Semi-Final Round for Top Rated B

Dr. John F. Murray on Network Television
in October, 2007

Top 20 Books of All Time

Plus 20 Honorable mention and 58 other recommended reading, bringing you a total of
98 of the best books ever ... and recommended by JohnFMurray.com readers

Chosen by Readers in a Survey Conducted at www.JohnFMurray.com October & November, 2007

People on Dr. John F. Murray's list were asked to select their 3 favorite books of all time. There were over 1000 responses in the initial round which remained open for two weeks and involved a series of four waves of emails. Then another survey was sent around for the final round of selections over a three day period. Readers were asked to review the initial list of top 78 books and to choose 3 books from that list, but to only retain one of their previous three choices. Out of this response we arrived at the Top 20 Books of All Time, ranked in order of popularity. Since 20 is a very small number, and many top books were close behind that did not make the final list, and even a few write-in choices kept occurring frequently even though they were not part of the original 78, it was decided to list an additional Top 20 in a category called Honorable Mention.

It is believed that this list of 40 books is highly valuable, representing some of the greatest literary achievements ever. The sample of responses was substantial, well over 1000 readers, adding to the statistical validity that this represents a much larger population of readers. However, it should also be kept in mind that there are many natural limitations to this kind of data collection. For one, this sample represents willing readers who regularly tune in to the high performance psychology work of Dr. John F. Murray, a clinical and sport performance psychologist communicating in English to other English language readers. As in any research, there is a bias in that these readers are likely interested in or involved in some way with challenges in sports, psychology, health, business, or media. This sample also probably represents a more educated population than the general population. Participants also had to have access to computers and the internet. Finally, a list this small will always miss hundreds of classic books that could just as easily have made the list. We also included a few series of books when it seemed inappropriate to only list one in the series. By some accounts this is unfair as multiple works contributed to the ranking. On the other hand, the author in our view should be credited even more for the prolific task of producing a series of great books.

Despite all these limitations, we at www.JohnFMurray.com strongly believe that this was a valuable exercise that identified some of the most superb literary accomplishments in history. These are the books most enjoyed by people who have high performance and well being on their minds! So in some way this is an elite population of readers whose voice should be heard loud and clear! These books can be enjoyed for centuries, and they should be immediately downloaded into our iPods for those healthy walks or other fitness exercises we choose. These are the cream of the crop selected by you readers, and they will hopefully enrich the lives of everyone who reads them.

Thanks for Participating in this ambitious project. Please send your comments about this final list to info@johnfmurray.com.
Dr. John F. Murray is available to the media and may be contacted at 561-596-9898

Here are Your Top 20 Books of All Time in Rank Order

1. The Bible

2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

3. The Godfather by Mario Puzo

4. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

5. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare

6. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

7. 1984 by George Orwell

8. Harry Potter Books by J.K. Rowling

9. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

10. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

11. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

12. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

13. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

14. Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

15. It's Not about the Bike by Lance Armstrong

16. Oh the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

17. The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

18. The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov

19. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

20. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Honorable Mention (Next 20 in No Particular Order)

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)
The Killer Angels
The Alchemist (Plus)
The Hobbit
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia)
Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck Centennial Edition)
The Great Gatsby
Think and Grow Rich!: The Original Version, Restored and Revised
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
When Pride Still Mattered : A Life Of Vince Lombardi
Candide (Bantam Classics)
No One Here Gets Out Alive
Moby-Dick (Dover Giant Thrift Editions)
Band of Brothers : E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
Invisible Man
The Power of One: A Novel
The Forgotten Soldier
On the Road (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)
Conversations with God : An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 1)

Finally, here is Dr. Murray's sport performance psychology book, written for tennis players, but applicable to any challenging situation requiring superior mental skills in life!See the recent sales stats on this book at: http://www.smartproinsight.com/smarttennisstillnumberone.htm