h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I would say I don't know
one that sticks out is I, houdini, a book about a hamster, other than that a collection of science fiction and fantasy stories

I think you have to go a long way to beat heinlein's stranger in a strange land. however, it is rather hard to pick one when your sci-fi and fantasy section has over 2,000 books in it.

Dante's Divine Comedia. By far the best religious and political commentary of all time, close behind a CLockwork Orange

I can´t pick just one, that would be too hard...

But one of my all time favorite books is Star Trek TNG: Imzadi by Peter David... That is one great book

Always a challenge to choose... love 'Small Gods' by Terry Pratchett, 'The Way we Live Now' by Anthony Trollope, 'The Right Stuff' by Tom Wolfe... to select three books and three genres at random.

History Of the World on Ten and a Half Chapters by Julian Barnes. Definately. If you haven't read it, read it. Flauberts Parrot by the same guy is also pretty good.

history of the world *IN* ten and a half chapters *excuseme*

catch 22 ... now there's a book

Catch 22 - Reading it just now! Bought it for an American friend of mine who had never read it. ('Too much like literature' - that's what happens when you teach books in schools).

And you are right - there *is* a book. How many other people have added to the language like that.

*goes off to post a question in Ask the H2G2 Community...*

agcB

Damn strait catch 22 is a fantastic novel. some other books that which fancy my mind include, Zen and the art of motercycle matanence, one flew over the cookoos nest by keasy, the electric kool aid acid test by wolf, on the road and darma bums by karoack, most any thing by Tom Robbins but most noteably even cow girls get the blues, the enders game series by orson scot card for you sciencefiction folk, most any thing by vonaget most noteably breakfast of champions and slaghter house five, lots more are good like stepin wolf and sidartha by hessie, the stranger, foust's play wateing for gadou, sarte's plays no exit and the flys, and many more of the like. i obviously dont think you can name a book to be a best book for all literature gives you a diferent experience and who is to say that one experience is any grater than another, though one can find one more pleasureable, and these were books that brought me great pleasure.
currntly im reading a portate of an artist as a young man by joice and im haveing trouble geting in to it at all if you have any help in the matter due post it.
PS: please excuse the poor pen man ship, i was in a hurry, and also i can't spell for beans. sorry.
have a nice day
-lord john-
-PixelKing-

crud, i compleately failed to mention fear and loathing in las vagas and all the other writeings of the great hunter tompson, also A clock work ornge is good, also the don quehotie sieries was very good. again spelling defeates me.
-lord john-
-pixelking-

i also liked the dark is riseing and the book of three and the hobbit/rings seires when i read them in 5-6 grade. but they were grate and brought me joy and still do in memorance, read them any way if your board.

oh and the h2g2 seiries and the dirk gentlys holistic detective agency set were greate too, thanx doug.
-lord john-
-pixelking-

Do androids dream of electric sheep. The book blade runner was based on. A great book

lord of the flies....i know its lame but it was the first book i ever really enjoyed...when i was young my older sister read alot so i made a point of refusing to read....and now at eighteen I have to make three car journeys everytime I move house in order to move my books....all because of daniel defoe....i supose its not the BEST book but its my most memorable....if it wasnt for L.O.T.F. I would never have read the guide books which my dad had been plying me with for years....

Childhood's End ~ Arthur C Clarke.

The Stonor Eagles ~ William Horwood

Slaughterhouse 5 ~ Kurt Vonnegutt

Lord Of The Rings ~ J.R.R.Tolkien

There's no way a dude could choose just one!

"Crime and Punishment" (Fyodor Dostoevskii) - absolutely, stunningly brilliant.

Favourite sci-fi: Dune (Frank Herbert) and the Foundation series (Isaac Asimov).

Anouther dune fan!

It was not so long ago I first read lord of the rings but it was good

just so stories- Kipling

nearly everything by Alistair Maclean

just so stories- Kipling

nearly everything by Alistair Maclean

Probably my fave ever book would be:
"Running From Safety" by Richard Bach. In fact all his books are great.

Also I highly recommend:
"The Alchemist" Paolo Coelho (philosophical fiction)
"Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" Susan Jeffers (self-help)
"Playing Tennis with the Moldovans" Tony Hawks (comedy)
"The Bourne Identity" Robert Ludlam (thriller)
"Inner Tennis" W. Timothy Gallwey (sports psych)
"Hyperspace - A Scientific Odyssey" Michio Kaku (quantum physics made easy)
"Through The Net" Simon Golding (volleyball autobiography)

How's that to get you started ....

BBS