Every reader knows that a book can change your life. But what about the lives of an entire generation? Can a book change the future? Miriam Tuliao, assistant director of central collection development at the New York Public Library, helped us come up with a list of the books that changed the course of history. We also added a few of our own ideas. From Shakespeare's plays to Orwell's "1984," these 30 titles have had a major impact (listed here in alphabetical order). Do you think another book belongs on this list? Let us know in the comments."Aesop’s Fables" by Aesop Believed to have originated between 620 and 560 BCE "Aesop's Fables" is a collection of stories that are meant to teach the listener a life lesson. The fables themselves are often credited to an ancient Greek slave and story teller named Aesop (though the origin of the fables remains disputed). The stories themselves are still important moral lessons and have had a far-reaching impact on literature and common sayings, including "wolf in sheep's clothing," "boy who cried wolf," "goose that laid the golden eggs," and many others. Buy the book here "The Analects of Confucius" by Confucius Believed to have been written sometime between 475 and 221 BCE Also known as simply "Analects" or "Lunyu," this book is the collection of sayings and ideas attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius on how to live a virtuous life and be kind — what he referred to as ren. Today, "The Analects" continues to have a profound influence on Eastern philosophy and ethics, especially in China. Buy an English translation of the book here "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank Published in 1947 The book is a compilation of the diary writings of Anne Frank, a young woman who hid with her family for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The family was discovered and taken in 1944, and Anne Frank died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Since its publication, "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" has been translated into more than 60 languages and remains one of the most famous and influential primary documents from Europe in WWII. Buy the book here See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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