OK!

Carol wrote: "My computer went crazy when I tried to do this. So, I have voted twice. The first one is the Bible on my "real" list. "

I think this is one of the few lists that I didn't add any books but going to check yours out. This is a good list.

The bible isn't the most influential book ever!

Mukesh wrote: "The bible isn't the most influential book ever!"


What is?

The use of the word ever is what is causing the problem - ever is infinite
Also, the level of influence will be determined by the demographic of the survey population and the survey is opinion, if an individual who "reads" the survey doesn't agree with the survey response, say so once share your opinion and then shutup.
Everyone has an opinion and it probably does not agree completely with yours, accept it and move on.

I agree

Your list is so limited. I could add just a few: The Wealth of Nations: Adam Smith, The Spirit of Laws: de Montesquieu, Analects of Confuscius, Rights of Man, Politics and Poetics: Aristotle, The Republic: Plato, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History: A.T. Mahan...the list goes on and on. Why did you stop where you did?

Donna wrote: "Your list is so limited. I could add just a few: The Wealth of Nations: Adam Smith, The Spirit of Laws: de Montesquieu, Analects of Confuscius, Rights of Man, Politics and Poetics: Aristotle, The ..."

Wealth of Nations is on the list already, as is Plato's Republic, and Aristotle's Poetics.

Thank you for pointing it out.

I love that Harry Potter is on this list!

Well, I'm fond of a few modern pieces of literature to be sure! This isn't an exhaustive list of the books I've read. The list now runs into the hundreds of thousands of books. People write for all kinds of reasons--but mostly to tell a good story...me included!

My least predictable choice is Statistical Methods for Research Workers by R.A. Fisher, but it is an extremely important book in the methodology of twentieth century science. It's the book that either directly or indirectly taught most non-math-jock scientists how to evaluate their experiments, at least according to The Lady Tasting Tea by David Salsburg, a history of statistics.

Whether you believe in them or not, the Bible and the Koran are two of the most influential books ever. if you know much about history you can see all of the wars fought over them, and those are just the tip of the influence iceberg. This is a great list. I didn't add much that wasn't already on there.

About Harry Potter: I don't know about that one. Certainly it has been influential in recent years as it has brought reading back to the Nintendo generation, but influential in the way that these others are in actually shaping a culture? Eh.

Harry Potter: it's hard to say that something that so many people have read hasn't been influential. It's easy to question whether it belongs in the top one hundred.

If HP follows the example of The Lord of the Rings and becomes as embedded in our culture as firmly as King Arthur, it might be possible to declare it to be in the top one thousand.

I can see that. Maybe in the top one thousand. I would even say perhaps top one hundred in the century, two hundred for sure.

Who the hell voted the Koran?

Gglast wrote: "Who the hell voted the Koran?"

108 people as of this writing. Don't you think the Koran has been extremely influential?

On what and how?
Amount is not quality, and it does not point on influence of future writing.

The question didn't ask for quality; it asked for influence. Raw numbers of people matter. Islam is the religion of over a billion persons, and given birthrates and migratory patterns, it's spreading.

here's my (short) list of books which have had the greatest impact and influence (positive or negative) on our world's cultures and civilizations until the 21th century

So many books, so much influence - in my world+ - Western, European - The Bible is the most influential book at least for the last 1500 years. The Koran has increasing influence. But many books are not in the list. IE - a Wrinkle in Time - almost any woman of thought will list this in her top ten.

You know, I'm going to have to agree with The Bible, The Koran, and The Origin of the Species being the top 3. I may not like the fact that the Bible and Koran have gained this much influence, but it's very clear that they influence everyday life in more ways than just about any other books. Look at every war being fought right now, and tell me that those two holy books are not at least tangentially involved in them. Look at the American political and legal system, and tell me that Christianity has not infiltrated it to the highest levels (sadly for those of us ho are non-Christian). The same can be said for The Koran and the Middle East and Northern Africa. Those two books govern, for good or for bad, the lives and deaths of millions.

And as for the Origin of the Species, well, all I need to say is that evolution is the foundation of modern Biology. Taking evolution out of biology undermines everything, from the classification system on down. That, to me, is a pretty influential book.

To Kill a Mockingbird has been influential for the last fifty years. There are other books that have been influential world wide for centuries or even millennia. Getting a book into the top thousand most influential in history is a great achievement.

Frankenstein? Really?
Who thinks the novel Frankenstein is more influential than any other book on the list (except maybe Old Man and the Sea)?