We should have a thread.
Where we argue about what books should be on the list.
And we can argue about the criteria we used to come up with the list.
Here's a list that puts Stranger in a Strange Land at #2 and Dune at 9
http://listverse.com/2007/08/18/top-15-great-science-fiction-books/
Here is a list that puts Stranger at #1 and Dune at #2;
http://thebookhaven.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/10-bestselling-science-fiction-books-of-all-time/
The Dune wiki article claims that it's the #1 seller of all time;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)
So there's some argument to be had, as to what's important beyond sales.
Hubbard wrote some awesome stuff and founded a religion with Dianetics, a religion that alot of Hollywood types adhere to.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance could do double duty as philosophical fiction and give Chilton's Ford Truck 1985 to 2000 a run in the How To category.
And now that I think about it seems like we must give a nod to circulation so I retract what I said to Res regarding Chilton's vs Haynes manuals. Yes the Haynes is the superior manual but it was a Chilton's that got stained with my blood sweat and tears when I was 15 and repairing my first car on the money I made at a part time fruit stocking job that I rode my ten speed to.
So some consideration must be given to the impact that the book had on society.
Just a thought.