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It depends very much what you're trying to read.

Start with the 90 day Harvard classics https://www.myharvardclassics.com/categories/20120622

And also check out Penguins Great Idea series https://www.penguin.co.uk/series/PEN02/penguin-great-ideas

If a book was read 100 years ago and is still being read today then it's worth a read. Most books written a few hundred years ago are just as relevant (if not more so) today.

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On the other hand, many books from the past are dreadful with respect to readability, pacing, period context stuff and more... Generally the evolution the feedback loop between readers, writers and editors has generated over the last 100 years.

Most books from the past were dreadful but there are a couple selection mechanisms at play. For one, we only promote the best ones. The further back it goes the more picky we get. Second, it was a lot harder to publish in the past, so those who did it had more reason to.

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