100 year project...

[Judomaster]

Has anyone here ever attempted the "100 Year Project" or something of the sort? A friend of mine was into it a few years back. The idea is you read a one novel from each year for 100 years either from 100 years before the year of your birth, or from the current year. So, one might decide to start with 1912 as the publication year. The thought is that this should take about 3-4 years to complete for the average reader, but much less time for the avid reader.

I was thinking of giving this a try to encourage some reading outside my normal choices.

If anyone else is interested, perhaps we can keep a list of suggestion for the year, and see what people select, or would select were they interested in doing this?

Ideas for books published in 1912?

Cheers.

[berk]

I've been doing something like this the last few years: starting around the late 16th century with some Shakespeare, I've been trying to read a lot of the things I'd always been curious about. Not year by year at first, but it's come close to that as I've continued to progress. Right now, since I'm reading other things in between, I'm still only up to the early 1850s, so I can't join your project, but here are some things from 1912 I have read and that I'd recommend:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - The Lost World

Edgar Rice Burroughs -
Tarzan of the Apes
A Princess of Mars

and here are some of the things from 1912 I haven't read but would like to:

E. F. Benson - The Room in the Tower: And Other Stories

Lord Dunsany - The Book of Wonder

James Stephens -
The Hill of Vision
Crock of Gold

Gertrude Stein - The Making of Americans

Max Beerbohm - A Christmas Garland

Stephen Leacock - Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town

Bertrand Russell - The Problems of Philosophy

[Slam_Bradley]

My first two thoughts for 1912 were Tarzan and A Princess of Mars.

[dupersuper]

I plan to read at least 1 book published in each of the coming 100 years...

[Judomaster]

Egad! I just re-read my opening post, and it suffers from significant infelicities of style and grammar. Sorry about that. Too much Montepulciano D'Abruzzo I'm afraid...

The Lost World and Tarzan are certainly at the top of my list. I'm also considering The Financier, by Dreiser, and The Scarlet Plague by London. I'll have to look into Benson and Stephens. Thanks for the suggestions.

[berk]

Egad! I just re-read my opening post, and it suffers from significant infelicities of style and grammar. Sorry about that. Too much Montepulciano D'Abruzzo I'm afraid...

The Lost World and Tarzan are certainly at the top of my list. I'm also considering The Financier, by Dreiser, and The Scarlet Plague by London. I'll have to look into Benson and Stephens. Thanks for the suggestions.

Benson is of course best known nowadays for his Lucia series (which is highly recommended, but came later in his career), but apparently he wrote several collections of ghost stories that are supposed to be very good. From the title, I think The Room in the Tower might be one of those, but I don't know for sure.

Stephens I only heard about a short while ago, I forget where it was, now. All I know about him is what I read in wiki - Irish writer, influenced by Irish folk or fairy tales in his work, Joyce thought well enough of him to have thought about collaborating with him.

If you end up doing the book a year thing you should post them as you go. I might join in here and there if something catches my eye and the timing is right.

[dupersuper]

Benson is of course best known nowadays for his Lucia series

I'll always remember him as the wise cracking butler-turned wise cracking Lieutenant Governor...

[berk]

I'll always remember him as the wise cracking butler-turned wise cracking Lieutenant Governor...

yes, a true renaissance man, could turn his hand to anything at all.

[Artycool8or]

I plan to read at least 1 book published in each of the coming 100 years...

Great idea. Why not start (as Judomaster suggested) 100 years from the current year.
That would be 2112.
or if anyone else has a better choice from that fecund year to come?

[SSJLuffy]

Good idea.... maybe this will help me get into books. I don't read much.....

[Judomaster]

Great idea. Why not start (as Judomaster suggested) 100 years from the current year.
That would be 2112.
or if anyone else has a better choice from that fecund year to come?

I tried this a few years back, but the literary landscape got a little bleak after the alien invasion of 2031. Everything after that point is published in Klingon, and I can't bring myself to learn a new language at my age.

[Libaax]

I have read most of the authors mentioned for 1912 books, big classics fan. I can easily join for this kind of thing. Im a terrible contemporary fiction reader when most of my favs are from Lord Dunsany,ERB to Jack London or even older authors.



I will mention 1929 book right now. Red Harvest by some guy named Hammett.....

[Judomaster]

I think I've decided to go with London's The Scarlet Plague. That is, if I can find a copy in the next couple days before I take a short vacation. Otherwise, I will likely go with Doyle. I'll update when I have an actual book in hand.