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The CCLaP 100: "All Quiet on the Western Front," by Erich Maria Remarque | August 26, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" essay series on literary classics: It's Erich Maria Remarque's 1929 World War One classic "All Quiet on the Western Front," which single-handedly established a dozen of the most well-known cliches now seen in almost every modern story about war. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion! | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Lord of the Flies," by William Golding | August 4, 2010
Today in the CCLaP 100 essay series on literary classics: It's William Golding's 1954 "Lord of the Flies," the story of British schoolboys going feral on a shipwrecked island, and by now a staple in high-school lit classes worldwide. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion! | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Ivanhoe," by Sir Walter Scott | July 26, 2010
Today in the CCLaP 100 essay series on literary classics: Sir Walter Scott's 1820 "Ivanhoe," not just one of the first books of the Romantic Era to reignite public interest in the Middle Ages, but which also established many of the modern tropes of the Robin Hood legend. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion! | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: The Canterbury Tales | July 6, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" essay series on literary classics: Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," the surprisingly sophisticated and bawdy "Middle English" experiment that helped move Western society from the Late Medieval Age of the 1300s to the Early Renaissance of the 1400s. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion! | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Vanity Fair," by William Makepeace Thackeray | June 18, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" essay series on literary classics: William Makepeace Thackeray's darkly comic saga of human folly, 1848's "Vanity Fair," considered by many to be one of the best novels of the entire Victorian Age. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion! | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Plague," by Albert Camus | May 21, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" essay series on literary classics: 1948's surprisingly mindblowing "The Plague" by Albert Camus, not just an ahead-of-its-time post-apocalyptic tale and a treatise on existentialism, but one of the most astute examinations of the Nazi years ever written. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Zuleika Dobson," by Max Beerbohm | May 5, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" essay series on literary classics: the 1911 Oxford magical-realism satire "Zuleika Dobson," by the once highly popular humorist and theatre critic Max Beerbohm. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Jude the Obscure," by Thomas Hardy | April 6, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Thomas Hardy's 1895 "Jude the Obscure," a surprisingly prescient look at Victorian morality that became the first widely banned book of the 20th century. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Uncle Tom's Cabin," by Harriet Beecher Stowe | March 26, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" classics essay series: Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 anti-slavery tale "Uncle Tom's Cabin," nearly single-handedly responsible for the Civil War but that also accidentally created a whole new class of post-war racial stereotypes. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Humboldt's Gift," by Saul Bellow | March 19, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" essay series on literary classics: 1975's Pulitzer-winning "Humboldt's Gift," by Nobel winner and postmodernist master Saul Bellow. A classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Three Musketeers," by Alexandre Dumas | March 12, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Alexandre Dumas' 1844 "The Three Musketeers," the very definition of a swashbuckling adventure. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Frankenstein," by Mary Shelley | February 12, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Mary Shelley's 1818 "Frankenstein," not only the first mad-scientist novel in history but a harbinger of the Romantic Age just around the corner. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Democracy in America," by Alexis de Tocqueville | December 29, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" classics essay series: Alexis de Tocqueville's 1831 "Democracy in America," the first modern sophisticated analysis of the US government's structure ever written. Is it a classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Winesburg, Ohio," by Sherwood Anderson | December 1, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Sherwood Anderson's 1919 "Winesburg, Ohio," the first-ever modern "story cycle" which influenced everyone from Steinbeck to Sam Shepard. Classic or not? Click through for my conclusion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Jane Eyre," by Charlotte Bronte | November 18, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Charlotte Bronte's 1847 "Jane Eyre," considered by many to be not only the prototypical Victorian novel but also the greatest love story of all time. Is it a classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
CCLaP's newest book is here! | November 2, 2009
Happy day! CCLaP's newest original book is available for download! It's none other, in fact, than the first bound volume of the popular "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays; click through for more details, and instructions on how to download this free book yourself. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Treasure Island," by Robert Louis Stevenson | October 29, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 ultimate pirate tale, "Treasure Island." Is it a timeless literary classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Sister Carrie," by Theodore Dreiser | October 19, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: the controversial 1900 Modernist harbinger "Sister Carrie," by Chicagoan Theodore Dreiser. Is it a timeless classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Call of the Wild," by Jack London | September 22, 2009
Today in the CCLaP 100: The 1903 children's tale "The Call of the Wild," by Jack London. Is it a classic or not? Click through for my opinion and the reasons why. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Age of Innocence," by Edith Wharton | July 8, 2009
Today's book in the CCLaP 100: Edith Wharton's 1920 "The Age of Innocence," which ingeniously combines a nostalgic look at upper-class Victorian New York with the contemporary angst of early Modernism. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Heart of Darkness," by Joseph Conrad | May 5, 2009
Today's book: The 1902 novella "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad, known mostly these days as the source material for Francis Ford Coppola's modern remake "Apocalypse Now." Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Art of War," by Sun Tzu | April 7, 2009
Today's book: The ancient Chinese military guide and surprisingly apt corporate business book "The Art of War," written by Taoist military commander Sun Tzu around 500 BC. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Madame Bovary," by Gustave Flaubert | March 31, 2009
Today's book under review: The 1857 dark suburban satire and deep character study "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert, considered by many to be one of the best novels ever written. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Tarzan of the Apes," by Edgar Rice Burroughs | February 12, 2009
Today's book: The Edwardian-Age genre-actioner "Tarzan of the Apes," by laborer-turned-author Edgar Rice Burroughs. Is it still a literary classic? Click through for my opinion on the subject, and the reasons why I came to that decision. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Northanger Abbey," by Jane Austen | December 19, 2008
Today's book under review: Jane Austen's chick-lit forerunner "Northanger Abbey," written in 1798 but not published until 1818. Is it a classic? Click through for my verdict and the reasons why. | Read entire entry
Curious about what's coming next from CCLaP Publishing? | October 27, 2008
With all this talk today about CCLaP's first original book, Ben Tanzer's "Repetition Patterns," are you curious about what the organization's next book is going to be? Here, the official announcement, with a release date of Christmas 2008. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Beloved," by Toni Morrison | September 12, 2008
Today's book: 1987's "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, a powerful tale of the post-Civil-War black female experience, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the catalyst for a new golden age of "minority fiction." Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Sound and the Fury," by William Faulkner | August 22, 2008
Today's book: The 1929 Modernist classic "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner, also one of the first novels to establish the subgenre "Southern Gothic." is it a classic? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Gulliver's Travels," by Jonathan Swift | August 18, 2008
Today's book: The 1726 English political satire "Gulliver's Travels," by part-time politician and smartypants author Jonathan Swift. Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion on the matter. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Tropic of Cancer," by Henry Miller | August 4, 2008
Today's book: Henry Miller's drunken, filthy examination of Paris' post-WWI bohemian community, 1934's "Tropic of Cancer." Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Candida," by George Bernard Shaw | July 17, 2008
Today's book: the 1898 stage-play and comedy of manners "Candida," by astute social observer George Bernard Shaw. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts and opinion on the matter. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Left Hand of Darkness," by Ursula K Le Guin | July 13, 2008
Today's book: Ursula K Le Guin's 1969 "The Left Hand of Darkness," as important to the history of science-fiction as it is to feminist literature, coming in the middle of the youthful countercultural movement. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts and opinions. | Read entire entry
CCLaP 100: Okay, I give up! I give up on "Kim!" Er, for now! | June 27, 2008
Today, a short entry detailing the latest with the "CCLaP 100" series of all-classics essays here; basically, I've been stuck on Rudyard Kipling's "Kim" for six weeks now, so today am finally officially calling it a lost cause and moving on. Click through for more details. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "A Farewell to Arms," by Ernest Hemingway | May 23, 2008
Today's book: The 1929 Modernist look at World War One, Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms." Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion, and the reasons why I argue it. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Middlesex," by Jeffrey Eugenides | May 17, 2008
Today's book: The 2002 Greek-American quirky family saga (and trippy hermaphrodite tale) "Middlesex," by Jeffrey Eugenides. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry
There's been a small change to the "CCLaP 100" schedule | May 14, 2008
Just a small programming note for the "CCLaP 100" series of essays: that I've decided to swap Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" (which had been scheduled for two weeks from now) with his "A Farewell to Arms." Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Island of Dr Moreau," by HG Wells | May 2, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly exciting and disgusting 1896 medical thriller "The Island of Dr Moreau," by science-fiction godfather HG Wells. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the subject. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Mrs Dalloway," by Virginia Woolf | April 28, 2008
Today's book: The 1925 Modernist experimental masterpiece "Mrs Dalloway," by feminist icon Virginia Woolf. Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion and reasons. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Dracula," by Bram Stoker | April 19, 2008
Today's book: The 1897 Victorian horror novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, which single-handedly established the now overwhelmingly known vampire genre. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts and opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Gods Themselves," by Isaac Asimov | April 11, 2008
Today's book: the 1972 Hugo and Nebula winner "The Gods Themselves," by Golden-Age science-fiction author Isaac Asimov. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Republic," by Plato | April 4, 2008
Today's book: Plato's "The Republic" from approximately 360 BC, the book that single-handedly defined the way most of our modern Western governments currently work. Is it a classic still worth reading today? Click through for my thoughts. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Washington Square," by Henry James | March 28, 2008
Today's book: The slim 1880 "slice of life" story "Washington Square," by realist-fiction master Henry James. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the subject. | Read entire entry
If CCLaP laid out a new classic book, which would you rather see? | March 23, 2008
I'm thinking of doing a new layout of an obscure "classic" book, one of the titles I'll be reviewing later this year as part of the CCLaP 100 essays, in a variety of formats for free download and hopefully a little publicity for the center. But which book should I do? Click through for the choices and to vote in CCLaP's online poll. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Catcher in the Rye," by JD Salinger | March 21, 2008
Today's book: 1951's "The Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger, which fans claim single-handedly kicked off the entire genre now known as "Confessional Young Adult." Is it a classic, though? Click through for my thoughts. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," by Jules Verne | March 14, 2008
Today's book: 1870's prototypical science-fiction tale "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne, inspiration behind a million young boys' adventuring fantasies for a century and a half. Classic? No? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Name of the Rose," by Umberto Eco | March 11, 2008
Today's book: The brilliant 1980 Medieval murder mystery / deceptively complex meditation on semiotics "The Name of the Rose," by Italian history professor and postmodernist Umberto Eco. Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion, and the reasons why. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," by Mark Twain | February 29, 2008
Today's book: the 1876 "American Pastoral" novel "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," a fictionalized small-town childhood memoir by political satirist Mark Twain. Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion and comments. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: The Ripley Trilogy, by Patricia Highsmith | February 25, 2008
Today's review: The crime-fiction trilogy revolving around Tom Ripley (1955-1972), by Patricia Highsmith. Smartly-done genre pieces that helped defined the industry, or true classics that you should read before you die? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Man Who Was Thursday," by GK Chesterton | February 8, 2008
Today's book: The 1908 detective tale/absurdist comedy "The Man Who Was Thursday," by quirky ahead-of-his-time genre master and Modernism precursor GK Chesterton. | Read entire entry
And speaking of classics... | February 5, 2008
Hey, thanks for all the nice emails and comments so far regarding the CCLaP 100 list! In fact, so many readers have been sending their own recommendations for online guides to the classics, I thought I'd finally collect them into a public entry for all of you as well. Click through as always for the details. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "The Great Gatsby," by F Scott Fitzgerald | January 18, 2008
Today's book: The 1925 stunning look at the Jazz Age, "The Great Gatsby" by F Scott Fitzgerald, the book that inspired the term "Great American Novel" in the first place. Is it a classic? Click through for my own opinion, now that I've finally read it myself. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "House of the Seven Gables," by Nathaniel Hawthorne | January 14, 2008
Today's book: The 1851 horror-story prototype "House of the Seven Gables," by American Romantic master Nathaniel Hawthorne ("The Scarlet Letter"). Does it deserve the "classic" label? Click through for my opinion, now that I've finally read it myself. | Read entire entry
The CCLaP 100: "Great Expectations," by Charles Dickens | January 4, 2008
Today's book: The 1861 Victorian social drama "Great Expectations," by Charles Dickens. Is it truly a classic? Click through for my opinion, now that I've read it myself. | Read entire entry
Personal essay: Announcing the CCLaP 100 | December 3, 2007
Announcing a new project: A list of 100 so-called "classic" books, all of which I'll be hopefully reading and writing essays about over the next two years. Here today, the master list, as well as the reasons why I decided to put it together. | Read entire entry