The Washington herald., 1911-10-20
BY THOMAS TAPER.

Almost every one has n favorite book.
1t may be the Bible, or Shakespeare, or
the Almanac or the Dream Book. Some
men have even said that they have one
hundred favorite books. 1t seems incred-
ible, but they say so.
Now suppose, for the sake of playing
a game. that you were to be sent to
desert island. there to live for the rest
Of your days. Everything you desire IS
to be at your service in unlimited profu-
sion except books. OF these you may
have only ten, and these ten you must
select yourself before the ship sails to
Your island paradise.
What ten would you take?
They are to last you all your life
Therefore, any book that is worth only
one reading you would not select. You
will be wiser to choosS those which may
be read again and again. They must
give you comfort, entertainment, coun-
sci: they must stimulate the memory
and the imagination; they must be so
good and so substantial that you can
read them over and over again and find
in them something new each time.
What ten would you take?
Not a Fool Game.
might appear. With the tremendous in
crease Of books in the world it is be-
coming a serious question what we shall
try to read. 1t is clear enough that we
cannot read them all, or any considerable
portion of them all
Hence it is wise for every one 10 have
up his sleeve-so to say-a few favorite
books that are solid enough to be to him
F=F.
swer this question, you may clear up
your own thoughts on the subject, and
probably help some one else to do the
same. So once more:
What ten would you take?
We all read more or less badly. By
this, I mean We read too many books
and none deeply or thoughtfully enough.
But with a background of the best books,
to be read repeatedly, one can afford 10
do light reading without missing all the
joys Of deep reading. Certainly there are
many novels books OF adventure and
the like that are not worth reading
twice, but which are entertaining enough
for one reading.
We ought to have this pleasure, but
We should not 5e confined to light read
ing alone. little of the more solid sort
now and again keeps the mind in line
with the best. II acquaints US with the
hills of thought-hard to climb. to be
sure, but Offering Z fine view, and show
ing US that it is wise, now and then, to
climb hill and look around
Two Lists Given.
A reader Of this paper has sent me the
following:
I'm scrapbook. which I have kept
for many years. l find two lists of good
books-ten in each. Perhaps Your readers
may be interested to have them. They ;fre
supposed to be, in each case, the best
ten books for 4 desert island 1 do
not know who made these lists.
The first is this: ID The Bible. (2)
Shakespeare, (9 Milton. CD Blackstone S
Commentaries. % Hugo or Carlyle, 90
Emerson. % Wordsworth, (0 TennysOn,
90 a dictionary, 90 Don Quixote.
In the second list are three books
that occur in the first: The Bible, Shake
speare. and Don QUixote. The others
are Homer. Dante. Arabian Nights,
Pickwick Papers. Robinson Crusoe, Van
ity Fair, and Burton's Anatomy of Mel
anchOly.
Perhaps no other person in the world
would select either of these lists. 1 Won
der how these lists will strike your read
ers?"
What ten would you take?