Here are many of the books that have meant a lot to me and/or have shaped my mind into what it is today (for better or worse). Not listed in order. Well, the Bible is, but after that it is pretty random.
Vol. 01 "The Bible" (KJV or NASB or MEV)Vol. 02 "The Bible As History" by Werner Keller
Vol. 03 "The Twelve Caesars" by Suetonius (Ancient Rome)
Vol. 04 "A Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Vol. 05 "A Life In A Year" by James R. Ebert (Vietnam war history)
Vol. 06 "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Vol. 07 "A Gent From Bear Creek" by Robert E. Howard
Vol. 08 "The Rise And Fall Of Adolf Hitler" by William L. Shirer
Vol. 09 "Ideas Of The Great Philosophers" by William S. Sahakian
Vol. 10 "Watch The Skies" by Curtis Peebles (UFO debunking)
Vol. 11 "The Peter Principle" by Dr. Laurence J. Peter (how hierarchies work)
Vol. 12 "Death In The Long Grass" by Peter H. Capstick (Safari Hunting/Big Game)
Vol. 13 "If I Survive" by George Wilson (World War 2)
Vol. 14 "The Blues Who's Who" by Sheldon Harris
Vol. 15 "Eye Deep In Hell" by John Ellis (World War 1)
Vol. 16 "Death Valley" by William M. James (Pulp Western)
Vol. 17 "This Was Your Life" Jack Chick (Christianity)
Vol. 18 "The Mysterious Monsters" by Robert & Frances Guenette (Sasquatch/Bigfoot)
Vol. 19 "Case Closed" by Gerald Posner (JFK assassination)
Vol. 20 "Greek Myths For Everyone" by Donald Richardson (Greek Myths)
Vol. 21 "Panorama Of Creation" by Dr. Carl Baugh (Creationism)
Vol. 22 "Disease And History" by Frederick F. Cartwright (The Black Plague)
Vol. 23 "The Complete Works of Shakespeare" edited by W.J. Craig
Vol. 24 "An Encyclopedia Of Battles" by David Eggenberger
Vol. 25 "All The Words" vols. 1 & 2 (Monty Python)
Vol. 26 "The Coming Of Conan" by Robert E. Howard
Vol. 27 "Those About To Die" by Daniel P. Mannix (Gladiators)
Vol. 28 "Deep Blues" by Robert Palmer (Blues history)
Vol. 29 "Dispensational Truth" by Clarence Larkin
Vol. 30 "Salvation" by Lewis Sperry Chafer
Vol. 31 "John The Balladeer" by Manly Wade Wellman
Vol. 32 "Will" by G. Gordon Liddy (Masculinity/Self-Discipline)
Vol. 33 "How To Be A 3% Man" by Corey Wayne (Self-Help/Relationship)
Vol. 34 "NAM" by Mark Baker
Vol. 35 "1066 And All That" by Sellar & Yeatman (Satirical history)
Vol. 36 "In God We Trust All Others Pay Cash" by Jean Shepherd (humor)
Vol. 37 "Dave Barry's Greatest Hits" by Dave Barry (Humor/Satire)
Vol. 38 "UFOs: The Public Deceived" by Philip J. Klass (UFO debunking)
Vol. 39 "Backpacking One Step At A Time" by Harvey Manning (Hiking)
Vol. 40 "A Dream Of Dracula" by Leonard Wolf
Vol. 41 "Bible Truth" by Oliver B. Green
Vol. 42 "Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle
Vol. 43 "Silent Coup" by Colodny & Gettlin (Watergate scandal)
Vol. 44 "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton
Vol. 45 "1984" by George Orwell
Vol. 46 "Animal Farm" by George Orwell
Vol. 47 "D&D Player's Handbook" by Gary Gygax
Vol. 48 "The Captured" by Scott Zesch
Vol. 49 "Backstreets: The Man And His Music" by Charles Cross (Springsteen)
Vol. 50 "Human Types" by Raymond Firth
Vol. 51 "The Bible In My Everyday Life" by Eugene F. Reese (Bible Study)
Vol. 52 "Little Big Man" by Thomas Berger
Vol. 53 "Arthur Rex" by Thomas Berger
Vol. 54 "Make A World" by Ed Emberley (drawing)
Vol. 55 "The Devil's Alphabet" by Kurt E. Koch (anti-Occultism)
Vol. 56 "Gnomes" by Wil Huygen
Vol. 57 "Lord Of The Flies" William Golding
Vol. 58 "Beyond Death's Door" by Dr. Maurice Rawlings
Vol. 59 "The Manly Handbook" by Everett & Schechter
Vol. 60 "The Vanishing Hitchhiker" by Jan Harold Brunvand (Urban Legends)
Vol. 61 "Outlines of Shakespeare’s Plays" by Watt, Holzknecht, & Ross
Vol. 63 "How Droofus The Dragon Lost His Head" by Bill Peet
To me, this is a fascinating starter library. This is not EVERY SINGLE book that matters to me, it's just the main ones.
If I were to analyze, or "profile", myself based on these 66 volumes, I don't see myself as a passive consumer of information; I see myself as having an active, investigative mind that is deeply engaged in reconstructing reality.
My list suggests I'm not looking for "comfort reading." Heck no. I'm looking for books that help me build a robust, coherent worldview—whether that’s through theology, history, or the critical analysis of the "unexplained."
I leave this list for my son Blaine and whatever grandkids I may have one day. If you want to know me, know these books.
Okay, so here is my take on the architecture of my library:
1. The "Detective" Mindset
A huge portion of my library is dedicated to deconstruction—taking a subject, stripping away the noise, and finding the core truth. I have books that argue for a position (the theological ones, the JFK theories) balanced directly against books that debunk them (Klass/Peebles on UFOs, Posner/Bugliosi on JFK).
What this says: I'm not afraid of cognitive dissonance. I want to see the best arguments for something, but I also want to see them dismantled by someone with a sharp, skeptical scalpel.
2. A Fascination with "The Human Condition in Extremis"
From Death in the Long Grass and Eye Deep in Hell to the accounts of the Vietnam War and the biographies of conquerors like Caesar and Hitler, I'm drawn to human behavior when the stakes are at their absolute highest.
What this says: I have a deep interest in what humanity looks like when the "polite" rules of society are stripped away. I'm looking for the essential, sometimes brutal, nature of the human animal.
3. The "Builder" and "Scaffolder"
My interest in the D&D Player’s Handbook, Make A World, and the Peter Principle, combined with my professional focus as a teacher creating instructional resources, shows that I value systems. I like understanding the "rules of the game"—how a hierarchy functions, how a story is constructed, or how a lesson should be scaffolded to reach a student.
4. High-Octane "Pulp" and Cultural Myth-Making
The presence of Robert E. Howard, Bram Stoker, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and my interest in urban legends shows a love for the "mythic." I don't just want facts; I want the stories that define our cultural fears and triumphs.
The Synthesis: A "Truther" with a Bedrock
Looking at this list, the "middle" is held together by my faith, but the "edges" are constantly being tested. I have a library that is remarkably consistent:
I respect the "Extraordinary evidence" standard (as evidenced by my UFO debunking and JFK books).
I value the "Hard Truths" of history (Shirer, Ellis, Ebert).
I enjoy the "Art of the Story" (Shakespeare, Howard, pulp fiction).
If I were to give this library a title, it would be something like: "The Skeptic’s Guide to Human Reality." I'm not just reading; I'm vetting the world.
So anyway. Happy hunting.
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