# Ten Books to Take to a Desert Island. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2002, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604 "2002-07-30T23:21:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/1 "2002-07-30T23:21:29Z")
As the title says, if you were on a desert island and you could only have ten books, which would you bring? Trilogies/Series count as one, btw (Thankeesai, Squish…eheeheh!) 1. The Hunchback of Notre Dame–Victor Hugo(I’d never leave home without my Frollo!) 2.Tigana–Guy Gaverial Kay(A truly excellent fantasy…) 2. Dragondoom–Dennis L. Mckeirnan(Sure, it’s cliched, but damnit! It’s GOOD!) 3. The Lord of the Rings–JRR Tolkein(DUH) 4. Spring Moon–Betty Bao Lord(Simply beautiful book!) 5. Cry to Heaven–Anne Rice 6. The Vampire Chronicles–Anne Rice 7. Angela’s Ashes–Frank McCourt (Hard to get through because of what happens to him, but excellent!) 8. The Dark Tower Series–Stephen King 9. Night–Elie Wisel(Sad as hell, but worth reading again every once in awhile…) ---
**Author:** ![Winnowill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4491bb/32.png) [@Winnowill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnowill)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/2 "2002-07-30T23:48:27Z")
In no particular order: [ul] [li]_Maia_ by Richard Adams (I think I may very well be the only person on the planet who’s actually read it, but I love it).[/li][li]_Shogun_ by James Clavell (so complicated that you can read it over and over and never quite pick up on everything)[/li][li]_Give War a Chance_ by PJ O’Rourke[/li][li]The _Harry Potter_ opera (counts for four)[/li][li]_The Stand_ by Stephen King[/li][li]_The Dragonriders of Pern_ by Anne McCaffrey (whole trilogy in one volume)[/li][li]_Lord of the Rings_ by Tolkein[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/3 "2002-07-31T00:37:58Z")
_The Complete Guide to Surviving On and Escaping from a Desert Island_. Everything else is kindling. ---
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/4 "2002-07-31T00:58:59Z")
Smart all! LOL! ---
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/5 "2002-07-31T01:00:38Z")
I meant smart ASS!! eheeh ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/6 "2002-07-31T01:56:38Z")
Glad you opened this thread, **Jurhael**! My picks are: 1. _Sandman_, Neil Gaiman and various artists - the collected hardcover series - lots of food for thought and I’ve never got tired of rereading it yet. 2. _The Persian Boy_, Mary Renault - gotta have some historical softcore fantasy, y’know 3. _Good Omens_, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - absolutely hilarious 4. _Illiad_, the Fitzgerald translation - good poetry, good story and maybe someday I’d be so bored I wouldn’t skip the ‘naming of the ships’ part 5. _Complete Works_, William Shakespeare - what can I say? 6. _Holidays in Hell_, P.J. O’Rourke, and 7. _Give War a Chance_, P.J. O’Rourke, because the man is a master of cynical humour 8. _Swamp Foetus_\* (later retitled _Wormwood_), Poppy Z. Brite; excellently magical horror stories 9. _The Vampire Files_, P.N. Elrod - 1930s detective mysteries with vampires! 😃 10. _The Cornelius Chronicles_, Michael Moorcock - rock’n’roll, fashion, science and the addictive adrenaline stench of fear ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/7 "2002-07-31T03:26:18Z")
Here’s my list: [ol] [li]Pilot’s Choice, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller[/li][li]Plan B, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller[/li][li]I Dare, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller[/li][li]If marooned after February 2003: Balance of Trade, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, if before February 2003: American Gods, by Neil Gaiman[/li][li]The Adventure of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon[/li][li]Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman[/li][li]Earthclan, by David Brin (contains Startide Rising and The Uplift War)[/li][li]Fletch’s Fortune, by Gregory McDonald (with the option to substitute a different Gregory McDonald book)[/li][li]The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin[/li][li]Dave Barry’s Book of Bad Songs[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/8 "2002-07-31T03:33:00Z")
Hmmm, okay I just noticed why I had to go back and add another title…my first one got chopped off somehow. So take off #10 and replace it with _Partners in Necessity_ by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/9 "2002-07-31T04:16:36Z")
I would use two or three of those selections to bring a good mathematics or physics compedium, something I could use to teach myself the essential tools of the field. 'Cause after all, if you read the same novel over and over it can get a little stale, but these could keep you busy for decades. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/10 "2002-07-31T04:49:12Z")
Something big, sturdy and bouyant. ---
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/11 "2002-07-31T05:35:47Z")
“Something big, sturdy and bouyant.” Les Miserabes? Or one of Robert Jordan’s books? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Winnowill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4491bb/32.png) [@Winnowill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnowill)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/12 "2002-07-31T05:41:10Z")
Damn. How the HELL did I forget _Good Omens_? It’s only my favorite book of all time! ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/13 "2002-07-31T06:33:05Z")
Not just my favorites (and some good junk fantasy for beach reading), but I’d need some reference books, too. By no means is this a list of the best quality, but just books I think I’d need and books I read often and can’t iamgine living without. Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien. The Dragonlance Chronicles, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The Icewind Dale Trilogy, RA Salvatore. Druids, Morgan Llywelyn. The Bachman Books, Steven King. Complete Works, Shakespeare. The Bible. The complete OED. The Encyclopaedia Britannica. ---
**Author:** ![Sparrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Sparrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparrow)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/14 "2002-07-31T12:00:30Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Winnowill \* \*\*In no particular order: [ul] [li]_Maia_ by Richard Adams (I think I may very well be the only person on the planet who’s actually read it, but I love it).[/ul] \*\*[/li][/QUOTE] No, you’re not, I love it too! (Didn’t like Shardik nearly so much though). Others already mentioned ; The Persian Boy, but I want The King Must Die as well Good Omens Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series (the original trilogy only) ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/15 "2002-07-31T12:15:15Z")
Since I’m going to be there for a while, I’m going to want nice long books. I want to specify harcovers for all of these, to be durable since they’re likely to take some damage. “How to Stay Alive in the Wilderness” seems like a good one to start with. “Complete Works of Shakespeare,” Norton edition. “Complete Works of Chaucer,” Riverside edition. “Les Miserables” “The New Oxford Annotated Bible,” New Revised Standard version. “The Norton Anthology of Poetry,” Longer edition. “The More than Complete Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” “The Stand.” “Rincewind the Wizzard,” out-of-print edition of three early Pratchett novels. “Ulysses” ---
**Author:** ![Sparrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Sparrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparrow)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/16 "2002-07-31T12:28:07Z")
Jane Austen - Emma R Adams - Maia Mary Gentle - Golden Witchbreed M Renault - The Persian Boy, The King Must Die Dodie Smith - I Capture the Castle R Heinlein - The Door into Summer A McCaffrey - Original Dragon trilogy Gaiman/Pratchett - Good Omens Pratchett - Discworld series: If I can only take one, then “Guards, Guards” ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/17 "2002-07-31T12:38:10Z")
Red Cross First Aid and Safety Handbook Edible Wild Plants and Herbs - A Pocket Guide US Army Survival Manual Collected Works of William Shakespeare Norton Anthology of American Literature Bullfinch’s Mythology War and Peace Moby Dick The Civil War (Shelby Foote’s complete series) Living Bible You guys will have alot of interesting things to read as you’re starving. ---
**Author:** ![crazy4chaucer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@crazy4chaucer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazy4chaucer)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/18 "2002-07-31T13:06:17Z")
How could I possibly limit myself to 10??? Okay: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer Jane Eyre The Egyptian Book of the Dead Les Miserables The Bible The Book of Mormon War and Peace The Odyssey Pride and Prejudice Whew! That was harder than I thought! ---
**Author:** ![Pythagoras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@Pythagoras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythagoras)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/19 "2002-07-31T13:21:53Z")
1 Getting off a desert island for dummies 2 Smokesignals and You 3 So the plane didnt see you? 4 How to build a sailboat out of 2 cocunuts and a pile ofsand 5 So you need a source of methane gas? 6 Geothermal Power on desert islands 7 a laptop that conveniently has “book” in the title 8 Hijacking DSL connections in the south pacific 9 Porno for the abandoned male 10 Desert island plants and their recreational uses. ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604/20 "2002-07-31T17:35:03Z")
LOL, **Pythagoras**! **plnnr** , I brought lots of food and sea plants in the luggage that wasn’t holding the books. 😃 I think it’s interesting that a lot of the same books show up on our lists. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-books-to-take-to-a-desert-island/121604.md?page=2)