What do you think the 10 most influential books of all time are?

Question

Why?

Answer 1

That's a tough question especially if you are thinking of the whole world. There are hundreds of books that change people's views consistently, I'll try and name a few, in no particular order:

1. Uncle Tom's Cabin - When Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe he said: "So you're the little woman that started this big war." I think that sums it up pretty well.
2. The Bible - Became backbone of Christianity, which has exerted more influence on the world than any other religion.
3. The Illiad - First book in the western tradition, paved the way for epic poetry, characterization, plot, themes, etc. for all subsequent literature - groundbreaking, simple and beautiful.
4. The Qu'ran - The Islamic world rode the barrier between East and West for nearly a thousand years, and the Qu'ran was the book that largely gave them a worldview and a method to live. Hugely important.
5. Confucius' Analects - No philosopher exerted a greater influence on Eastern thought than this guy - these books basically laid out the foundations for metaphysics, ethics, politics and all other areas for the entire area from Vietnam, through China and Korea, to Japan and influenced billions of peoples' lives.
6. Leviathan - Hobbes killed God two hundred years before Nietzsche declared him Dead when he announced that human beings' right to rule over others is not based on God's divine edict, but by the consesus of the people who are being governed - Hobbes was almost killed for the idea, and it helped to form the basis of all Republics down the road (including the US).
7. Epic of Rama - One of the foundational literary and religious texts in the Indian tradition - great story and helped to form other religious books in that time period.
8. Catcher in the Rye - Huge microcosm of America, and also just a great story that inspired controversy and debate. Changed American literature instantanteously, and gave the novel a range of new ideas to work with.
9. The Republic - First major western philosophy text, and the one that laid the groundwork for Christian thought and rationalization.
10. Night (Elie Wiesel) - There'd never been such a record of an atrocity like the holocaust before he published this book. He changed how people interpreted not only the event, but their treatment of others and their view of the world. Very important book.

Answer 2

Well, first of all this can be a very difficult question to answer because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What may be influential to a large group of people does not always apply to the individual. If you're just looking for a general list I'd have to give something like this:

10 In Cold Blood- very trendy right now because of the film Capote, but also pretty groundbreaking in its own right.

9 To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee. Also trendy for the same reasons as the last but also has a great message behind it and has meant a lot to a lot of people.

8 Robinson Crusoe- Daniel Defoe. Widely regarded as the first novel

7 The Old Man and the Sea- Earnest Hemingway. Widely regarded as Hem's best(although personally I like The Sun Also Rises better) and still widely taught in schools all over the country.

6 Huckleberry Finn- Mark Twain. A novel that carries a great message and is still banned in many schools throughout the country.

5 The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald. Considered by many to be 'The Great American Novel'

4 Walden- Henry David Thoreau. There is a lot of great ideas contained within this book. The only scary thing is that this experiment would be recreated by Ted Kaczynski with completely different results.

3 The Jungle- Upton Sinclair. This novel brought about great change in America's food industry and brought about the formation of the FDA. It also made Teddy Roosevelt sick.

2 The Grapes of Wrath- John Steinbeck. The story of a family driven from their homes by during the depression. A very humanistic tale telling the plight of those who suffered greatly during this era.

1 The Bible- Hey, millions of Christians can't be wrong!

Answer 3

I can only think of 8

1.The bible
2.Anything shakesbere wrote
3.Moby Dick
4.Harry Potter Series (anybook that sells that many copies and actually has prople lined up and dressed as its carachetrs has to be influential)
5.Animal Farm (actually I just Like it)
6. The Lord of the flies
7.The DaVinci Code (not true but sold copies)
8.Dick and Jane books (everyone has read them)

Answer 4

Oliver twist dickens
clan of the cave bear jean m auel
the wind in the willows Kenethy Grayham
moby dick Herman Melvill
nosfaratu ?
the grapes of wrath
where the red fern grows
dracula
tom sawyer mark twain
the war of the worlds Orson Wells

Answer 5

Well, for starters there would be the religous books of the major religions of the world.

The...

Bible
Quran
Torah

And others. Also you might include a book from every single genre of literature that revolutionized that genre, like, say...fantasy


Lord of the Rings Hands down
Harry Potter
Eragon and Eldest

It's not much but it's a start.

Answer 6

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ( Twain )

Now that I'm older - I 'get' Mark Twain's stuff. He was a smart
*** which is highly entertaining,yes, but always with a not-so-funny twist or a message about what's wrong with humanity.

Huck Finn was influential, but not for the right reasons. It
caused a stir with the n-word, but that itself was the 'message'
Twain tried to get across. Now it's no longer banned - and is
considered one of the best literary works ever. Go figure. No
wonder he was always making fun of humanity's stupidity. Duh...

Answer 7

The Catcher and The Rye

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Answer 8

I don't know about 10, but two books would get a vote from me:
"Denial of Death" by Ernest Becker
and
"Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin

Answer 9

Uncle Toms Cabin. it inspired, and opened peoples eyes to the real world of slavery

Answer 10

hard question, animal farm by george orwell, lord of the flies, a separate peace by john knowles, number the stars, the face on the milk carton, the notebook!!!!, the bible, way too many to choose from