Anthem by Ayn Rand. If you have not yet read this I highly recomend it. You can actually see the starts for Atlas Shrugged in it.

Yes - that's a pretty good book, and can probably be read in an hour or tow. It's been a lot of years since I read it, but I very much enjoyed it.

We the Living was very good as well. I read Shrugged, a couple of years ago (felt like it took that long to read as well, but very good).

Yeah, speaking of...... Bug I took your advice and bought We the Living. I haven't started on it yet though. I'm in the middle of reading The Ulitmate Hitchhikers Guide (Which is all six Guide to the Galaxy books) and Great Expectations. I plan on reading We the Living next, and then Atlas Shrugged.

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Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. ... I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask no one to live for me, nor do I live for others. I covet no mans soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.

Ayn Rand, Anthem.

Great Expectations? I always disliked that book. The concept of an author being paid by the word does not lend itself to good literature...

I've got the Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide as well. I sat it down one day, and just found it in the trunk of my bug this afternoon.

Yeah, well it's ok so far. I didn't know he got paid by the word. I'm just trying to start balancing contemporary stuff with more of the "classics."

Would anyone recommend reading War and Peace? I've been thinking of picking it up. Or I guess, does anyone have any recommendations of any of the classic novels?

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Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. ... I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask no one to live for me, nor do I live for others. I covet no mans soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.

Ayn Rand, Anthem.

I've never read War and Peace. Thinking of "classic" novels that I would recommend:

Catch 22
Crime and Punishment
Anything by Hemmingway
Moby Dick (the syntax is difficult to pick up at first)
David Copperfield (much better, if you like Dickens)
Julius Caesar
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Yeah, I've been thinking about that Catch 22 book. I knew a guy in highschool that said it was pretty good. I found an original copy for sale on ebay, but I can't remember how high the bid was. I'll probably pick it up soon.
thanks.

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Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. ... I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask no one to live for me, nor do I live for others. I covet no mans soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.

Ayn Rand, Anthem.

Here it is.
the buy it now price is $300.00

eBay: Joseph Heller: Catch-22 / 1st Ed/ extremely Rare/ 1961 (item 130055331915 end time Dec-10-06 18:34:53 PST)

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Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. ... I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask no one to live for me, nor do I live for others. I covet no mans soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.

Ayn Rand, Anthem.