Reviews

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Boxall

tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition

4.0

I bought this book in March next year, despite the 'must' in the title. I confess that I have an inherent mistrust of books that exhort, rather than invite, me to do things.

Other people's lists are always interesting. Here is a link to the review I just posted on Amazon.com:

http://tinyurl.com/2zp4x5

benjaminparris's review against another edition

informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

4.5

mjspice's review against another edition

1.0

Meh. Nothing more than a list of popular or controversial books with small summaries imo. You're better off going through this list instead:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/952.1001_Books_You_Must_Read_Before_You_Die

captain_readbeard's review

informative slow-paced

2.0

Not clear on why these books were chosen as essential. Weighed down by being told by academics how most books were written and not why they should be read. Overabundance of Russian, war and poverty literature. An absolute chore to read and few recommendations. 

pglt1177's review against another edition

I'm using this as a reference!

teachermaryreads's review against another edition

4.0

I'm really enjoying this book. I started by marking all of the titles I've read. Then I read the essays on all of those titles. Then I marked all the books I own but haven't read yet (there are like 16 or something!). I'm declaring a breakthrough in excessive book buying and I'm going to start with the titles I already own. If you know me, you know that's big progress. My favorite part about this book, other than it appeals to my obsessive-compulsive list-making habit, is the cool art that accompanies many of the titles. There are original book jackets, book jackets from foriegn publications, old movie posters, old portraits of the authors, etc. This is also a great book for a book club to thumb through for ideas for their next read.

hyzenthlay76's review against another edition

3.0

Of course I didn't read this front to back...it's a reference book, and a wonderful one at that. Besides, there are plot spoilers! The artwork from first and rare editions and photographs of authors are especially nice. This belongs on every bibliophile's shelf.

My three complaints:

1. The awful cover, which looks like a cross between a New Age pamphlet and a college text book. Why?

2. It seems as though every work by some authors is included, so that it could almost be condensed into "500 Authors You Must Read Before You Die."

3. Major omissions include _Watership Down_ and anything by Cormac McCarthy.

sarah1984's review against another edition

5.0

After reading this (yes, the whole book) I created my own list of 1001 books to read before I die, compiled from the classics and some newer popular titles (to replace the ones it looked like it was going to be impossible to get ahold of). I wrote it a few years ago and I've read 200 or so of the books on the list.

woolfy_vita's review against another edition

4.0

I have no desire to read all 1001 books, however i have challenged myself to read quite a few books on the list. Thanks to this book I have discovered Edith Wharton and Wilke Collins and I am no longer scared of Charles Dickens!!

thatspeechgirl's review against another edition

3.0

This did have an interesting selection of books that appealed to my taste, however lacked a breadth and variety that one might hope to find in such a large list. It was filled with well known classics, but also texts I'd never heard of and really didn't feel should be included on a list of books you 'must read.' The list lover and book lover within me enjoyed this, however it's hardly a guide I'll follow when it comes to choosing my next text.