If you were solitary confined for life & could have 3 books, which would you choose?

[SusanJillParker]

If you were solitary confined for life & could have 3 books, which would you choose?

If you were imprisoned in solitary confinement, committed to a mental institution, or even stranded on a desert island, and could only have three books to read and comfort you, which three books would you choose?

I thought about some obvious choices, the Bible, a giant dictionary, and the latest encyclopedia. Those three choices would make the most sense to me while giving me the most to read.

Then, I thought about the complete works of Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Stephen King, J K Rowling, or a complete set of Star Wars or Star Trek books.

Yet, if I had to pick just three books, I'd chose the Bible, David Milch's Deadwood, and Mario Puzo's The Godfather.

With the Bible the greatest story every told, Deadwood the best series ever on TV, and The Godfather series (especially 1 & 2) the greatest movies, I'd be happy with those three as my choices.

Everything I need to know in life are in those three books.

Now that I gave you my choices, what about you? Which three books would you chose and why?

 

[oggbashan]

I think the question might produce more interesting answers if we were asked to avoid the obvious choices such as dictionary, encyclopedia, Bible and Shakespeare.

I suggest choosing three and only three individual books, not 'complete works/plays/poems of'.

If so, my choices would be for lots of reading material:

(but I might discount them as obvious choices)

Homer: The Iliad
The Burton translation of the complete 1001 Nights
Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

If I restricted myself to single novels:

Cervantes: Don Quixote
Thomas Love Peacock: Headlong Hall
Sterne: Tristram Shandy

 

[ChloeTzang]

Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein
Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen - it's a total epic
These Old Shades, Georgette Heyer

 

[NicoleZ]

The Bible

This would be my first choice too Susan, but perhaps not for the reason or reasons most people would imagine. First of all and in spite of all its flaws, it is the greatest work of (social) history and moral philosophy ever compiled. Second, the poetry of Ecclesiastes has not been equalled, let alone been bettered or improved upon, in more than two millennia. Third – I do hope one is permitted to choose the illustrated, feminized version?

Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

Well said, that man!

My third choice would be “The Complete and Unabridged Works of Esser Steer” (a.k.a. Jaime Colón) in order to remind me how very fortunate and privileged I am to have been sentenced to solitary confinement, imprisoned in a mental institution for life. Another bonus not to be sneered at is that it is printed on very soft, pliable paper.

 

[beachbum1958]

Spenser's 'Faerie Queene' (Or 'Orlando Furioso')
The Wind In The Willows
The Canterbury Tales

 

[ElectricBlue]

The Gormenghast Trilogy - Mervyn Peake. Hmmm, there's the three books...

I'll make do with some poems (although I could learn them):

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Kublai Khan - STC (again)
Imitation of Annensky - Anna Akhmatova (tr. D.M Thomas)

 

[NOIRTRASH]

Iberia by James Michener
Florida Sketchbook by Bradford Torrey
Utopias Elsewhere by Anthony Daniels MD

 

[MagicaPractica]

I'm going to have to give this some thought. At one point, I would have said The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the complete works of Shakespeare, or at least the comedies. But I don't know about the third book and I'm not sure that would be my list now. Something to ponder.

 

[Nezhul]

Bringing Necronomicon with you is always helpful.

Because, let's face it. In a solitary with three books - you are gonna go mad. At least with Necronomicon you will probably do so in an exciting manner.

 

[MindsMirror]

We'd want an unabridged dictionary, reams of paper and writing implements. The only way to avoid madness would be to write our way out of it.
-MM

 

[SusanJillParker]

We'd want an unabridged dictionary, reams of paper and writing implements. The only way to avoid madness would be to write our way out of it.
-MM

I agree but unless writing with crayons, I doubt they'd allow anyone to have any sharp objects.

"Give me the key or I'll stick my Bic pen right in your jugular."

 

[ishtat]

1 The Hindu religious texts. Vastly greater in scope, quality, sophistication and magnitude than either Judaic, Christian or Moslem writings. I'll still be reading when the other prisoners have gone barmy.

2 Saki's (HH Munro) short stories - I shall read Sredni Vashtar every day before sleeping - perfect story for dreaming.

3 Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

 

[AverageGary]

1. The Stand - Stephen King , the classic tale of good vs. evil
2. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck , a powerful piece of life in Dust Bowl America that influenced many authors, songwriters and film makers
3. A book of Bob Dylan lyrics. Although I like other artists more, his lyrics are like poetry

Was tempted to say a Shakespeare or Edgar Allen Poe anthology, but decided to go for more light-hearted fare I could enjoy reading repeatedly.

The original poster wroter: "Then, I thought about the complete works of Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Stephen King, J K Rowling, or a complete set of Star Wars or Star Trek books." Other than Shakespeare I don't think any of the others' complete works have been compiled in one volume, or one book, thus eliminating the other authors because it would violate the 3 book rule.

 

[Tw0Cr0ws]

If you're actually a believer then reading the Bible might not be a good idea.

Madalyn Murray O'Hair claimed to have read the Bible from front to back in one go, then said she went and looked at her parents and said to herself "They actually believe that shit?"

 

[AlliaPotestas]

The ground beneath her feet - Salmon Rushdie, because you can find something new in each rereading

Sum: forty tales from the afterlives - David Eagleman, although a very thin book, each tiny story makes you think

Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery, because it always took me to a safe place in my childhood, so I'd hope it might do the same in solitary confinement...

If you ask me in ten minutes I might gave changed my mind, it's a very big question, x

(I am already tempted to swap two for a good Spanish dictionary and copy of Don Quixote which would certainly keep my mind active...)

 

[SusanJillParker]

So many books and so little time, I've read Cervantes, Don Quixote, several times and Edgar Allen Poe is one of my favorite authors, as is Dickens, Mark Twain, and Oscar Wilde.

I could serve any amount of time in isolation, as long as I had a computer, plenty of Starbucks French Roast coffee, black, and a TV. I'd be a modern day Homer but with tits (lol).

Interesting note, when I read Homer's Illiad and Odyssey the second time, a testament to his great writing, I felt as if I was there. I felt as if I was watching the movie. Not many writers can do that, F. Scott Fitzgerald is one with his Great Gatsby and Edith Wharton is another with her Age of Innocence.

The sad thing that if I was only allowed to take just three books, I'd miss so many others. Then, again, if I could have a computer, I could read online which makes this exercise futile.

 

[oggbashan]

...

The sad thing that if I was only allowed to take just three books, I'd miss so many others. Then, again, if I could have a computer, I could read online which makes this exercise futile.

My basic E-reader has over 30,000 books on it, bought as CDs from eBay. They are all older works, long out of copyright, but I would have enough reading.

Of course they include The Bible, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Homer, Virgil, Ovid...

 

[SusanJillParker]

My basic E-reader has over 30,000 books on it, bought as CDs from eBay. They are all older works, long out of copyright, but I would have enough reading.

Of course they include The Bible, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Homer, Virgil, Ovid...

"Guard? I've change my mind. Forget about the three books I requested. Instead I want a basic E-reader loaded with 30,000 books. Oh, and would you be a dear and bring me a pot of Starbucks French Roast coffee, black with no sugar," I said giving him my sexiest smile and naughtiest look.

He rapped at my fingers holding the bars before giving me the finger and walking away.

"Guard? Forget the coffee, okay? Just bring me the E-reader, please. Okay? Guard? Hey, where did you go? Guard? Hello? Is anyone there? Attica! Attica!"

 

[SimonDoom]

The one immediately obvious choice for me would be the complete works of Shakespeare. I have the Riverside Shakespeare on my shelf, so I probably would take that.

I would take an unabridged dictionary of the English language. It would give me something to do that would take a long time to do -- memorizing words.

I had to think about the third book, but I decided it would have to be a picture book so I would have something to look at, not just something to read. So I would take a large history of Western Art with plenty of photos of the great works in it.

 

[visioneer]

Only three makes the choices tough...

The Magus -- John Fowles
The Big Sleep -- Raymond Chandler
The Odyssey - Homer

 

[My I]

The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom

Midnight Express

Man from La Mancha

 

[Green_Knight]

Jude the Obscure: Thomas Hardy

- partly because no-one evokes the spirit of the southern English countryside better than Hardy and partly because it would make me realise that, no matter how bad my own situation, it could be worse; far, far worse.​

The Magus - John Fowles

- probably the best book by the best British writer of recent times​

Now I'm torn. Should the third choice be erotica (Delta of Venus: Anais Nin, perhaps, or even The Story of O) or some non-fiction mega-volume that will satisfy my thirst for knowledge for a long time to come.

 

[GoldenCojones]

"How to escape solitary confinement"

"How to live on the lam"

"How to create a new identity"

 

[ChloeTzang]

Only three books is so hard. Now if it was 300.....

Shibumi - Trevanian

 

[MSTarot]

Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas-Hunter S. Thompson

Magician of the Gods- Graham Hancock

The Historical Dictionary of Shamanism -Graham Harvey/Robert J. Wallis

Lock me in a room by myself and my mind will get bent. I'll chose the directions at least.