Classics for Beginners discussion

Simon Mayo of BBC Radio 2 asked Ian Rankin what were his Desert Island books

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b080jpr6

What are yours? (You already get a Bible and a copy of Shakespeare.)

Mine are:

JANE EYRE, PRIDE & PREJUDICE, THE COLLECTED WORKS OF H.P. LOVECRAFT, THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS.

Nickolas Nickleby, Harry Potter, Vanity Fair and I would try and sneak all the Wallander books on the island as well.

Lolita, Moby Dick, Mother London, Atlas Shrugged, The Tale of Genji, The Name of the Rose, Winter's Tale and The Stand (1978).

And if I could find a copy of Hong Kong Phooey's Hong Kong Book of Kung-Fu, I'd snag one of those. It seems to have an answer for every possible scenario.

My unread tomes: Les Miserables, The Tale of Two Cities, and a collection of Charles Dickins.

Little Women, A Little Princess, and as many Elisabeth George Speare books as I could take

Thanks for BBC link! My husband is a big Ian Rankin fan, so happy to share this with him.

Crime & Punishment and The Neverending Story

Along with a pad of paper and a pen :D

I think I could be happy with Les Miserables, The Count of Monte Cristo, Anna Karenina, and the Harry Potter series :-)

Top 6:
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Chestry Oak
Jane Eyre
The Count of Monte Cristo
Knowing God
Stepping Heavenward
Bonus:
a Barsoom omnibus and
other collections of Burroughs' work

I would take - Pride and Prejudice, Lord of the Flies, To Kill A Mockingbird, Graham Greene's catholic novels (combined into one book), The People Speak, and The People's History of the United States.

The Count of Monte Cristo, Little Women, Froth on the Daydream, The Ladies' Paradise, The Three Kingdoms, Le pere Goriot and The Neverending Story.