Penguin metric
Aug. 24th, 2005 11:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rorqualSo, apparently, Penguin Books has decided to sell, as a package, all its Penguin Classics, for the actually quite reasonable sum of $7989.50 (w/free shipping). Since that's 1,802 books, which they will not only send you but also carry in to your house and I think unpack for you, it's definately a bargain. As I am a huge book dork, and also intellectual snob, I decided to take some of my time (which should better be spent on sorting out my fantasy football draft plans), and count the ones I'd read. Yeah, I know.
Leaving out multiple titles, collected works (ie I counted each listed play, but not the collected Shakespeare), and anything titled "Selected" or "Portable", I have read, in whole or in substantive part....
170 books.
That's less than I had thought. Not, mind you, because I'm a supergenius. But because I went to school for a really long time, during which my major was Reading Books. In fact, I actually have a degree in Reading Classic Books. There's a lot of Henry James on here, which I am apprently devoid of. Not to mention all the things I can't remember if I read. Did I read Coriolanus? Do you underline plays or put them in italics? Was it a play? Did I read Common Sense? Or did I just want to read it? Didn't I read any Henry James? I'm pretty sure I read Washington Square - or did I just see the movie? Did I even see the movie, or do I just remember there was a movie? See how hard this is?!?
Book I Initially Didn't Note Because It Was Titled Differently: The Schreber Case (aka The Psychotic Dr. Schreber, a much better title. My edition also had the case of the Wolf Man, and Rat Man, who was nuts, lemme tell ya.)
Book I Never Read But Want To Read Now: Ancient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories
Book I Know I Read But Can't Remember: Grundrisse. It's Marx, and I know I read it for Marx class...and I suspect it is about economics, or possibly society, or both. That's a guess, though.
Book I Am Gratuitously Showing Off With: The Mabinogion. Not in the Welsh, though. I'm not that fancy.
Book Which Is Not On There But I Read: The Bible. I mean, not a shocking thing to read, but it isn't a Penguin Classic. It will be next year, though, and then I'll have one more book!
I'm going back to football.
Leaving out multiple titles, collected works (ie I counted each listed play, but not the collected Shakespeare), and anything titled "Selected" or "Portable", I have read, in whole or in substantive part....
170 books.
That's less than I had thought. Not, mind you, because I'm a supergenius. But because I went to school for a really long time, during which my major was Reading Books. In fact, I actually have a degree in Reading Classic Books. There's a lot of Henry James on here, which I am apprently devoid of. Not to mention all the things I can't remember if I read. Did I read Coriolanus? Do you underline plays or put them in italics? Was it a play? Did I read Common Sense? Or did I just want to read it? Didn't I read any Henry James? I'm pretty sure I read Washington Square - or did I just see the movie? Did I even see the movie, or do I just remember there was a movie? See how hard this is?!?
Book I Initially Didn't Note Because It Was Titled Differently: The Schreber Case (aka The Psychotic Dr. Schreber, a much better title. My edition also had the case of the Wolf Man, and Rat Man, who was nuts, lemme tell ya.)
Book I Never Read But Want To Read Now: Ancient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories
Book I Know I Read But Can't Remember: Grundrisse. It's Marx, and I know I read it for Marx class...and I suspect it is about economics, or possibly society, or both. That's a guess, though.
Book I Am Gratuitously Showing Off With: The Mabinogion. Not in the Welsh, though. I'm not that fancy.
Book Which Is Not On There But I Read: The Bible. I mean, not a shocking thing to read, but it isn't a Penguin Classic. It will be next year, though, and then I'll have one more book!
I'm going back to football.
