A few weeks ago, you no doubt saw or heard about a list of the 100 best English-language novels of the past hundred years. It got quite a bit of comment because virtually no one agreed with the list-makers in their selections, and virtually everyone agreed that the number one pick, James Joyce's Ulysses, is a miserable read. Still, no one could agree on a new number one, nor, for that matter, any substitute list either. About all anyone would grant is that Americans do love lists. In fact, the Arizona Republic went so far as to compile a list of lists, the 50 Best Lists of All Time.(1) Among the top ten are the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, The Bill of Rights, the FBI's Ten Most Wanted. But the consensus pick for the number one list ever was the Ten Commandments.

Good choice? Most p…