Mel Brooks's Reading List

"one of the writers I admire is my son Max Brooks. He is the author of several great books including "The Zombie Survival Guide," "World War Z" and "Devolution." (By the way, they're best sellers. So it's not just me bragging!)"

"I loved reading Gary Giddins's two-volume biography of Bing Crosby... They are so good I even toyed with the idea of making a movie of them myself."

"I think "Robinson Crusoe," by Daniel Defoe, is my comfort read. I must have read it over a hundred times, and it never fails me."

"One of the funniest books I ever read is called "The Twelve Chairs." I liked it so much I made a movie of it!"

""The Diary of Samuel Pepys" is an incredible look at real day-to-day life during the British Restoration period in the 1600s from the bubonic plague to the Great Fire of London."

"I also absolutely loved reading two of Walter Isaacson's great biographies: "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" and "Einstein: His Life and Universe.""

"I'd never read anything like it. It was hysterically funny and incredibly moving at the same time. It's like Gogol stuck a pen in his heart... It truly raised the bar of what I considered to be important writing. It was a life-changing gift, and I still read it once a year."

"Joseph Heller, author of the unforgettable "Catch-22.""

"Mario Puzo, whose masterpiece was "The Godfather.""

"Bing Crosby was not just a singer, he was kind of a people’s hero, singing all the songs everyone loved and singing them like only he could. These biographies capture everything I admire about one of my professional heroes. From his early ballads of the 1920’s like I Found a Million Dollar Baby (In a Five and Ten Cents Store) to his unforgettable rendition of White Christmas – not to mention his scat singing – he was a true legendary jazz vocalist. Giddins has written the definitive account o..."

"Just recently I read this history of my favorite London hotel. The Savoy has many secrets to tell. I also have one that I shall reveal right now: There is a small suite on the seventh floor with a charming view overlooking Waterloo Bridge that happens to be named the Mel Brooks Suite. I’ve joined Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, Noel Coward, Marlene Dietrich, and a few other illustrious guests who have had their rooms named after them. The people who work there are the best in the world. The..."

"Maybe my favorite book. I must have read it over a hundred times, and it never fails me. Even though Crusoe is adrift on a lonely island, he never loses his faith in his own ability to conquer the unknown and live to see home once again. Daniel Defoe has written a true work of art that stands the test of time."

"For me, there is nothing like the British nautical battles of Horatio Nelson in the early 19th century. He led them to enormous sea victories like the battles of the Nile, Copenhagen and most famously, Trafalgar. Stockwin really knows early British navy lore, with masts, spars, rigging, sails, cannons, frigates, and ships of the line. In Thomas Kydd, the author has a created a wonderful daring-do British commander. Kydd knows his job as captain standing proudly on the deck of his ship of the..."