88 books that shaped America
The 88-book list published by the Library of Congress includes titles like 'To Kill A Mockingbird' and 'Little Women.'
The 88-book list published by the Library of Congress includes titles like 'To Kill A Mockingbird' and 'Little Women.'
To celebrate its new exhibit titled 鈥淏ooks That Shaped America,鈥� the Library of Congress recently had curators and other literary scholars compile a list of works that have influenced us as a country, resulting in an 88-book list.
The list of 88 books was ranked by publication date, not any preference on the part of those who compiled it. The earliest title was 鈥淓xperiments and Observations on Electricity鈥� by Benjamin Franklin, published in 1751, while the newest book to make the list was 鈥淭he Words of C茅sar Ch谩vez鈥� by C茅sar Ch谩vez in 2002.
Other notable titles that made the cut were 鈥淐ommon Sense鈥� by Thomas Paine, 鈥淯ncle Tom鈥檚 Cabin鈥� by Harriet Beecher Stowe, 鈥淭he Wonderful Wizard of Oz鈥� by L. Frank Baum, 鈥淭he Great Gatsby鈥� by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 鈥淥ur Town鈥� by Thornton Wilder, and 鈥淭o Kill A Mockingbird鈥� by Harper Lee.
The 鈥淏ooks That Shaped America鈥� exhibit by the Library of Congress is scheduled to be on display through Sept. 29 at the Thomas Jefferson Building. Readers are encouraged to comment on the list online and nominate other titles.
Check out the full list here.