Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 12, 1992 TAG: 9202120249
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By GLENN ADAMS ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: GARDINER, MAINE LENGTH: Medium
FAVORITE BOOKS ARE AS VARIED AS THE NOTABLES WHO CHOSE THEM
Mark Twain is a hit with actors Martin Landau and Ted Danson. Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney likes a book on President Kennedy and Isaac Asimov picked "Pickwick Papers."They were among scores of notables asked by the librarian in the small town of Gardiner in southern Maine to name their favorite books for a list she has compiled every year since 1988.
Pat Boone chose the Bible and Yoko Ono favored Naomi Wolf's "Beauty Myth," which says a male-generated myth about feminine beauty keeps women from reaching their full potential.
Elizabeth Dole, who heads the American Red Cross and served as both U.S. labor and transportation secretary, recommends her latest read: "The Killer Angels," a historical novel by Michael Shaara set during the Civil War era.
Fess Parker, the coonskin-capped frontiersman in movies and on television, wrote to Gardiner librarian Glenna Nowell after seeing one of her past lists.
He said his favorite books cover California and Texas history - "Two Years Before the Mast" by Richard Henry Dana and "Napa" by James Conaway.
"Reading early on without the distraction of TV and radio gave me a chance to develop my fantasy faculty and to realize that dreams can be translated into reality," wrote Parker.
Mulroney said he has long cherished "A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House" by Arthur Schlesinger.
"My life was touched by John F. Kennedy and he influenced my career," Mulroney said. "His call for excellence in government struck responsive chords in the hearts of an entire generation."
Economist John Kenneth Galbraith said atop his list is Evelyn Waugh's "Scoop," a newspaper-adventure-satire. He's also a big fan of Mark Twain.
Twain's "Tom Sawyer" caught Danson's fancy and "Huckleberry Finn" was favored by Landau. Asimov, the science fiction master, said he has read Charles Dickens' "Pickwick Papers" at least 25 times.
Baseball Hall-of-Famer Tom Seaver described as "totally captivating" Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth."
Most of the celebrities surveyed by Nowell kept their comments brief:
Gene Kelly on James Stephens' "Crock of Gold": "Wonderful Irish fantasy." Sally Field on Edna Ferber's "So Big": "I love all of her works, but this is one of my favorites."
Linda Ellerbee chose Joseph Heller's "Catch-22." Why? "For the sanity of the thing."
Of about 150 celebrities who received Nowell's request for favorites to include on this year's list, 36 agreed to have their choices listed.