Listmania!
books to learn from and live by
Natural History (Penguin Classics)Natural History (Penguin Classics) by The Elder Plinny
Buy new: £9.09 / Used from: £8.11
A real eye-opener, despite varied accuracy, Easy to read and full of memorable anecdotes
The Art of Rhetoric: Art of Rhetoric (Classics)The Art of Rhetoric: Art of Rhetoric (Classics) by Aristotle
Buy new: £6.49 / Used from: £5.35
a good practical and theoretical book on public speaking
The Name of the Rose (Vintage Classics)The Name of the Rose (Vintage Classics) by Umberto Eco
Buy new: £5.59 / Used from: £2.08
A novel guaranteed to raise your IQ substantially. Just don't let the latin put you off
The Age of Alexander: Nine Greek Lives (Classics)The Age of Alexander: Nine Greek Lives (Classics) by Plutarch
Buy new: £7.69 / Used from: £2.43
You could do worse to get ahead in life than read these biographies.
The Republic (Penguin Classics)The Republic (Penguin Classics) by Plato
Buy used from: £2.79
gets you interested in issues you never knew about.
The Politics (Classics)The Politics (Classics) by Aristotle
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £1.43
practical in some respects, (especially the chapters on education) just interesting in others. a good follow on from Plato
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: v. 1 (Penguin Classics)The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: v. 1 (Penguin Classics) by Edward Gibbon
Buy new: £14.00 / Used from: £8.00
dense, but detailed and very critical-everything a good history should be.
Early Socratic Dialogues (Penguin Classics)Early Socratic Dialogues (Penguin Classics) by Plato
Buy new: £7.69 / Used from: £4.29
field guide to critical thought and vital to anybody who doesn't take things at face value.