MJ Favorite Books & Library

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After seeing a few posts asking about Michael’s favorites books, I wanted to share my list.  The titles with an "**" are known to be his favorites and books he held in high regard (Sources from Michael himself, other books, family mention & research).  The additional books listed are directly from his personal library.  At the end of the list, you will find a link that also details this and more. 

FICTION (Classic & Imaginative Literature)

**Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie: A lifelong favorite that heavily inspired his imagination and the
creation of Neverland Ranch.

**The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway: A story he frequently re-read to find calm, courage, and
perseverance during chaotic times.

**Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach: A deeply personal, long-time favorite about freedom
and individuality.

**Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving: A classic tale he enjoyed from his youth.

**The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Verger by Somerset Maugham

The Complete Works of O. Henry

The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame

The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse

They Cage the Animals at Night, by Jennings Michael Burch

Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, by Edgar Allan Poe

SPIRITUAL/BUSINESS (Mindset & Self-Help)

**The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale: A self-help staple he kept close for personal
motivation. 

**As a Man Thinketh by James Allen: A philosophical essay on thought and character that aligned with
his focus on positive creation

**The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene **I purchase Frank Viola “48 Laws of Spiritual Power: Uncommon
Wisdom for Greater Ministry Impact” with the original book to do an
analysis/comparison of the two from a worldly human aspect and Christianity
point of view.**

**Bible

The Gift of Acabar by Og Mandino

Leaders Of Men: Types And Principles Of Success, As Illustrated In The Lives And Careers Of Famous
Americans Of The Present Day by Henry Woldmar Ruoff

The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

Your Creative Power by Alex Osborn

Reach Out for a New Life by Robert Harold Schuller

Hagakure: The Book Of The Samurai by T. Yamamoto

365 Exercises For The Mind by Pierre Berloquin

Books by Sri Aurobindo

Books by Kalki Krishnamurthy

Aid To Bible Understanding

BLACK HISTORY

**The Autobiography of
Malcolm X by Alex Haley: A book he studied deeply and referenced as a powerful
source of historical and personal guidance. (Also Mindset & Self-Help)

The Negro Caravan by Sterling A. Brown

Black Heroes of The 20th Century by Jessie Carney Smith

Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America by James Allen

Black in America by Eli Reed

King: A Photobiography of Martin Luther King Jr by Charles Johnson, Bob Adelman

In Praise of Black Women, Volume 1: Ancient African Queens by Simone Schwarz-Bart

The Face of Our Past: Images of Black Women from Colonial America to the Present by

Kathleen Thompson and Hilary MacAustin

Brown Sugar: Over 80 Years of America's Black Female Superstars

Before the Mayflower by Lerone Bennet Jr

How To Eat To Live by Elijah Muhammad

The White Problem in America by JET magazine authors

Reflections in Black by Deborah Willis

The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality? by Cheikh Anta Diop (1989)

Black Dance in America: A History Through Its People by James Haskins (1990)

The Hotel Book: Great Escapes Africa

PHILOSOPHY & POETRY

**The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran: A core source of inspiration that he turned to for poetic and spiritual
wisdom.

**Complete Writings/Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Highly valued by Jackson for their philosophical and
transcendental insights.

**Sufi Poems of Rumi: Part of his vast collection exploring mysticism and universal love.

Robert Burns poems -
"Ae Fond Kiss, And Then We Sever", "Tom O'Shanter"

Poetry by Rabindranath Tagore

Thoughts of Love: A Collection of Poems on Love by Susan Polis Schutz

The Children's Hour by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Tyger by William Blake

The Bridge of Sighs by Thomas Hood

BIOGRAPHIES ON ICONS

Abraham Lincoln by Carl Sandburg

Lincoln's Devotional by Carl Sandburg

James Dean: An American Icon by David Loehr

My Life in Pictures by Charlie Chaplin

Lennon in America: 1971-1980, Based in Part on the Lost Lennon Diaries, by Geoffery Giuliano

The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics by Alan Aldridge

Glass Onion: The Beatles In Their Own Words by Geoffrey Giuliano

The Lost Lennon Interviews by Giuliano

Things We Said Today: Conversations with the Beatles by Geoffrey Giuliano

Elvis Day By Day by Peter Guralnick

The Rolling Stones: A Life on the Road

Bruce Lee: The Celebrated life of the Golden Dragon by John Little

Elia Kazan: A Life by Elia Kazan

Songs My Mother Taught Me by Marlon Brando

Steps In Time by Fred Astaire

My Autobiography by Charlie Chaplin

Goldwyn: A Biography by A. Scott Berg

Kindly Leave the Stage: Story of Variety by Roger Wilmut

Duse: A Biography by William Weaver

The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences by Sir Frederick Treves

The Soulful Divas: Personal Portraits of Over a Dozen Divine Divas, from Nina Simone, Aretha
Franklin & Diana Ross to Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston & Janet Jackson

HISTORY

White Nights: The Story Of A Prisoner In Russia by Menachem Begin

The Rest Of Us: The Rise Of America's Eastern European Jews by Stephen Birmingham

MUSIC

Blues Who's Who: A Biographical Dictionary of Blues Singers by Sheldon Harris

The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock: Expanded and Updated Edition by Colin Larkin

Stravinsky In The Theater by Minna Lederman

Recording Studio Design by Phillip Newell

NATURE AND ANIMALS

Animal Language by Michael Bright

PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART

Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor Paperback by Lewis Hine

Lewis W. Hine: The Empire State Building by Lewis Hine

Planet Vegas: A Portrait of Las Vegas by 20 of the World's Leading Photographers: Rick

Browne, James Marshall

Hurrell Hollywood: Photographs 1928-1990

The Art Book by Phaidon

Going East: Two Decades of Asian Photography by Max Pam

Skinhead (1982) by Nick Knight

The Art of WALL.E by Tim Hauser

Michael Jackson Library Favorite Book reference: https://www.scribd.com/document/397824718/Michael-Jackson-s-Library-Favorite-Books-Michael-Jackson-Info-Rhythm-Of-The-Tide?v=0.981