At the end of 1999, every organization in the world decided that they needed to rank every object in the world. It became impossible to turn on the TV or open a magazine without being confronted with a Top 100 list of some sort. Movies, songs, bands, foods, pets, men -- every thing was compiled into a list. 

The Top 100 list of Literature,which was voted upon by editors and puclishers, placed Ulysses in the #1 spot.  I decided that their list sucked.  I wanted to see a list of real books that people actually read (who has actually read Joyce's Ulysses, and of those who understood it?) In the course of the next year I called, emailed, and wrote my friends (and then their friends) to ask them what their favorite books were -- the novels and stories that they had read more than once. I wanted to know what were the books had they read that caused them to stay up all night reading because they couldn't put them down. I wanted the good stuff. 

So after compiling all of their suggestions, I came up with a list of real books recommended by real people. And in this list the books are actually readable (well, okay, mostly readable.) 

Ó2000 Will Engle