[xibalban]

Hey folks,

I'm very close to acquiring my first eInk based eReader. I've been struggling with ePubs on my Smartphone for sometime now, and I wish to re-Kindle my passion for reading classic books on my Kobo Aura HD.

I will be using the device primarily for reading journals and technical PDFs but I've decided to devote some serious time toward reading classics.

The biggest problem arises with the choice of books, with thousands of great books to begin with. The internet is flooded with lists and book suggestions I just can't get past browsing through. There is the TIME Magazine's all time top 100, Amazon's top 100, Modern Library's, etc, etc! I simply don't understand where to begin.

Hence, here I am, trying to re-invent a custom list, and I plead all the good folks here to help me build a list of books based on the following preference:

1. Genre: "Influential" - implying books which inspired or influenced a lot of people in History. It could be a simple "Think & Grow Rich" kind of book or "Aesop's Fables" or the "Religious Scriptures" as well.
2. Language: English (or translated to English)
3. Type: Public Domain or Free
4. Format: ePub - provide download links if possible
5. Generation: Any

Now for the most difficult part. I desired just one list:

The Mother List: Suggest just one book. The "one" book that one must read before one dies.

Thanks in advance.

UPDATE - 29th August 2014
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I have below the list of books recommended by various users in order of the date on which it was recommended based on polls:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird - Lee Harper
2. The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan
3. The Iliad and The Odyssey - Homer
4. The Art of War - Sun Tzu
5. The Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger
6. Time Traders - Andre Norton
7. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
8. The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
9. The Young Man's Guide - William Alcott (currently reading - 90%)
10. The Republic - Plato
11. The Big Questions - Simon Blackburn
12. Dragon's Egg and Starquake - Robert L. Forward
13. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandré Dumas
    
    
    Books already read, but considered good.
    
    
14. Walden - H D Thoreau
15. Sherlock Holmes Series - A C Doyle
16. The Mahabharata - Ved Vyasa
17. Utopia - Thomas More
18. The Holy Bible
19. The Complete Works of Shakespeare

I intend to convert this list to a rating based one, through polls. I request everyone to participate, and wish to thank you for your time.
Click here for the current poll results.