Books

Reasonably Subversive and/or Entertaining Books Recommended by Prof. Schlaf

FictionNon-Fiction
Anything by Neal StephensonAnything by Carroll Quigley in particular “Tragedy and Hope“, “The Evolution of Civilizations” and “Weapons Systems and Political Stability: A History
The Dune Saga by Frank Herbert (in particular the original 6 books…)The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
Anything by Kim Stanley RobinsonGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (also titled Guns, Germs and Steel: A short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years) by Jared Diamond
Anything by John Le CarreThe Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe
Anything by Ernest HemmingwayThe Creature from Jekyll Island” by George Edward Griffin (… controversial !)
Anything by James A. MichenerAnything by James A. Michener
Anything by Iain (M) Banks (in particular the Culture Novels)The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power by Daniel Yergin
Anything by Isaac Asimov, in particular the “Foundation TrilogyAnything by James Gleick, in particular
Chaos” and “The Information
Anything by Margeret AtwoodThinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman
Anything by ChestertonThe Black Swan” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
 The Bernie Gunther Novels by Philip Kerr“Dying of Money” by Jens O. Parsson
 Islandia by Austin Tappan Wright
(… planning to get married ? Read this FIRST !)
The Crescent and the Star” by Stephen Kinzer

… to be added on to as time goes by !

… and always worth checking out: The USMC Commandant’s Reading List

Auf Deutsch

Romane etc.Sachbücher
Alles von Peter BammKulturgeschichte der Neuzeit von Egon Friedell
Alles von Siegfried LenzDer Untergang des Abendlandes von Oswald Spengler
Alles von Frank Schätzing 

Some Youtube Videos that go way beyond cute cats and could/should be part of a complete Western education:

Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation (this is the first part – there are 12 more – follow the links !)

… his closing remarks:
“Western civilisation has been a series of re-births. Surely this should give us confidence in ourselves. It is lack of confidence more than anything else that kills a civilisation.”

… and also with a more technical & scientific slant: James Burke’s Connections