Whether a scandalous portrayal of the past or a foreboding premonition of the future, we look at some of the classic books every self-respecting gentleman should add to his personal library.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re reading a first edition, a tablet in the dark, or the Dilbert cartoon strip across your girlfriend’s lower back, reading is important. Reading inspires, it revitalizes, intrigues and intoxicates the imagination, building character and enriching the soul in the process – and who knows, you might learn a thing or two along the way. Here are a few classic titles every gent should be reading (or re-reading) this year.
The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J. D. Salinger
Having sold over 65 million copies over the last half-century, ‘Catcher’ is a must-read for lovers of controversy. Whether you read it at school or in the years that followed, Catcher in the Rye is a relatable coming-of-age tale and the often turbulent journey to adulthood.
The Count of Monte Cristo (1844) by Alexandre Dumas
The ultimate tale of betrayal and sweet revenge, this is one of the most endearing stories ever told. A man loses everything and is imprisoned, only to escape and make his fortune, which he then uses to destroy his enemies, with intended and unintended consequences on the guilty and innocent alike.
The Prince (1513) by Niccolo Machiavelli
A great tome for you Alfa males out there, The Prince argues the timeless debate of whether it is better to be feared or loved as a leader. Many of the concepts apply to our modern cut-throat lives today.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by Harper Lee
This simple, Pulitzer Prize-winning tale filled with exquisitely identifiable characters encircles the concepts of prejudice and racism in the US of the 1930s. Lacking a conventional climax, Lee seduces the reader with the seemingly innocuous stories of three young children as they navigate the turbulent politics of the era. Be sure you read it before you read the prequel, Go Set a Watchman, which was released by Lee in 2015.
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) by Ernest Hemingway
In this iconic war novel, Hemmingway puts down his rum long enough to explore the value of human life, the ugliness of war, and the inevitability of death, set against the Spanish Civil War.
Animal Farm (1945) by George Orwell
As telling today as it was more than half a century ago, Orwell’s dystopian novel deals with the corruption and naivety found in society and is a damning critique of totalitarian communism.
Lord of the Flies (1954) by William Golding
When a band of British schoolboys is shipwrecked on a remote island, they forge their own society, with fatal consequences that speak to the often-turbulent waters tread by today’s modern democracies.
Call of the Wild (1903) by Jack London
Another book you may have come across during those school years, this is a story of overcoming adversity, told through the eyes of Buck, a dog that endures life during the gold rush years of the Canadian Yukon.
Of Mice & Men (1937) by John Steinbeck
A tear-jerking story of two farm laborers in California during the Great Depression searching for the American Dream and sticking together despite the odds, few books have been as repeatedly challenged by sensors through the years.
Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) by George Orwell
A book that often seems more predictionary text than literary musing, Orwell’s 1984 is the birthplace of Big Brother (not the reality show!) and the notion of Thought Police, doublethink, Newspeak, and several other concepts that could easily be used to describe today’s political sphere.
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