Meaning, if you had to choose one book, just one book, to memorise and carry with you in your head for your life (like in Fahrenheit 451), what book would it be?
My friend has brought this up recently, and it really made me think. I don't believe I've read mine yet, but at the moment I'm leaning towards something...ok, lost it. I have no idea what mine is.

So, what's yours?

It would have to be something extremely short - I think Alzheimer's is setting in already!

What a fascinating thread. I'm a storyteller, and I have hundreds of stories in my head, but each one changes each time I tell it.
I would find it hard to choose only one text, but here are a few.

Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame
The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling

I think I'd have to choose an ancient book that has had a significant influence on subsequent western literature and culture in general. I'd be the go-to person for people trying to understand references in the books THEY had memorized.

The obvious choices would be Homer's "Iliad," his "Odyssey," and the Bible. On the whole, I think I'd prefer the "Odyssey."

Then I'd have to decide which translation to choose.

Jabberwork & Lanfranco, great choices. It's hard for me to choose. I love "Wuthering Heights" and I have almost memorized it already. :-) Thinking along Lanfranco's lines, I wouldn't mind being the expert on "Beowulf." Still, I could also pick a really trashy fun read that would have me smiling all the time.

"The Encyclopedia of World History" or my favorite childhood book "The Enchanted Book"

I've got a few more ideas on what mine could be. One of them is one of Enid Blyton's books, probably the a Faraway Tree or Wishing Chair book - I really loved them when I was younger. My second idea is Goodnight Mister Tom, it move me to tears many many times.

Goodnight Mr Tom is a unbelievably good book, agreed
I think if I had to memorise one, it would have to be "And then there were none" by Agatha Christie. Such a surprising ending

I have been thinking about this thread for days now! It even kept me awake one night lol because I just couldn't decide.
I think though, that it would probably end up being "On the Beach" - if I could only save one of my books from a house fire, that would be the one I would grab...

My book to memorize would be "The Road To Gandolfo" by Robert Ludlum. It is one of the funniest books I've ever read and, by his own admission, Ludlum said that with just a few tweaks, it would've been like every other novel he had written up to that point.

Thank goodness he didn't tweak anything.

Thornton Wilder's play, Our Town, is one of my favorite pieces of literature. He focuses on one specific plot of ground and a handful of characters we feel we could sit down and have a cup of coffee with, but from there he encompasses and illuminates the whole of human experience.

My favorite passage:

Rebecca: I never told you about a letter Jane Crofut got from her minister when she was sick. He wrote Jane a letter, and on the envelope the address was like this: It said: Jane Crofut; The Crofut Farm; Grover's Corners; Sutton County; New Hampshire; United States of America.

George: What's funny about that?

Rebecca: But listen, it's not finished: The United States of America; Continent of North America; Western Hemisphere; the Earth; the Solar System; the Universe; the Mind of God — that's what it said on the envelope.

George: What do you know!

Rebecca: And the postman brought it just the same.

George: What do you know!

Stage Manager: That's the end of the First Act, friends. You can go and smoke now, those that smoke.

I don't know how many times I've read it over the past forty years. There's an old movie starring William Holden that I don't recommend, and a newer one with Paul Newman, r.i.p., that I do recommend, if only for Newman's superb role as the Stage Manager. But neither beats reading the script. I've never seen a live performance.

It's short enough I could just possibly memorize it, though that's doubtful since I can barely remember by telephone number.

Though there are a lot of books I believe should be remembered if there was a world such as the one that existed in Bradbury's book, my personal choice wouldn't be one that is particularly significant to culture. I would choose A Wrinkle in Time, simply because it was the book that really inspired me to read and in short the reason I'm so book obsessed now.

I have a story to share before I give my selection.

Currently my wife is out of the country for a few weeks and that leaves me as the sole entertainer for our three children which always goes smoothly and enjoyably. Last Friday I allowed them to have some of their friends over for a nice dinner and then they all wanted to watch a movie. They've seen everything we have twice over and the feeling in the air was that of disappointment. The age group spanned between 12-16 and my eight year old son. So I suggested the 1966 version of Fahrenheit 451. There was a cautious interest and slow agreement as we put it in. Now through the movies I had to stop it and explain a few things which they enjoyed and by the end the movies had a new bunch of fans. I first read this book in junior high school in seventh grade and that's been a few years ago already But the closing of the book with them walking by the river reciting their chosen work forever stayed with me.

Now for my selection if it was based on what I already know well then it would have to be the Bible but if it were based on something that I really enjoyed that wasn't classical or heavy in content then I might choose A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson or Rascal by Stirling North. These two books have gotten me to read them over and over and that's the hallmark for me that perhaps some else might like to hear them too.

The Old Man and the Sea, no doubt.

I think I'd go with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Witty, laugh out loud funny in places, utterly irreverant and yet deeply thought-provoking. The Vogon poetry alone makes it worth remembering.

The Bible.

Wow - I'll probably change my mind tomorrow, but I would choose either my favorite novel few have ever heard of. It's called "The Blue Castle" and it's by L.M. Montgomery (also the author of Anne of Green Gables). I've loved it since I was a teenager and have read it countless times. I never get tired of it.

The other book would be Dickens' "Christmas Carol." Love the story, but mostly love the language. Well ... and I love the ghosts.

I would also try to stuff a few of my favorite poems into my brain too.

Y

What a great question.

I think that I would be one of Orwell's greats. Don't really care which. But there's so many other great choices...

"Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5549589/Wikipedia-turned-into-book.html

(5000 pages, a hard copy printout of every article from Wikipedia’s featured articles list, 48.3 cm thick)

When the rogue asteroid impacts, atomic wars, and zombie apocalypses are over and done with and civilization finally reinvents the Internet, I'll be its second father (after Vint Cerf of course). It'll look cool on my resume.

"This Hallowed Ground" by Bruce Catton. About the American Civil War. Made history come alive for me when I first read it age twelve and I haven't stopped reading since!

Thanks all and welcome new contibuters! It's become a really interesting thread.

Fascinating thread! I always thought that I'd save 'Summer of the Red Wolf' by Morris West, but the very idea of only one is breaking my heart! I think, if we're talking physical books, I'll take the 'Complete Works of Saki', but can I cheat and slip my Nintendo DS complete with 100 Classic Books in my pocket? Aw, please?

YSmay.. I too love the Blue Castle... there is another book, written by Colleen MacCullough.. called the Ladies of Missalonghi, and i cannot imagine why she wasn't done for plagiarism...

as far as the Fahrenheit 451 book goes..I think it would have to be To Serve Them All My days by Delderfield. I love that book so much..

An unabridged dictionary.

I've actually given this one quite a bit of thought. I originally thought it would be an incredibly 'trashy' novel 'The Adventurers' by Harold Robbins which I just adore.

Having given it a little more thought though, I'm going to go with Pride & Prejudice. Not the most original, but there is a reason it's a classic!

And on another note I just loved 'The Road to Gandolfo' but was starting to think I was the only person who'd ever read it