enlightening essays I can think of) but in terms of the western world post divine rule no philosopher is more directly responsible for the structure of our government than Locke.
The final inclusion has been debated severely and hopefully it has been made obvious that it is regrettably unsuited for this list. While Rand has wielded a modicum of influence here in the states I can think of ten fictional works that should come way before her in terms of changing the world:
1. Don Quixote, Cervantes: Widely held as introduction of the novel, influential to this day.
2. Tristram Shandy, Lawrence Sterne: Invented Modernism and Postmodernism, predicted Freudian psycho*****ytical thought. Directly influenced Woolf, Joyce, Beckett, Gogol, Diderot, Nabokov, on and on. Possibly most important fictional work in the English language is often overlooked.
3. (Tie) Ulysses, James Joyce; Lady Chatterley’s Lover, D.H. Lawrence; Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert, others: All important in the development of modern fiction (interior monologue in Ulysses, etc.) but more importantly framed the legal definition of obscenity and ushered along *****ual revolution of the early twentieth century.
4. Othello, William Shakespeare: Established (with the rest of his work) standards by which art is today judged. Before Shakespeare it was widely believed art must be moral to be beautiful (see Samuel Johnson for explication of how Shakespeare changed this and consequently the world).
5. The Clouds, Aristophanes: This drama attacked Socrates and foretold the public turning against him. At his trial Socrates claimed it was the play that doomed him. Established the context in which Plato would fictionalize his mentor.
6. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens: Along with the rest of Dickens’ work shed light on the aristocratic ignorance of social injustice in nineteenth century England. Widely considered responsible (along with Jack the Ripper) for subsequent social reform.
7. La Divina Commedia, Dante: Already suggested and then discarded in the comments. Hear this: WITHOUT DANTE THERE IS NO RAND. At the time of publication it was considered heretical and profane. Although currently considered highly religious, in its time the creation of hell from his own imagination put Dante in the church’s direct line of fire. Even with this pressure to rescind his work Dante (and other Italian thinkers) defended the right to imaginative fiction and thereby set the stage for every science fiction work to follow. (See Giacopo Mazzoni for more on Dante’s influence).
8. Republic, Plato: Also already mentioned in the comments. If nothing else, established the basis on which art is to this day censored. Our current battle over violent video games started with Socrates in Book 2 of Republic.
9. Iliad, Odyssey, Homer: Again, mentioned by others. Pretty much the birthplace for all Western fiction. Not to mention early literary criticism dealt almost exclusively with these works.
10. Le Rouge et Le Noir, Stendhal: Attacked the dualism of church and military in French life. More importantly, destroyed romanticism and more or less perfected literary irony. When asked by a friend where one should start an education in brilliant literature, James Joyce named only this book.
There are so many more to choose from as well. Milton’s Paradise Lost was mentioned by a few and is also a fine selection, entertaining too if you catch the puns. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales include themes of deception and reproduction that continue to be important to literary thought. Ovid’s Metamorphoses is also considerably influential. Vico’s Nuova Scienza should be there as well, although not a fictional work.
The point is, while it’s charming that such a earnest affection for Rand would compel one of her fans to include her on such a list, it doesn’t make her inclusion any less of a farce. It certainly doesn’t lessen the insult as well to the authors whose places are rightly above her.
You should add the works of ancient Homer. His works (Iliad and Odyssey) are probably the best source about the history around those periods. You should also add the ancient sumerian Gilgamesh witch is the first written book ever.
A couple of points about Ayn Rand:
1. jfrater: Ayn Rand actually does advocate “selfishness” in the form of rational self-interest. See her non-fiction book “The Virtue of Selfishness” for a complete exposition of her views on the subject. She points out that what many people in our modern culture mean by “selfishness” is not necessarily what she means. Particularly, it’s important to remember that all selfishness is bounded by the rights of all other individuals. So we cannot take from others what is rightfully theirs, including their personal work product.
2. Regarding the train wreck: Rand is not saying that their deaths are justifiable. She is illustrating that all of our actions have consequences, and that by implicitly giving their sanction to a system of government like the one described in the book, all of the passengers on the train were responsible for the effects of that government. Again, Rand’s non-fiction delves much more deeply into the idea that each one of us can greatly affect the culture and government we live under, and that we can do so actively but also passively by accepting and condoning it.
3. #31, your comment that no respected philosopher or academic takes her work seriously is just not true at all. Possibly no respected left-wing philosopher or academic takes her work seriously. But Ayn Rand has been hugely influential to libertarian and fiscal conservative thinkers. This influence is exactly why Atlas Shrugged belongs on a list like this.
I would say that I think her non-fiction is more important philosophically, but Atlas Shrugged is probably more influential because a lot of people would read that and not read her non-fiction, and because a lot of people would be inspired to read the non-fiction only after reading Atlas Shrugged.
Actually, the Bible is a compilation of 66 books written by over 40 separate authors from a variety of backgrounds (from lowly peasants to noble kings) over a period of at least 1,600 years. These 66 books are divided in two principle parts, the “Old Testament” (39 books) and the “New Testament” (27 books). The Bible was completed in its entirety nearly 2,000 years ago and stands today as the best-preserved literary work of all antiquity with over 24,000 ancient New Testament manuscripts discovered thus far. Compare this with the second best-preserved literary work of antiquity, Homer’s Iliad, with only 643 preserved manuscripts discovered to date.
if ayn rand is into individual achievement and creative work, how come she’s such a shiaty writer? hmm?
Perhaps you should change the title of the list to Top 10 Books that Changed the Western World.
Ayn Rand never claimed herself as perfect; she developed a philosophy that defined internal gratification. I have applied it to my life, and I reap the benefits on a daily basis. To those that write against it, give me a philosophy that better serves my life! I spent years volunteering, serving in the military, and in spiritual search, however now I spend my time working, achieving my personal goals, around people that I entertain only because of the happiness they bring me. The revenue that I have created doing as such has helped the nation more then all my other services combined, now they can afford to hire people, so no volunteer work is needed. People can help others and still take home a reward for a job well done. That is the price of a philosophy that works – no excuse not to achieve it.
Ayn Rand was a great writer; she made my blood boil when i was in college. Yes, we read a lot in India. I rebelled for a lot of things… however, “right” her philosophy was, she was really bad at human psychology. most of the capitalists are greedy and irrational, not like the ideal capitalist from ayn rand’s works…
after finishing all her works, i moved to Zen… Need I say anything more?
Jiddu Krishnamurthy and Osho’s works also have changed the way the world looked at religion and God… Don’t any of their works get a listing here?
I think this is a good list, but i agree with many of the other statements about how hard it is to say that 10 books are the most influential.
but i might add slaughter-house 5 by Kurt Vonnegut. he brought the phrase Mother F***er into the english language. look how thats changed the world… Its also a really good book. It probably hasnt changed “the world” so to speak, but it definitely changed the way many people i know think about literature, and it is definitely an important book to read, whether it changed the world or not.
Julio: in fact the majority of Christians use the Catholic Bible which has 72 books – in the 1500s the protestants took a number of books out – so your final count is the “protestant Bible” – not the Bible used for the first 1500 years of Christianity (and still used by the majority of Christians today).
While it may have changed the world i believe Atlas shrugged to be one of the worst books ever written. I’ve read it cover to cover and in no way did i enjoy it. The plot is tedious and the characters are some of the most repulsive i can think of. It is the one book that i have read in which all the main characters disgusted me
would the magna carta be consired a book since it laid the foundation for all the freedoms in the world
man am i annoyed. i wasted 3 weeks reading ayn rand
Melvyn Bragg, a British cultral commentator, published his book ‘Twelve Books That Changed The world’ a couple of years ago. His list is as follows:
Principia Mathematica by Isaac Newton (1687)
Married Love by Marie Stopes (1918)
Magna Carta by Members of the English Ruling Classes (1215)
The Rule Book of Association Football by a Group of Former English Public School Men (1863)
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (1859)
On the Abolition of the Slave Trade by William Wilberforce in Parliament, immediately printed in several versions (1789)
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft (1792)
Experimental Researches in Electricity by Michael Faraday (3 volumes, 1839, 1844, 1855)
Patent Specification for Arkwright’s Spinning Machine by Richard Arkwright (1769)
The King James Bible by William Tyndale and 54 Scholars Appointed by the King (1611)
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith (1776)
The First Folio by William Shakespeare (1623)
Yes – a very partisan list I know and a very wide definition of the word ‘book’, but there are some here that should be in the list.
I seriously think the Kama Sutra ought to be on here.
On a more recent note, The Kinsey Report and the Joy Of ***** did so much to help those confused generations of bourgeoisie americans through such a strange time. If those two books hadn’t come (heh) along to help all those poor old couples have orgasms and how to find and use the clitoris, I think the button would have been pushed!
But for other nominations:
1984
Gray’s Anatomy (The medical text kids, not the TV show)
Common Sense
The Doors of Perception
Atlas Shrugged? What?
That book has changed nothing.
It doesn’t make sense that the Summa Theologica is on the list but Aristotle isn’t. So much of that book is just a combination of the bible and Aristotle’s works. Also, why put Ayn Rand but no Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Newton, Leibniz, Locke, Kant or Pre-socratics? All those people have written FAR more influential things.
Vogler777
you are a true idiot in every sense of the word.
So many people hate Ayn Rand because she calls them out on the immorality of their own ideology, and rightly so. Initiation of force is wrong: even if you claim to have a good excuse, and even if you call yourself “government”.
The Fountainhead is a better work of fictional literature, and is an inseparable part of Ayn Rand’s philosophy. Atlas Shrugged was too short for its scope, and would have worked better as a trilogy.
It is my hope to someday live in a place more influenced by Rand than by any other author mentioned (except for the scientific works which really cannot be compared, and that may already be the case if you measure by the influence of the readers as opposed to their quantity). If/when America ceases to be the champion of economic freedom, such a place will be created somewhere else.
Im a freshman in college, and i just finished Atlas Shrugged. It is definatly the most influential book ive read, and i think its fitting that a whole host of people hate the book in a country that just elected obama. Yes, it wasnt well written. However, did it need to be to get the point across? I think it was more effective in the simple prosaic way it was written.
Um. Catholic church is not the oldest christian church. Armenian church is 100 years older.
joe – that is not correct:
You forgot Newton’s Principia Mathematica. Someone said it was an essay. It is not! It is over a thousand pages long!
Im not gonna lie. I think Mein Kampf should be on it. not for what the book entails for the average reader, but for the ramifications
As far as the “Rights of man” and the topic of basic rights and the role of government was outlined by Thomas Hobbes about 100 years before.
I certainly agree with the majority of these, but “The Rights of Man,” by Thomas Paine, though manifest in the history of our American Republic, would not be a book that could be applied to the world, but America alone. In its place I would recommend Adam Smith’s, “The Wealth of Nations,” which spurred on the Capitalist Age in the first place.
“The Communist Manifesto,” “The Holy Bible,” and “The Origin of the Species,” are all very well placed.
The list is absolutely correct.
why di they always put islam after christianity
Because the list is chronological and the Qur’an was written after the Bible.
I just want to point out that as great as Ayn Rand might be you are slighting so many greater writers and thinkers by including her on this list. He books were written the 1940′s and later, we are not even close to it being a hundred years after them being written we are already heralding them as world changing. You may like her a lot Jamie but this is a little zealous of you. You can’t compare libertarian fiction to writings that have influenced the democracies where libertarianism found its birth. I am not trying to say that Atlas Shrugged isn’t important it is just not as world changing as some other books that are out there. I would cite examples but it seems that I have been beaten to it. My vote goes for either Locke or Cervantes
There are so many other modern philosophical works that should be here before Either/Or. Descartes’ Meditations, Kant’s 1st Critique, Hegel’s Logic being the most obvious.
Ovid’s Metamorphoses–played a major role in Renaissance humanism and influenced Renaissance art.
The Bhagavad Gita–the philosophical basis of Hindu India as well as instrumental in influencing a number of revolutionaries and freedom fighters. Unfortunately it also influenced some Nazis who used its philosophy of detached devotion duty to help alleviate their guilt.
I have to say I agree with the Ayn Rand haters on this forum. I read Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead at a young age and was bored to death. The life that she celebrates is shallow and one-dimensional and I find her vitriol against altruism annoying.
Boo to “Atlas Shrugged”…Prashant says it all.
I believe Ayn Rand is a goddess… Honestly, the ideas she had created into various forms… ideas that I would never even think about are extra ordinary.
What about Newton’s “Principia” or Galileo’s “Starry Messenger?” These books did a heck of a lot more to change the world than half the books on this list. Get an education.
thanks for putting the Origin of the Species on here. I’m a bio nerd and that is a big one for me. I most certainly agree with the Bible and the Communist Manifesto. I’d also include Mein Kampf. Even though it was Hitler and it’s subject was absolutely revolting, it still contributed to creating a following of Hitler.
what about mein kampf