Heinlein's sci-fi, and Ayn Rand showed me in their very different ways that it was possible to be both intelligent and dynamic in the world, and awoke in me a passion for the many faces of life at work; the Aeneid, believe it or not, actually touched me in a strange way, too. Catcher in the Rye, The Stranger, and one or two others opened another aside of the world, perhaps less valuable in the long term. I was excited by "The Dancing Wu Li Masters", even though it was derivative, and I found "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" to be important personally for reasons I havbe never quite sorted out.   And somehow I got flipped out by Benedetto Croce on Art and Communication, but given the period, the flipping ouit might be attributable to other elements at play. :>) (I just looked it up -- the proper title of Croce's best known work is Aesthetic as Science of Expression and General Linguistic (1902). Well, excyooooose me!) :>) Oh, and my life would not be the same without General Semantics (Korzybski) and The Nature of Scientific Revolutions by Kahn.    Marilyn Fergusen and Thomas Szasz also were important to me. And ee cummings and Dylan Thomas were in my heart from first reading. Now you're opening doors better left shut, Peter! LOL!! Thanks for reminding me of riches long neglected.

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