Although the media seems dedicated to portraying men as oblivious to anything but sports, tools and sex, the truth is that until a few decades ago any self-respecting man was expected to have a wide range of knowledge. “I have taken all knowledge as my domain,” says Bacon, while Marlowe encourages us to have “aspiring minds” and climb “after infinite knowledge.”
To this end, we offer a book for each of the ten categories with which the complete man should have at least some familiarity.
1) Adventure: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Journey by Alfred Lansing
It’s not often that we celebrate unsuccessful explorers, but Shackleton’s disastrous third attempt to lead a party to the South Pole is such an amazing and inspiring story that it has come to be honored as a success in its own right. Stranded on a frozen island 1,200 miles from the nearest human settlement, Shackleton’s leadership and courage carried his crew through one of the worst trials imaginable without the loss of a single life.
Further reading: Shackleton’s Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorerby Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell.
2) Classics: Villageby william shakespeare
It is impossible to find a work that can encompass all the merits of classical literature, but Shakespeare’s Village, which wraps a ghost story inside a murder mystery and a play within a play, comes surprisingly close. It is so influential that even the least educated English-speakers quote it regularly without knowing it. Every time we mention our “mind’s eye,” do something “sadder than angry,” or feel we must be “cruel to be kind,” we’re echoing the words of the tormented Danish prince.
Further reading: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are deadby Tom Stoppard
3) Science: The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNAby James D Watson
From biologists exploring the mysteries of life to criminalists tracking down the murderers who destroy it, one of the most important tools of the modern world is DNA. In the double helix, Watson offers his readers an intimate look at the frantic race between competing teams of researchers as they tried to reveal the nature of our genetic code. With breathless narration and clearly explained scientific principles, Propeller is a Boys’ Own adventure story about this remarkable chemical that makes us who we are.
Further reading: The selfish geneby Richard Dawkins
4) Religion: A Story of God: The 4,000-Year Quest for Judaism, Christianity, and IslamBy Karen Armstrong
Where do we get our idea of God? How can the God represented in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam be so different to the various followers of him, and how has our view of him changed over the millennia? In this ambitious and meticulously researched book, Karen Armstrong traces the evolution of God over the past 4,000 years to answer the question, “Does God have a future?”
Further reading: Varieties of Religious Experienceby William James
5) Women Authors: holy maybeby Anne Tyler
Weather Accidental Tourist is probably his most famous novel, a better introduction to his work is holy maybe. This story about a young man who is indirectly responsible for his brother’s suicide and his sister-in-law’s fatal overdose is hilarious, as Tyler’s refreshingly honest observations about men and women touch on the quirks and foibles in all of us. . She remains one of the few female authors to treat men as human beings rather than villains or comic relief.
Further reading: mr sandmanby Barbara Gowdy
6) Detective: Murders in the Rue Morgueby Edgar Allan Poe
Considered by many to be the first crime novel, Murders in the Rue Morgue features the brilliant theorist, C. Auguste Dupin, who solves crimes in the seclusion of his own home. There he is attended by an assistant who, prefiguring Dr. Watson, also narrates the story. As an added bonus, this book also has the distinction of bringing us one of the most peculiar killers in mystery history.
Further reading: Ring rangeby Rex Stout
7) Policies: The Prince, by Nicholas Machiavelli
Despite his reputation for endorsing cold-blooded manipulation, the underlying tenet of Machiavelli’s most famous work is that a population enjoys more freedom and personal security under a stable government than under a government that is always in conflict. Other books can give an idea of this or that specific political situation, but with Princereaders gain an understanding of the fundamental intricacies of nation building.
Further reading: The Art of Warby Sun Tzu
8) Mood: Thurber’s Carnivalby James Thurber
Thurber set standards for humor writing that have occasionally been equaled, but rarely exceeded. His stories, often factual, convey the most extraordinary events in the most mundane of ways. No matter how hard the bed falls on the father, how many shoes the mother throws out the neighbor’s windows, or how many miles the townspeople run before realizing that the damn thing hasn’t, in fact, broken, Thurber will. he recites everything in such a calm way that the reader can’t help but feel that this is part of normal life.
Further reading: The best of Robert Benchleyby Robert Benchley
9) Philosophy: The history of philosophy: the lives and opinions of the great philosophersby Will Durant
With the clarity and brilliance that made him one of the world’s greatest philosophical writers, Durant takes the reader on a journey of philosophy through the millennia. Beginning with Plato and ending with Nietzsche, The history of philosophy is a revealing look not only at the major philosophical schools that have influenced Western civilization, but also at the minds of the philosophers who founded them.
Further reading: simplified philosophyby Richard H. Popkin
10) Crime: The criminal history of humanityby Colin Wilson
Using Maslow’s hierarchy of values as a starting point, Wilson traces criminal motivations as they move from simple necessities (robbery and murder for profit), through sexual gratification (Jack the Ripper), to the murderer in self-actualized streak (Ted Bundy). . Careful scholarship, intelligently passionate writing, and a clear and provocative thesis make this one of the most compelling crime books he has ever read.
Further reading: thinking about the crimeby James Q Wilson