Wednesday, October 22, 2008

What Five Books Would You Take?

Years ago, I saw a number of lists that told what few books certain famous people would take with them, if they were going to be deserted on an island somewhere for a period of time.

I found this fascinating, and recently gave some thought to the topic. I think I would choose the following five books:

1. Bible, King James Version (or if these ad hoc rules allowed one of those multi-version Bibles with the parallel columns, I'd take one of those).

2. Strong's Concordance—the old-fashioned kind that weighs 20 pounds or so. (Presumably the rules would require books in book form, not digitized/electronic. If you are on a desert island, internet/computer access is probably out of the question anyway.)

3. A hymnal. I'm not certain which one, since there are several good ones out there; but none of them contain every hymn I like. But I'd take one. If the island is deserted, no one will care how well I sing, so that issue is dead.

4. Rand McNally's Road Atlas of the United States, most recent edition. Because maps are fascinating.

5. And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie. If you've read it, you will appreciate this selection.

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