Earlier this year, Globe Books began a series, the 50 Greatest Books.
"I know, it's an entirely presumptuous label, and no doubt we'll leave off dozens that readers feel belong," Globe Books Editor Martin Levin wrote at that time.
"So why not simply 50 Great Books?
"In part, because we want readers to engage in the discussion — we plan to provide a forum for outraged advocates or critics, clever ripostes and tut-tutting over obvious oversights — and in part because in making distinctions, we implicitly reject the postmodern view that won't allow privileging (in the fashionable term) Anna Karenina over the James Bond books — though I confess I look forward to the next one, by the highly literary Sebastian Faulks . . .
Globe Books Editor Martin Levin
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Mr. Levin argued: "A great book is adjudged a great book over time by virtue of offering things — astonishing ideas, unforgettable characters, imaginative sublimity, glorious prose — that cannot be got elsewhere, and that tell us something new about the human (or other) condition.
"The 50 will not be ranked in order," he wrote. "We figure just choosing them is adventurous enough. The entries will be derived from discussions among members of our panel of experts (as if anyone's really expert). Their carefully guarded identities will be revealed only at the end of the series, when readers will be invited to engage with them more directly. Each entry will be written by someone with knowledge, usually extensive knowledge, of the book in question."
So what do you think of the series so far? [The first 27 entries are listed on the left side of this discussion page.]
What do you think should be included in the final list?
We are pleased that Mr. Levin was online earlier today to answer those questions and any others you had.
Your questions and Mr. Levin's answers appear at the bottom of this page.
Martin Levin is Books Editor of The Globe and Mail. Previously, he wrote the Climate of Ideas column and edited newspapers for senior citizens and for baseball fans.
His essay, Confessions of a Commitmentphobe, appeared in the book What I Meant to Say. He is also a contributor to Great Expectation: 24 True Stories about Childbirth, to be published this fall.
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Katherine Laidlaw, globeandmail.com: Hello Martin and thank you for joining us today. First off, I'd like to start by telling you how much I'm enjoying your 50 Greatest Books series and the dialogue that's arising from it. Before we start with reader questions, I'd like to ask: where did your idea for such an adventurous series stem from? And why set the limit at 50, without limiting non-fiction, fiction or any genre categories?
Martin Levin, Books Editor: The impetus for the series came from a series of discussions about doing something a little different and that would involve readers. Editor-in-chief Edward Greenspon was a big proponent. We set the limit at 50 partly to encompass a single year and partly as an "adventurous," in your words, challenge. And it's proved to be precisely that.
Martha K.: So far, your picks have been exemplary; all great choices. The only comment I have is that while I thoroughly enjoyed the article promoting The Koran as one of the greatest books, I trust you will not be leaving out the Bible, Torah or other Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist holy texts. My contention is that when you put in one holy book, and leave the rest out, you are sending the message that there is only one sacred text that has endured over time (as have all the other secular books on your fine list). Each of the other books merits the same consideration as they have influenced or lead millions or billions of souls as well, have they not? As well, each are equally beautifully written.
