If you could keep only one book you currently own, which would you choose?

The Devil's Mischief

i have a first edition of The Well of Loneliness that i would probably keep. I have so many others that i would like to keep but i guess that would be it.

The complete works of Plato

Dictionary. So I could write.

The OED

fooyun, romkey: you can find dictionaries online. Why do you need a paper copy?

I don't trust online dictionaries. They're not concise enough or all inclusive. They also give me synonyms when I'm asking for the definition of words. (At least the ones I've seen.)

The Bible

Even contemplating this makes me twitch. I'd probably keep my big book o' Shakespeare, but I wouldn't be happy with just it.

Either The Mural Project (Ansel Adams photography) or The Stand...

Miserably artificial question, but my answer
is the Bible.

War and Peace

I think I'd keep my "Collected Works of Shakespeare" that I received from my grandmother when I graduated 8th Grade. It's a beautiful book, the quality of which I have never seen again.

elijahblue: actually I want to keep the CDROM version of the OED, anyway. it's a lot more mobile.

the Bible.

Gah!!! Wow really have to think about this one..... It would probably be my complete works of Shakespeare. Great Survey!

I'm not a religious buff, but I'd hold onto the bible. It's a great bathroom reader.

'One Hundred And One Ways To Commit Suicide' after being told I can only have one book ;)

I love books, and collect them fairly avidly. I guess I'd either keep the biggest and best short story collection I have, or the most valuable or something. There's certainly no one book I value as being a prized possession - a good couple dozen fit that bill.

Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay.

i don't own a lot of books....i'd probably just borrow some from they

I couldn't. I'd go into a paroxysm of indecisiveness and have a stroke, thereby avoiding any choice whatsoever.

I'd pick the Bible too. Mostly because I've always meant to read it, and I finally would if there was nothing else to read. ...and I hear it's got lots of important stories in it.

Lord of the Flies

The ARRL Handbook for Radio Amateurs

At the moment, Here Comes the Guide, a very good guide to planning a wedding in the Bay Area.

Under more normal circumstances...I'd probably choose my dictionary. That has the most potential to be useful and provide hours of entertainment.

bill - Revelations is a real hoot

It used to be the Edward Albee play _Zoo Story_ . I would read that a couple times a month, and needed to own and carry around a copy. Before that it was Richard Brautigan's _Trout Fishing in America_. Currently I think it would be a book of Pablo Neruda poems- _Odes to Common Things._ This is not, necessarily the "best" book I own, but it is the one I am most likely to want on a moment's notice in the middle of the night when there are no libraries around.

elijahblue - also, I figure that any circumstances that would require me to have only a single book would likely mean I wouldn't have net access anymore

Oooooh thats so tough! Forever, not being able to see the others ever again? Either one of my really big reference books like a dictionary, thesaurus or encyclopedia or maybe even the Bible, though I haven't touched it in years. Shelley's Frankenstein or CS Lewises' The Four Loves I might also consider. Excellent question!

Solomons; organic chemistry, 6th ed.

The Little Prince.

OK...this is gonna sound really corny probably 'cause i'm 13 and someone told me everyone else here are adults and stuff, but that's ok. Anywho, I'd either keep "The complete Works of SHakespeare" or "Chicken soup for the Teenage soul" volumes 1-5. They have really good stories and make you feel a lot better about yourself...especially me, that i've considered the option of suicide many times.

A dictionary.

Bible

Tough question. It's not clear from the question whether I would still be able to read other books (on a borrowing basis). I'd probably pick a book from my childhood that is meaningful to me.

Probably a book than none of my friends own. Or, if the books I lose could be replaced, I would keep the copy of my graduation program (loose definition of book) that is autographed by Shimon Peres.

My two favourite books of all times are 'Watership Down' and 'Good Omens'. But I've read them both. A dozen times. So I choose the Riverside Shakespeare. I haven't read it all yet and it is an invaluable reference.

Refuge, by Terry Tempest Williams.

The Little Prince

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
"She was Lo plain Lo standing 4 foot 10 in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Delores on the dotted line.
But in my arms she was always Lolita."

dictionary

Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand.

To remind me of who I am and can be.

<insert obligatory Ayn Rand dig here>

I agree Michelle1, I would also choose Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. It was between that or my diary. But I think I would get bored reading about what happened to me over and over again.

I would choose "Chicken Soup for the Objectivist Soul"

What a wonderful and interesting question.
I have a library of several thousand books. I am an avid reader. If the question had been 'the most important book' or 'the most entertaining book' or 'the most interesting book' or 'the most informative book' or 'the most thought provoking' or 'the most helpful book' etc, then my answer would have been different.
I had to stand and ponder the shelves of my library. Finally it came down to an intuitive choice. My choice finally came down to the first book in Isaac Asimov's foundation trilogy 'Foundation'.

So I guess what I said above is not honest. I asked myself why did I choose this book. The answer is, I found it the most entertaining.

This fact reminds me of a sci-fi story I read eons ago.

It was a story about the only star voyage from Earth that had been successful. On their return the crew were interviewed. The captain was asked why he thought they were successful when all previous voyages had failed. He said he had no idea, however he went on to compliment how important everyone of his crew had been to the success of the mission bar one person. He said he really had no idea why the guy had been included in the crew, he was absolutely useless. The captain went on to give an example of the mans incompetence. Every time this guy stepped over the bulkhead to the flightdeck he never failed to trip over it, and the captain admitted it always brought a smile to his face and would shake his head in disbelief. The captain was unaware that the person he had disparaged was none other than the worlds most renowned psychologist.
I believe humour is the most human characteristic that makes us human.

I changed my mind -- not the Bible (I may not actually own a bible) -- I'd choose Metaphysical Fitness : The Complete 30 Day Plan for Your Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Health by David Harp & Dr. Nina Feldman. A book that teaches you to work meditation and meditative thought into your daily existence. I've tried twice to do it but each time failed. Still, I truly believe that daily meditation would make all parts of my life better.

Gotta be my dictionary. I've had it since '87, and it's always right by my bed, ready to a word up something up as soon as I get curious. I mostly read library books anyway, but I actually get frustrated if I'm somewhere away from my dictionary and can't look a word up as it occurs to me.

Michelle- Are you okay?? You've *really* considered suicide? Are you still thinking about it? Please tell me you're not. We love you, and if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. You're a wonderful, special girl, remember that. I'll probably talk to you in person, but you're not here right now, so I can't. There is so much you can and will do with your life, I just know it. Be happy, dear.

Now that's a nightmare. Unless, of course, I could give all the rest to a nearby friend and just happen to borrow them frequently :)

A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking. I read it when I was 12 and it had a huge impact on me.

MY BIBLE

how about "Objectivist Soup for the Chicken Soul"?

Sherry - glad to see you're sticking around--looked like you disappeared for a while there. I don't know if you're aware of this, but in general on the 'net, writing in all caps is read as shouting. If the caps are a choice and not a limitation of your system, you might want to turn them off.

At this point, I'd go with Infinite Jest

lion, oh no... not you too!

Come on, the Infinite Book is a pretty good choice. You can use it as a door stop, a coffee table, a lethal weapon...

None, I hate books they are stupid!

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, or probably the Bible. They're not just books, they're lifestyles!

Oh geez! How could I possibly choose?! I'd have to think about it for about a week...I'll get back to you...

All you folks that chose a dictionary...good choice. I guess that would have to be my choice, too, because it would drive me absolutely NUTS to not have one around. I look in it almost daily.

"The Penguins" by Tony D. Williams

"Little Women"--Louisa Mae Alcott--makes me feel warm on a cold winter's day. Also, "Bulfinch's Mythology"

The book my great aunts published of poetry.