# What's the SDMB required reading list? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 9, 2010, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828 "2010-03-09T08:25:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/1 "2010-03-09T08:25:19Z")
In [thread=554992]this thread[/thread] \*Guns Germs and Steel \*is described by **Wendell Wagner** as being ‘practically part of the SDMB required reading list since it’s mentioned so often on the board’. What’s the rest of the list? _Ender’s Game_? _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_? God help us, _Hogg_? What else should we be swotting up on? ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/2 "2010-03-09T09:54:39Z")
Just from my perspective, O’Brian’s Aubrey & Martin books, Pratchett’s Discworld series, Butcher’s Dresden Files, and Fraser’s Flashman series always come up on the boards. I would also mention anything by William Poundstone, and of course the Straight Dope books. As for anything else - does Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene come up a lot? Also, let me just say - Nova is a better (and more appealing) Delany book than Hogg ever was. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/3 "2010-03-09T14:30:32Z")
this is going to be a long list, but it starts with The Lord of the Rings ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/4 "2010-03-09T14:35:04Z")
**Salt** has often been mentioned alongside **Guns, Germs, and Steel**. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/5 "2010-03-09T14:42:39Z")
I don’t know that it’s required, but it seems that many Dopers are very familiar with Stephen King’s _The Stand_. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/6 "2010-03-09T14:45:55Z")
Having a well-read copy of **Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable** close by is always a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/7 "2010-03-09T16:20:36Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I don’t know that it’s required, but it seems that many Dopers are very familiar with Stephen King’s _The Stand_. Agreed. **World War Z** by Max Brooks probably also qualifies. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/8 "2010-03-09T16:32:02Z")
**Replay** , by Ken Grimwood, seems to be a board favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/9 "2010-03-09T16:33:03Z")
The entire five volumes of **the Hitch-hikers’ Guide to the Galaxy** trilogy. No, that wasn’t a misprint - five volume trilogy. If you at all begin liking the series, then the fifth book will seem like a depressing let-down. But you must still read it so that you can shake with righteous fury when you angrily post that the fifth book _never.HAPPENED!!_ ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/10 "2010-03-10T02:59:44Z")
> [@The New and Improved Superman](#): > > The entire five volumes of **the Hitch-hikers’ Guide to the Galaxy** trilogy. No, that wasn’t a misprint - five volume trilogy. > > If you at all begin liking the series, then the fifth book will seem like a depressing let-down. But you must still read it so that you can shake with righteous fury when you angrily post that the fifth book _never.HAPPENED!!_ Are we not counting _And another thing…_? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/11 "2010-03-10T03:13:37Z")
Oxford English Dictionary, and CIA Factbook. No, you don’t have to read them all the way through, they’re for reference. Given the number of passionate Libertarians/Objectivists around here, I’m sure there are works by Ayn Rand and Hayek on the list, but I’ll let them argue over which ones. Oh, and I bet Adam Smith’s _The Wealth of Nations_ made the cut too. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/12 "2010-03-10T03:14:19Z")
I have not read them, but Terry Pratchett’s books seem to be mentioned quite often. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/13 "2010-03-10T03:23:58Z")
I have “The Gift of Fear” on my to-read list due to its frequent mentions on the board ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/14 "2010-03-10T04:02:23Z")
Hitchhiker’s Guide has 5 books?! I barely made it through the first one. I think it’s one of those books you have to read as a teen to love. Reading it in my 40s, I was quite meh about the whole thing. Ditto the EarthSea Trilogy–read that for grad school class and found it fairly tame/dry. I’ll add to the Required Reading List _Catcher in the Rye_, just because it’s iconic, not out of personal preference. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/15 "2010-03-10T04:35:53Z")
Carl Sagan is very highly regarded here, not just his works on astronomy but works on pseudoscience and critical thinking such as [The Demon Haunted World](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Demon-Haunted_World). It’s hard to imagine a thread in which a Vonnegut reference will go unnoticed, sometimes even the more obscure stuff like _Mother Night_ or _Deadeye Dick_. I belong to a minority here (though not a tiny minority) in that I don’t care for Tolkien, but many are rabid fans. One of if not the longest threads ever was “[LotR as written by \_\_\_\_](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=138905)”. Those of us who aren’t appreciators of Middle Eart are tolerated and slowly gaining rights ever since we began marching back in '02 or so.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/16 "2010-03-10T07:08:09Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Carl Sagan is very highly regarded here, not just his works on astronomy but works on pseudoscience and critical thinking such as [The Demon Haunted World](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Demon-Haunted_World). If Sagan was so into critical thinking, why did he spell the word “Qur’an” incorrectly _repeatedly_ in that book? Actually, I like the book anyway, but the repeated error made me batty. I dislike/am disinterested in a number of the books mentioned in this thread so far. It feels more like people are mentioning books they like personally, as opposed to books the Dope frequently mentions or recommends. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/17 "2010-03-10T09:40:49Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > In [thread=554992]this thread[/thread] \*Guns Germs and Steel \*is described by **Wendell Wagner** as being ‘practically part of the SDMB required reading list since it’s mentioned so often on the board’. What’s the rest of the list? _Ender’s Game_? _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_? God help us, _Hogg_? What else should we be swotting up on? I had to do a search on why you mentioned _Hogg_ - I missed that drama. Do people know just what an exceptional writer Delany is? It would be a shame if all he was known for nowadays was _Hogg_. His output in SF speaks for itself, but other stuff like his autobiography _The motion of light on water_, about being young, gay (and married) and trying to make it as a writer in 60s NY is just outstanding. I’ve seen China Mieville mentioned a lot on this board, and I read his first two Bas-Lag novels on the basis of people recommending them here. Definitely required reading for any SF / fantasy fans. More than that, The Scar is a superb example of the technique required to write a SF novel (IMHO - not that I’ve ever written a novel :)). Imagine the plot of the Scar in the hands of a novice - it would be a complete disaster. If I was trying to get into writing this would be like a text book for me. Neal Stephenson is another writer who is widely read and referenced on this board - although that’s probably true for any board on the internet. He’s pretty much the reigning heavy weight champion of technology driven SF. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/18 "2010-03-10T09:52:10Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > If Sagan was so into critical thinking, why did he spell the word “Qur’an” incorrectly _repeatedly_ in that book? How did he spell it? I prefer the spelling “Koran” myself, but I’ve seen several “Proper” spellings using both the “K-” and “Q-” beginnings. Most of the books I was going to mention (_The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide Trilogy, The Flashman Papers,_ and _The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress_) have already been mentioned, but I’ll add: _Freakonomics A Walk In The Woods_ (Actually, anything by Bill Bryson) At least one of the _Sherlock Holmes_ stories _The Day Of The Jackal_ (Frederick Forsyth) The War Of The Worlds\* or _The Time Machine_ (H.G. Wells) _The Big Sleep_ or _The Maltese Falcon_ (Raymond Chandler/Dashiell Hammett) Also, the _Discworld_ novels seem to get mentioned quite frequently here, although I personally haven’t read any of them. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/19 "2010-03-10T12:05:13Z")
**Atlas Shrugged** comes up a lot as well. ---
**Author:** ![Khendrask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@Khendrask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khendrask)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828/20 "2010-03-10T13:15:42Z")
I see several already mentioned, so I’ll add five of the other “Must Read” books on my shelves… _The Historian_ by Elizabeth Kostova _The Pillars of the Earth_ and _World Without End_ by Ken Follett For fans of Sci-Fi, _Eon_ by Greg Bear And of course, the entire _Foundation_ series by Isaac Asimov [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sdmb-required-reading-list/531828.md?page=2)