Since today is the anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, it’s a good day to talk about a conversation I had with my brother recently. We are both Beatles fans, and I recently purchased a book, on his recommendation, which dives into detail about the music theory underlying the Beatles’ songs.
He and I agreed that if all hell broke loose in the world, that book, together with the complete Shakespeare and the Bible, would be good ones to grab from the bookshelves. Which of course hearkens back to H.G. Wells’ famous riddle.
At the end of The Time Machine, George grabs three books to bring forward with him in time for the benefit of the Eloi. His colleagues are left wondering which books he chose, and we never find out.
1895 was a bit too early for the Beatles of course. But if the story were taking place today, that book could very well be in the main character’s personal library.
So there you have it. If you want to kick-start a civilization, one option is to choose the three B’s: The Bible, The Bard and The Beatles.