# The Dope List of 100 books of the 20th Century **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 19, 2002, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639 "2002-08-19T20:21:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/1 "2002-08-19T20:21:15Z")
As inspired/suggested by the recent thread [Top 100 books of the C20th- How many have you read?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=130998) Let’s put together a list of the 100 most important books of the 20th Century. Rules are as follows: You can nominate any number of books. As soon as a book gets three or more nominations (from different people!), it goes on the list. If this gives us more than 100 books, we up it to four votes, etc. (so feel free to re-nominate something already on the list). Fiction, non-fiction, and everything in between are allowed. The book must have been first published in the 20th century. We’re looking for important or influential books, not necessarily good ones or ones you liked (but a book may well be influential because it’s good). To start off the list, I’ll nominate _The Lord of the Rings_, fiction, J. R. R. Tolkien _The Hobbit_, fiction, J. R. R. Tolkien _Stranger in a Strange Land_, fiction, Robert A. Heinlein ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/2 "2002-08-19T21:09:05Z")
Hmmm. Influential, huh? Well, I trimmed a _lot_ of books off this list to pare it down to books that I view as generally influential for various reasons, with a couple thrown in as personally influential. Business and Management **Seven Habits of Highly Effective People** (Covey) **Discipline of Market Leaders** (Treacy, Wiersema) **Punished By Rewards** (Kohn) **Balanced Scorecard** (Kaplan, Norton) **Mythical Man Month** (Brooks) Fiction **Slaughterhouse Five** (Vonnegut) **The Trial** (Kafka) **Flowers for Algernon** (Keyes) **Atlas Shrugged** (Rand) **Childhood’s End** (Clarke) **Ishmael** (Quinn) **Calvin and Hobbes** (Watterson) **Lord of the Rings** (Tolkien) \*\*\*\*\* **The Sparrow** (Russell) **Catch 22** (Heller) **Waiting for Godot** (Beckett) Non-fiction **Into Thin Air** (Krakhauer) **Metamagical Themas** (Hofstadter) **Godel, Escher, Bach** (Hofstadter) **A Distant Mirror** (Tuchman) **Lies My Teacher Told Me** (Loewen) **Dancing Wu Li Masters** (Zukov) **Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance** (Pirsig) **Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat** (Sacks) **The Demon Haunted World** (Sagan) **Bully For Brontosaurus** (Gould) **Sophie’s World** (Gaarder) **Incomplete Education** (Jones, Wilson) **Guns, Germs, and Steel** (Diamond) \*\*\*\*\* a vote for an already nominated book ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/3 "2002-08-19T21:15:45Z")
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck I don’t know the exact title(s?), but the book(s?) written by Dr. Spock that lots of parents used to raise their children by. ---
**Author:** ![RedDevil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ec8ea/32.png) [@RedDevil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedDevil)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/4 "2002-08-19T21:22:30Z")
Mmmm, influential? I’ll have to think of some more later… _A Brief History of Time_ Stephen Hawking _Dr Spock’s Baby and Child Care_ \*Bridget Jones’s Diary \* Helen Fielding _1984_ George Orwell ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/5 "2002-08-19T21:31:31Z")
_The Straight Dope_, by Cecil Adams!!! I’ll be back, once i get throught the other thread and have time to think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/6 "2002-08-19T21:50:21Z")
Oh yeah, \ how could I forget: 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell. ---
**Author:** ![RedDevil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ec8ea/32.png) [@RedDevil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedDevil)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/7 "2002-08-19T22:22:32Z")
**Qwertyasdfg** are we in some kind of weird mind-loop thing? 😉 _The Female Eunuch_ Germaine Greer _puts arm protectively round work to stop Qwerty copying_ ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/8 "2002-08-19T22:25:40Z")
**Feminine Mystique** (Freidan) **Silent Spring** (Carson) ---
**Author:** ![Pelopidas238](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Pelopidas238](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pelopidas238)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/9 "2002-08-19T22:35:30Z")
The Interpretation of Dreams (Freud) The Second Sex (de Beauvoir) ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/10 "2002-08-19T22:35:40Z")
Seconding the nomination: Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson) \*\*\* An Incomplete Education (Jones, Wilson) \*\*\* Guns, Germs, and Steel (Diamond) \*\*\* My nominations: **The Poisonwood Bible** , by Barbara Kingsolver **A Tree Grows In Brooklyn** , by Betty Smith **Pillars of the Earth** , by Ken Follett ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/11 "2002-08-19T23:06:41Z")
_1984_ - Science-Fiction - George Orwell _Surely You’re Joking, Mr Feynman_ - Autobiography - Richard Feynman _The Blind Watchmaker_ & _The Selfish Gene_ - Biological Sciences - Richard Dawkins _No Logo_ - Politics? - Naomi Klein _How The Mind Works_ - Neurology/Psychology - Steven Pinker ---
**Author:** ![Roadwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Roadwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadwalker)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/12 "2002-08-19T23:23:17Z")
To Kill a Mockingbird. Catcher in the Rye. Of Mice and Men. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/13 "2002-08-19T23:34:16Z")
**The Grapes of Wrath** - John Steinbeck **To Kill a Mockingbird** - Harper Lee **For Whom the Bell Tolls** - Ernest Hemingway **1984** - George Orwell **Silent Spring** - Rachel Carson **Breakfast of Champions** - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. **Winesburg Ohio** - Sherwood Anderson **Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?** - Phillip K. Dick ---
**Author:** ![Leifsmama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a698b9/32.png) [@Leifsmama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leifsmama)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/14 "2002-08-19T23:37:08Z")
The Poisonwood Bible–Kingslover Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance–Pirsig The Hobbit–Tolkien Lord of the Rings–Tolkien What to Expect When You’re Expecting–I don’t remember Lord of the Flies–Golding ---
**Author:** ![Leifsmama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a698b9/32.png) [@Leifsmama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leifsmama)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/15 "2002-08-19T23:55:38Z")
I forgot Mastering the Art of French Cooking–Childs ---
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/16 "2002-08-20T00:08:33Z")
Lord of the Rings–JRR Tolkein Night–Elie Wiesel Tigana–Guy Gaverial Kay Angela’s Ashes–Frank McCourt The Foundation Series–Isaac Asmiov The Sun Also Rises–Ernest Hemingway The Great Gatsby–F. Scott Fitzgerald ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/17 "2002-08-20T00:47:23Z")
I meant to have this one: To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee \*\*\* This one is getting its third nom, so onto the list it goes! Also on my list: **The Stand** , by Stephen King ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/18 "2002-08-20T00:55:58Z")
_Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman_ - **Richard Feynman** _The Elements of Style_ - **William Strunk** and **E. B. White** _The Catcher in the Rye_ - **J. D. Salinger** _To Kill a Mockingbird_ - **Harper Lee** _Lord of the Flies_ - **William Golding** _Ulysses_ - **James Joyce** _ILLUMINATUS!_ - \*\*Robert Shea \*\* and **Robert Anton Wilson** _The Outsider and Others_ - **H. P. Lovecraft** Any chance I can anti-nominate _The Stand_? (Jes’ kiddin 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![OfBlinkingThings](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ebca7d/32.png) [@OfBlinkingThings](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OfBlinkingThings)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/19 "2002-08-20T00:57:16Z")
Post Office (Bukowski) Journey To the End Of the Night (Celine) The Age of Reason (Sarte) The Apes of God (Wyndham Lewis) The Moviegoer (Percy) Tropic of Cancer (Miller) The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over The Hills. (Bukowski) These are all very important books to the literary underground. ---
**Author:** ![Jello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@Jello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jello)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639/20 "2002-08-20T01:13:39Z")
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Hunter S. Thompson) Johnny Got His Gun (Dalton Trumbo) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dope-list-of-100-books-of-the-20th-century/124639.md?page=2)