Human Events has compiled a list of the most harmful books of the 19th and 20th centuries. Unsurprisingly, The Communist Manifesto and Mein Kampf "top" the rankings. Other tomes familiar to readers of Intellectual Morons salt the list. The Kinsey Report ranks fourth and Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique ranks seventh, with Paul Ehrlich's Population Bomb, Theodor Adorno and company's Authoritarian Personality, and Michel Foucault's Madness and Civilization receiving dishonorable mentions.

Books unworthy enough but not listed by Human Events include Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward (Mark Twain called it "the latest and best of all Bibles"), Herbert Marcuse's One-Dimensional Man ("Fiction calls the facts by their name and their reign collapses," "the prevailing mode of freedom is servitude," "the process by which logic became the logic of domination," blah, blah, blah), Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States (brilliantly exposed here!), Leo Strauss's Persecution and the Art of Writing ("one may wonder whether some of the greatest writers of the past have not adapted their literary technique to the requirements of persecution, by presenting their views on all the then crucial questions exclusively between the lines"), John Reed's Ten Days That Shook the World (the author sleeps forever under the Kremlin Wall), Peter Singer's Animal Liberation (PETA awards an abridged version to new members), and Henry George's Progress and Poverty (save for the Bible, said to be the most widely read book in the English language in the 19th century).

Objections? Nominees? Let's hear them.

Hey, this off-topic I'm sure, but I see Human Events and I think of this.

Mr. Flynn, do you have an opinion on the sacking of Kevin Lamb and the rest of the house cleaning Human Events did? Is Human Events really in a position to tell us what books to read when they are conducting witch-hunts in collaboration with Morris Dees?

A.C., I'm not familiar with Kevin Lamb. I've enjoyed reading Human Events, and haven't noticed a change in its editorial perspective. The list of the worst books was put together by a panel that included Phyllis Schlafly, Paul Gottfried, Don Devine, Robert George, and number of other folks with solid credentials.

Noam Chomsky's works in general. But most likely the book: WHAT UNCLE SAM REALLY WANTS.

Also Richard Dawkins' THE BLIND WATCHMAKER.

Both heretical books in my opinion.

Did these get mentioned?

1) John Keynes' A General Theory of Interest, Employment, and Money?

2) Rachel Carsons' Silent Spring

3)Michael Harrington's The Other America

4) Gunnar Myrdal's An American Dillema

I would also include some of the works by Bertrand Russell and John Dewey, but can't think of specific books. (Russell's book on the history of western philosophy was a fun read, although Copleston is much better.)

I can't say that Zinn's books have had too much of a negative impact on society at large and really his mischief stays within the confines of academia. However a real pest like Leo Strauss has let his bacillus infect the whole nation.

Zinn shows up all over the place and makes people who read him unbearable in their misguided moral righteousness.

But if we are talking about actual impact of a particular book rather than of the author who wrote it then I agree with Gottfried's assessment of some of the titles. Mein Kampf for example was just not read and while Hitler the dictator had a terrible impact his book really did not propel him into power in any way and had little impact historically. Possibly one could argue that by not taking what he wrote in there seriously the west ignored how dangerous he really was and so failed to act early enough but that seems a different criterion then the one being used in this list.

I would add Wilhelm Reich's "The Mass Psychology of Fascism" to the list. (Don't be fooled by the title btw, although it is rightfully a critique of Nazism he argued that it stemmed from sexual repression. The book was a huge hit with the 60s generation and New Left and we now have social decay as a result).

I can't believe Silent Spring didn't make it in the top 10. How many millions have died from malaria as a result of this nonsense?

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/4/28/154924.shtml

Blubber by Judy Blume, Spawned a whole generation of empowered fat girls.

I know that A General Theory of Interest Employment and Money is on there Wilds.

I saw this list a while back but never read the whole thing.

"A thousand and one uses for Egg Nog....on a School Master" by Clive Severage & Islington Wendeborne.

* The Protocols of The Elders of Zion (although it's a pamphlet, not a book)

Am glad to see "The Wretched of the Earth" listed (a phrase Fanon borrowed from the Communist anthem "The Internationale").

Am interested too in books that are proving themselves most harmful in the 21st Century. Based on what's popular in the Middle East, Mein Kampf is off to a strong start.

I have got to say that these are just books. It is weak cultural and educational underpinnings that facillitate their persuasiveness. In other words, we are dangerous, not the books.

The Doors of Perception, Aldous Huxley. Death and brain damage, the human wreckage from the book can be found in many nursing homes today.

Webster, I agree. We are the dangerous ones. We use books to communicate our dangerous ideas on how to make your life a little more dangerous. The upshot is that we are dangerous with certain books.

Hands down the most harmful book ever puplished is "Origin of Species" upon which the whole misguided pseudo scientific philosophy of 20th century is based. Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Roosevelt, all used evolution as their guiding philosophy.

I'm currently writing an article on the 10 worst books in terms of bringing about Political Correctness and multiculturalism. I'm including Boas' Method of Ethnology, Gould's Mismeasure of Man, Adorno's Authoritarian Personality, Myrdals' American Dillema, Allport's The Nature of Prejudice and a few others that I don't recall off hand.

I would object to the inclusion of Animal Liberation. While it is obviously a stupid book, I never have found my life really been harmed from animal rights groups, as even most liberals don't take them seriously. All things considered, I see it as very small problem.

Also, while Progress and Poverty had some bad ideas about Land, other than his "single tax" George supported laissez faire. A single tax movement never really got anywhere in the US nor was it really implemented anywhere to knowledge (I may be wrong), So despite it's large popularity during the 19th century, I don't think it did much damage. Certainly, no one takes it seriously today.

Two other quick points. I'd refer everyone to Paul Gottfried's (who was on the Panel) criticism of the list here. http://www.lewrockwell.com/gottfried/gottfried78.html

Also, as for Lamb's firing, whatever you think of it, By his own account in the link you gave It was made by the management at Human Events, not the panelists who made up this list. To the best of my knowledge (and anyone can correct me) none of them are on HE editorial board, so it seems unfair to use his dismissal as a reason to discount this list.