The Greatest Books Fiction Nonfiction Top of Form

Bottom of Form Misc Sign InThe Greatest Booksall | 2000 | 1990 | 1980 | 1970 | 1950 | 1900 | 1. 1 . In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust

Swann's Way, the first part of A la recherche de temps perdu, Marcel Proust's seven-part cycle, was published in 1913. In it, Proust introduces the themes that run through the entire work. The narr... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

2. 2 . Ulysses by James Joyce

Ulysses chronicles the passage of Leopold Bloom through Dublin during an ordinary day, June 16, 1904. The title parallels and alludes to Odysseus (Latinised into Ulysses), the hero of Homer's Odyss... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

3. 3 . Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Alonso Quixano, a retired country gentleman in his fifties, lives in an unnamed section of La Mancha with his niece and a housekeeper. He has become obsessed with books of chivalry, and believes th... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

4. 4 . Moby Dick by Herman Melville

First published in 1851, Melville's masterpiece is, in Elizabeth Hardwick's words, "the greatest novel in American literature." The saga of Captain Ahab and his monomaniacal pursuit of the white wh... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

5. 5 . Hamlet by William Shakespeare

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Pri... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

6. 6 . War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Epic in scale, War and Peace delineates in graphic detail events leading up to Napoleon's invasion of Russia, and the impact of the Napoleonic era on Tsarist society, as seen through the eyes of fi... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

7. 7 . The Odyssey by Homer

The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work traditionally ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the m... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

8. 8 . The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The novel chronicles an era that Fitzgerald himself dubbed the "Jazz Age". Following the shock and chaos of World War I, American society enjoyed unprecedented levels of prosperity during the "roar... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

9. 9 . The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

Belonging in the immortal company of the great works of literature, Dante Alighieri's poetic masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, is a moving human drama, an unforgettable visionary journey through the ... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

10. 10 . Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

For daring to peer into the heart of an adulteress and enumerate its contents with profound dispassion, the author of Madame Bovary was tried for "offenses against morality and religion." What shoc... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

11. 11 . The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Dostoevsky's last and greatest novel, The Karamazov Brothers, is both a brilliantly told crime story and a passionate philosophical debate. The dissolute landowner Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov is mur... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

12. 12 . One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

One of the 20th century's enduring works, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a widely beloved and acclaimed novel known throughout the world, and the ultimate achievement in a Nobel Prizewinning car... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

13. 13 . The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Revered by all of the town's children and dreaded by all of its mothers, Huckleberry Finn is indisputably the most appealing child-hero in American literature. Unlike the tall-tale, idyllic worl... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

14. 14 . The Iliad by Homer

The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set in the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of Ilium by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and e... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

15. 15 . Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

The book is internationally famous for its innovative style and infamous for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, middle aged Humbert Humbert, becomes obsessed and se... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

16. 16 . Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and must endu... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

17. 17 . Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

It is a murder story, told from a murder;s point of view, that implicates even the most innocent reader in its enormities. It is a cat-and-mouse game between a tormented young killer and a cheerful... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

18. 18 . Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

In 1862 Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a shy Oxford mathematician with a stammer, created a story about a little girl tumbling down a rabbit hole. Thus began the immortal adventures of Alice, perhaps th... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

19. 19 . The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

The Sound and the Fury is set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. The novel centers on the Compson family, former Southern aristocrats who are struggling to deal with the dissolution of their fa... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

20. 20 . Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The book is narrated in free indirect speech following the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with matters of upbringing, marriage, moral rightness and education in her aristocratic socie... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

21. 21 . The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye is a 1945 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, the novel has become a common part of high school and college curricula throughout the English-speaking wo... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

22. 22 . Wuthering Heights by Emily Bront

The narrative is non-linear, involving several flashbacks, and two primary narrators: Mr. Lockwood and Ellen "Nelly" Dean. The novel opens in 1801, with Mr. Lockwood arriving at Thrushcross Grange,... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

23. 23 . Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell

The story follows the life of one seemingly insignificant man, Winston Smith, a civil servant assigned the task of perpetuating the regime's propaganda by falsifying records and political literatur... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

24. 24 . Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

The story details an incident when Marlow, an Englishman, took a foreign assignment from a Belgian trading company as a ferry-boat captain in Africa. Although Conrad does not specify the name of th... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

25. 25 . To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

A landmark novel of high modernism, the text, centering on the Ramsay family and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland between 1910 and 1920, skillfully manipulates temporality and psycholog... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

26. 26 . Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner

Absalom, Absalom! is a Southern Gothic novel by the American author William Faulkner, first published in 1936. It is a story about three families of the American South, taking place before, during,... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

27. 27 . Middlemarch by George Eliot

Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Anne Evans, later Marian Evans. It is her seventh novel, begun in 1869 and then put aside during the final i... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

28. 28 . The Trial by Franz Kafka

Written in 1914, The Trial is one of the most important novels of the twentieth century: the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and mu... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

29. 29 . One Thousand and One Nights by India/Iran/Iraq/Egypt

One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the Arabian Ni... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

30. 30 . The Stories of Anton Chekhov by Anton Chekhov

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian short-story writer, playwright and physician, considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in the history of world literature. His career as a dram... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

31. 31 . The Red and the Black by Stendhal

Le Rouge et le Noir (The Red and the Black), subtitled Chronique du XIXe sicle ("Chronicle of the 19th century"), is an historical psychological novel in two volumes by Stendhal, published in 1830... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

32. 32 . Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

From the preeminent prose satirist in the English language, a great classic recounting the four remarkable journeys of ship's surgeon Lemuel Gulliver. For children it remains an enchanting fantasy;... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

33. 33 . Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Catch-22 is a satirical, historical novel by the American author Joseph Heller, first published in 1961. The novel, set during the later stages of World War II from 1943 onwards, is frequently cite... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

34. 34 . The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Set during the Great Depression, the novel focuses on a poor family of sharecroppers, the Joads, driven from their home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in the agriculture industry. In a ... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

35. 35 . Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

The novel addresses many of the social and intellectual issues facing African-Americans in the early twentieth century, including black nationalism, the relationship between black identity and Marx... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

36. 36 . The Stranger by Albert Camus

Since it was first published in English, in 1946, Albert Camus's extraordinary first novel, The Stranger (L'Etranger), has had a profound impact on millions of American readers. Through this story ... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

37. 37 . Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Great Expectations is written in the genre of "bildungsroman" or the style of book that follows the story of a man or woman in their quest for maturity, usually starting from childhood and ending i... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

38. 38 . The Aeneid by Virgil

The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem written by Virgil in the late 1st century BC (2919 BC) that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

39. 39 . David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

The story of the abandoned waif who learns to survive through challenging encounters with distress and misfortune. - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

40. 40 . Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Created from two short stories, "Mrs Dalloway in Bond Street" and the unfinished "The Prime Minister", the novel's story is of Clarissa's preparations for a party of which she is to be hostess. Wit... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

41. 41 . Beloved by Toni Morrison

Beloved (1987) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison. The novel, her fifth, is loosely based on the life and legal case of the slave Margaret Garner, about whom Morrison... - wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

42. 42 . The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

With their astonishing diversity of tone and subject matter, The Canterbury Tales have become one of the touchstones of medieval literature. Translated here into modern English, these tales of a mo... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

43. 43 . Collected Fiction by Jorge Luis Borges

From his 1935 debut with The Universal History of Iniquity, through his immensely influential collections Ficciones and The Aleph, these enigmatic, elaborate, imaginative inventions display Borges'... - Publisher Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

44. 44 . Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

Leaves of Grass (1855) is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman. Among the poems in the collection are "Song of Myself," "I Sing the Body Electric," "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Roc... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

45. 45 . Candide by Voltaire

Candide, ou l'Optimisme is a French satire written in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. Candide is characterized by its sarcastic tone and its erratic, fantastical, an... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

46. 46 . Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bront

Jane Eyre is a first-person narrative of the title character, a small, plain-faced, intelligent and honest English orphan. The novel goes through five distinct stages: Jane's childhood at Gateshead... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

47. 47 . As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

The book is told in stream of consciousness writing style by 15 different narrators in 59 chapters. It is the story of the death of Addie Bundren and her family's questnoble or selfishto honor he... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

48. 48 . The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

The novel explores the lives and values of the so-called "Lost Generation," chronicling the experiences of Jake Barnes and several acquaintances on their pilgrimage to Pamplona for the annual San F... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

49. 49 . The Complete Stories of Franz Kafka by Franz Kafka

The Complete Stories of Franz Kafka is a compilation of all Kafka's short stories. With the exception of Kafka's three novels (The Trial, The Castle and Amerika), this collection includes all of Ka... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

50. 50 . Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne

As its title suggests, the book is ostensibly Tristram's narration of his life story. But it is one of the central jokes of the novel that he cannot explain anything simply, that he must make expla... - Wikipedia Top of FormI've read this book Bottom of Form Top of FormI want to read this book Bottom of Form

1 2 3 4 5 Next Last How is this list generated?

This list is generated from 107 "best of" book lists from a variety of great sources. An algorithm is used to create a master list based on how many lists a particular book appears on. Some lists count more than others. I generally trust "best of all time" lists voted by authors and experts over user-generated lists. On the lists that are actually ranked, the book that is 1st counts a lot more than the book that's 100th. If you have any comments, suggestions, or corrections please feel free to e-mail me. The ListsIf you're interested in the details about how the rankings are generated and which lists are the most important(in my eyes) please check out the list details page.

1. Top 100 Works in World LiteratureThe editors of the Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute, polled a panel of 100 authors from 54 countries on what they considered the best and most central works in world literature. Among the authors polled were Milan Kundera, Doris Lessing, Seamus Heaney, Salman Rushdie, Wole Soyinka, John Irving, Nadine Gordimer, and Carlos Fuentes. The list of 100 works appears alphabetically by author. Although the books were not ranked, the editors revealed that Don Quixote received 50% more votes than any other book. Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute 2. Biblioteca38 Argentinean Authors were polled by the Argentinean government for their favorite books. This is a tally of all books with more than 1 vote. Argentina 3. El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish AuthorsEl Pais ran A Poll of 100 Spanish Authors and Their Favorite Books. This is summary of all the books El Pais 4. For The Love of BooksRonald Schwartz polled 115 major writers about their favorite books, and published each of their ballots in the book For the Love of Books. For The Love of Books 5. Pour une Bibliothque Idale"In the early 1950s Raymond Queneau asked several dozen French authors and critics to list the hundred books they would choose if they had to limit themselves to that number. He reproduced all their responses in the book Pour une Bibliothque Idale (Gallimard, 1956), along with the overall top 100 list reproduced above." Raymond Queneau 6. The 25 Favorite Books of 100 Francophone WritersTlrama, a weekly French magazine, asked 100s of french authors to list their top 10 favorite books of all time. Telerama 7. The Ideal Library100 prominent cultural figures, mostly writers, were polled for their choice of an "ideal library". The following list is a tally of every book that received at least 2 votes. Book 8. The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All TimeThe Top 10 book chosen by 125 top writers from the book "The Top 10" edited by J. Peder Zane. The Top 10 (Book) 9. The Celebrity Reading ListThe Gardiner Public Library, from 1988 to 2007, polled various famous figures from all around the world (writers, artists, filmmakers, politicians, actors, etc.) to ask for their book recommendations. This list is based on the books that received at least two mentions. Gardiner Public Library 10. 100 Life-Changing BooksNational Book Award-winning authors got together to select what was, in their opinions, 100 life-changing books. National Book Award 11. Finest Works of FictionIn Novels and Novelists, A Guide to the World of Fiction (1980) Seymour-Smith and the other contributors selected about 55 works of fiction as receiving full marks on the four criteria used for evaluation: Readability, Characterization, Plot, and Literary Merit. These represent, for the contributors, the finest works of fiction that have been written. Martin Seymour-Smith and Editors 12. Great Books of the Western WorldGreat Books of the Western World is a series of books originally published in the United States in 1952 by Encyclopdia Britannica Inc. to present the western canon in a single package of 54 volume... Great Books Foundation 13. The 100 Best Non-Fiction Books of the CenturyThe 100 best non-fiction books of all time judged by a panel of historians, authors, publishers, and experts for the National Review Magazine. National Review 14. The 50 Best Books of the CenturyISI defined "best" as "volumes of extraordinary reflection and creativity in a traditional form, which heartens us with the knowledge that fine writing and clear-mindedness are perennially possible." All the books are non-fiction. The first 5 are ranked, the rest are alphabetical. Intercollegiate Studies Institute 15. The Bigger Read ListThe English PEN staff compiled a list of the best works not written in the English language. This list combines their list with the suggestions made by Fred Armentrout, President of Hong Kong (English-Speaking) PEN. English PEN 16. The New Lifetime Reading PlanClifton Paul "Kip" Fadiman (May 15, 1904 June 20, 1999) was an American intellectual, author, editor, radio and television personality. The New Lifetime Reading Plan provides readers with brief, informative and entertaining introductions to more than 130 classics of world literature. From Homer to Hawthorne, Plato to Pascal, and Shakespeare to Solzhenitsyn, the great writers of Western civilization can be found in its pages. In addition, this new edition offers a much broader representation of women authors, such as Charlotte Bront%, Emily Dickinson and Edith Wharton, as well as non-Western writers such as Confucius, Sun-Tzu, Chinua Achebe, Mishima Yukio and many others. This fourth edition also features a simpler format that arranges the works chronologically in five sections (The Ancient World; 300-1600; 1600-1800; and The 20th Century), making them easier to look up than ever before. It deserves a place in the libraries of all lovers of literature. The New Lifetime Reading Plan 17. ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 BcherDie Zeit 18. "Our Readable Century", The Best Books of the 20th CenturyLiterary publication January Magazine polled writers for their favorite works of 2oth century fiction. These were the most mentioned books. January Magazine 19. 110 Best Books: The Perfect LibraryFrom classics and sci-fi to poetry, biographies and books that changed the world we present the ultimate reading list. The Telegraph 20. Books That Changed the World: The 50 Most Influential Books in Human HistoryA 208 page book written in 2009 by Journalist and Author Andrew Taylor. Books from every field of human creativity and intellectual endeavor - from poetry to politics, from fiction to philosophy, from theology to anthropology, and from economics to physics have been selected to create a rounded and satisfying picture of how 50 towering achievements of the human intellect have built our societies, shaped our values, enhanced our understanding of the nature of the world, enabled technological advancements, and reflected our concerns and dilemmas, strengths and failings. In a series of engaging and lively essays, Andrew Taylor sets each work and its author firmly in historical context, summarizes the content of the work in question, and explores its wider influence and legacy. A fascinating and richly informative read. Book 21. Recommended Books"Discover which books made a difference in the early lives of the most eminent achievers of our times." Academy of Achievement 22. The 16 Greatest Books of All TimeTwo book editors for the nyulocal.com present their list of the 16 greatest books of all time, with a list of runner-ups as well. NYU Local 23. Vrldsbiblioteket (The World Library)Vrldsbiblioteket (The World Library) was a Swedish list of the 100 best books in the world, made in 1991 by the Swedish literary magazine Tidningen Boken. The list was compiled through votes from members of the Svenska Akademien, Swedish Crime Writers' Academy, librarian, authors and others. Approximately 30 of the books were Swedish. Tidningen Boken 24. 100 Best BooksMichael Sexson, English teacher at Montana State University, in 2000 had his class of 45 students compose a list of the 100 greatest works of literature ever written, in their collective opinions. Montana State University 25. "Best Foreign Work of Fiction"The French literary magazine Transfuge asked a group of francophone writers to pick their best foreign work of fiction. These are the results. Transfuge 26. Great BooksA short list of essential works of the Western Canon, as selected scholar Anthony O'Hear. Anthony O'Hear 27. How to Read and WhyInformation is endlessly available to us; where shall wisdom be found?" is the crucial question with which renowned literary critic Harold Bloom begins this impassioned book on the pleasures and benefits of reading well. For more than forty years, Bloom has transformed college students into lifelong readers with his unrivaled love for literature. Now, at a time when faster and easier electronic media threatens to eclipse the practice of reading, Bloom draws on his experience as critic, teacher, and prolific reader to plumb the great books for their sustaining wisdom. - Amazon Harold Bloom 28. How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Reading ListEnglish professor Thomas C. Foster, at the end of his book, includes a recommended "reading list". Thomas C. Foster 29. The 100 Most Influential Books Ever WrittenThe 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written: The History of Thought from Ancient Times to Today (1998) is a book of intellectual history written by Martin Seymour-Smith (19281998), a British poet, critic, and biographer. Martin Seymour-Smith 30. The Great Books Reader"In this volume you will be guided by esteemed professors and writers who have selected excerpts from the most important books in Western Civilization. A brief essay illuminates each excerpt and puts the work in context. Take your education to the next level by letting some of the best thinkers of today walk you through the most influential books in history." Book 31. Best Books Ever"Whatever it's called we love a list of what we think are the best books of all time so we've compiled an entirely arbitrary and personal selection of 100 titles below for you to disagree with." bookdepository.com 32. Great Books"Great Books is an hour-long documentary and biography program that aired on The Learning Channel. The series was a project co-created by Walter Cronkite and former child actor Jonathan Ward under a deal they had with their company Cronkite-Ward, the The Discovery Channel, and The Learning Channel. Premiering on September 8, 1993, to coincide with International Literacy Day, the series took in-depth looks into some of literature's greatest fictional and nonfictional books and the authors who created them. The series is mostly narrated by Donald Sutherland." - Wikipedia The Learning Channel 33. Masterpieces of World LiteratureScholar Frank N. Magills famous literary studies reference book. A selection of over 200 of the greatest works of literature of all time Frank N. Magill 34. The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The ListThe list of essential fiction from the past 300 years from Robert McCrum of The Observer. The Observer 35. The Graphic CanonThe classic canon of Western civilization meets the artists and illustrators who have remade reading in the last years of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty-first century in Russ Kick's magisterial, three-volume, full-color The Graphic Canon, volumes 1, 2, and 3. - Amazon Book 36. The Greatest 20th Century NovelsWaterstones 1999 poll of the greatest 20th century novels, according to British writers. This appeared to be the result of muddle in the way questions were put to and answered by the 47 authors, critics and media personalities who voted in the poll. Waterstone 37. The Greatest Novel of All TimeAuthor William Faulkner named Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" as the single greatest novel of all time. William Faulkner 38. The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All TimeThe list below is from the book The Novel 100: A Ranking of Greatest Novels All Time (Checkmark Books/Facts On File, Inc.: New York, 2004), written by Daniel S. Burt. The Novel 100 39. W. Somerset Maughams Ten Greatest Novels of All TimeMaugham's studies of the lives and masterpieces of ten great novelists are outstanding examples of literary criticism at its finest. Afforded here are some of the formulae of greatness in the genre, as well as the flaws and heresies which enfeeble it. Written by a master of fiction, "Ten Novels and Their Authors" is a unique and invaluable guide. Great Novelists and Their Novels 40. 50 Greatest Books of All TimeA list of the 50 greatest books of all time as determined by a panel of secret judges for Globe and Mail. The books are not ranked. Globe and Mail 41. Books That Changed the WorldScholar Robert B. Downs selects the "great works that revolutionized our ideas about the universe - and ourselves". Book 42. From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books100 books that, in the opinion of Bookriot.com editor-in-chief Jeff O'Neal, one should read before deeming themselves "well-read". Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com 43. Greatest Prose Works of the 20th CenturyAuthor Vladimir Nabokov's selection of the Top 4 greatest prose works of the 20th century. Vladimir Nabokov 44. Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past CenturyIntended as a companion to the infamous Modern Library ranking of the top 100 books of the past century, this list represents a different viewpoint--that of the booksellers themselves. Compiled from the responses of over 150 Koen Book Distributors customers, the following titles represent the very best in modern literature. themodernnovel.com 45. The Modern Library | 100 Best NonfictionThe Modern Library 46. 50 Books That Changed the World"For centuries, books have been written in an attempt to share knowledge, inspiration, and discoveries. Sometimes those books make such an impact that they change the way the world thinks about things. The following books have done just that by providing readers an education in politics and government, literature, society, academic subjects such as science and math, and religion." Open Education Database 47. 50 Books to Read Before You DieComplex Magazine's selection of 50 must-read books. Complex 48. 50 Books to (Re-)Read at 50Your essential short list of novels, nonfiction and biographies Got some time on your hands? This list of 50 great books is a good way to raise your literary IQ. It's by no means the "definitive" list, but each of these masterpieces is at least as relevant and powerful today as when it was written. And they're all still terrific reads. nextavenue 49. Donald Barthelmes Reading List81 books recommended by Author Donald Barthelme to his students at the University of Houston. Believer Mag 50. In Which These Are the 100 Greatest NovelsThisRecording.com Editor Alex Carnevale selects his choices for the "100 Greatest Novels of All Time". ThisRecording.com 51. Select 100"This list was compiled by tabulating nominations by UWM faculty, staff and students for the Select 100. It includes changes which have resulted from nominations received since the original list was released. We asked you to recommend books which you have found to be so useful and important that no one could consider himself/herself an educated or enlightened person without having read them. This is your cumulative response." University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 52. The 100 Best Books in the WorldGerman bookseller website AbeBooks.de makes their selection for the "100 greatest books ever written". AbeBooks.de (in German) 53. The 100 Greatest Books Ever WrittenEaston Press's selection of the greatest books of the Western Canon. Easton Press 54. The 100 Greatest NovelsCritic Ted Gioia's selection of the 100 greatest novels ever written. greatbooksguide.com 55. The Best ClassicsThe Times selection of the 100 best classic works of literature. The Times 56. The Millions: The Best Fiction of the MillenniumA poll of The Millions contributors and 48 of their favorite writers, editors, and critics, asking a single question: What are the best books of fiction of the millennium(2000), so far? The results were robust, diverse, and surprising. The Millions 57. 100 Books to Read in a LifetimeAmazon UK editors select 100 books that they deem "essential". Amazon.com (UK) 58. 100 Books to Read in a LifetimeA bucket list of books to create a well-read life, from Amazon Book Editors. Amazon.com (USA) 59. 48 Good BooksRecommended literature by the Undergraduate Academies and Libraries of the University of Buffalo. University of Buffalo 60. Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 BooksIn early 2010 Harvard Book Store employees worked together to come up with a list of our favorite books. Each staff member submitted a list of their favorite books of all time, in (rough) order of preference. Their selections were then weighted according to the order and the results were tabulated. It was by no means a perfect system, but it was the best way we could think of to quantify opinions that are in no way quantifiable. Now, we read a lot, so it was hard to narrow it down. What we came up with are the books that moved us, that changed the way we think about the world, and that we will happily read over and over again. We hope you enjoy them too. Harvard Book Store 61. Radcliffe's 100 Best NovelsRadcliffe Publishing Course 62. The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World ClassicsEditor W. John Campbell provides explanations and summaries for 100 of the world's best books. Book 63. The Modern Library | 100 Best NovelsModern Library 64. TIME Magazine All Time 100 NovelsTime critics Lev Grossman and Richard Lacayo pick the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present. TIME Magazine 65. Top 100 World Literature TitlesThe top 100 titles for the world literature classroom, ranked in order of popularity, chosen by literature teachers from across the country. Perfection Learning 66. 100 Best Novels in English Since 1900Jeffrey St. Clair and Alexander Cockburn's favorite novels since 1900. Counterpunch 67. 100 Best Novels Written in EnglishRespected literary critic Robert McCrum selects the definitive 100 novels written in English. The Guardian 68. 100 Essential BooksThe Brazilian cultural magazine Bravo! selects 100 essential books. Bravo! Magazine 69. D. G. Myers 50 Greatest English Language NovelsD. G. Myers, critic and literary historians 50 Greatest English Language Novels. A critic and literary historian for nearly a quarter of a century at Texas A&M and Ohio State. D. G. Myers 70. Robert McCrum's top 10 books of the twentieth centuryRobert McCrum is The Observer's literary editor and the author of, among other books, My Year Off. This is a list of this top 10 books of the twentieth century. The Guardian 71. The 21st Century's 12 Greatest NovelsThe BBC polled a number of book critics to determine the greatest novels of the current century so far. BBC Poll 72. The Dream of the Great American NovelWriter Lawrence Buell discusses the primary contenders for the title of the "Great American Novel". Book 73. 100 Major Works of Modern Creative NonfictionEssays, memoirs, autobiographies, biographies, travel writing, history, cultural studies, nature writing--all fit under the broad heading of creative nonfiction, and all are represented here: a list of 100 major works of creative nonfiction published by British and American writers over the past 80 years. About.com 74. 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of FictionThe 20th Centurys Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction is a popular "best of" list compiled by Larry McCaffery largely in response to Modern Library 100 Best Novels list (1999), which McCaffery saw as being out of touch with 20th-century fiction. McCaffery writes that he sees his list "as a means of sharing with readers my own views about what books are going to be read 100 or 1000 years from now". Larry McCaffery 75. 50 Books to Read Before You DieBarnes and Noble's selection of the 50 most essential books. Barnes and Noble 76. The 100 Favorite Novels of LibrariansBased on a survey of Librarians conducted by Brodart Co., September, 1998 - March, 1999. Brodart is an international company that services libraries around the world. Bookman.com 77. The Best Southern Nonfiction of All TimeThe best southern United States nonfiction books of all time judged by 130 literary experts and authors. Oxford American 78. The Telegraphs 100 Novels Everyone Should ReadThe best novels of all time from Tolkien to Proust and Middlemarch Telegraph 79. What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years?The New York Times Book Review's editor, Sam Tanenhaus, sent out a short letter to a couple of hundred prominent writers, critics, editors and other literary sages, asking them to please identify... New York Times 80. 100 Most Influential Books of the CenturyBoston Public Library's list of "The 100 Most Influential Books of the Century". A booklist for Adults. Boston Public Library 81. 50 Memorable Books from 50 Years of Books to RememberA representative selection from over 1500 titles on annual lists of Books to Remember from 1956 to 2005. Chosen by a group of librarians who are specialists in their genres, these outstanding works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry provide an informative or transformative reading experience, and are chosen for their literary excellence, uniqueness of concept and command of subject matter. The New York Public Library 82. The 80 Books Every Man Should ReadAn unranked, incomplete, utterly biased list of the greatest works of literature ever published. Esquire 83. Books of the DecadeThe 50 books that defined the decade(2000) The Guardian 84. Costa Book Award - Best NovelThe Costa Book Awards are a series of literary awards given to books by authors based in the United Kingdom and Ireland. They were known as the Whitbread Book Awards until 2005, after which Costa Coffee, a subsidiary of Whitbread, took over sponsorship. The awards, launched in 1971, are given both for high literary merit but also for works that are enjoyable reading and whose aim is to convey the enjoyment of reading to the widest possible audience. As such, they are a more populist literary prize than the Booker Prize. Costa Coffee 85. Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 NovelsEntertainment Weeklys Top 100 Novels (2013), as selected by the EW staff in its July 5th 2013 issue Entertainment Weekly 86. Extreme Classics: The 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All TimeThe 100 greatest adventure books chosen by National Geographic. National Geographic Adventure Magazine 87. Le Monde's 100 Books of the CenturyThe 100 Books of the Century (French: Les cent livres du sicle) is a list of the one hundred best books of the 20th century, according to a poll conducted in the spring of 1999 by the French retailer Fnac and the Paris newspaper Le Monde. Starting from a preliminary list of 200 titles created by bookshops and journalists, 17,000 French voted by responding to the question, "Which books have stayed in your memory?" ( Quels livres sont rests dans votre mmoire ? ). The list of acclaimed titles mixes great novels with poetry and theatre, as well as the comic strip. The first fifty works on the list were the subject of an essay by Frdric Beigbeder, The Last Inventory Before Liquidation, in which he notably drew attention to its French-centred character. Le Monde 88. Man Booker PrizeThe Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known in short as the Booker Prize, is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of either the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe.[1] The winner of the Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and success and, for this reason, the prize is of great significance for the book trade.[2] It is also a mark of distinction for authors to be nominated for the Booker longlist or selected for inclusion in the shortlist. Man Booker Prize 89. Modern classics: 11 novels that belong in the classroomWhen we think of English lit classes, we usually think of Hawthorne, Melville, Austen, Tolstoy, Dickens. But the times, they are a-changin and so too are the books we read, both in and out of the classroom. Since the millennium, a lot of goodnay, greatbooks have been published by masterful authors, all of whom are deserving of a spot on a high school or college curriculum. And as evidenced by these 11 novels, whoever said there were no new ideas didnt know what they were talking about. Today.com 90. National Book Award - FictionThe National Book Awards are among the most eminent literary prizes in the United States. Started in 1950, the awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the prior year, as well as lifetime achievement awards including the "Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters" and the "Literarian Award". The purpose of the awards is "to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of good writing in America. National Book Foundation 91. National Book Award - NonfictionThe National Book Awards are among the most eminent literary prizes in the United States. Started in 1950, the awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the prior year, as well as lifetime achievement awards including the "Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters" and the "Literarian Award". The purpose of the awards is "to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of good writing in America. National Book Foundation 92. National Book Critics Circle Award - FictionThe National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote the finest books and reviews published in English. National Book Critics Circle 93. National Book Critics Circle Award - NonfictionThe National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote the finest books and reviews published in English. National Book Critics Circle 94. Paste Magazine's Best Books of the Decade(2000-2009)The top 20 best books of the 2000s by Paste Magazine. It includes both fiction and nonfiction. Paste Magazine 95. PEN/Faulkner Award for FictionThe PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the author of the best American work of fiction that year. The winner receives US $15,000 and each of four runners-up receives US $5000. The foundation brings the winner and runners-up to Washington, D.C. to read from their works at the Great Hall of the Folger Shakespeare Library. The PEN/Faulkner Foundation is an outgrowth of William Faulkner's generosity in donating his 1949 Nobel Prize winnings, "to establish a fund to support and encourage new fiction writers." Mary Lee Settle was also one of the founders after controversy at the 1979 National Book Award.[1] It is affiliated with the writers' organization International PEN. The award was first given in 1980. PEN/Faulkner 96. Pulitzer Prize for Biography or AutobiographyThe Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished biography or autobiography by an American author. Pulitzer Prize 97. Pulitzer Prize for FictionAll the books that have won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction from 1948 to the present. Pulitzer Prize 98. Pulitzer Prize for HistoryThe Pulitzer Prize for History has been awarded since 1917 for a distinguished book upon the history of the United States. Many history books have also been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction and Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. Two people have won the Pulitzer Prize for History twice; Margaret Leech, for Reveille in Washington, 1860-1865 in 1941 and In the Days of McKinley in 1960, and Bernard Bailyn, for The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution (1968) and Voyagers to the West: A Passage in the Peopling of America on the Eve of the Revolution (1987). Pulitzer Prize 99. Pulitzer Prize for Non-FictionThe Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction has been awarded since 1962 for a distinguished book of non-fiction by an American author that is not eligible for consideration in any other category. Pulitzer Prize 100. The 100 Best Books of the Decade(2000)The Time's list of the 100 Best Books of the 2000s. It's a mix of fiction and nonfiction. Times 101. The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1893 1993The 100 greatest american novels picked by Jeff ONeal, Editor-in-Chief & Co-founder of Bookriot.com Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com 102. The 10 Best of the Decade(2000)Entertainment Weekly's top 10 best books of the 2000s Entertainment Weekly 103. The 50 Books Everyone Needs to Read, 1963-2013The choices here are influenced by the following: the stipulation that any specific author should not be chosen for more than one year, a general focus on fiction over other genres, and the tastes/whims/glaring prejudices of Flavorwires literary editor. Flavor Wire 104. The Best Books of the 2000sThe Best Books of the 2000s according to the Onion AV club. Includes Fiction and Nonfiction. The Onion AV Club 105. The Best Southern Novels of All TimeA list of the best southern novels of all time by Oxford American Magazine judged by 130 experts as well as authors. Oxford American 106. The New Classics - 100 Best Reads from 1983 to 2008Entertainment Weekly's list of the 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008. Entertainment Weekly 107. Top 10 British, Irish or Commonwealth Novels from 1980 to 2005The Observer asked 150 literary luminaries to vote for the best British, Irish or Commonwealth novel from 1980 to 2005. The Observer Copyright 2009-2014 Shane Sherman