789 The 25 Greatest Books of All Time (with Mike Palindrome) | My Last Book with Cass Sunstein

About this episode

Jacke Wilson reveals the top two greatest books of all time and discusses them with Mike Palindrome, while Cass Sunstein shares his choice for the last book he will ever read.

In 2025, Jacke began a countdown of the top 25 greatest books of all time, as part of a series called "25 for 25." In this episode, Jacke reveals the #2 and #1 entries on the list. Then Mike Palindrome, longtime friend and President of the Literature Supporters Club, joins Jacke to discuss the books chosen, the relative merits of the list, and propose some alternatives. PLUS Cass Sunstein (How to Become Famous: Lost Einsteins, Forgotten Superstars, and How the Beatles Came to Be) stops by to discuss his choice for the last book he will ever read. The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Jacke Wilson

Guests: Mike Palindrome, Cass Sunstein

Topics covered

• greatest books
• literature discussion
• book recommendations
• literary analysis
• author interviews

Keywords

• greatest books
• literature
• book list
• interview
• Cass Sunstein

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Literature Supporters Club, Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal, Lit Hub Radio, Podglomerate Network, patreon.com/literature, historyofliterature.com/donate, thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature

Books & works: How to Become Famous: Lost Einsteins, Forgotten Superstars, and How the Beatles Came to Be

More episodes of The History of Literature

• 809 Robert Browning | The Dutch Roots of Washington Irving (with Elisabeth Paling Funk) · June 11, 2026 · 1h 26m
• 808 A Treacherous Secret Agent - How Literature Spoke Truth to Power During the Red Scare (with Marjorie Garber) | Arthur Miller on Writing "The Crucible" · June 8, 2026 · 57 min
• 807 The Story of Stories (with Kevin Ashton) | My Last Book with Ilya Vinitsky and James H McGavran III · June 4, 2026 · 1h 12m
• 806 Robert Frost (with Adam Plunkett) | My Last Book with Ursula Buchan · June 1, 2026 · 53 min
• 805 Robert Frost Finds a Friend [Revisited] · May 28, 2026 · 55 min
• 804 Shakespeare and Loss (with Sarah Beckwith) | My Last Book with Caroline Lea · May 25, 2026 · 1h 4m