Great books are those that contain the best materials on which the human mind can work in order to gain insight,understanding, and wisdom.Each of them, in its own way,raises the recurrent basicquestions which men must face. Because these questions are never completely solved,these books are the sources and monuments of a continuing intellectual tradition.
Garl Van Doren once referred to great books asthe books that never have to be written again. They are the rare,perfect achievements of sustained excellence. Their beauty and clarity show that they are masterpieces of the fine as well as of the liberal arts. Such books are justifiably called greatwhether they are books of science, poetry, theology, mathematics, or politics.
The richness of great books shows itself in the many levels of meaning they contain. They lend themselves to a variety of interpretations. This does not mean they are ambiguous or that their integrity is compromised. The different interpretations complement one another and allow the reader to discover the unity of the work from a variety of perspectives. We need not read other books more than once to get all that they have to say. But we can always go deeper into great books. As sources of enlightenment they are inexhaustible.
The interest in many good books that are written is limited to a definite period of history. They do not exhibit the universal appeal that results from dealing with the fundamental questions which confront men in all times and places and in a way that men in all times and places can understand. Great books, on the contrary, transcend the provincial limits of their origin. They remain as world literature. The ones we are sure are great are the ones men everywhere turn to again and again through the centuries.
内容：伟大的书籍锐化我们的头脑
伟大的书是那些包含了最好的材料上人的心灵能工作，以便深入了解，理解，其中wisdom.Each，以自己的方式，提出了经常性basicquestions，男子要面对的。由于这些问题是没有完全解决，这些书的来源和持续的思想传统古迹。
瑞典植物学家范多伦曾把伟大的书籍的书，从来没有被写入了。他们是罕见的，持续的卓越完美的成就。它们的美丽和明确表明，他们是优秀的大师级作品，以及文科。这类书有理由称为greatwhether他们是科学，诗歌，神学，数学，或政治书籍。
伟大的书籍的丰富显示了它们所包含的意义是多层次的本身。它们本身的各种不同的解释。这并不意味着他们不明确或其完整性受到损害。不同的解释相互补充，让读者发现，从各种角度对工作的统一。我们不需要看别的书不止一次得到所有他们的意见。但是，我们随时可以进入更深的大书。作为启蒙来源，它们是取之不尽，用之不竭。
在许多被写入好书的兴趣仅限于一定的历史时期。他们不表现出的普遍呼吁，结果从与中所面临的任何时间，地点和方式处理人的基本问题，男性在任何时候，任何地方可以理解。伟大的书，相反，超越其原籍省限制。他们仍然是世界文学。那些我们相信是伟大的是那些人到处转，并通过再次世纪了。