thank you, Jackie. believe it or not, it didn't occur to me to see if it was a YART. On the other hand, from i can see of that thread, it was a bit more general than what i was looking for; i'm not after a list of the 100 Most Imporant Literary Works or anything. i'm more interested in books such as the ones scribber and geoff mentioned; preferably more contemporary works that may have moved you in some way.