Random books from pmowrey's library

The Fall of Camelot

The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas

Savage Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature by William James

Rock and Roll: Its History and Stylistic Development by Joe Stuessy

American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America by Chris Hedges

Biltmore Estate: A National Historic Landmark

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LibraryThing authors: Craig Nelson (craigz)

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Member: pmowrey

CollectionsYour library (1,730), Oversize (103), Currently reading (3), All collections (1,730)

ReviewsNone

TagsM Music (308), U Humor (216), F Philosophy (206), T Science fiction & fantasy (197), 01 Scores (170), 02 Comic strips (150), Q Literature (129), Oversize (103), L Film (93), G Spirituality (90) — see all tags

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GroupsA Pearl of Wisdom and Enlightenment, Art is Life, Arthurian Legends, BBC Radio 3 Listeners, Birds, Birding & Books, Books that made me think, Cartoons, Cinebooks, Classical Music, FantasyFans — show all groups

Favorite authorsKaren Armstrong, Henri Bergson, Joseph Campbell, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Dunsany, Will Durant, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Parke Godwin, Ursula K. Le Guin, Edith Hamilton, Pauline Kael, Harper Lee, Thomas Malory, John Cowper Powys, Carl Sagan, Charles M. Schulz, David Sedaris, William Shakespeare, Studs Terkel, J. R. R. Tolkien, Laozi (Shared favorites)

About meComposer and music professor; also passionate about philosophy, science, art, nature, film, comparative mythology, spirituality, and liberal politics

About my libraryAs I look at it in its entirety, it seems a pretty eclectic mix of stuff. Books I've bought as an adult for pleasure reading or lifelong learning mingle with my professional books and scores, pedagogical materials, guilty pleasures, and a large number of childhood relics that I still reread from time to time.

Sorting this collection in "Tag" order provides me with a rough approximation of where these books actually sit on my non-virtual shelves.

A few of the books that have changed my life, whether in childhood or adulthood:

The Bible (and Gnostic Gospels)
Henri Bergson, Time and Free Will
Joseph Campbell, The Masks of God
Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy
Edith Hamilton, Mythology
Lao-Tzu (attr.), Tao Te Ching
Thomas Malory, Le morte d'Arthur
John Cowper Powys, Wolf Solent
Charles Schulz, Peanuts collections
Roger Scruton, The Aesthetics of Music
William Shakespeare, The Complete Works
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzival

...and of course, throughout my life, the scores of Bartok, Beethoven, Lili Boulanger, Brahms, Chopin, Crumb, Debussy, Grieg, Prokofiev, Ravel, Stravinsky, and many, many others.

Finally, let's not forget the guilty pleasures! I can't help but notice that if I ever had to defend my library to a jury of English professors, I'd probably have some 'splainin' to do about all the Isaac Asimov, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming, and Star Trek novels. I plead guilty to enjoying such literary fast food from time to time, and throw myself on the mercy of the court! :-)