{"id":7941,"date":"2008-04-08T10:30:10","date_gmt":"2008-04-08T14:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=7941"},"modified":"2022-10-15T07:44:17","modified_gmt":"2022-10-15T11:44:17","slug":"the-perfect-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=7941","title":{"rendered":"The Perfect Library"},"content":{"rendered":"

110 best books<\/a> …<\/p>\n

Of course the thing with these lists is people get uppity and pissed, either by what is left off (My first uppity question is: “where the hell is Harriet the Spy<\/a>\"\"??”) or by the bias shown by the list-maker (“He’s such a snob!” – Or – “what the hell is such-and-such doing on that list?? THAT INVALIDATES THE WHOLE LIST.”) Etc. You know, people go apeshit. But it’s really just because they want us to know who THEY are, and the books THEY would choose. And they express themselves in a defensive manner. They get angry at the elitism in lists, they get angry at what they feel is the lack of respect for their<\/i> perfect library. I get annoyed with such people, mainly because I get annoyed when people get angry for no reason. Don’t get so pissed off: Tell me YOUR perfect library then, but without the chip on your shoulder, how ’bout? I understand you want to be heard. And seen. I get that. We all want to be known<\/i>. And to book lovers, it IS by our books that we are known. Some lists are<\/em> ridiculous and snotty, and some do reveal the bias of the list-maker, and all that – but I still think they are interesting jumping-off points for conversation. I mean looking at that list, I can honestly say that The Beauty Myth<\/a>\"\" did not change MY world – as a matter of fact I have some pretty strong negative feelings about Naomi Wolf – and so that shows the bias of the list-maker, but I choose not to discount the list entire because of stuff like that. Bias is interesting. So apparently – to that list-maker, it was a book that changed his\/her world … how fascinating. I wouldn’t have it on my list, but it’s interesting to see it there nonetheless. I have many of the books on the list, naturally – many I do not have and feel I should get – I had forgotten all about The Railway Children<\/a>\"\" – I LOVED that book when I was little, loved loved loved it … and now I realize I have been separated from it for FAR too long!<\/p>\n

Some view of my library – which is far from perfect, but which gives me great pleasure:<\/p>\n

\"468479590_cffcdc5ae9.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"ushistoryshelf.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\n\"byattbooks.jpg\"<\/p>\n

The list – which is supposed to make up a “perfect library” reminds me of two things – a letter Charlotte Bronte wrote, where she recommended books to a friend (a female friend) – and also a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote, where he listed, exhaustively, the books every gentleman should have in his library. It’s worth printing both of these in full:<\/p>\n


\nCHARLOTTE BRONTE<\/b>:<\/p>\n

“You ask me to recommend you some books for your perusal. I will do so in as few words as I can. If you like poetry, let it be first-rate; Milton, Shakespeare, Thomson, Goldsmith, Pope (if you will, though I don’t admire him), Scott, Byron, Campbell, Wordsworth, and Southey. Now don’t be startled at the names of Shakespeare and Byron. Both these were great men, and their works are like themselves. You will know how to choose the good, and to avoid the evil; the finest passages are always the purest, the bad are invariably revolting; you will never wish to read them over twice. Omit the comedies of Shakespeare and the Don Juan<\/em>, perhaps the Cain<\/em>, of Byron, though the latter is a magnificent poem, and read the rest fearlessly; that must indeed be a depraved mind which can gather evil from Henry VIII<\/em>, from Richard III<\/em>, from Macbeth<\/em>, and Hamlet<\/em>, and Julius Caesar<\/em>. Scott’s sweet, wild, romantic poetry can do you no harm. Nor can Wordsworth’s, nor Campbell’s, nor Southey’s — the greatest part at least of his; some is certainly objectionable. For history, read Hume, Rollin, and the Universal History<\/em>, if you can; I never did. For fiction, read Scott alone; all novels after his are worthless. For biography, read Johnson’s Lives of the Poets<\/em>, Boswell’s Life of Johnson<\/em>, Southey’s Life of Nelson<\/em>, Lockhart’s Life of Burns, Moore’s Life of Sheridan<\/em>, Moore’s Life of Byron<\/em>, Wolfe’s Remains<\/em>. For natural history, read Bewick and Audobon, and Goldsmith, and White’s History of Selborne<\/em>. For divinity, your brother will advise you there. I can only say, adhere to standard authors, and avoid novelty.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I mean, honestly.<\/p>\n

And are you ready for Thomas Jefferson’s “gentleman’s library”? I never look at this without feeling bad about myself, and woefully uneducated.<\/p>\n

Thomas Jefferson to Robert Skip with a List of Books, Aug. 3, 1771<\/strong><\/p>\n

I sat down with a design of executing your request to form a catalogue of books to the amount of about 50 lib. sterl. But could by no means satisfy myself with any partial choice I could make. Thinking therefore it might be as agreeable to you I have framed such a general collection as I think you would wish and might in time find convenient to procure. Out of this you will chuse for yourself to the amount you mentioned for the present year and may hereafter as shall be convenient proceed in completing the whole. A view of the second column in this catalogue would I suppose extort a smile from the face of gravity. Peace to its wisdom! Let me not awaken it. A little attention however to the nature of the human mind evinces that the entertainments of fiction are useful as well as pleasant. That they are pleasant when well written every person feels who reads. But wherein is its utility asks the reverend sage, big with the notion that nothing can be useful but the learned lumber of Greek and Roman reading with which his head is stored?<\/p>\n

I answer, everything is useful which contributes to fix in the principles and practices of virtue. When any original act of charity or of gratitude, for instance, is presented either to our sight or imagination, we are deeply impressed with its beauty and feel a strong desire in ourselves of doing charitable and grateful acts also. On the contrary when we see or read of any atrocious deed, we are disgusted with it’s deformity, and conceive an abhorence of vice. Now every emotion of this kind is an exercise of our virtuous dispositions, and dispositions of the mind, like limbs of the body acquire strength by exercise. But exercise produces habit, and in the instance of which we speak the exercise being of the moral feelings produces a habit of thinking and acting virtuously. We never reflect whether the story we read be truth or fiction. If the painting be lively, and a tolerable picture of nature, we are thrown into a reverie, from which if we awaken it is the fault of the writer. I appeal to every reader of feeling and sentiment whether the fictitious murther of Duncan by Macbeth<\/em> in Shakespeare does not excite in him as great a horror of villany, as the real one of Henry IV. by Ravaillac as related by Davila? And whether the fidelity of Nelson and generosity of Blandford in Marmontel do not dilate his breast and elevate his sentiments as much as any similar incident which real history can furnish? Does he not in fact feel himself a better man while reading them, and privately covenant to copy the fair example? We neither know nor care whether Lawrence Sterne really went to France, whether he was there accosted by the Franciscan, at first rebuked him unkindly, and then gave him a peace offering: or whether the whole be not fiction. In either case we equally are sorrowful at the rebuke, and secretly resolve we will never do so: we are pleased with the subsequent atonement, and view with emulation a soul candidly acknowleging it’s fault and making a just reparation. Considering history as a moral exercise, her lessons would be too infrequent if confined to real life. Of those recorded by historians few incidents have been attended with such circumstances as to excite in any high degree this sympathetic emotion of virtue. We are therefore wisely framed to be as warmly interested for a fictitious as for a real personage. The field of imagination is thus laid open to our use and lessons may be formed to illustrate and carry home to the heart every moral rule of life. Thus a lively and lasting sense of filial duty is more effectually impressed on the mind of a son or daughter by reading King Lear<\/em>, than by all the dry volumes of ethics, and divinity that ever were written. This is my idea of well written Romance, of Tragedy, Comedy and Epic poetry. — If you are fond of speculation the books under the head of Criticism will afford you much pleasure. Of Politics and Trade I have given you a few only of the best books, as you would probably chuse to be not unacquainted with those commercial principles which bring wealth into our country, and the constitutional security we have for the enjoiment ofthat wealth. In Law I mention a few systematical books, as a knowledge of the minutiae of that science is not neces-sary for a private gentleman. In Religion, History, Natural philosophy, I have followed the same plan in general, — But whence the necessity of this collection? Come to the new Rowanty, from which you may reach your hand to a library formed on a more extensive plan. Separated from each other but a few paces the possessions of each would be open to the other. A spring centrically situated might be the scene of every evening’s joy. There we should talk over the lessons of the day, or lose them in music, chess or the merriments of our family companions. The heart thus lightened our pillows would be soft, and health and long life would attend the happy scene. Come then and bring our dear Tibby with you, the first in your affections, and second in mine. Offer prayers for me too at that shrine to which tho’ absent I pray continual devotions. In every scheme of happiness she is placed in the foreground of the picture, as the princi-pal figure. Take that away, and it is no picture for me. Bear my affections to Wintipock clothed in the warmest expressions of sincerity; and to yourself be every human felicity.<\/p>\n

Adieu.<\/p>\n

FINE ARTS.<\/p>\n

Observations on gardening. Payne. 5\/
\nWebb’s essay on painting. 12mo 3\/
\nPope’s Iliad. 18\/
\n——- Odyssey. 15\/
\nDryden’s Virgil. 12mo. 12\/
\nMilton’s works. 2 v. 8vo. Donaldson. Edinburgh 1762. 10\/
\nHoole’s Tasso. 12mo. 5\/
\nOssian with Blair’s criticisms. 2 v. 8vo. 10\/
\nTelemachus by Dodsley. 6\/
\nCapell’s Shakespear. 12mo. 30\/
\nDryden’s plays. 6v. 12mo. 18\/
\nAddison’s plays. 12mo. 3\/
\nOtway’s plays. 3 v. 12mo. 9\/
\nRowe’s works. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nThompson’s works. 4 v. 12mo. 12\/
\nYoung’s works. 4 v. 12mo. 12\/
\nHome’s plays. 12mo. 3\/
\nMallet’s works. 3 v. 12mo. 9\/
\nMason’s poetical works. 5\/
\nTerence. Eng. 3\/
\nMoliere. Eng. 15\/
\nFarquhar’s plays. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nVanbrugh’s plays. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nSteele’s plays. 3\/
\nCongreve’s works. 3 v. 12mo. 9\/
\nGarric’s dramatic works. 2 v. 8vo. 10\/
\nFoote’s dramatic works. 2 v. 8vo. 10\/
\nRousseau’s Eloisa. Eng. 4 v. 12mo. 12\/
\n—– Emilius and Sophia. Eng. 4 v. 12mo. 12\/
\nMarmontel’s moral tales. Eng. 2 v. 12mo. 12\/
\nGil Blas. by Smollett. 6\/
\nDon Quixot. by Smollett 4 v. 12mo. 12\/
\nDavid Simple. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nRoderic Random. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/ these are written by Smollett
\nPeregrine Pickle. 4 v. 12mo. 12\/
\nLauncelot Graves. 6\/
\nAdventures of a guinea. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nPamela. 4 v. 12mo. 12\/ these are by Richardson.
\nClarissa. 8 v. 12mo. 24\/
\nGrandison. 7 v. 12mo. 9\/
\nFool of quality. 3 v. 12mo. 9\/
\nFeilding’s works. 12 v. 12mo. pound 1.16
\nConstantia. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/ by Langhorne.
\nSolyman and Almena. 12mo. 3\/
\nBelle assemblee. 4 v. 12mo. 12\/
\nVicar of Wakefeild. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/. by Dr. Goldsmith
\nSidney Bidulph. 5 v. 12mo. 15\/
\nLady Julia Mandeville. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nAlmoran and Hamet. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nTristam Shandy. 9 v. 12mo. pound 1.7
\nSentimental journey. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nFragments of antient poetry. Edinburgh. 2\/
\nPercy’s Runic poems. 3\/
\nPercy’s reliques of antient English poetry. 3 v. 12mo. 9\/
\nPercy’s Han Kiou Chouan. 4 v. 12mo. 12\/
\nPercy’s Miscellaneous Chinese peices. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nChaucer. 10\/
\nSpencer. 6 v. 12mo. 15\/
\nWaller’s poems. 12mo. 3\/
\nDodsley’s collection of poems. 6 v. 12mo. 18\/
\nPearch’s collection of poems. 4 v. 12mo. 12\/
\nGray’s works. 5\/
\nOgilvie’s poems. 5\/
\nPrior’s poems. 2 v. 12mo. Foulis. 6\/
\nGay’s works. 12mo. Foulis. 3\/
\nShenstone’s works. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nDryden’s works. 4 v. 12mo. Foulis. 12\/
\nPope’s works. by Warburton. 12mo. pound 1.4
\nChurchill’s poems. 4 v. 12mo. 12\/
\nHudibrass. 3\/
\nSwift’s works. 21 v. small 8vo. pound 3.3
\nSwift’s literary correspondence. 3 v. 9\/
\nSpectator. 9 v. 12mo. pound 1.7
\nTatler. 5 v. 12mo. 15\/
\nGuardian. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nFreeholder. 12mo. 3\/
\nLd. Lyttleton’s Persian letters. 12mo. 3\/<\/p>\n

CRITICISM ON THE FINE ARTS.<\/p>\n

Ld. Kaim’s elements of criticism. 2 v. 8vo. 10\/
\nBurke on the sublime and beautiful. 8vo. 5\/
\nHogarth’s analysis of beauty. 4to. pound 1.1
\nReid on the human mind. 8vo. 5\/
\nSmith’s theory of moral sentiments. 8vo. 5\/
\nJohnson’s dictionary. 2 v. fol. pound 3
\nCapell’s prolusions. 12mo. 3\/<\/p>\n

POLITICKS, TRADE.<\/p>\n

Montesquieu’s spirit of the laws. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nLocke on government. 8vo. 5\/
\nSidney on government. 4to. 15\/
\nMarmontel’s Belisarius. 12mo. Eng. 3\/
\nLd. Bolingbroke’s political works. 5 v. 8vo. pound 1.5
\nMontesquieu’s rise & fall of the Roman governmt. 12mo. 3\/
\nSteuart’s Political oeconomy. 2 v. 4to. pound 1.10
\nPetty’s Political arithmetic. 8vo. 5\/<\/p>\n

RELIGION.<\/p>\n

Locke’s conduct of the mind in search of truth. 12mo. 3\/
\nXenophon’s memoirs of Socrates. by Feilding. 8vo. 5\/
\nEpictetus. by Mrs. Carter. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nAntoninus by Collins. 3\/
\nSeneca. by L’Estrange. 8vo. 5\/
\nCicero’s Offices. by Guthrie. 8vo. 5\/
\nCicero’s Tusculan questions. Eng. 3\/
\nLd. Bolingbroke’s Philosophical works. 5 v. 8vo. pound 1.5
\nHume’s essays. 4 v. 12mo. 12\/
\nLd. Kaim’s Natural religion. 8vo. 6\/
\nPhilosophical survey of Nature. 3\/
\nOeconomy of human life. 2\/
\nSterne’s sermons. 7 v. 12mo. pound 1.1
\nSherlock on death. 8vo. 5\/
\nSherlock on a future state. 5\/<\/p>\n

LAW.<\/p>\n

Ld. Kaim’s Principles of equity. fol. pound 1.1
\nBlackstone’s Commentaries. 4 v. 4to. pound 4.4
\nCuningham’s Law dictionary. 2 v. fol. pound 3<\/p>\n

HISTORY. ANTIENT.<\/p>\n

Bible. 6\/
\nRollin’s Antient history. Eng. 13 v. 12mo. pound 1.19
\nStanyan’s Graecian history. 2 v. 8vo. 10\/
\nLivy. (the late translation). 12\/
\nSallust by Gordon. 12mo. 12\/
\nTacitus by Gordon. 12mo. 15\/
\nCaesar by Bladen. 8vo. 5\/
\nJosephus. Eng. 1.0
\nVertot’s Revolutions of Rome. Eng. 9\/
\nPlutarch’s lives. by Langhorne. 6 v. 8vo. pound 1.10
\nBayle’s Dictionary. 5 v. fol. pound 7.10.
\nJeffery’s Historical & Chronological chart. 15\/<\/p>\n

HISTORY. MODERN.<\/p>\n

Robertson’s History of Charles the Vth. 3 v. 4to. pound 3.3
\nBossuet’s history of France. 4 v. 12mo. 12\/
\nDavila. by Farneworth. 2 v. 4to. pound 1.10.
\nHume’s history of England. 8 v. 8vo. pound 2.8.
\nClarendon’s history of the rebellion. 6 v. 8vo. pound 1.10.
\nRobertson’s history of Scotland. 2 v. 8vo. 12\/
\nKeith’s history of Virginia. 4to. 12\/
\nStith’s history of Virginia. 6\/<\/p>\n

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. NATURAL HISTORY &c.<\/p>\n

Nature displayed. Eng. 7 v. 12mo.
\nFranklin on Electricity. 4to. 10\/
\nMacqueer’s elements of Chemistry. 2 v. 8vo. 10\/
\nHome’s principles of agriculture. 8vo. 5\/
\nTull’s horse-hoeing husbandry. 8vo. 5\/
\nDuhamel’s husbandry. 4to. 15\/
\nMillar’s Gardener’s diet. fol. pound 2.10.
\nBuffon’s natural history. Eng. pound 2.10.
\nA compendium of Physic & Surgery. Nourse. 12mo. 1765. 3\/
\nAddison’s travels. 12mo. 3\/
\nAnson’s voiage. 8vo. 6\/
\nThompson’s travels. 2 v. 12mo. 6\/
\nLady M. W. Montague’s letters. 3 v. 12mo. 9\/<\/p>\n

MISCELLANEOUS.<\/p>\n

Ld. Lyttleton’s dialogues of the dead. 8vo. 5\/
\nFenelon’s dialogues of the dead. Eng. 12mo. 3\/
\nVoltaire’s works. Eng. pound 4.
\nLocke on Education. 12mo. 3\/
\nOwen’s Dict. of arts & sciences 4 v. 8vo. pound 2.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

110 best books … Of course the thing with these lists is people get uppity and pissed, either by what is left off (My first uppity question is: “where the hell is Harriet the Spy??”) or by the bias shown … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15,12],"tags":[644,104,924],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7941"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7941"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":181634,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7941\/revisions\/181634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}