One of our more recent philosophers said, "The trouble with reading
books is that there is so much in them that isn't so." So I am
suspicious of all books, including the few that I am so
fond of that I re-read them, some frequently.
On the matter of wealth, the top of the list is
The Richest Man in Babylon;
what he said was that to be rich, we should put away the first ten
percent of income at least, before we use or spend anything. Soon,
we should consider how these "slaves" can work for us, in complete
safety. In time, we become very wealthy, of course.
If I have a favourite book, it must be
Instincts
of the Herd in Peace and War, by
Wilfred Trotter,
pointing out that enlargement of the group affords protection within
the group; this is true from single cells to great societies.
Of Stars and Men
takes up the story and emphasizes again that families, villages,
cities, nations and leagues of nations all attain strength and
variation by the smaller units becoming dependent and giving up
some functions. Today we see world becoming more and more of a unit,
with resulting internal pressures and clashes
by formerly independent states, cultures and religions.
My list is not very long before I hasten to add
Alice in Wonderland,
by a mathematician, for a favourite young friend.
It is full of sly, worldly wisdom. Really good books are worth
re-reading, again and again. So they do tend to be few.
