Almost-Great Books

 I’m out of my league talking about the Great Books. I argue for the Almost-Great Books.

I understand what people mean when they talk of the influence of Shakespeare. But when I have an hour to spend with a poet, I’m likely to read William Stafford, Norman MacCaig or Mary Oliver.

Instead of reading writers who speak to humanity, I usually spend time with writers who speak more directly to me.

I sometimes wonder whether genre has anything to do with a book’s chances of ending up on a list of books that are taught in schools. My 5-foot bookshelf would be heavy on letters and essays.

One genre that I love seems neglected: books that provide a “deep map” of a place, to use William Least Heat-Moon’s phrase. His PrairyErth is a detailed look at an overlooked place. In my mind, this genre begins with Gilbert White’s The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne. I’ve mentioned other examples: Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain, Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, Ronald Blythe’s Next to Nature and Akenfield, and Roger Deakin’s Notes from Walnut Tree Farm.

I suppose that the Great Books folks would say they included a sample with Thoreau’s Walden. I love that book, but I’m not sure we’re talking about the same thing.