I was thinking that most people here seem to be very well read and articulate. Since I am an avid reader I am always looking for interesting books to read, and sometimes an escape from the "How to" world seems just the ticket, I would love to know what books have had the largest influence on you. Of course, the Bible would be the greatest influence for any Christian, but I am interested in seeing what other books have had a large impact on you.

So I guess I will go first...and limit myself to 3!

1) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (all 5) 2) My Side of the Mountain 3) How to Build a Flying Saucer and other proposals in Speculative Engineering.

Thanks for playing!

-- Doreen (liberty546@hotmail.com), August 12, 2000

Answers

I've asked this question myself on another forum, and got lots of very interesting answers. My absolute favorites are "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand, IMHO far and away the best novel ever written.

-- Hannah Maria Holly (hannahholly@hotmail.com), August 12, 2000.

One of my favorites, at least for economic philosophy, is "In the Absence of the Sacred", by Jerry Mander, and another very interesting book is "The Geography of Nowhere", but I cannot recall the author.

-- snoozy (allen@oz.net), August 12, 2000.

1. Jefferson subtitled "Writings" published by the United States 2. All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulgham 3. The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), August 12, 2000.

Umm, well, in the big-headed category: "History of Western Philosophy", Betrand Russell; Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu. Otherwise, waaaay to many to list. I have enjoyed "Another Roadside Attraction", Tom Robbins, "Dancing Wu Li Masters", author escapes me right now...probably should go in big head category;.... "Lucifer's Hammer", Jerry Pournell, et al; and "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", again author escapes me now! Darn...senility creeps in. Oh yeah, not to forget "Tightwad Gazette", Amy Dacyczyn! Oh and my favorite: "A River Runs Through It" Norman McLean. (not as sappy as the film, although it was beautiful). Many more, just too dense to get a grip!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), August 12, 2000.

As long as I can remember, I have been a homesteader at heart. My grandparents were homesteaders. The books that influenced me most are:

"Singing Wheels" a second grade reader about pioneer life with a lot of step by step "how to" stuff in it.

"Cultivating and Harvesting Pharmaceuticals" published around the turn of the century. It belonged to my grandfather.

Anything written by Pat McManus, who taught me that no matter how bad things may be, we always need a good laugh!

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), August 12, 2000.

Well, after the bible there would be a couple of hundred but I'll go along with Doreen and just list 5 or 6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten and It was on fire when I lay down on it both by Robert Fulghum Having our Say and The Delany Sisters book of Everyday Wisdom both by Sarah and A.Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth The Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado All of the James Herriot books...especially the one titled Every Living Thing Oh well thats more than 6 so I'll stop. Its hard though because books are my worst weakness. Where some women buy clothes or shoes and hide them under the bed my addiction is books and sewing fabric. I only put this in writing because my dh cant work this machine and will never know where to look Blessings Peggy

-- Peggy (wclpc@cookeville.com), August 12, 2000.

"The Incredible Tide" by Alexander Key, it's out of print now and hard to find a copy, but well worth the time spent to find! A big lesson in surviving whatever may come your way.....

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), August 12, 2000.

Agree, Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead, the Seth Material by Jane Roberts, Small is beautiful by E OR B F Schumacher, Dune by Frank Herbert, Walden by HD Thoreau, Master of Solitude

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), August 12, 2000.

The one that influenced my life the most (after the Bible) is Classic Christianity by Bob George.

Just for the pure pleasure of escape: Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, anything by Agatha Christie and Louie Lamore.

-- Vaughn (vdcjm5@juno.com), August 12, 2000.

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank; Run-away Alice (childrens book) by ??, Born Free by Joy Adamson(?), Five Acres and Independance by I think MG Kains but I could be wrong, 1970's issues of TMEN, OG and of course, Countryside, Homecoming and Dicey's song (childrens) by Voight, anything by Gene Logsdon, Gone With the Wind, A Place Called Attar by Jd, Pat McManus' humor books and mag articles. Many of these books focus on family. For fiction - not that they've impacted me in a large way other than taking up considerable amounts of time - I like Janet Evanovich, Michael McGarrity, Tony Hillerman, Robert Crais, Robert B. Parker, Sue Grafton, JA Jance, John Sandford, Lawrence Sanders and Randy Wayne White.

Hey book and fabric lady - c'mon over! Always a pleasure to meet a fellow pack rat!!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), August 12, 2000.

After the BIBLE-The Hobbit,Atlas shrugged,A Fine and Pleasent Misery by Pat mcManus-but I still use hitch hikers guide to the galaxey as a reference book.latergater

-- Bill Baker (bloptoad123@cs.com), August 12, 2000.

As far as recent books that have influenced me, the Mitford series by Jan Karon. For pleasure, the Jean Auel books. And so many more... I am an avid reader too!

-- Mona (monalea@hotmail.com), August 12, 2000.

I was really hard pressed to name only 3.It was between "Flying Saucer" and "Anthem" by Ayn Rand for the number 3 position....figured there were a bunch of other Ayn Rand fans! This is fun, almost like little reviews after reading people's posts and stuff. Book stores are the only stores that can swallow 6 hours of my time.

-- Doreen (liberty546@hotmail.com), August 12, 2000.

Most anything by Loius L'Amour, but my all-time favorite is Comstock Lode. That Dark and Bloody River by Allan Eckart. And this summer I've read all of Joel Salatin's books: Salad Bar Beef, Pastured Poultry Profits, You Can Farm. I really enjoy his writing style. I wish I had more time to read, but once college football starts I get addicted to ESPN clear up until March Madness is over with. I'm almost considering seeking professional help because of it! LOL. GO CYCLONES!! By the way, what does "IMHO" mean?

-- dave (IA) (tidman@midiowa.net), August 12, 2000.

Jonathon Livingston Seagull

-- Tina (clia88@newmexico.com), August 12, 2000.

if we are really limited to 3 i guess you should not read my whole posting. living the good life by helen and scott nearing has to be near the top. i liked my side of the mountain to. any of james michener's books especialy the first parts right up until you end up in the present or i guess i should say the near past. just to prove to you i am from one thread "one pickle short of a full barrel" if i had not come to homesteading i would have ran away and joined the circus my favorite book on that was "the circus kings" by henry ringling north. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef123@hotmail.com), August 12, 2000.

Torah, Talmud, Shakespeare, and William Faulkner. "Sound and the Fury", "As I Lay Dying", "Light in August". Classic poetry, the writings of my father and grandmother, both of blessed memory.

-- Rachel (rldk@hotmail.com), August 13, 2000.

I don't know if I am the book and fabric lady, but I have more of both than anyone I know...so here goes. After the Bible--anything by C.S. Lewis--esp the Chronicles of Narnia, which have LOTS of lessons for everyday life. How Then Shall We Live? by Frances Shaffer, for philosophical reasons for why things happened in history. For lots of how-to questions, The Encyclopedia of Country Living, by Carla Emery. For my hobbies--Hands on Spinning, by Lee Raven, and Tidings From the 18th Century, by Beth Gilgun. That's just a start!

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), August 13, 2000.

My favorite book of all - Beautiful Joe, a kids book about a dog. The books that have most affected my life are Diet For a New America and May All Be Fed, both by John Robbins. Loved the first three by Jane Auel, and everything by James Harriot. Thanks for this subject, Doreen, I'm going to make a list for my next trip to the library. Great Idea!!

-- Cathy Horn (hrnofplnty@webtv.net), August 13, 2000.

My idea of a good time getting away from home is going to either the library or a book store. Tool store comes in second. Books that have been influential: Candide by Voltaire, Walden by Thoreau, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. These are books that made a difference in my outlook on the world. They changed the attitudes that I had.

-- chris engle (engle_c@yahoo.com), August 13, 2000.

STEPPING HEAVENWARD: by Elizabeth Prentiss -( I love this book ) . I laughed and cried through the whole thing. I counln't put it down. Have read it three times. It is such an inspirational book,it's written like a journal and starts on her 16th birthday and goes through her death. And THE HIDING PLACE: by Corrie Tenboom - I cried more than laughed and was VERY HUMBLED by this womans story. If you have ever whined about any injustice you think you have suffered. This book definately puts your inpositions into perspective.

-- Bonnie (Josabo1@juno.com), August 13, 2000.

If I were to be stranded on a desert island, and could only take three books... The Odyssy, the Bible, the third, I don't know, Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove", Carla Emery, "The Trumpet of the Swan" by E.B. White, I don't know I'd have a hard time picking out the third. There's way too many good books out there

-- (trigger@mcn.net), August 13, 2000.

P.S.....Rilke's "Love Poems to God", anything by Max Lucado, anything by Cathy Cash Spellman, anything by Connie May Fowler, especially "Before Women Had Wings" and "Jane Eyre"

-- (trigger@mcn.net), August 13, 2000.

I've been an avid reader since elementary school,when you could order scholastic books every month!I have a wide range of reading interest- I've read all Of Douglas Adams,Louis L'amour,James Herriot,Carlos Castenada,Tom Robbins,Stephen King,Dean Koontz,Tom Clancy,Clyde Edgington,Anne Rice,love how-to books....the list goes on and on.My most loved are probably my James Herriots.I was given the collection about 20 years ago in high school and still have them-tattered and well read!

-- nobrabbit (conlane@prodigy.net), August 13, 2000.

Off top of my head in non-fiction it would be the Henry David Thoreau's Journal (the complete one in 14 volumes), "Plowmans Folly" by Edward H. Faulkner, "The Egg and I" (Betty McDonald), and "The Tao of Pooh" (Benjamin Hoff)

For literature, "The Iliad" and "The Odessey" (Homer), "Beowolf", and "Catch 22" (Heller). Might also throw in the "Bhagavad Gita".

For fun fiction, any 'Bertie and Jeeves' story by PG Wodehouse, "The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito"(Earl Stanley Gardner), "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil"(Tolkein short story) and any of the Hercule Poirot mysteries (Christie). Also "Alice in Wonderland"(lewis carrol). Also "Innocents Abroad" and "Roughing It" by Samuel Clemens.

Gosh its hard to stop once you start thinking about various titles and authors.

-- Hermit John (ozarkhermit@pleasedontspamme.com), August 13, 2000.

I agree, Hermit John. But I know what my third choice would be.... The entire, complete 83 year anthology of Countryside Magazine!!! Anyone know where that's available? Steve???

-- (trigger@mcn.net), August 13, 2000.

The first four Foxfire books because they fill in the blanks in my memory of what my elders and betters tried to teach me when I was young. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry and The Egg and I by McDomald for entertainment. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegutt should be mandatory reading. Gives a whole different account of the "glories" of war and made me a lot more appreciative of those who have seen combat. Red Badge of Courage by Crane. Too many history books to count, much less mention here.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), August 13, 2000.

Can I go again? The Sotweed Factor, by John Barth...right up there as favorite fiction!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), August 13, 2000.

Hey, I want to ammend my second post!!!I read "Anthem" by Ayn Rand when I was 10 and just saw it the other day so I picked it up again. Last night I re-read it and I must say there were parts that I didn't remember and now I would leave it. The first part is good, but the secong part is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.....if I can repick a fourth, it would be the Encyclopaedia Brittanica circa 1920!

-- Doreen (libert546@hotmail.com), August 13, 2000.

drawing down the moon by margot adler, everything by carlos castanada & walden by henry david thoreau..for escaping reality...jean auel(is she ever going to publish that next book?) , larry niven, marion zimmer bradley, joan wolf..I'd better stop this list could go on and on and on..

-- diane (di_wtch@yahoo.com), August 13, 2000.

Herrman Hesse, Alan Watts, Kristnamurti, Bucky Fuller, John Muir. Wow wonderful thread Doreen!! I've got my pencil out ready to jot down and head for the library......Kirk.....

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), August 13, 2000.

any dog stories by albert payson terhune, save three lives by robert rodale,every thing I needed to know I learned In kindergarten by robert fulghum.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), August 13, 2000.

I can't begin to name a favorite but as far as being influenced, aside from the Bible, it would be John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath, man's inhumanity to man, I "had" to read it in high school & loved it, whenever I think about the uncertainty of the economy, or I'm stocking up from the garden I think about that book. I'm only 31 & have no idea what a real depression is like, I've never had to go without (yet). John Steinbeck gave me a feel & appreciation for what those people went through better than anyone could. I also had to read To Kill a Mockingbird, & loved it too. I'm thankful for that classical lit. class, I got hooked.

-- Lenore (archambo@winco.net), August 13, 2000.

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn puts the world in its proper perspective. It isn't for those who accept things by faith, but rather for the curious and those seeking workable solutions.

-- Jim (catchthesun@yahoo.com), August 13, 2000.

I forgot to mention John Steinbeck, loved all that I read by him. Carlos Castededa was good too, read most of them.

For pure escapism I really liked "Dunctenwood". It did for moles what watership down did for rabbits.

BTW< I think Jean Aeul died.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), August 13, 2000.

Hey, Trigger, Which Max Lucado book do you like best. I cant make up my mind they are real feel good books. Can you read them without kleenex? Not me. Since others have added to their list...anything by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Laura Ingalls Wilder and two books by Barbara Johnson, "Where does a mother go to resign" and Living somewhere between estrogen and death and the Complete works of Plutarch. I also like to read the dictionary. Weird I know

Peggy

-- Peggy (wclpc@cookeville.com), August 13, 2000.

After the Bible, my favorite authors and books are by Corrie Ten Boom, C.S.Lewis, and Tolkein.

-- Liz Rhein (merhein@shentel.net), August 13, 2000.

I am a confirmed biblophile. All of my children refuse to help me move bookshelves anymore. As for the one that has influenced me most it would have to be the writings of Henry David Thoreau. Also Simple Abundance bu Sarah Ban Breathnach. There are too many others.

-- Cheryl Cox (bramblecottage@hotmail.com), August 13, 2000.

I would have to list 3, 2books and 1 movie. Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (all 5 books of the inappropriatly named trilogy ) , Farmer in the Sky by Heinlein if I recall correctly, and the movie The Matrix (I dont believe we are batteries, however I could see some correlations between the movie plot and current established social standards )

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), August 14, 2000.

Hi Doreen, Aside from the Bible,hmmm...tough assignment!I love to read-grew up reading encyclopedias(for fun),my trusty Webster's(ditto),and anything related to horses(childhood fave:Black Beauty). Currently some of my favorites are:Jane Eyre,Pamela,Screwtape Letters, Little Women,etc.,etc.etc.I still enjoy flipping through my dictionary.The Biblical Basis For Modern Science by Henry M. Morris. I love to listen to and read Ravi Zacharias.(For those of you with an interest in philosophy,you will not come across a keener mind than his-furthermore,he isn't a bit BORING!)I love the original Winnie the Pooh series;what wit A.A.Milne had!We have most of my husband's great grandma's(101yrs. and still going)books.She was an avid reader (to say the least).Therefore,I have an abundance of great reading on hand,and I have taken advantage of the opportunity as much as I am able.I also enjoy reading Grace Livingston Hill,Janette Oke,Gilbert Morris.Finally,I love to read hymns!Their beauty thrills me... Well Goodnight All, God Bless, ~~~Tracy~~~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), August 15, 2000.

Wow, Doreen, we actually agree on something!! Hitchhiker's Guide rocks (I have all 5 in one omnibus book, which is actually funnier than the 5 seperate because it's bound with the contents upside down from the cover. At first I thought it was a publicity gag, but when I checked back at the store, all the other books were bound normally, so it must have been a binder's error. All I need is an autograph and I'll have a real collectors item, I guess,though I'd never get rid of it!) Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein) taught me that other people (at least one other, the author) thought the same way about community and family relationships as I did, plus a good read, as are all of his Future History series, especially Number of the Beast, about alternate universes and their possible origin. A book that actually changed my life at a young age was Scruples; although it's not hte type of book I would care for now, it did show a gawky country nerd-girl that swans can materialize out of ducklings, but not just fortuitously. Work and intent played a big role. It taught me that if I wanted to be beautiful, I could be, just by changing my attitude, and working with what I had, not against what I didn't have. Very enlightening for someone whose Mother doesn't shave her legs or bother to match her clothes (that's cool, it's her thing - just not mine) I read soooo much, so rather than narrow it down I'll just say that there have not been many books that didn't change my life for the better, if only by providing me with entertainment, knowlege, experiences outside my ability to achieve personally, and even (as a child) a way to take my body off-line for the hours between the last (skimpy) meal and bedtime when times were hard and food was scarce. If not for books, I would've probably gone nuts.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), August 15, 2000.

Early influence - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Pirsig.

Mind Blowing - The Tao of Physics by Capra. Blasts every idea you have of a "fixed universe" and makes sense.

Great Picture Book - Corridors of Time: 1,700,000 Years of Earth at Grand Canyon by Redfern. Breathtaking photographic panoramas of the Big Ditch and the geology behind it.

(:raig

-- Craig Miller (CMiller@ssd.com), August 15, 2000.

Craig, thanks for the Pirsig reference, I couldn't remember his name! And you have certainly touched on two of my favorite subjects. I will check 'em out. Thanks!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), August 15, 2000.

Unless 2 died in the last two weeks, jean auel is alive and well, saw her on a live tv show about two weeks ago, although a rumor to that effect did circulate around the net awhile back !

-- diane (di_wtch@yahoo.com), August 15, 2000.

The Scriptures,( as a child, my favorite books were Leviticus and Deuteronomy!), Bambi, by Felix Salten, old TMEN magazines, Diet for a Small Planet, Francis Moore Lappe, Partner of Nature, Luther Burbank, Dairy Goat Judging Techniques, Harvey Considine, How to run a traditional Jewish household, (can't remember the author). Also like all the Pearl S. Buck books I've read so far. My mother had an excellent collection of rabbinical stories,they were very mystical, Kabbalic stories,wish I could find that book!!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), August 15, 2000.

Tracy, I agree with you about Ravi Zacharius, I can even understand him. My favorite book from the past is A Latern In Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich, which was nothing like the movie they made about it a few years ago. Otherwise the book of Proverbs.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), August 15, 2000.

Howdy from NM. Have to get in on this. The most influential book in the spiritual plane would have been/is "The Nature of Personal Reality" by Jane Roberts. Changed everything.

The most fun, in a macabre sort of way: "Aztec" by Gary Jennings... and, if you're ready for more when you finish that, the exact same story only set in Marco Polo's day, "The Journeyer", same author. Fun and fantasy: "The Crystal Cave", Mary Stewart.

Most influential on my homesteader's leanings, of course is COUNTRYSIDE. I find I go back and re-read old issues over and over, mark pages, make notes. As it should be! As TMEN went glossy and useless, one could never throw away "The Mother Earth News Almanac" and "The Have More Plan". I refer to them again and again.

-- debra haden (dhaden@nmtr.unm.edu), August 17, 2000.

Oh, wow, another Gary Jennings fan - I do believe I'd read a telephone book if he penned it.... and several other books mentioned here. Jane Austin anything, all of Willie the Shake's writing (can't you just hear all my old English professsors having a fit that I'd have the audacity to refer to THE BARD as such??), "The Last of the Saddletramps" written by a forgotten author & about an older lady who took off across the country when she was forced out of her family farm. She up & packed everything on a horse left over from summercamp & just headed across the country, destination: warmer than New England. Pictures of the journey showed the horse starting out scrawny & looking better & better as time/journey went by. Ditto her. Reminded me that you can do anything, if you really need to. Other books? I'm a Kipling fan - he makes you taste the dust in the air on the Grand Trunk Road. My father had the biggest 2nd hand bookstore in the Midwest, so picking a few would be hard, so I'll end it here. AND, of course, my 5 or 6 favorite cookbooks!!!!!!!!!

-- k-k-k-katie (yarnspinnerkt@hotmail.com), August 18, 2000.

Wow, you ARE an eclectic crew! For what its worth, the one book that made me start Countryside (and keep it going through thick and thin for 30 years) was Thoreaus Walden. (I still recall my high school English teachers astonishment at my fascination with this [unassigned] book in the 1950s---which is pretty close to what a lot of people think about homesteading and simple living today.) #2 was probably M. G. Kains Five Acres and Independence. Already rare in the 50s, but what a revelation! (AND inspiration.) After that, its a toss-up between Faulkners Plowwmans Folly, any of the Malabar Farm books, and a few others. As for the Bible, which so many have mentioned I dunno. Did I become a monk (for awhile) because of Thoreau, or did I love Thoreau because I was a monk? Whatever, it all fits into my homestead philosophy.

-- jd (belanger@tds.net), August 18, 2000.

I know Jean Auel and she is very much alive and well. She is working on the next books, doing 2 at one time, which is why it is taking so long.

-- Lenette (kigervixen@webtv.net), November 28, 2000.

Ditto John on the Dune series.Also like Greg Bear's Songs of Earth & Power.And Terry Brook's Running with the Demon series.And Barbara Kingsolver's books

Ditto Kirk on Hesse & Muir.Ditto Katie & Last of the Saddle Tramps,author Mesannie Wilkins

When Bad Things Happen to Good People helped me get thru a hard time

I will definitely have to read some of the ones posted.Thanks for a winters read book list!

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), November 29, 2000.

I have to say that TODAY's list would be:

"Winter's Tale" and "A Soldier of the Great War" by Mark Helprin (novels)

"The Monkeywrench Gang" by Edward Abbey (novel)

"Dream of A Common Language" by Adrienne Rich (poems)

"Naturalist" and "Web of Life" by EO Wilson (nonfiction)

All of MFK Fisher's books (nonfiction)

"Bronx Primitive" Etchings in the Hourglass" "A Wider World" memoirs by Kate Simon

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), November 29, 2000.

Sorry, "Web of Life" is by Fritjof Capra.

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), November 29, 2000.

The Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks The Dragon Riders of Pern (Actually the whole series) by Anne McCaffrey The Dragon Prince and Dragon Star series by Melanie Rawn Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks This is a good start for some good reading.

-- Nick (wildheart@ekyol.com), November 29, 2000.

Okay, here's my 'get it & go' library.

Zen and Japanese Culture - D T Suzuki

The Geography of Nowhere - Wes Jackson

The Portable World Bible - Robert Ballou, editor

Autumn Lightning - Dave Lowry

The Contrary Farmer - Gene Logsdon

jd

-- j (jw_hsv@yahoo.com), November 29, 2000.

Other than the Bible I would have to say "The Good Earth" by Pearl Buck. I really loved her books as a young person and still do. It colored how I look at the land. "The Diary of Anne Frank", "The Contrary Farmer", and "Living the Good Life" were also big on influence. I am glad this one got brought back because I have just gotten a list to read this winter.

-- Diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), November 29, 2000.

Clan of the Cave Bear!!!!!!!!!!! Mammoth Hunters!!!!!!!!!!! Secrets From a Stargazer's Notebook!!!!!!!!!!!

-- me (thehomestead@canada.com), February 15, 2002.

Works that have philosophically influenced me? Hmm, I'd have to say: The collected works of Robert Anson Heinlein
Dune by Frank Herbert
Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Alas Babylon by Pat Frank
The Mad Scientist's Club by Betrand Brinley, a childhood favorite that I still have
Ruth Stout's No Work Garden Book by Ruth Stout
The Foxfire books
The Mother Earth News up until about the mid-eighties when the Shuttleworths sold the magazine to those nitwits
Survive the best survival magazine of the eighties
American Survival Guide the second best survival magazine until the late eighties or so
Blend them all together with an upbringing derived of traditional Deep South and living near to Cape Canaveral during the haydays of the Space Program and you'll get something approximating Alan.
.........Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), February 15, 2002.

Should know better than to try HTML with a two year old running around screaming behind me!

......Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), February 15, 2002.

"The Body Book" and "The Secret Garden" by David Bodanis. Cool perspectives....whoooda thought???

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), February 16, 2002.

All the books written by Rita Mae Brown...VERY entertaining and changed my attitudes toward my fellow man...made me a lot more tolerant of others

-- (11022033@canada.com), February 19, 2002.