Moby Dick is my favorite book! it is extremely weird. I am always surprised at its inclusion in mainstream canons because it's so out there. It possibly jumps modernity and goes right into postmodernity --the kind with soul though. it's also hilarious!
I think Moby Dick may be the only book I've ever read to make me hungry (for clam chowder specifically). Somehow I quit about 2/3 of the way through. Maybe I should pick it up again.
Reading the Travels of Marco Polo at the moment. The chapter on Beijing makes it seem quite the modern city (I guess this was written in the 12th or 13th century?). I wish he'd included Europe in his writing; though it obviously would've held no interest at the time the context would've been interesting.