1. What makes a Great Book?
Great Ideas!

2. TABLE OF GREAT NOVELS: CRITERIA FOR “GREATNESS”
Criteria: Plot, Character, Writing Style, Length & Sales
Far right column: sales of books (millions)

3. T i m e
1475–
Death of Arthur 
10 Million
Tale of Genji 
13 Million
1015–
Lord of the Rings -150M
1615–
Don Quixote – 500M
[The Bible - 6 Billion]1440–
P R I N T
P R E S S
1380–
1859–
Tale of Two Cities
- 200M1791–
Dream the Red
Chamber 100M
1939–
And then There
were None - 100M
The Hobbit
100M
The Little Prince
- 200M
1937–
1954–
1955–
The Magician’s
Nephew
- 90M
She
- 83M Da Vinci
Code - 80M
1987–
1943–
2005–
1955–
Lion, Witch &
the Wardrobe
- 100M
1991–
Harry Potter Series
- 450 M
2003–
The Kite Runner
- 10 M
PLOT OF THE GREAT NOVELS BY SALES VOLUME
Novel Themes: Mystery, Quest, Death & Resurrection
PRE
World War II
POST
World War IIMILLIONS
BOOK SALES

4. 102 Great Ideas
There are102 “ideas” cataloged in Mortimer Adler's
Great Books (Canon) of the Western World
An “idea” is a common object of thought

5. Great “Books” (but no novels) of the Western World

6. T i m e
Homer (51)
Herodotus
(71)
Plato
(100)
Aristotle
(102)
Plutarch
(79)
Augustine
(97)
Aquinas
(102)
Dante
(84) Shakespeare
(79)
Montaigne
(90)
Bacon
(97)
Spinoza
(79)
Gibbon (88)
Locke
(98)
Hegel
(97)
Mill (82)
Tolstoy
(96)
Darwin
(71)
Freud
(91)
1939–
800BC–
425–
348–
322–
120–
430–
0–
1274–
1321–
1592–
1616–
1626–
1677–
1704–
1794–
1831–
1873–
1882–
Marx
(71)
1910–
1883–
G r e a t I d e a s
Plot of Authors & Ideas on a Timeline
Canon of Great Books of the Western World

7. T i m e
Homer (51)
Herodotus (71)
Plato (100)
Aristotle (102)
Plutarch(79)
Augustine (97)
Aquinas (102)
Dante (84)
Shakespeare (79)
Montaigne (90)
Bacon (97)
Spinoza (79)
Gibbon (88)
Locke (98) Hegel (97)
Mill (82)
Tolstoy (96)
Darwin (71)
Freud (91)
1939–
800BC–
425–
348–
322–
120–
430–
0–
1274–
1321–
1592–
1616–
1626–
1677–
1704–
1794–
1831–
1873–
1882–
Marx (71)
1910–
1883–
Plot of Authors & Ideas on Timeline
Canon of the Great Books of the Western World
Great Ideas

8. 800BC–
600BC–
400BC–
200BC–
0–
T i m e
 Homer (51)
 Herodotus (71)
 Plato (100)
 Aristotle (102)
 Plutarch(79)
Augustine (97)
 Aquinas (102)
 Dante (84)
 Shakespeare (79)
 Montaigne (90)
 Bacon (97)
 Spinoza (77)
 Gibbon (88)
 Locke (98)
 Hegel (97)
 Mill (82)
 Tolstoy (96)
 Darwin & Marx (71)
 Freud (91)
1939–
400–
800–
1200–
1600–
1800–
2000–
Criteria for a “Great” Book”
Time & Truth
Great Ideas

9. 400–
800–
1200–
1600–
1800–
2000–
800BC–
600BC–
400BC–
200BC–
0–
T i m e
 Homer (51)
 Herodotus (71)
 Plato (100)
 Aristotle (102)
 Plutarch(79)
Augustine (97)
 Aquinas (102)
 Dante (84)
 Shakespeare (79)
 Montaigne (90)
 Bacon (97)
 Spinoza (77)
 Gibbon (88)
 Locke (98)
 Hegel (97)
 Mill (82)
 Tolstoy (96)
 Darwin & Marx (71)
 Freud (91)
1939–
I. Ancient Greek Writers II. European Writers
III. Unknown Writers IV. 20th Century European Writers
Vivid (Visual & Verbal) Elements
Quadrants & Spheres
Great Ideas

10. V I S U A L E Q U A T I O N
T h e M o r a l o f t h e C h a r t
<51 
 5 1  1 0 2  1 0 
I d e a s m a k e a g r e a t b o o k i n c l u d i n g a n o v e l
L e s s t h a n 5 1 “ G r e a t I d e a s ” d o n o t
r e g i s t e r ( r i n g ) t h e q u a l i t y o f g r e a t n e s s
A G r e a t b o o k h a s 5 1 o r m o r e g r e a t i d e a s u p t o 1 0 2
( p l u s o r m i n u s 1 0 i d e a s a s a m a r g i n o f e r r o r )
T h e b o o k t h e n q u a l i f i e s a s r i n g i n g t h e b e l l !