What if you had to choose just ten books to last you the rest of your life?

It is a question I ask sometimes when I look around my room and see so many unsorted books stacked up everywhere.

The bookshelves in my house are filled, and our little storage shed is piled up with them.

So I ask myself, “Which ones are really precious?

If I could keep just ten books, which ones?”

If you have a minute, look over my selections and think about the ones that you would make if you had to choose just ten.

1. The Bible.

First of all, I do not want to pretend that this is just to demonstrate my strong religious convictions.

It is less than that, or maybe more than that.

But, the Bible is the book that I know best.

My grandmother read me all the great Bible stories when I was a boy, and I remember them.

All my life I have heard it read from the pulpit at church services, weddings, and funerals.

It is the source book and connecting link for so much of the wisdom and inspiration and comfort that others have given me.

ore than that, the Bible provides a key to understanding so much about our society and why we are what we are.

The recent public discussion of the Koran at UNC-Chapel Hill reminded me how important scripture is to religious people--and how important it is to those who want to understand such people. Anyone who wants to understand American culture and history should become familiar with the Bible.

2. A good dictionary.

Even though I have been working with the English language for many years, I discover new words every day.

Many of them, once learned, become essential tools.

Often I find, upon checking, that I am misusing, misspelling, or misunderstanding words that I thought I knew well.

Without a good dictionary, I would be a cripple as far as language is concerned.

3. A one-volume encyclopedia.

The Columbia Encyclopedia is a treasure of information--one that I would not want to be without if I lost access to the Encyclopedia Britannica and other multi-volume reference books.

4. The World Almanac and Book of Facts.

I like to have this book close by to answer questions and settle arguments, and sometimes just read for pleasure.

Every time I pick it up I learn something new.

5. An Atlas.

The National Geographic Atlas of the World always opens for me a whole new way to look at how our world is arranged and how particular pieces of it fit together.

It shows how the mountains, oceans, deserts, and great rivers separate us and bind us together.

6. Shakespeare.

Unbelievably, all of Shakespeare’s known works can be packed into one volume, which I would take with me.

As hard as Shakespeare is for me to read and understand, he is still our English language’s greatest storyteller and wordsmith.

I would like to have him always close by.

7. Mark Twain’s collected works.

Maybe Twain is outdated and overrated, but his stories are still classics. His descriptions of life are a key to understanding what America was like in the 19th century--and why we are what we are today.

8. A hymnbook.

The old hymns, the ones that I have sung hundreds of times, are something special to me--like books of poetry and song are for others.

I remember the tunes, but forget the words.

So I have collected the texts of about 25 of my favorites and put them in a booklet--and it would probably be one of my ten books.

(I will be glad to send you an electronic copy of “my little hymn book.” Just send an e-mail request to dmartin13@nc.rr.com.)

9. A book of astronomy.

I would want a book that shows the constellations and how to find them in the night sky.

10. A blank book for my writing.

More and more, I realize that my favorite writer is me.

Reading things that I wrote earlier puts me in a conversation with myself. It reminds me of things I felt and learned and then put aside, perhaps never to have been recalled except for re-reading my own writing.

Now I can almost hear you saying, “But what about history, philosophy, and science? What about the great works of fiction? What about poetry? What about books that tell you how to do things--like cookbooks? What about books of inspiration and practical guides to living? What about all the other books you left out?”

All I can say is that maybe it is time for you to make your own list--and see what it tells you about yourself.

D.G. Martin hosts UNC-TV’s North Carolina Bookwatch, which airs Sundays at 5 p.m. For more information or to view prior programs visit the webpage at www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch/.