Colin Mann, “Bookworms seek solace after being marooned by pirates,”
The Canberra Times, January 15, 1984, p. 7.

I once encountered the concept in Esquire magazine, when that publication has contributors such as Hemingway, and for its drawn illustrations was considered a bit risqué. That must have been a very, very long while ago.

There must have been some new things under the sun since then. Hiroshima. The silicon chip. Martin Luther King. Colonel Sanders, even. So many things that people’s thinking might have changed. Old things have gone, too, Esquire itself among them.

It would seem fair enough then to pose the question again.

So, after colouring-in the setting a bit, this is the proposition: suppose you found yourself about to be marooned on some far-away uninhabited island. The pirates, who are doing this to you, are a kindly lot at heart. They know it is a nice island, suited to nice folk like yourself, and that it has everything you will need to survive indefinitely. Also, it happens to be a magic island. Truly.

They Sydney rock oysters which jostle for space along the shores (should you fancy them) are self-opening. No call to jab yourself with an oyster knife.

Though you will never actually see them to have a yarn, the spirits of the people who once lived there are all excellent chefs. Your table will carry any food you happen to desire.

The island is unique in that one small hillock, but a stone’s throw from your residence (with en-suites) has five running springs — one of cool, fresh water, one with soft drinks, one with Fosters, and one each of quite palatable red and white, both with a remarkably clean finish. There are no nasty insects, no dangerous creatures on the island.

It is possible that in about one month flat you will be bored stiff.

But the pirates have thought of that, too. You see, their vessel is also unique. It carries the definitive library. Every book ever written.

Before they gently row you ashore, the pirates say to you, “You may take three books with you to read while you are on the island, forever. Any three books you fancy. Oh yes — where an author has been very prolific, we have his complete works in one volume, so that only counts as one book. The same applies to sets of reference books. The set only contains one book.”

What three books would you choose?

I sent the question, in those terms, to a number of well-known people, inviting them also to add a comment to their choice, should they wish. Their answers, in the random fashion our postie brought them back, follow:

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Mining magnate Mr Lang Hancock: Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith; The Time For Truth and sequel A Time For Action by William E. Simon; Progress and Poverty by Henry George.

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