ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming our first panelist, harry crocker. pplause] >> thank you, lee. i've worked in the book business most of my working life. but i'd never thought to compare the pleasure of holding a book with the pleasure of holding my wife. and i don't know how she'd take that if i said, darling, i love holding you as much as i love holding the road t serfdom. [laughter] >> i remember auburn who's the son whom you might know from brid brideshead revised and they asked him he would recommend and he said well, for you americans i think you ought to start with the bible and shakespeare and work your way up from there. likewise, i think we need to start with the bible. and more or less there's 10 books and go down the list. it seems to me fundamental to read the bible aside from whatever divine nature we can attribute to it you cannot be a literate person in civilization without having read the bible. i'm not overly concerned what translation you might choose. i personally think it's important to read the king james just for its influence i

please join me in welcoming our first panelist, harry crocker. [applause] >> i've worked in the book business most my working life. i remember [unintelligible] was once asked -- there are using recommend a book for christmas -- i asked him a book he would recommend. he said, for you americans, i think you should start with the bible and shakespeare and work your way up from there. likewise, i think we need to start with the bible. i the myself to more less 10 books. it seems to me fundamental to read the bible, aside from whatever divine nature we might be privy to, we cannot be a bitter person in western civilization without the bible. i'm not overly concerned with what religion he may choose. i think it is important to read the king james. they are all good. it is fundamental to read the bible. [applause] i also think the most important subject is history. history is experience of all this. wilder rant who wrote the history [unintelligible] said a western civilization is caesar and christ. i think it could read virtually any roman historian --

please welcome harry crocker. from -- an actor from brad said revisited was once askked, what broke he would recommend, he should -- he said you should start with the bible and go from there. it seems to me fundamental to read the bible. aside from whatever dined nature that may contribute to it, there cannot be a literal -- literate person without having read the bible. personally, i prefer the king and james -- king james. i think it is fundamental to read the bible. i also think the most important subject is history. history is -- it is once said that western civilization cover christ, you should go to caesar. virtually any historian, also caesar's commentaries, especially if you like action, there is something about the roman world that is very important to understand. when i was growing up in the 1960's and 1970's, one early thing that clung to me was the fear of decline. it was driven by military history, during the vietnam war i had seen the fall of saigon and i know, this could be in it. for me, when i gre