For history, read Hume, Rollin, and the Universal History, if you can; I never did.

For fiction, read Scott alone; all novels after his are worthless.

For biography, read Johnson's Lives of the Poets, Boswell's Life of Johnson, Southey's Life of Nelson, Lockhart's Life of Burns, Moore's Life of Sheridan, Moore's Life of Byron, Wolfe's Remains.

For natural history, read Bewick and Audubon, and Goldsmith and White's history of Selborne.

For divinity, your brother will advise you there.