I'm reading a book right now called 'A Short History of the World,' and I've reached the part discussing civilizations of the Americas. About the Maya, it says that three of their books have survived, and from this they have learned something of the civilization.

I don't doubt that they have. But think about our world today. What if only three books survived to tell future millennia who we are? What if they were the wrong three? Could there be any right three? Could there be three books that give an accurate picture of who we are as a global civilization today? Who we are as a people because of our history? What would those three books be? Is there any way future researchers could ever know us, really?

Of course, it's all academic. I can't imagine that a culture like ours could ever leave behind *only* three books. There's so much here that would be left behind in even a cataclysm... but it's interesting to think about.

Any nominations for the three books?