WEB POSTED 6-14-2000

A book is worth a thousand pictures

Many years ago, I read of an article about a list entitled: "THE WORLD�S 100 GREAT BOOKS". According to recognized authorities, if a person read all 100 of these books, with understanding, the knowledge thereby gleaned would approximate that received by a person who had earned a Bachelor�s Degree, which usually requires about four years of regular college classroom attendance. Avid reader that I was�and am�I rushed to the nearest public library, where the list was available. I fully expected to see a list of books by such geniuses as Schopenhauer, Nietszche and the rest of the boys (and girls, if there were any) of that ilk. Instead, I was shocked. Many of the books I had already read (or thought I had), and the rest I dug into diligently. I eventually went back to the ones I had read prior to becoming aware of the list, and, because of my new knowledge of what I was reading, all of the stories seemed to have been rewritten. They no longer seemed like the harmless little children�s tales I had perceived them to be. I had to re-read "GULLIVER�S TRAVELS", with new eyes, to finally understand why the author, Jonathan Swift, was barred from England, his homeland, for life�under penalty of death�for writing this book, which seemed, at first glance, like a harmless children�s fantasy.

The current list is available at your public library. I say "current" because it changes periodically, depending upon societal conditions and the messages that must be conveyed to the special audience, the members of which know what they are reading, beyond the entertainment level. As conditions change, and therefore needs change, there are minor adjustments made to the list. I noticed, for instance, that "ALICE IN WONDERLAND" is missing from the most recent list which I obtained.

Just a sample of the contents of the most recent list which I have received: There are "THE ILIAD" and "THE ODYSSEY", by the blind Greek poet, Homer; "THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO", "CANTERBURY TALES" and "DON QUIXOTE".

There is "FRANKENSTEIN", the horror story which Hollywood used to make stars of such actors as Boris Karloff, as well as "DRACULA", which introduced Bela Lugosi. Also listed is "THE THREE MUSKETEERS", which had so many of us begging for toy swords for Christmas in our younger days, only to exchange them for switchblades as we grew older.

Many of us missed the essence of the books because we passed them up and waited for the movies. We were not aware of the pressing social messages buried in "THE GREAT GATSBY" and "THE MALTESE FALCON." All we saw in the movies was the macho personas of Alan Ladd and Humphrey Bogart. "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" was, to us, just another Hollywood vehicle for Gregory Peck, as "THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA" was for Spencer Tracy.

Read the book "CYRANO de BERGERAC", and get the benefit of the true social message contained therein, rather than just marveling over how good an actor Jose Ferrer is.

Go to your public library, get the list and begin reading the books with a purpose, and you will be surprised how things around you that have heretofore been invisible come plainly into view.