most important book?

[Matt Brown]

Hey, I thought this might be an interesting topic of discussion

what do you think, excluding religious texts, has been the most important book written? by important, I mean influencual (sp?) history altering, powerful, etc.

My vote goes to the Communist Manefsto, by Karl Marx. This book helped spawn one of the biggest political movements ever, which lead o the creation of a superpower, a dangerous semi-war, and whose docterines were perverted by many a misguided leader into creating corrupt and evil dictatorships

Also getting votes are The Jungle, and the little red book.

your thoughts?

[Evil]

The Book of the Dead. It shows us of tradition, and faith. It is the one thing between Life and Death. It takes us back thounsands of years to a time of loss and to a time of power... It also proves that people take religion way too seriously.

"Religion isnt a beleif, it's an idea"

[Trapezoid]

Kama Sutra.

[TheYak]

Where the Wild Things Are.   No justification necessary for this one.

[Scummbuddy]

The Calvin and Hobbes books

Well, seriously, my first idea was Hitlers' book "Mein K...." cant remember the title completly, but without the communist manifesto, i doubt there would be his... so I take mine back.


Moviewise, perhaps the Jurassic Park books....

[WanderLady]

 "Catcher in the Rye" was most important...
before the Bible knocked me out.

[Timosity]

Where the Wild Things Are.   No justification necessary for this one.

Man, Couldn't agree more, my favourite book of all time

[DGMacphee]

'Screenwriting From The Soul' by Richard Krevolin.

I think this book has influenced my life most in the last couple of years.

[Fuzzpilz]

Well, seriously, my first idea was Hitlers' book "Mein K...." cant remember the title completly, but without the communist manifesto, i doubt there would be his... so I take mine back.

"Mein Kampf". Its importance is a little overrated, though, because a) it's much more effect than cause and b) nobody ever read the damn thing anyway - it was given out to Germans by the millions, but it almost always just ended up sitting on some shelf gathering dust.
The book is incredibly badly and tediously written (the reason for this is that the later dictator dictated it all, rambling on and on and repeating himself again and again), and often clumsily phrased to the point of being amusing.

Serdar Somuncu, a German/Turkish actor who has toured Europe reading excerpts from it, has said that Mein Kampf is the best weapon against Mein Kampf. On several occasions, neonazis have come to readings, sitting in the front row and being demonstratively unamused. The ridiculousness of their great idol's ideas and language never failed to make them uneasy.



I'd add Euclid's Elements to the list.

[FruitTree]

well I'm still impressed by Daniel Quinn's Ishmael so I'll stay with that.
where the wild things are also kicked arse

[Barcik]

I agree with Panda, the Manifest really changed the world.

By the way, the most important single copy of a book would be The Bible printed by Guthenberg.

[Minimi]

Yes, The Bible is the most important book for me, and also lots of others in this world.
Also is the bible the most sold, translated, and read book all over the world!

As a second opinion I say the cookbook is pretty handy, for people like me that can't cook! Cooking a matter of surviving!

[n00bie]

Magna Carta don't count, does it?

[Captain Mostly]

ooooh, I forget it's name, but the book about Mohammad that isn't the Qur'an, and is all about the prophet's example and things.

I think it counts because it's not strictly a religious text (so it's not dis-counted by the rules of the thread) and yet it plays a whopping part in modling the behavior and social workings of the fasted growing religion on the planet (and has been doing so for WAAAAAY longer than the communist mannifesto has even existed!)

I don't think there's a Christian equivalent, as all the Jesus stuff was put in the Bible... Maybe there's something of matching impact in China and Bhuddist countries, but I've never heard of it.



EDIT:
scrap all that.
It's actually "Where the Wild things are".
Closly followed by the atlas.

you know I once went to an exhibit about artwork in children's books, and there was no reference to WTWTA at all!! I almost complained to the curator!

[OneThinkingGal and ._.]

Um...HELLO? He said 'excluding religious texts'. Those are highly subjective anyway.

._. Does Dale Carnegie count? ^_^

[Evil]

Otg: Everything is religious is some way... Everything relates to religion

[Scummbuddy]

the atlas is a tremendous answer for this question, and it follows the rules of being non religous

best answer ive heard

[TheYak]

So the most important book would seem to be Where the Wild Things Are.    Rock on.  On my bookshelf currently.. it would have to be The Mahdi by Margo Dockendorf

[DGMacphee]

Otg: Everything is religious is some way... Everything relates to religion

Right, so books like "Lesbian Leather Delight" and "Feel the Whip, My Pretty" are religious.

[Las Naranjas]

Mein Kampf is used endlessly by the intentionalists endlessly as proof for their thesis.
Geez, the fellah couldn't plan a paragraph, forget a plan of world domination.
Why must we turn history into a comic book?