The Library of Congress put up this list of books that shaped America. I am an American of American descent since before the Revolution, and I have certainly re

The Library of Congress put up this list of books that shaped America. I am an American of American descent since before the Revolution, and I have certainly read much less than half of these. The Library notes that this list is intended to spark discussion, so I'm glad that discussion has already begun here. My wild guess about the very most influential book is the King James ("Authorized") English-language translation of the Bible (not on the list, which apparently focuses on books published in America). I think Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1776) (which I have read, and which relies heavily on the Bible for its argument) was also very influential.