An art which must be acquired if one is to advance himself or herself, no matter the area of pursuit, is to make a list of the best reading material on the subject. Knowing how to read is fundamental, but knowing what to read is just as essential. "Education has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading" . No matter the subject, then, the first question, always is -- What shall I read?



The best books are sprinkled in the same number over a given span of time: the longer the span, the longer the list. Thus, while a list of the best books will contain ones written from all ages, the majority, naturally enough, will come from that long span of time which precedes the current age. One definition of a classic book is that it is one that has survived the age in which it was written; that its words of advice and direction are applicable to all ages; it is a book that has surfaced from an older age to a newer age, kept afloat, so to speak, by the readers of all ages. It follows, then, that no book written in the current age can bear the badge, classic; it must wait until a new age has arrived when likely its author has long been dead. Certainly, however, one will be able to spot, within the current age, leading candidates or contenders.