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1prosfilaes
Hypothesis: There are certain books that unify groups of libraries, that a central theme of libraries can be defined sometimes by just one book.
Digging through http://www.librarything.com/profile/*/stats/connections ; select Top Books among your top 100 similar libraries, add taking the first one:
mine: GURPS Basic Set: Generic Universal Roleplaying System by Steve Jackson (69). 384 holders, 18% in my top 100. (The immediately following books are GURPS as well.)
(It's all public data, but I decided in the interests of not annoying anyone, I'd not post names here. The names in the top section were pulled arbitrarily--a couple were from top similar libraries of other people, most were from recent posts on a couple threads.)
GURPS Basic Set: Generic Universal Roleplaying System by Steve Jackson (58). 15% in his top 100. (Not exactly a random sample, being one of my most similar but evidence the same book turns up repeatedly despite being relatively rare.)
Dungeon Master's Guide: Core Rulebook II (3.5 edition) by Monte Cook (72). 691 holders, 10%
The World of Darkness by White Wolf Game Studio (61). 373 holders, 16%
Okay, I think that's some evidence that this is interesting for RPG geeks. How about other people:
777 And Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley by Aleister Crowley (85) 695 holders, 12% (and the following ones are all Crowley as well)
Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chogyam Trungpa (47) 807 holders, 6%
Then again for Timspalding, you get The Iliad by Homer (81), 21,332 holders for 0.3%, and the others I looked at were less interesting, ranging from the Hobbit and HPSS to a number of books in the top 1000 popularity.
So let's grab some truly random data, assuming the Home page random module is random. A baker's dozen:
1 The Help by Kathryn Stockett (82) and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (82) (0.5% and 1.4%)
2 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (70) (0.1%)
3 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (75) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (75) (0.1%)
4 The Gunslinger by Stephen King (82) (0.7%) (duplicate from earlier samples)
5 Watchmen by Alan Moore (63) (0.5%)
6 777 And Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley by Aleister Crowley (89) (13%) (duplicate from earlier ... which is notable given how uncommon the book is)
7 1984 by George Orwell (81) (0.2%)
8 1984 by George Orwell (79) (0.2%) (terribly common book, so I split on calling it a hit, no data and evidence that effectively random books will come to the top)
9 Holes by Louis Sachar (78) (0.6%)
10 Dune by Frank Herbert (76) (0.3%)
11 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (67) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (67) (0.1%)
12 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (44) (0.1%)
13 The Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch (87) (3.7%)
14 Naked in Death by J.D. Robb (75) (2.5%) (evidence that the start of series, especially long ones, tend to head to the top of the list)
15 Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam by Stephen W. Sears (70) (11.7%)
16 The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (77) (0.2%)
17 The Confessions of St. Augustine by Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (61) (0.6%)
18 Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (53) (2.0%)
19 Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis (51) and The Confessions of St. Augustine by Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (51) (0.4% and 0.5%)
20 Max Havelaar: Or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company by Multatuli (77) (7.5%)
21 Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter (38) (0.4%) (which is a book that's iconic for a group of people)
(Okay, so it's a generous baker. And I still want more data.)
Hmm. There's a lot of bias towards the popular, but if 100 most similar libraries were thrown together randomly, it would be absolutely dominated by the most popular books. I think there's evidence that certain books do define libraries, or at least a clump of other books: I'll go out on a limb, and say that despite the fact I've never heard of it, Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam is the Civil War book that Civil War people own.
In any case, I think an list of these most unifying books (most similar books? most iconic books) would be an interesting addition to the Zeitgeist.
Digging through http://www.librarything.com/profile/*/stats/connections ; select Top Books among your top 100 similar libraries, add taking the first one:
mine: GURPS Basic Set: Generic Universal Roleplaying System by Steve Jackson (69). 384 holders, 18% in my top 100. (The immediately following books are GURPS as well.)
(It's all public data, but I decided in the interests of not annoying anyone, I'd not post names here. The names in the top section were pulled arbitrarily--a couple were from top similar libraries of other people, most were from recent posts on a couple threads.)
GURPS Basic Set: Generic Universal Roleplaying System by Steve Jackson (58). 15% in his top 100. (Not exactly a random sample, being one of my most similar but evidence the same book turns up repeatedly despite being relatively rare.)
Dungeon Master's Guide: Core Rulebook II (3.5 edition) by Monte Cook (72). 691 holders, 10%
The World of Darkness by White Wolf Game Studio (61). 373 holders, 16%
Okay, I think that's some evidence that this is interesting for RPG geeks. How about other people:
777 And Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley by Aleister Crowley (85) 695 holders, 12% (and the following ones are all Crowley as well)
Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chogyam Trungpa (47) 807 holders, 6%
Then again for Timspalding, you get The Iliad by Homer (81), 21,332 holders for 0.3%, and the others I looked at were less interesting, ranging from the Hobbit and HPSS to a number of books in the top 1000 popularity.
So let's grab some truly random data, assuming the Home page random module is random. A baker's dozen:
1 The Help by Kathryn Stockett (82) and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (82) (0.5% and 1.4%)
2 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (70) (0.1%)
3 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (75) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (75) (0.1%)
4 The Gunslinger by Stephen King (82) (0.7%) (duplicate from earlier samples)
5 Watchmen by Alan Moore (63) (0.5%)
6 777 And Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley by Aleister Crowley (89) (13%) (duplicate from earlier ... which is notable given how uncommon the book is)
7 1984 by George Orwell (81) (0.2%)
8 1984 by George Orwell (79) (0.2%) (terribly common book, so I split on calling it a hit, no data and evidence that effectively random books will come to the top)
9 Holes by Louis Sachar (78) (0.6%)
10 Dune by Frank Herbert (76) (0.3%)
11 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (67) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (67) (0.1%)
12 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (44) (0.1%)
13 The Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch (87) (3.7%)
14 Naked in Death by J.D. Robb (75) (2.5%) (evidence that the start of series, especially long ones, tend to head to the top of the list)
15 Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam by Stephen W. Sears (70) (11.7%)
16 The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (77) (0.2%)
17 The Confessions of St. Augustine by Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (61) (0.6%)
18 Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (53) (2.0%)
19 Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis (51) and The Confessions of St. Augustine by Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (51) (0.4% and 0.5%)
20 Max Havelaar: Or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company by Multatuli (77) (7.5%)
21 Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter (38) (0.4%) (which is a book that's iconic for a group of people)
(Okay, so it's a generous baker. And I still want more data.)
Hmm. There's a lot of bias towards the popular, but if 100 most similar libraries were thrown together randomly, it would be absolutely dominated by the most popular books. I think there's evidence that certain books do define libraries, or at least a clump of other books: I'll go out on a limb, and say that despite the fact I've never heard of it, Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam is the Civil War book that Civil War people own.
In any case, I think an list of these most unifying books (most similar books? most iconic books) would be an interesting addition to the Zeitgeist.
2elenchus
Intriguing hypothesis, but I don't think I grasp it entirely.
Are you proposing that any given library has one such iconic book? And so, it would be interesting to identify it for each library, and then link similar libraries by this identifier?
Or rather, that there exists a set of iconic books which define the Platonic ideal of a thematic library, say Landscape Turned Red for libraries embodying the theme of US Civil War, and it would be interesting to see what those are, and whether a given book qualifies as iconic? Implications being: not all libraries qualify as iconic; not all books are iconic but some are; and perhaps that a member's library conceivably could hold several iconic books (in effect, being an amalgam of several sub-libraries with distinct central themes).
I'm most interested in the latter, but uncertain if I'm on track with your thinking.
Are you proposing that any given library has one such iconic book? And so, it would be interesting to identify it for each library, and then link similar libraries by this identifier?
Or rather, that there exists a set of iconic books which define the Platonic ideal of a thematic library, say Landscape Turned Red for libraries embodying the theme of US Civil War, and it would be interesting to see what those are, and whether a given book qualifies as iconic? Implications being: not all libraries qualify as iconic; not all books are iconic but some are; and perhaps that a member's library conceivably could hold several iconic books (in effect, being an amalgam of several sub-libraries with distinct central themes).
I'm most interested in the latter, but uncertain if I'm on track with your thinking.
3BTRIPP
I suspect something's off in the algorithm ... as I have only 15 out of the top 250 books among the top 100 similar libraries ... plus nearly all the "top books" deal with ancient Greek & Roman culture ... most written by ancient authors ... you have to get into the mid-80's of the list to find anything NOT "ancient" (Eco's "Name of the Rose" at 86 and Machiavelli's "The Prince" at 87). Frankly, while I've read a bit of the ancient Greek and Roman writers, and some historical books on the period, this is NOT a major part of my library, yet the top 250 book are nearly ALL on the subject ... and I doubt that "similar libraries" to mine would skew as heavily towards that niche as this list suggests!
Here's what it shows for the top 21 books:
1 - The Iliad by Homer (81)
2 - The Odyssey by Homer (77)
3 - The Histories by Herodotus (75)
4 - The Aeneid by Virgil (74)
5 - The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides (72)
6 - The Oresteia: Agamemnon; The Libation Bearers; The Eumenides (Penguin Classics) by Aeschylus (68)
7 - Commentaries on the Gallic War by Julius Caesar (65)
8 - The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius (63)
9 - The Three Theban Plays: Antigone ; Oedipus at Colonus ; Oedipus the King by Sophocles (61)
10 - Metamorphoses by Ovid (60)
11 - The Anabasis by Xenophon (59)
12 - The Republic by Plato (59)
13 - The Roman Revolution by Ronald Syme (58)
14 - History of Rome, books 1-5 in translation by Titus Livy (58)
15 - The Annals by Tacitus (57)
16 - The Oxford Classical Dictionary by Simon Hornblower (56)
17 - Nicomachean Ethics (Ethica Nicomachae) by Aristotle (55)
18 - The Symposium by Plato (51)
19 - The Histories by Polybius (50)
20 - The Golden Ass by Apuleius (49)
21 - On the Nature of Things by Lucretius (48)
... of which I have five in my library!
Again, I suspect something's off if this list is nearly totally representative of a fairly small sliver of my library!
Here's what it shows for the top 21 books:
1 - The Iliad by Homer (81)
2 - The Odyssey by Homer (77)
3 - The Histories by Herodotus (75)
4 - The Aeneid by Virgil (74)
5 - The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides (72)
6 - The Oresteia: Agamemnon; The Libation Bearers; The Eumenides (Penguin Classics) by Aeschylus (68)
7 - Commentaries on the Gallic War by Julius Caesar (65)
8 - The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius (63)
9 - The Three Theban Plays: Antigone ; Oedipus at Colonus ; Oedipus the King by Sophocles (61)
10 - Metamorphoses by Ovid (60)
11 - The Anabasis by Xenophon (59)
12 - The Republic by Plato (59)
13 - The Roman Revolution by Ronald Syme (58)
14 - History of Rome, books 1-5 in translation by Titus Livy (58)
15 - The Annals by Tacitus (57)
16 - The Oxford Classical Dictionary by Simon Hornblower (56)
17 - Nicomachean Ethics (Ethica Nicomachae) by Aristotle (55)
18 - The Symposium by Plato (51)
19 - The Histories by Polybius (50)
20 - The Golden Ass by Apuleius (49)
21 - On the Nature of Things by Lucretius (48)
... of which I have five in my library!
Again, I suspect something's off if this list is nearly totally representative of a fairly small sliver of my library!
4AndreasJ
3 > Did you leave the asterisk (*) in in the URL? If I do, I get an absurdly classics-heavy list, if I change it for my username I get something much more plausible.
Apparently a bug with the interpretation of the wildcard (FF 27.0.1).
Apparently a bug with the interpretation of the wildcard (FF 27.0.1).
5brightcopy
FYI, the link format
http://www.librarything.com/profile/MEMBERNAME/stats/connections
will always resolve MEMBERNAME to your member name.
http://www.librarything.com/profile/MEMBERNAME/stats/connections
will always resolve MEMBERNAME to your member name.
6BTRIPP
Ah ... that was certainly what was bringing up all the Ancient Greek stuff!
I'm surprised at the "Eastern" bent to the list with my username in place of the asterisk, however:
1 - Daodejing by Laozi (60)
2 - Bhagavad-Gita by Anonymous (46)
3 - The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra (46)
4 - Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (43)
5 - Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki (43)
6 - The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell (42)
7 - The Tibetan Book of the Dead (The Great Book of Natural Liberation Through Understanding in the Between) by Francesca Fremantle (40)
8 - The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: The Spiritual Classic & International Bestseller; Revised and Updated Edition by Sogyal Rinpoche (38)
9 - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig (38)
10 - The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion by James George Frazer (38)
11 - The I Ching or Book of Changes by Richard Wilhelm (38)
12 - The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes (37)
13 - The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics by Gary Zukav (37)
14 - In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching by P. D. Ouspensky (37)
15 - The Upanishads by Anonymous (37)
16 - Man and his Symbols by Carl Gustav Jung (37)
17 - The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life by Richard Wilhelm (37)
18 - The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (37)
19 - Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa (36)
20 - A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking (36)
21 - The Way of Zen by Alan W. Watts (35)
The list shows up with my not having seven of these, but several of those I know are in my library (so may be ISBN/edition things that haven't managed to be combined in the "works" on this list).
This skews to Zen/Tao/Tibetan more than I think my library suggests, but it is possible that those 100 similar libraries skew that way more than mine.
I'm surprised at the "Eastern" bent to the list with my username in place of the asterisk, however:
1 - Daodejing by Laozi (60)
2 - Bhagavad-Gita by Anonymous (46)
3 - The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra (46)
4 - Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (43)
5 - Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki (43)
6 - The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell (42)
7 - The Tibetan Book of the Dead (The Great Book of Natural Liberation Through Understanding in the Between) by Francesca Fremantle (40)
8 - The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: The Spiritual Classic & International Bestseller; Revised and Updated Edition by Sogyal Rinpoche (38)
9 - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig (38)
10 - The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion by James George Frazer (38)
11 - The I Ching or Book of Changes by Richard Wilhelm (38)
12 - The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes (37)
13 - The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics by Gary Zukav (37)
14 - In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching by P. D. Ouspensky (37)
15 - The Upanishads by Anonymous (37)
16 - Man and his Symbols by Carl Gustav Jung (37)
17 - The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life by Richard Wilhelm (37)
18 - The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (37)
19 - Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa (36)
20 - A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking (36)
21 - The Way of Zen by Alan W. Watts (35)
The list shows up with my not having seven of these, but several of those I know are in my library (so may be ISBN/edition things that haven't managed to be combined in the "works" on this list).
This skews to Zen/Tao/Tibetan more than I think my library suggests, but it is possible that those 100 similar libraries skew that way more than mine.
7southernbooklady
The interesting thing when I attempted that link is that only four or five of the top 250 books between me and my 100 similar libraries were nonfiction. That seems to say more about LT than it does about my library.
8Jarandel
The books most universally held within my top 100 similar libraries :
0. Dune (Or I suspect it would be up there if I and a number of my most similar didn't have (a) a 2 vol. version (b) an omnibus of it with Messiah that were usually found in France, rather than the overall commoner standalone single volume)
1. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert (72)
2. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (70)
3. Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert (70)
4. The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (67)
5. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (66)
6. The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien (65)
7. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (65)
8. God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert (65)
9. The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien (63)
10. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (63)
11. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (62)
12. Neuromancer by William Gibson (62)
13. The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien (61)
14. Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card (59)
15. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett (59)
16. Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert (57)
17. Silverthorn by Raymond E. Feist (57)
18. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (56)
19. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge (56)
20. Mort by Terry Pratchett (56)
(...)
Not too surprising there as my library has a rather heavy slant on sf/f, going sometime deep in the mid-list or even under.
Anyone who has a similar heap will probably also have many of the "usual suspects" that seem to make most of that top list.
0. Dune (Or I suspect it would be up there if I and a number of my most similar didn't have (a) a 2 vol. version (b) an omnibus of it with Messiah that were usually found in France, rather than the overall commoner standalone single volume)
1. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert (72)
2. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (70)
3. Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert (70)
4. The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (67)
5. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (66)
6. The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien (65)
7. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (65)
8. God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert (65)
9. The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien (63)
10. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (63)
11. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (62)
12. Neuromancer by William Gibson (62)
13. The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien (61)
14. Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card (59)
15. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett (59)
16. Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert (57)
17. Silverthorn by Raymond E. Feist (57)
18. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (56)
19. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge (56)
20. Mort by Terry Pratchett (56)
(...)
Not too surprising there as my library has a rather heavy slant on sf/f, going sometime deep in the mid-list or even under.
Anyone who has a similar heap will probably also have many of the "usual suspects" that seem to make most of that top list.
9MarthaJeanne
Mine shows a lot of theology, noticably skewed towards the Anglican, and a bunch of bland stuff - Tolkein, which I have read, Harry Potter, which I haven't... Further down a bunch of fantasy (which I do read) and Dan Brown (don't). But what really shows is that the shared stuff is out-of-date. C S Lewis, Henri J. M. Nouwen, There are classics of course, and the Greek New Testament (although I now read an e-book copy, and that not the Nestle edition). The only books in the top 30 that I have opened in the last decade are that and The Hobbit
OK, over 30% of my library is theology, and much if that Anglican, but over 10% is needlework, including my top weighted similar library, and that isn't showing up at all.
The top ten books I guess could count as books that older Anglicans with an interest in theology probably have had to deal with.
OK, over 30% of my library is theology, and much if that Anglican, but over 10% is needlework, including my top weighted similar library, and that isn't showing up at all.
The top ten books I guess could count as books that older Anglicans with an interest in theology probably have had to deal with.
10AndreasJ
My top ten consists mostly of Tolkien, with inroads by Homer, Orwell, and Eco (which last I haven't read). In general, the list is far more fiction-heavy than my library is, which likely reflects that much of my fiction is bestsellers while my nonfiction is relatively more obscure.
11prosfilaes
#2: Right. I let what data LT made available to me run away with me. Ideally, yes, there's a set of iconic books, the book where if you hold one of a set of books, you will hold that book.
Others: http://www.librarything.com/profile/*/stats/connections is apparently TimSpalding's library; I just mean the * as a placeholder.
Others: http://www.librarything.com/profile/*/stats/connections is apparently TimSpalding's library; I just mean the * as a placeholder.
12MDGentleReader
To me, this just says that EBD, Georgette Heyer, Elizabeth Peters and L.M Montgomery wrote a lot of books and you you've read of few, you've read many. Oh, and you've read some of the same children's classics. But, I'm tired. Perhaps the top ranked book by each of those authors is the iconic one?
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (62)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (60)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (59)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (57)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) by J.K. Rowling (57)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (55)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (55)
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (54)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (53)
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (53)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (52)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (51)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (51)
Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery (51)
Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (51)
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (50)
Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery (50)
Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (47)
Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers (46)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (45)
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (45)
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild (44)
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (44)
Emily's Quest by L.M. Montgomery (44)
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (43)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (43)
The School at the Chalet by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (43)
Emma by Jane Austen (42)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (42)
Jo of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (41)
Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers (41)
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (40)
The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer (39)
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott (39)
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (39)
Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott (39)
By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder (39)
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer (39)
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (38)
Frederica by Georgette Heyer (38)
Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson (38)
Venetia by Georgette Heyer (38)
Heidi by Johanna Spyri (38)
Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer (37)
A Genius at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (37)
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (37)
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (37)
The Princess of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (37)
Rivals of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (37)
Cotillion by Georgette Heyer (36)
Eustacia Goes to the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (36)
False Colours by Georgette Heyer (36)
These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer (36)
Exploits of the Chalet Girls by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (36)
Carola Storms the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (36)
Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (36)
The Chalet Girls in Camp by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (36)
Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer (36)
The Coming of Age of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (36)
Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer (35)
The Chalet School in Exile by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (35)
Ruey Richardson at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (35)
The Head Girl of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (35)
Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer (35)
The Chalet School and the Island by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (35)
The New Mistress at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (35)
Autumn Term by Antonia Forest (35)
The Chalet School in the Oberland by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (35)
Bath Tangle by Georgette Heyer (34)
Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott (34)
Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer (34)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (34)
Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer (34)
The Wrong Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
The Feud in the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (34)
Two Sams at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
Bride Leads the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
Further Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (34)
Three Go to the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
Eight Cousins; Or, the Aunt-Hill by Louisa May Alcott (34)
The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer (34)
Althea Joins the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
The Chalet School and the Lintons by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
White Boots by Noel Streatfeild (34)
Tom Tackles the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (34)
The New House at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
Peggy of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
Excitements at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie (33)
Challenge for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
Curtain Up by Noel Streatfeild (33)
The Chalet School Does It Again by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
The Foundling by Georgette Heyer (33)
Gay from China at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (33)
Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery (33)
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White (33)
Prefects of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (33)
Summer Term at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer (33)
A Problem for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer (33)
A Future Chalet School Girl by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
The Chalet School and Barbara by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (33)
Shocks for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (32)
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (32)
Watership Down by Richard Adams (32)
A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle (32)
The fellowship of the ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (32)
Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer (32)
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (32)
Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer (32)
Mrs. Tim of the Regiment by D. E. Stevenson (32)
The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer (32)
The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer (32)
The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery (32)
Adrienne and the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (32)
Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer (32)
The Chalet School Reunion by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (32)
Joey Goes to the Oberland by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (32)
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit (32)
The Golden Road by L.M. Montgomery (31)
Chalet School Triplets by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott (31)
Mary Lou at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
Arabella by Georgette Heyer (31)
Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie (31)
The Last Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters (31)
Miss Buncle Married by D. E. Stevenson (31)
Apple Bough by Noel Streatfeild (31)
Joey and Co. in Tirol by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters (31)
Nemesis by Agatha Christie (31)
Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery (31)
Lavender Leigh at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
A Chalet Girl from Kenya by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (31)
A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer (31)
Redheads at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer (31)
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (31)
Jo to the rescue by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
The Painted Garden by Noel Streatfeild (31)
The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer (30)
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce (30)
A leader in the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (30)
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman (30)
Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters (30)
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (30)
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (29)
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (29)
Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith (29)
Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn (29)
Moving Finger by Agatha Christie (29)
Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie (29)
The Chalet School at War by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (29)
The Chalet School Wins the Trick by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (29)
The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters (29)
Jane and the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (29)
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (29)
Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss (29)
Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter (29)
The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters (29)
The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer (29)
The Chalet School and Richenda by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (29)
What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge (28)
Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery (28)
April Lady by Georgette Heyer (28)
The Golden One by Elizabeth Peters (28)
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen (28)
Powder and Patch by Georgette Heyer (28)
The Growing Summer by Noel Streatfeild (28)
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear (28)
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle (28)
Wintle's Wonders by Noel Streatfeild (28)
The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters (28)
Trials for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (28)
The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston (28)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (28)
Mort by Terry Pratchett (28)
Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (28)
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith (28)
The Winter Garden Mystery by Carola Dunn (28)
The Toll-Gate by Georgette Heyer (28)
The Falcon at the Portal by Elizabeth Peters (27)
The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters (27)
The Ape Who Guards the Balance by Elizabeth Peters (27)
Gerry Goes to School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (27)
A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson (27)
Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith (27)
To Say Nothing of the Dog; or, How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last by Connie Willis (27)
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (27)
Visitors for the Chalet School by Helen McClelland (27)
Theodora and the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (27)
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett (27)
The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright (27)
Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart (27)
Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart (27)
Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield (27)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (27)
Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters (27)
A Dream of Sadler's Wells by Lorna Hill (27)
Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer (26)
An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer (26)
Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh (26)
The Spanish Bride by Georgette Heyer (26)
The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith (26)
Thornyhold by Mary Stewart (26)
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge (26)
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (26)
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. (26)
Party Frock by Noel Streatfeild (26)
The Wouldbegoods: Being the Further Adventures of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit (26)
The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith (26)
Children of the Storm by Elizabeth Peters (26)
Requiem for a Mezzo by Carola Dunn (26)
He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters (26)
Murder on the Flying Scotsman by Carola Dunn (26)
Damsel in Distress by Carola Dunn (26)
Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters (26)
Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (25)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman (25)
Spindle's End by Robin McKinley (25)
In the Teeth of the Evidence and other stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (25)
The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit (25)
Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos by Donna Andrews (25)
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson (25)
Madam, Will You Talk? by Mary Stewart (25)
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear (25)
The Circus is Coming by Noel Streatfeild (25)
Guardian of the Horizon by Elizabeth Peters (25)
Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews (25)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (25)
The Making of a Marchioness/The Methods of Lady Walderhurst by Frances Hodgson Burnett (25)
Aunt Dimity and the Duke by Nancy Atherton (25)
Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell (25)
Magic for Marigold by L.M. Montgomery (25)
1984 by George Orwell (25)
The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart (25)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin (25)
A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter (25)
The Moon-Spinners by Mary Stewart (25)
This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart (25)
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg (25)
The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie (24)
Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace (24)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (62)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (60)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (59)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (57)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) by J.K. Rowling (57)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (55)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (55)
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (54)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (53)
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (53)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (52)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (51)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (51)
Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery (51)
Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (51)
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (50)
Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery (50)
Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (47)
Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers (46)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (45)
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (45)
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild (44)
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (44)
Emily's Quest by L.M. Montgomery (44)
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (43)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (43)
The School at the Chalet by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (43)
Emma by Jane Austen (42)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (42)
Jo of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (41)
Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers (41)
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (40)
The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer (39)
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott (39)
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (39)
Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott (39)
By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder (39)
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer (39)
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (38)
Frederica by Georgette Heyer (38)
Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson (38)
Venetia by Georgette Heyer (38)
Heidi by Johanna Spyri (38)
Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer (37)
A Genius at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (37)
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (37)
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (37)
The Princess of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (37)
Rivals of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (37)
Cotillion by Georgette Heyer (36)
Eustacia Goes to the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (36)
False Colours by Georgette Heyer (36)
These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer (36)
Exploits of the Chalet Girls by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (36)
Carola Storms the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (36)
Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (36)
The Chalet Girls in Camp by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (36)
Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer (36)
The Coming of Age of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (36)
Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer (35)
The Chalet School in Exile by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (35)
Ruey Richardson at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (35)
The Head Girl of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (35)
Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer (35)
The Chalet School and the Island by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (35)
The New Mistress at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (35)
Autumn Term by Antonia Forest (35)
The Chalet School in the Oberland by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (35)
Bath Tangle by Georgette Heyer (34)
Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott (34)
Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer (34)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (34)
Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer (34)
The Wrong Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
The Feud in the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (34)
Two Sams at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
Bride Leads the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
Further Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (34)
Three Go to the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
Eight Cousins; Or, the Aunt-Hill by Louisa May Alcott (34)
The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer (34)
Althea Joins the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
The Chalet School and the Lintons by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
White Boots by Noel Streatfeild (34)
Tom Tackles the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (34)
The New House at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
Peggy of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
Excitements at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (34)
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie (33)
Challenge for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
Curtain Up by Noel Streatfeild (33)
The Chalet School Does It Again by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
The Foundling by Georgette Heyer (33)
Gay from China at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (33)
Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery (33)
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White (33)
Prefects of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (33)
Summer Term at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer (33)
A Problem for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer (33)
A Future Chalet School Girl by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
The Chalet School and Barbara by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (33)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (33)
Shocks for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (32)
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (32)
Watership Down by Richard Adams (32)
A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle (32)
The fellowship of the ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (32)
Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer (32)
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (32)
Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer (32)
Mrs. Tim of the Regiment by D. E. Stevenson (32)
The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer (32)
The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer (32)
The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery (32)
Adrienne and the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (32)
Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer (32)
The Chalet School Reunion by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (32)
Joey Goes to the Oberland by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (32)
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit (32)
The Golden Road by L.M. Montgomery (31)
Chalet School Triplets by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott (31)
Mary Lou at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
Arabella by Georgette Heyer (31)
Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie (31)
The Last Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters (31)
Miss Buncle Married by D. E. Stevenson (31)
Apple Bough by Noel Streatfeild (31)
Joey and Co. in Tirol by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters (31)
Nemesis by Agatha Christie (31)
Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery (31)
Lavender Leigh at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
A Chalet Girl from Kenya by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (31)
A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer (31)
Redheads at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer (31)
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (31)
Jo to the rescue by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (31)
The Painted Garden by Noel Streatfeild (31)
The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer (30)
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce (30)
A leader in the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (30)
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman (30)
Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters (30)
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (30)
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (29)
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (29)
Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith (29)
Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn (29)
Moving Finger by Agatha Christie (29)
Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie (29)
The Chalet School at War by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (29)
The Chalet School Wins the Trick by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (29)
The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters (29)
Jane and the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (29)
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (29)
Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss (29)
Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter (29)
The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters (29)
The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer (29)
The Chalet School and Richenda by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (29)
What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge (28)
Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery (28)
April Lady by Georgette Heyer (28)
The Golden One by Elizabeth Peters (28)
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen (28)
Powder and Patch by Georgette Heyer (28)
The Growing Summer by Noel Streatfeild (28)
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear (28)
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle (28)
Wintle's Wonders by Noel Streatfeild (28)
The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters (28)
Trials for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (28)
The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston (28)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (28)
Mort by Terry Pratchett (28)
Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (28)
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith (28)
The Winter Garden Mystery by Carola Dunn (28)
The Toll-Gate by Georgette Heyer (28)
The Falcon at the Portal by Elizabeth Peters (27)
The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters (27)
The Ape Who Guards the Balance by Elizabeth Peters (27)
Gerry Goes to School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (27)
A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson (27)
Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith (27)
To Say Nothing of the Dog; or, How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last by Connie Willis (27)
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (27)
Visitors for the Chalet School by Helen McClelland (27)
Theodora and the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (27)
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett (27)
The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright (27)
Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart (27)
Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart (27)
Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield (27)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (27)
Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters (27)
A Dream of Sadler's Wells by Lorna Hill (27)
Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer (26)
An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer (26)
Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh (26)
The Spanish Bride by Georgette Heyer (26)
The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith (26)
Thornyhold by Mary Stewart (26)
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge (26)
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (26)
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. (26)
Party Frock by Noel Streatfeild (26)
The Wouldbegoods: Being the Further Adventures of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit (26)
The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith (26)
Children of the Storm by Elizabeth Peters (26)
Requiem for a Mezzo by Carola Dunn (26)
He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters (26)
Murder on the Flying Scotsman by Carola Dunn (26)
Damsel in Distress by Carola Dunn (26)
Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters (26)
Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (25)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman (25)
Spindle's End by Robin McKinley (25)
In the Teeth of the Evidence and other stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (25)
The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit (25)
Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos by Donna Andrews (25)
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson (25)
Madam, Will You Talk? by Mary Stewart (25)
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear (25)
The Circus is Coming by Noel Streatfeild (25)
Guardian of the Horizon by Elizabeth Peters (25)
Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews (25)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (25)
The Making of a Marchioness/The Methods of Lady Walderhurst by Frances Hodgson Burnett (25)
Aunt Dimity and the Duke by Nancy Atherton (25)
Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell (25)
Magic for Marigold by L.M. Montgomery (25)
1984 by George Orwell (25)
The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart (25)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin (25)
A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter (25)
The Moon-Spinners by Mary Stewart (25)
This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart (25)
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg (25)
The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie (24)
Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace (24)
13prosfilaes
I think it very interesting that "777 And Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley" came to the top, because that's not Crowley's most common work; but perhaps it's the one that those deeply interested in Crowley all have. Certainly in the roleplaying groups, author name doesn't mean much.
14jjmcgaffey
Heh. The first non-fiction - the first non-SF book - is Elements of Style at number 24, for me. After that it gets more varied, with still quite a bit of SF (which, for me, means Speculative Fiction and includes both science fiction and fantasy), but also mystery, science, memoir, essays, nature...Still very heavy on the fiction, but that's reasonably accurate for my library, I think. Well, maybe a bit off - my fiction is about 70% (5000- out of 7000+ books), and the list is about 95% fiction. I think I agree with AndreasJ - my non-fiction is weirder, and thus less shared, than my fiction.
Oh, not quite right. There's also Pride and Prejudice at number 5 - still fiction, but not SF.
Oh, not quite right. There's also Pride and Prejudice at number 5 - still fiction, but not SF.
15Jarandel
The first commonest "fiction, non-speculative" book in my 100 similar libraries that I hold myself seems to be Foucault's Pendulum at rank 176, no non-fiction makes the 250 cut, so it's probably scarcer to begin with, and more scattered in choice of titles.
If I look at the top 1000 listed books whether I read/hold them or not, the first non-speculative book is still Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco at rank 341, then the Name of the Rose by the same at rank 534, and the first (and only, actually) non-fiction that shows its tail is Machiavelli's The Prince at rank 734 (23 holders).
This despite a bit more than 10% non-fiction in my own library.
If I look at the top 1000 listed books whether I read/hold them or not, the first non-speculative book is still Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco at rank 341, then the Name of the Rose by the same at rank 534, and the first (and only, actually) non-fiction that shows its tail is Machiavelli's The Prince at rank 734 (23 holders).
This despite a bit more than 10% non-fiction in my own library.
16lquilter
8 > Interesting that not a single woman author is listed. I wouldn't call that " a rather heavy slant on sf/f,"; I'd call it "a rather heavy slant on male-authors of sf/f"
My set is similarly SF based and starts off
1 The Left Hand of Darkness / Ursula K Le Guin
2 The Hobbit / J R R Tolkien
3 A Wizard of Earthsea / Ursula K Le Guin
4 The Dispossessed / Ursula K Le Guin
5 Neuromancer / William Gibson
6 Ammonite / Nicola Griffith
7 War for the Oaks / Emma Bull
8 The Golden Compass / Philip Pullman
9 Doomsday Book / Connie Willis
10 Dune / Frank Herbert
out of the first 10:
6 by women, 4 by men
4 unique women authors, 4 unique male authors
5 SF / 5 fantasy
4 that are tightly woven into series that show up shortly after
* 5 SF / 5 fantasy, if you count Dune as SF, which, not really.
Looking through the list further down it seems like for fiction -- at least for genre fiction -- it would make quite a significant difference if you count individual items in a series or not. Many -- most? -- people who read the first Earthsea, Golden Compass, Harry Potter -- will go on to read the others. *
* As to Dune -- someone here on LT once said in response to a query about how to read the Dune books: Read Dune. Then stop. Good advice, I thought. (-:
My set is similarly SF based and starts off
1 The Left Hand of Darkness / Ursula K Le Guin
2 The Hobbit / J R R Tolkien
3 A Wizard of Earthsea / Ursula K Le Guin
4 The Dispossessed / Ursula K Le Guin
5 Neuromancer / William Gibson
6 Ammonite / Nicola Griffith
7 War for the Oaks / Emma Bull
8 The Golden Compass / Philip Pullman
9 Doomsday Book / Connie Willis
10 Dune / Frank Herbert
out of the first 10:
6 by women, 4 by men
4 unique women authors, 4 unique male authors
5 SF / 5 fantasy
4 that are tightly woven into series that show up shortly after
* 5 SF / 5 fantasy, if you count Dune as SF, which, not really.
Looking through the list further down it seems like for fiction -- at least for genre fiction -- it would make quite a significant difference if you count individual items in a series or not. Many -- most? -- people who read the first Earthsea, Golden Compass, Harry Potter -- will go on to read the others. *
* As to Dune -- someone here on LT once said in response to a query about how to read the Dune books: Read Dune. Then stop. Good advice, I thought. (-:
