The Well-Rounded Geekshelf - Thirteen Books

So what's on your bookshelf? Do you have books on your bookshelf? Of course you do! Geeks love books. Books of all kinds. We're a big reason why literacy is still alive in this country. Even so, there are some books which belong on every well-rounded geek's bookshelf.

Note that when I say "well-rounded" I am generously using myself as an example--no, not my physical rotundity--but rather my varied interests in science fiction lit, movies, games, comics, tech, and such. I may not intersect every one of your geek vectors, but I'd be surprised if I didn't intersect at least one or two.

I will admit that a few items on my list may not mean anything to the under-21 crowd--but that's little excuse. To take pride in one's geekdom is to understand the roots of our wonderful little culture, such as it is. So if some of my choices seem a bit ancient to you..tough. Try to keep up, junior.

For the rest of you, well, you'll find your own reasons for hating my list. So without further ado, in alphabetical order, Thirteen Books For the Well-Rounded Geek Shelf:





1. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller -- Darkly significant on a couple of fronts...it is one of the books that heralded time when comics began to successfully be seen as a serious genre of literature for adults. It helped usher in the graphic novel boom of the late 80s and contributed to the revitalization of the whole Batman mojo. Miller was once highly respected in the comic book world, and this is one of the reasons why and one of the reasons why we still cut him some slack.





2. The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus; All the Words (Vols. 1 and 2) -- Come on now. What's a geek without their Monty Python? While there are dozens, maybe hundreds, of books about the Pythons, this two-volume set is exactly what it claims to be: all the words to all of the episodes. This makes it a valuable geek tool not only as source material for your memorization of The Parrot Sketch, but also as a sourcebook for official rulings on Python-related debates. How many weapons do the Spanish Inquisition possess? Fear? Surprise? Comfy chairs? This is the final word of all words.

3. The Far Side by Gary Larson -- You could pick any of the books for your geek bookshelf, but I'd recommend the Gallery series as both portable, readable, and affordable. Why Gary Larson? He's one of us (one of us! one of us! one of us!). Like it or not--he's a geek, and a master at the sort of skewed humor we tend to graviate toward. Kudos to him, also, for getting out of the newspaper comics biz when he did. He left before he became a tired old joke and he left before the quality of the comics page went straight down the crapper.

4. The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov -- These are the books every science fiction fan reads at least once. Or should. I may get some flak for this choice because everyone has their favorite representative science fiction novel or series. Some folks are Dune followers. Some prefer the Lensmen or the works of Robert Heinlein. For me, it's Asimov's Big Three: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation--an epic tale that spanned not only hundreds of thousands of light years, but millennia. There are quite a number of Foundation books out there now, but the original trilogy is still the best and belongs on every geek's bookshelf.






5. The Futurians by Damon Knight -- One thing that makes us geeks is our devotion to our own little individual obsessions. I don't expect most or even many folk to share my interest in the history of fandom, but seeings how I am a devotee, it's important to have some quality books on my shelf about the topic. Your obsession might be flower arranging or ships in bottles...so you should have books on flower arranging and ships in bottles. Yes? As for The Futurians, it may seem a little obscure these days, but it's a good read and worthy of owning. The Futurians chronicles the people behind the birth of science fiction fandom and the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Get the skinny on the very first World Science Fiction Convention by people who were there, get an insight into the first science fiction fan organizations and fanzines. Other good books on fan history include The Way the Future Was by Frederik Pohl and All Our Yesterdays by Harry Warner, Jr. This is our heritage people. You may be in for some shocks.

6. Godel, Escher & Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter -- Don't fret it. I don't personally know anyone who as ever managed to finished it either and this includes myself, but it starts off well and the promise of coming to a more full understanding of cognition and the relation between symbols, representation and reality is tantalizing. You will get a lot out of the first half of the book. At the very least, it's good fodder for some late night rambling conversations about perception and reality, and you don't have to get stoned first to enjoy it.








7. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman -- I have gone through at least 12 copies of this book since I first came across it in 1990. It's one of those books I keep giving away and then have to buy a replacement copy. Fortunately they're plentiful. And well worth the read. The end of the world can be a bit of a lark. A dark lark, to be sure, but a lark just the same. Now that The Watchmen has finally been brought to the big screen, the time is now ripe for this classic to follow suit. "Dear Hollywood drones, There are no more excuses. yours sincerely--The Throbbing Masses"

8. Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy -- There are a lot of good books out there chronicling the birth of the computer and the video game, but few do as comprehensive a job as this one in covering not only the groundbreaking days of the first computer gurus at MIT and their birth via a model train club, but the birth of Apple, Microsoft, Sierra On-line games, and a history of videogames in general. There's a lot of Secret History in this incredibly informative book and even if you're not a computer geek, it's still worth a read. (Check out the infamous letter in which Bill Gates bitches about people making illegal copies of his version of BASIC on papertape...yeah...papertape.)





9. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams -- Do I really need to tell you what this book is about. How it spawned from a radio play and has appeared in print, television, movies and videogames? Did you know that a few years ago some non-geek looked into acquiring the rights in order to do a radio adaptation? Don't panic, they were laughed off the phone. You can be forgiven if you don't have the complete trilogy nor the stuff that came after--the first novel is the one that is an absolute, no-excuses must-have for the well-rounded geek.

10. The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein -- More books that should need no introduction. These are the books that started the modern fantasy boom. There are many imitators, but only one original. I don't think there has ever been a more single richly detailed fictional world than Middle-Earth. If all you know are the films, then you're doing yourself a grave injustice and we'll be sending the Spanish Inquisition to your house to put you on the rack. (Didn't expect that, did you?)




11. On the Good Ship Enterprise: My 15 Years With Star Trek by Bjo Trimble -- This entry isn't meant to be a specific recommendation, but more of a general one. Every well-rounded geek should own at least one good book on the original Star Trek series written by someone who was there. Bjo was the superfan behind the letter writing campaign that saved Star Trek from cancellation after only two seasons, and she became good friends with the entire cast and crew of the show. She had some of the best stories.




12. The Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons -- You know this book if you've been at all awake the past few months. Even if you're not a comic book geek, this is still a good book to own for its masterful storytelling and startling art. The graphic novel redefined an entire genre. Bonus points if you have the individual issues.

13. Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps -- What's a well-rounded geek without a touch of good pop Zen philosophy? Nothing, that's what. This is probably the most accessible source of original Zen writing around. The 101 Zen stories that start the book are remarkable for their brevity and wisdom, and the collection of teachings and koans will open and calm many a turmoiled mind. Why does this qualify as geek reading? When you know the sound of one hand clapping, you will understand.

And there you have it. I don't expect I'm matching you book for book, and would be worried if I did. But if I've pointed you toward an interesting new book to flesh out your geek world, then I'm happy. (Hope you're happy too.) Cue music.

Cheers!

For information on how to get your book, comic, movie, whatever reviewed on Falling Off the Shelf, or to send hate mail, feel free to contact me at john (at) johnteehan (dot) com.