Or, assuming all practical needs are met, which books would you bring with you if you were alone on a desert island?
This question may sound incredibly boring and overdone but I am convinced that it is worth mulling this over and really trying to answer it well. As there is a functionally infinite amount to read the need to prioritize books is apparent. Most books that are worth reading are only worth breezing through at 2x speed. Textbooks are best for serious study of a particular topic. But there seems to be a gap of the books that are so piercingly insightful and rich with wisdom that one can continue to work on them for a lifetime.
I ask as a reaction to "How to Read a Book" If, assuming all needs both practical and necessary are met, which books would you bring with you if you were alone on a desert island?
I think of this question as supplementing the "Best Textbook on Every Subject" and "Best Tacit Knowledge Video" that attracted me here to begin with. I think this question is just a better way of asking 'Which books are worth re-reading?' it may be interpreted otherwise such as:
- Which books would you personally
bring with you to a desert island?
- Which are genuinely the rational
choice?
-Which should you want to bring with
you?
To help capture the spirit of the question, I will elaborate here...
I would check out the public papers of the presidents, the US Government Manual, and congressional records. These will be in any law library. CSPAN has a huge library of media as well. Also I will second the Robert Caro suggestion. His books are extremely long, but often a chapter can be read independently. I personally recommend the chapter "1 mile" from The Power Broker and "Lyndon Johnson and the Liberal" from Master of the Senate. I am not especially well placed to answer this question; just a fellowtraveler pursuing the same question.