I select titles for the Dewey 00's at the library, and when I saw 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die, by James Mustich (Workman), I knew I had to have it for our collection. It's a door-stopper at 960 pages and there are already multiple holds on the book at the library (which will allow us to purchase another copy)! For the most part, the author has listed the books in alphabetical order, by author, and there are a wide variety of historical authors as well as more contemporary ones, e.g. Douglas Adams, Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Asimov, and Austen, just to mention a few from the "A's." There are about an equal number of titles of fiction and non-fiction listed. I did not, of course, read the entire book, but browsed through it, and I believe this is the intent. One can take a look to see what books have already been read, then find new, different and unusual books and authors to expand one's breadth of knowledge and interest. The book tends to skew toward more classic titles, which were, in large part, written by white male authors due to the era in which they were written, and I can see this book appealing to the Boomer generation more than the current one; but if you are looking for a well-curated list of books that will provide you with a lifetime challenge to become extremely well-read, this book is for you. I think it will have huge appeal to readers and bibliophiles everywhere!

This fantastic collection has ample material for readers of any type to argue over for decades to come, and will set them on a journey of reading discovery that will surely enrich their lives. It is inherently browsable, since the books are listed in alphabetical order, but I imagine that many who pick up the book will turn to the index to find their own beloved favorites. The essays accompanying each title are engaging and each includes source notes and suggestions for further reading. I look forward to adding to my own personal reading list!

As if I didn't have enough trouble keeping my TBR pile under control as it is, now this book comes along and recommends even more titles?! It's not that I haven't read any of the books the author discusses, it is the sheer number of others that he offers like a bibliophile's buffet. Mustich has covered a wide range of genres, age and reading levels, time periods, and cultures. Entries range from Aristotle to Vonnegut, bedtime stories such as Goodnight Moon to horror like Dracula, and adventures like Homer's Iliad or Ender's Game.

The entry for a book might include a synopsis, a brief description of the authors' life, the social climate at the time of publication, or other relevant facts. Endnotes also point out other titles by the same author, books for further information about each subject, adaptations of the work, any awards it won, and read-alikes by other authors. It's like having an "if you like that, then try this" feature on steroids.

Quotes from critics or other authors underscore the sort of reactions a book inspires in its readers, although Mustich does a wonderful job of expressing his own opinions. He says this about Roald Dahl, for instance, "Standing out among his storytelling treats is Matilda, whose superheroine is heroic - and triumphant - first and foremost because she reads." Along with the written entries there are also images of authors, book covers, teaser posters for movie adaptations, historical photos, and reproductions of iconic illustrations.

Booknote sidebars cover related titles, while More to Explore sections group books with similar themes (even other books about books). Back matter includes a general index of the books and authors mentioned, and "A Miscellany of Special Lists" has curated groupings of titles based on subject, style, or audience. The explanation of the book's organization explains all these features as well as letting readers know that over 3,000 authors and 6,000 additional books are mentioned besides the main entries. (So does that make it 7,000 books to read before you die?) The companion website has books indexed by chronology and genre.

No matter what sort of reader you are - constant, binge, persnickety, omnivorous - you will find more useful information than you are likely to have the time to implement. I suggest investing in some highlighters or sticky tabs if you purchase a print version, or be prepared to bookmark your e-book edition like crazy. You won't want to forget any of the entries or other details that catch your interest.

Highly recommended for YA and up - or as a reference for school librarians and teachers to help steer students to titles that suit their tastes.

This text is a true delight to explore! The endnotes alone provide a wealth of knowledge, but the essays are the real stars here. You can tell that Mustich and his fellow writers are deeply affected by every book they read, and find it important to share truly great works so that everyone can enjoy them.

This volume is made up of both fiction and non-fiction titles, many of which I have never heard of, which is wonderful. It also contains a "Miscellany of Special Lists" section which categorizes the 1,000 books into thematic lists, perfect for creating bibliographies/booklists!

Thank you to Workman Publishing Company, James Mustich, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a superb collection of books! I am not even sure if I can read it all within my lifetime. This book has the right mixture of non-fiction and fiction works covering different genre and topics. Each book description is well thought of. The best thing about this book is its illustration and how easy it is to go back to the book you may want to pick up at some point.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for making my access to this book possible.

Thank you to NetGalley and James Mustich for allowing me to read and review 1000 Books to Read Before You Die. I love this book! I read A LOT, but I haven't even put a dent in this list. I'm looking forward to tackling my new (massive!) tbr pile. I appreciate all of the information about the included books and authors. This is a very cool resource, and I wish it was a giant poster that I could check off as I make my way through it.

A great list of all different genres of books to read. As an avid reader, I'm always looking for new suggestions. The titles are listed alphabetically by the author's last name. I like that it contains newer titles and not just "classics".

I found this to be a perfectly serviceable list, and the descriptions of each book were just fine. This would be a good title to give to a college-bound student, perhaps, or to anyone who is an avid reader.

Because of the protected pdf format, I had a little trouble reading it, and then it disappeared from my device, so I may not have given it a fair chance and I can't currently refer to it to give specifics.

Who doesn't love a book about books? A fabulous tome for bibliophiles, librarians, teachers, booksellers, and book enthusiasts. While I may not have read every page, I enjoyed browsing through Mutich's suggestions. From The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to Jane Austen, this book has a suggestion to fit your needs. Brief biographies, historical anecdotes, photos, and art reproductions are scattered amongst the hollowed pages of literary legacies. The ultimate coffee table book for book lovers, this book will be a charming Christmas gift for your literary friends.

This is a book that any book lover will love! Though one can always quibble about what was included and what was not, James Mustich does a fine job of picking writings from all genres from ancient times to present day.

I especially like that he gives an explanation as to why he considers the book significant, a synopsis of the book, followed by What (the genre), When (the year published) Also by (other books by the author) Try (a similar book by a different author) and sometimes additional notes. Who could ask for more?

It was interesting to look at the index to see what books he chose and which of them I had read. Of course, I looked for my personal favorites; some were included, others not.


I am very appreciative of NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for allowing me to read an ARC of this wonderful book in exchange for an unbiased review. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

This is a more diverse list of books, but I have heard of most of them, read some and the ones I was interested in are already on my want to read list.

This is a great book in more ways than one. As it takes 57.99MB of space it is probably wisest to buy it as a printed book. The other way in which it is great is the variety of books it covers. I won't list them all but from childhood favourites to adult reads, fact and fiction roughly 50% of each, classics and new reads, almost 6000 books are actually listed.
I will probably end up with my own copy of this book and heartily recommend it to all. Whether you want to see if it mentions your favourite read, find others like it or are bored and looking for something a bit different this is the book for you.
I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley and this is my voluntary review.

Sorry, unable to review as a digital edition.
Too difficult to use in this format. Would love to see this in print format.

I found this to be an interesting LONG list of books.

The author has been working on this list a long time. I’ll be honest; I didn’t actually read the entire book. I have a Nook Glowlight, so PDF documents do not work well and are difficult to read on a Nook. Therefore, I flipped through, which was great fun. Some books I had never heard of, some I had had on a list for years, some I groaned over because I found them painful to read when I read them, and some made me smile because I loved them. What makes the list so great is its diversity. There are old books, new books, YA books, children’s books, memoirs, non-fiction, and poetry. I’m sure I’m missing some genres!

Each book has a really thorough entry. There’s a summary and other books by the author as well as read alikes. The beginning lists how many books are actually listed in the entire book and it’s well over 1000 books, which can be stressful. With the Great American Read and this book, I feel like there’s no time to read so many great books. I do plan on ordering this book for our faculty because reading is huge at our school and they’ll use this list.

It's rare to find such an extensive, comprehensive, and well-organized text that essentially serves as a "reader's advisory 101" guide. In truth, I was rather overwhelmed by the list of titles present within <i>1,000 Books to Read Before You Die</i>. However, the gathered information would prove quite helpful, especially to librarians and library paraprofessionals. I find it also very useful that the author goes into discussion on writers as well as the books and includes special lists of titles at the end of the text. I'd highly recommend this as a ready reference title in any public or academic library.

A wonderful collection with just enough information on each book to make you want to read it without giving away too much information. I will definitely be reading many of the books on the list!

This was a great list. Now I just have to have the time to read them all. There were some expected books like Jane Austen and some surprises.

What a fascinating collection of books, listed alphabetically by authors last name. Of course I was curious to see how many I’ve read, or how many are on my to-be-read list. I lost track of both, but I loved seeing some impressionable (to me, anyway) books on this list.

Just today I gave a talk to my students about how many books we can expect to read in our lifetimes. I based a guesstimate on one per week, or an average of 50 a year. At that rate it would take 20 years to complete this list of 1000; a sobering concept which my 3rd and 4th graders were able to grasp today.

What I really liked about this book are the detailed annotations of each story, along with tidbits of information on the authors, as well. This is not a book to pick up and read cover to cover, but it is a detailed look at some truly classic, worthy literature available and waiting to be read.

I'm a sucker for these books. I guess I'm just a sucker for lists in general, but this one is especially good. My colleague and I happily devoured and dissected the list, and I fall woefully short in completion. It is unique enough to be different from most other "best books" lists. You will literary fiction, genre fiction, children's literature, nonfiction, drama, poetry, graphic novels, and so on. For once, this really does feel like a book list for any reader. Get this book and be prepared to need a lot more time to read.

This isn't really the kind of book you "read", but I definitely approached it that way. The suggested titles are quite beautifully annotated and the further reading/context for the titles is much appreciated. As the author acknowledges, there is no way a tomb like this is going to make everyone happy - and that does include me, as I wish there were more attention to comics and non-Western voices, though they certainly do appear sporadically. Despite that, I will absolutely be picking up a copy of the physical book for 3 reasons: 1) it is valuable RA tool, 2) so many of the selections are outside the modern discussion, it'll be amazing for collection development, as well as display creation, and 3) because I am a huge dork who loves these kinds of things. If any of those 3 reasons speak to you, I'd pick this up. And it isn't just valuable for library-related RA/programming either - booksellers should find great value here as well.

(I am giving this a 5-star rating because I'm required to provide a rating through NetGalley - but I rather think starred ratings miss the mark for titles like this.)

I received a review copy of this in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.