Hi! I would like to learn what are the best books to read in a life
time. maybe a selection of classics. a list (or lists) of 10-20 books
according to experts. thanks.

1. Random House lists the 100 best nonfiction and fiction books from
the view of its board as well as from a public poll.
http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100best/index.html
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2.The American Library Association lists 100 best books for teenagers.
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/bestofbest2000.html
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3. Guardian Unlimited of the United Kingdom has its own list of the
100 best.
 http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,711520,00.html
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4. Very nice list from the Hungry Mind Review, but I'd add Dr Zhivago
by Pasternak as one of them.
http://www.bookspot.com/listhungry100.htm
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5.Interesting list by Barnes and Noble of the top 100 based on sales
data.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/bestsellers/top100.asp
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6. By Book Magazine, this is great....a list of 100 best characters
and the related books.
http://www.bookmagazine.com/issue21/100best.shtml
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7. My favorite list by Radcliffe Publishing
http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100rivallist.html

Although there are many other lists, this should give you a great idea
for a reading library.

Brad-ga

The Book-of-the-Month club and the Library of Congress conducted a
survey in 1991 for the most influencial books in people's lives.  Here
you can find the result: http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/bklists.html

I am not an expert, but more of a literary lover.
My suggestions are:
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER (except for #1-5)
 1- 1984, by George Orwell
 2- THE DIVINE COMEDY-Inferno,    Dante Alighieri
 3- THE DIVINE COMEDY-Purgatorio, Dante Alighieri
 4- THE DIVINE COMEDY-Paradiso,   Dante Alighieri
 5- A Modest Proposal, by Jonathan Swift (not really a book...but a
lovely piece
    of satire, no less!) 
    readable here:
    http://www.english.upenn.edu/~jlynch/Courses/95c/Texts/modest.html
 6- Animal Farm, by George Orwell
 7- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce
 8- ANY BIBLE or ANY FAITH...particularly the Latin Vulgate, if you
know Latin
 9- Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
10- Native Son, by Richard Wright
11- To kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee
12- THE GREAT GATSBY, F. Scott Fitzgerald 
13- PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, Jane Austen 
14- GREAT EXPECTATIONS, Charles Dickens 
15- HAMLET, William Shakespeare 
16- AS I LAY DYING, William Faulkner 
17- DEATH OF A SALESMAN, Arthur Miller 
18- Apocalypse WOW! A Memoir of the End of Time, by James Finn Garner
19- PLATO'S REPUBLIC, Plato 
20- Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
21- Five Great Dialogues, by Plato...specifically the "Allegory of the
Cave"
22- The Age of Reason, by Thomas Paine

ANYTHING BY GEORGE ORWELL or JAMES JOYCE, and STEPHEN KING is also
excellent.


* I can personally attest to all of the above.  These aren't other
people's opinions, but my own because I have read them myself.  I also
encourage you to explore beyond novels and into short stories, such as
anything by Swift or Joyce, and if you have a firm grasp of
interpreting literature (i.e., reading something that says one thing,
and knowing that it means something entirely different), then I
suggest things like "Hills like White Elephants" or Mach.'s "The
Prince".

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY, and sorry I posted after this has been answered.
 I couldn't resist!!!

-dexter