My Top Ten Books

By John Howard Brown

My top ten is not very high falutin’.  It consists of books that I reread again and again.  They are listed below in no particular order with brief comments.

The Hobbit  by J.R.R. Tolkien    

The function of fantasy and science fiction is to create entirely fictional worlds that are believable, then draw you into them with appealing characters.  Tolkien achieved this masterfully.  It is much better than the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Also this is a book that I shared with my son when he was younger and a source of pleasant memories on that account.

Dune by Frank Herbert

A science fiction classic which achieves just what was discussed above.  It is also a meditation on the use and abuse of religion in politics.  This too spawned sequels of steadily declining quality and interest.

 The Uplift Wars by David Brin

The last science fiction in my top ten, I promise.  It is notable for the most engaging fictional character whom I have ever encountered, (hold on to your hats) an intelligent, genetically enhanced chimpanzee.

The Civil War by Shelby Foote

This is an accomplishment in historical writing comparable to the best ever written.  I actually cried when I finished the final book, because I knew that, unlike my other favorites, I would never read it in full again.

The Mediterranean World by Fernand Braudel

The father of the Annales School of French historians wrote this masterful work describing the depths of the environmental and social sea in the 16^th Century Mediterranean below the winds and tides of contemporary politics.

Cities and the Wealth of Nations by Jane Jacobs

America’s most distinguished 20^th Century urbanist, discusses exactly why people continue to find urban living preferable to rural on economic grounds.

The Entropy Law and the Economic Process by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen

An early attempt to recognize that the economy is also a part of the natural environment and the consequences thereof.

The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

Adam Smith is arguably the greatest philosopher of political-economy.  This book is an exposition of the beneficial effects of the operation of markets.  Contrary to received opinion, Smith’s appraisal of capitalist economies is a measured one not an apologia.

The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough

David McCullough writes beautifully and tells the fascinating story of the dream of, and actual realization of, the Panama Canal.