I take it you're a Radio 4 listener?
I would probably go and buy the most appropriate book by Ray Mears!

Originally Posted by Ian The Poet

Ian's Idea of Desert Island Books.

On my desert island instead of taking records/CDs you have to take 8 books, 1 record/CD, and 2 luxuries. Here's mine:
The World of Jeeves. (Jeeves and Wooster anthology.) PG Wodehouse.
The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry.
The Millenium Trilogy. (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.) Stieg Larsson. (This is my current Read.)
A Merton Reader: Various writings of Thomas Merton.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom. TE Lawrence.
'All I Ever Wrote' - The Complete Works. Ronnie Barker.
My record/CD: The Planet Suite of Holst.
Luxuries: A box of pencils and stacks of paper.
On the original programme you took the complete works of Shakespeare and the Bible.
Well I would take a modern translation of the Bible, and instead of Shakespeare I would take 'The Definitive Visual Guide to Art,' it is a book with over 600 pages of paintings.
Well that is my selection, I wonder if that reveals anything about me.
What would other forum members take, give it a go I found it fun trying to limit my selection to such a small number, I could of named hundreds of books. Go on give it a go.

Woah...I'm only staying for a weekend so will take 'Behind a Mask' by A M Barnard - the reason being this is by Louisa May Alcott under her 'blood and thunder nickname' and the bad girl wins!

I will take Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman and I will take the Bible.

I will play Variations by Andrew Lloyd Webber, performed with Julian Lloyd webber on the cello....with the addition of Julian performing Poppers Gavotte which is to me a revelation on the piece.

Luxury has to be my notebook and pen

No to the Bible, yes to Shakespeare's complete works. As for the 8 books:

Homicide: Life on the Killing Streets by David Simon. Read this twice and could easily again and again.

Catch 22 by Jonathon Heller. Absurd, funny, horrific, its too clever for me at times so I could read it over and over in hope of understanding it all.

Watchmen by Alan Moore. Yes its a comic book, big deal, packs much more into its limited words than Dan Brown has in his whole career.

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut. Short book, but crams so much into its relatively few pages.

The Complete Hitchhikers Guide by Douglas Adams. Read 'when I were a lad' and will always hold a special place. Bit of comedy when deserted on an island for the rest of your life wouldn't exactly go amiss either.

The complete works of Bill Hicks. Not sure if this exists but I've got a few compliation books of transcripts and things he wrote, a complete collection would keep me angrily chuckling whilst waiting for rescue.

PAULI INFLUENCED EDIT: Some porn.

Going along with British, something by Ray Mears or some survivalist would probably be a good idea too.

CD I'd take Sparkle and Fade by Everclear, most under-rated grunge record of all time.

2 Luxury items would be a huge pad and an everlasting pen.

Books:

Spiral- Andy Remic
Warhead- Andy Remic
Communist Manifesto- Marx and Engels
Timeline- Michael Crichton
State of fear- Michael Crichton
Jurassic Park-Michael Crichton
Prey-Michael Crichton
Adrian Mole- Sue Townsend





Record-

The colour and the Shape- Foo fighters


Luxury

Large quilted Sleeping Bag
(and like Dr E).... A MASSIVE pad and durable pen set

What about, as you are on a desert island, something to keep your basic needs catered to, no not a cook book, what about a good stack of pornographic material???

Originally Posted by pauli007001

What about, as you are on a desert island, something to keep your basic needs catered to, no not a cook book, what about a good stack of pornographic material???

I've fixed it now. Cheers you're a lifesaver.

CDs... or mp3s
Death Magnetic - Metallica
Nostradamus - Judas Priest
Way of the Fist - Five Fingered Death Punch
Appetite for Desruction - Guns n' Roses
Four Seasons - Vivaldi
Concerti e Cantate - Laura Polverelli

I could listen to these whilst doing stuff. Can't read a book whilst catching food!

Books
The 5 fundamentals of golf , Ben Hogan (golfers bible)
4 iron in the soul, lawrence Donnegan (a bit of humour)
Bury my heart at wounded knee , dee brown (how not to treat the natives)
The Wilderness survival gude (bc tourism)
The Thatcher years ,Dr Madsen Pirie
Robinson Crusoe ,Daniel Defoe
White fang ,jack london
The road to Jeruselem ,Jan gulliuo

CD, Live at Hamersmith ,Whitesnake
Luxuries,My Mizunos (golf sticks) and a comb.

Originally Posted by British

Can't read a book whilst catching food!

Go on, admit it, as a BNP suporter you do not know what a book IS any way. Doing something else or not.

Originally Posted by Tacitus

Go on, admit it, as a BNP suporter you do not know what a book IS any way. Doing something else or not.

Obviously you read. Only, selectivly, and to your own end. Scroll down to my first post in this thread...
I can't remember how many Mr Herbert has wrote. But I prefare his over Stephen King.
Your little dig at me purely for my politics, first class! Keep them coming.

We HAVE the same politics. But the BNP have a load of limp wristed, mincing, knuckle draggers as their leadership, who are terrified of putting into effect REAL measures.

My books. I have 4,500, If I can not take them all I am not interested;

But ther complete works of Goethe, and Schiller. (Depends on publisher but between 10 and 30 volumes)

Cäser. Der Gallische Krieg.

Der Kampf der Kaiser und Kalifen (3 volumes)

Geschichte des Deutschen Volkes (20 volumes, but increasing).

Die Vorgeschichte des Deutschen Volkes

1812-1815 Geschichte der Freiheits Krieg

Der Orden unter dem Totenkopf

Poetic and prose Eddas

And for a touch of light reading, The complete works of F.Fischer Fabian.

C.Ds? Do not particularly listen to music. So none.

Luxury...? Who cares?

the complete works of Shakespeare and the Bible. Of course. Every one needs toilet paper.

4500! My word... All with chewable pages?
Sorry. It was justified for having a go at me.

I was not having ago at YOU, but the BNP, and if you ARE a member I must add "Paranoid" to my list of thier faults.

Originally Posted by Tacitus

Go on, admit it, as a BNP suporter you do not know what a book IS any way. Doing something else or not.

That's personal. Also, you're stereotyping. You do not seek to know the person before you make a judgment.
I have no need to be paranoid.

Anyway, that out of the way. Pleased to make your acquaintance

Same here!

Although I think you will find I have added a few thanks to your posts in the last week or two.

Just not a lot of time to actualy WRITE at present, due to work.

As to the 4,500 books, no, none of them have chewable pages, BUT the flat is very.... should we say... stuffed to the rafters.

A lot need to go. But I HATE throwing a book out, and no one is buying second hand at present.... Well not dealers any way. A lot of people are buying them FROM dealers though.

Hopefully next year their stocks will be so depleted that they have no choice.

Originally Posted by Tacitus

Same here!

Although I think you will find I have added a few thanks to your posts in the last week or two.

Just not a lot of time to actualy WRITE at present, due to work.

As to the 4,500 books, no, none of them have chewable pages, BUT the flat is very.... should we say... stuffed to the rafters.

A lot need to go. But I HATE throwing a book out, and no one is buying second hand at present.... Well not dealers any way. A lot of people are buying them FROM dealers though.

Hopefully next year their stocks will be so depleted that they have no choice.

Well, thank you for the thanks. It's good to see we can talk without the venom.
Books are great. But my life has been way too busy for them this last year. I think the last one I read was the full kata book for the Wado Ryu karate system.
After Christmas I will begin to read again. No greater pleasure.
4500 books in a flat! Sounds cramped! Be a shame to sell them though.

Originally Posted by British

4500 books in a flat! Sounds cramped! Be a shame to sell them though.

We have the cellar, and attic as well, so it is not TOO bad.

I was on a relief shift at work since February until mid November. All I had to do was check the e-Mails and a few blogs, report anything of interest to us to the boss, and read for 12 hours per day!

It was bloody GREAT, so it was.

Now, my reading time is seriously curtailed as well.

A desert Island would be a good idea.

Originally Posted by Tacitus

Same here!

Although I think you will find I have added a few thanks to your posts in the last week or two.

Just not a lot of time to actualy WRITE at present, due to work.

As to the 4,500 books, no, none of them have chewable pages, BUT the flat is very.... should we say... stuffed to the rafters.

A lot need to go. But I HATE throwing a book out, and no one is buying second hand at present.... Well not dealers any way. A lot of people are buying them FROM dealers though.

Hopefully next year their stocks will be so depleted that they have no choice.

I have been happily seeing the increase in literature aquired through my local second hand dealer as I don't actually like pristine books. I love to see notes and inscriptions and add my own as it is a legacy of sorts. I have my mother living with me and could happily throw out the majority of her books...I think they should earn a place on the shelves.

Originally Posted by uncon

I have been happily seeing the increase in literature aquired through my local second hand dealer as I don't actually like pristine books. I love to see notes and inscriptions and add my own as it is a legacy of sorts. I have my mother living with me and could happily throw out the majority of her books...I think they should earn a place on the shelves.

Aye, my boss wanted to see what I'd been reading. Picked up the book and blown a fuse when he seen how I mark my place. I fold the page corner!
Big deal, I say. It's for reading!

Na. Most of mine are from before 1918, so NEVER EVER do that.

The books I aquired for Uni are newer of course, but having so many old (antique) books around it gets to be a habit to look after them.

Originally Posted by Tacitus

Na. Most of mine are from before 1918, so NEVER EVER do that.

The books I aquired for Uni are newer of course, but having so many old (antique) books around it gets to be a habit to look after them.

I appreciate the antique thingy, i collect antique lead soldier type thingys half of em are in bits but i dont repair them i just stack em up and do nothing with em, perhaps i should feed em to the neighbours kids?