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Modern-day Classics
The book you know will go into the canon of literature, on par with Tolkien, Shakespeare, Austen and other greats. The books that will one day be part of a school curriculum, or are beginning to be accepted as such. These are the books in the last hundred years or so that have really touched many by their literary genius.
Score
A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
1 |
To Kill a Mockingbird
by
4.26 avg rating — 6,736,950 ratings
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2 |
The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)
by
Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)
4.15 avg rating — 2,349,598 ratings
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3 |
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
by
4.20 avg rating — 771,073 ratings
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4 |
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)
by
4.22 avg rating — 1,981,700 ratings
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5 |
The Outsiders
by
S.E. Hinton (Goodreads Author)
4.14 avg rating — 1,554,247 ratings
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6 |
The Kite Runner
by
Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author)
4.35 avg rating — 3,425,848 ratings
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7 |
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
by
4.35 avg rating — 9,675,027 ratings
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8 |
The Book Thief
by
Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author)
4.39 avg rating — 2,821,107 ratings
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9 |
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)
by
4.58 avg rating — 4,718,243 ratings
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10 |
The Color Purple
by
4.28 avg rating — 741,395 ratings
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11 |
In Cold Blood
by
4.09 avg rating — 715,148 ratings
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12 |
Atonement
by
Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author)
3.95 avg rating — 555,348 ratings
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13 |
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by
3.89 avg rating — 1,577,060 ratings
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14 |
Catch-22
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3.99 avg rating — 876,976 ratings
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15 |
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)
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4.43 avg rating — 4,384,449 ratings
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16 |
The Giver (The Giver, #1)
by
Lois Lowry (Goodreads Author)
4.12 avg rating — 2,751,745 ratings
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17 |
The Princess Bride
by
4.27 avg rating — 939,799 ratings
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18 |
The Bell Jar
by
4.05 avg rating — 1,172,822 ratings
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19 |
Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)
by
4.09 avg rating — 500,949 ratings
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20 |
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
by
4.30 avg rating — 4,374,304 ratings
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21 |
The Master and Margarita
by
4.28 avg rating — 406,397 ratings
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22 |
Dune (Dune #1)
by
4.29 avg rating — 1,585,887 ratings
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23 |
The Name of the Rose
by
4.14 avg rating — 389,681 ratings
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24 |
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
by
4.28 avg rating — 322,965 ratings
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25 |
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
by
4.09 avg rating — 500,214 ratings
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26 |
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)
by
4.30 avg rating — 572,343 ratings
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27 |
A Clockwork Orange
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 757,660 ratings
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28 |
Fight Club
by
Chuck Palahniuk (Goodreads Author)
4.18 avg rating — 632,660 ratings
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29 |
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)
by
4.24 avg rating — 3,083,069 ratings
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30 |
Water for Elephants
by
Sara Gruen (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 1,686,057 ratings
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31 |
The Joy Luck Club
by
Amy Tan (Goodreads Author)
3.97 avg rating — 705,152 ratings
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32 |
The Fault in Our Stars
by
John Green (Goodreads Author)
4.12 avg rating — 5,616,898 ratings
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33 |
Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)
by
4.31 avg rating — 1,456,315 ratings
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34 |
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by
4.24 avg rating — 1,961,934 ratings
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35 |
The Man Without Qualities
by
4.19 avg rating — 7,235 ratings
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36 |
The Remains of the Day
by
Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author)
4.14 avg rating — 348,290 ratings
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37 |
The Help
by
Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author)
4.47 avg rating — 2,976,892 ratings
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38 |
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1)
by
4.03 avg rating — 1,599,985 ratings
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39 |
Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)
by
4.13 avg rating — 1,040,798 ratings
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40 |
Midnight’s Children
by
3.98 avg rating — 131,294 ratings
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41 |
The Alchemist
by
Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author)
3.92 avg rating — 3,466,258 ratings
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42 |
Memoirs of a Geisha
by
4.16 avg rating — 2,090,052 ratings
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43 |
The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)
by
Ken Follett (Goodreads Author)
4.35 avg rating — 815,001 ratings
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44 |
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
by
4.45 avg rating — 2,689,224 ratings
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45 |
Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)
by
4.02 avg rating — 637,493 ratings
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46 |
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
by
3.93 avg rating — 9,738 ratings
score: 890,
and
9 people voted
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47 |
The Secret Life of Bees
by
Sue Monk Kidd (Goodreads Author)
4.10 avg rating — 1,341,824 ratings
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48 |
A Wrinkle in Time
by
3.97 avg rating — 1,267,955 ratings
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49 |
The Things They Carried
by
4.14 avg rating — 339,354 ratings
score: 834,
and
9 people voted
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50 |
Jaws (Jaws, #1)
by
3.95 avg rating — 176,307 ratings
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51 |
As I Lay Dying
by
3.72 avg rating — 183,709 ratings
score: 824,
and
9 people voted
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52 |
Love in the Time of Cholera
by
3.94 avg rating — 538,965 ratings
score: 823,
and
9 people voted
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53 |
The Cider House Rules
by
John Irving (Goodreads Author)
4.17 avg rating — 193,491 ratings
score: 802,
and
9 people voted
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54 |
The Godfather (The Godfather, #1)
by
4.40 avg rating — 455,938 ratings
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55 |
Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1)
by
4.57 avg rating — 226,743 ratings
score: 779,
and
9 people voted
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56 |
Holes (Holes, #1)
by
Louis Sachar (Goodreads Author)
4.01 avg rating — 1,342,315 ratings
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57 |
Night
by
4.38 avg rating — 1,341,453 ratings
score: 720,
and
8 people voted
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58 |
Valley of the Dolls
by
3.86 avg rating — 75,953 ratings
score: 696,
and
8 people voted
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59 |
Matilda
by
4.33 avg rating — 1,084,431 ratings
score: 679,
and
8 people voted
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60 |
The Incredible Journey
by
4.16 avg rating — 52,557 ratings
score: 675,
and
8 people voted
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61 |
The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, #3)
by
4.12 avg rating — 386,100 ratings
score: 669,
and
8 people voted
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62 |
The Neverending Story
by
4.18 avg rating — 217,389 ratings
score: 651,
and
8 people voted
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63 |
The World According to Garp
by
John Irving (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 236,765 ratings
score: 629,
and
7 people voted
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64 |
Rosemary’s Baby (Rosemary's Baby, #1)
by
4.05 avg rating — 154,785 ratings
score: 618,
and
8 people voted
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65 |
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
by
4.04 avg rating — 92,337 ratings
score: 615,
and
7 people voted
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66 |
The Killer Angels (The Civil War Trilogy, #2)
by
4.33 avg rating — 90,861 ratings
score: 602,
and
7 people voted
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67 |
The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1)
by
4.31 avg rating — 703,306 ratings
score: 599,
and
7 people voted
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68 |
The Poisonwood Bible
by
4.11 avg rating — 783,817 ratings
score: 593,
and
7 people voted
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69 |
The Thorn Birds
by
4.25 avg rating — 362,153 ratings
score: 590,
and
7 people voted
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70 |
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by
3.87 avg rating — 251,288 ratings
score: 578,
and
7 people voted
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71 |
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
by
3.92 avg rating — 290,933 ratings
score: 573,
and
7 people voted
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72 |
The Shipping News
by
3.88 avg rating — 151,307 ratings
score: 568,
and
7 people voted
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73 |
Starship Troopers
by
4.01 avg rating — 242,995 ratings
score: 562,
and
7 people voted
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74 |
Contact
by
4.15 avg rating — 150,717 ratings
score: 559,
and
7 people voted
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75 |
Empire of the Sun
by
3.98 avg rating — 22,218 ratings
score: 550,
and
6 people voted
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76 |
The Shell Seekers
by
4.20 avg rating — 119,038 ratings
score: 538,
and
7 people voted
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77 |
The Bluest Eye
by
4.13 avg rating — 291,400 ratings
score: 536,
and
6 people voted
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77 |
American Gods (American Gods, #1)
by
Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author)
4.10 avg rating — 982,303 ratings
score: 536,
and
6 people voted
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79 |
A Scanner Darkly
by
4.03 avg rating — 108,749 ratings
score: 530,
and
6 people voted
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80 |
Presumed Innocent (Kindle County Legal Thriller, #1)
by
Scott Turow (Goodreads Author)
4.09 avg rating — 124,801 ratings
score: 514,
and
6 people voted
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81 |
The Diary of a Young Girl
by
4.20 avg rating — 4,103,507 ratings
score: 510,
and
6 people voted
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82 |
Gilead (Gilead, #1)
by
3.85 avg rating — 121,994 ratings
score: 482,
and
5 people voted
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83 |
Rebecca
by
4.25 avg rating — 704,772 ratings
score: 470,
and
5 people voted
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84 |
Cold Mountain
by
3.89 avg rating — 248,641 ratings
score: 469,
and
6 people voted
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85 |
A Canticle for Leibowitz (St. Leibowitz, #1)
by
3.99 avg rating — 117,393 ratings
score: 467,
and
6 people voted
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86 |
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
by
4.25 avg rating — 814,089 ratings
score: 465,
and
6 people voted
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87 |
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
by
Jonathan Safran Foer (Goodreads Author)
3.97 avg rating — 432,628 ratings
score: 464,
and
5 people voted
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88 |
A Fine Balance
by
4.38 avg rating — 157,746 ratings
score: 434,
and
5 people voted
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89 |
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by
4.30 avg rating — 502,951 ratings
score: 427,
and
6 people voted
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90 |
All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy, #1)
by
4.06 avg rating — 141,956 ratings
score: 425,
and
5 people voted
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91 |
The Client
by
John Grisham (Goodreads Author)
4.06 avg rating — 459,725 ratings
score: 414,
and
5 people voted
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91 |
The Selfish Gene
by
Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author)
4.16 avg rating — 189,974 ratings
score: 414,
and
5 people voted
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93 |
Coma
by
Robin Cook (Goodreads Author)
3.88 avg rating — 53,016 ratings
score: 393,
and
5 people voted
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94 |
Centennial
by
4.26 avg rating — 44,682 ratings
score: 375,
and
5 people voted
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94 |
The Blind Assassin
by
Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)
3.96 avg rating — 161,915 ratings
score: 375,
and
4 people voted
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96 |
The Pelican Brief
by
John Grisham (Goodreads Author)
4.06 avg rating — 444,220 ratings
score: 368,
and
5 people voted
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97 |
Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle, #1)
by
4.29 avg rating — 431,860 ratings
score: 339,
and
4 people voted
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97 |
Red Storm Rising
by
4.21 avg rating — 83,979 ratings
score: 339,
and
4 people voted
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99 |
The Andromeda Strain (Andromeda, #1)
by
3.91 avg rating — 268,538 ratings
score: 336,
and
5 people voted
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100 |
The Prince of Tides
by
4.26 avg rating — 214,611 ratings
score: 327,
and
4 people voted
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363 books ·
188 voters ·
list created March 30th, 2012
by Sam Sigelakis-Minski (votes) .
Sam
4182 books
192 friends
192 friends
Susanna - Censored by GoodReads
3384 books
853 friends
853 friends
Soumya
1374 books
38 friends
38 friends
JanBreesmom
2425 books
235 friends
235 friends
Joe
1336 books
45 friends
45 friends
Harry
43 books
13 friends
13 friends
Winnie
700 books
25 friends
25 friends
Michaela
502 books
62 friends
62 friends
More voters…
Comments Showing 1-18 of 18 (18 new)
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message 1:
by
Ayesha
(last edited Mar 23, 2013 06:13AM)
(new)
Mar 23, 2013 06:14AM

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Just cleaned it up a bit; please let me know if there are any other books you find should be removed.

Just cleaned it up a bit; please let me know if there are any other books you find should be removed.

The list does say "fifty years OR SO" for a reason; so that people can loosely interpret that and put books on here that they find are classics that have not entered the standard literary canon yet. That being said, I removed the books you think do not belong there so that there is no more problems.


It's easy to add books to lists; at the top of the list, at the tab next to "all votes."

I just ran the Goodreads "duplicate checker;" it has found and removed five duplicates from the list.

To Kill a Mockingbird (#1)
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (#32)
Native Son (#105)
Rebecca (#121)
A Town Like Alice (#129)
On the Beach (#134)
1984 (#246)
Jamaica Inn (#269)
Frenchman's Creek (#271)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (#302)

To Kill a Mockingbird (#1)
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (#32)
Native Son (#105)
Rebecca (#121)
A Town Like Alice (#129)
On the Beach (#134)
1984 (#246)
Jamaica I..."
What part of "or so" did you not understand?

That is a highly subjective opinion. This list is for the people to decide. You, as a person, can add books thst you feel are more fitting.

The Time Machine 1890s - over 100 years. More than twice 50 years.
If the list criteria had a firm date, it would make the list easier to maintain.

The Time Machine 1890s - over 100 years. More than twice 50 years.
If the list criteria had a firm date, it would make the li..."
Make your own list with firm criteria, then. This list was created literally seven years ago, and to be frank, I do not have time to maintain and edit it. People have the ability to add and subtract books at their own will. If you feel that strongly about this, I will change the description to 100 years.

From the Goodreads page:
"Important: if you're on this page you have been granted a special "librarian" status, and can edit list data. Don't take this responsibility lightly—if you can help correct any inaccuracies or add any missing data, please do so! But only make changes if you're sure they're correct."
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Anyone can add books to this list.
How to Vote
To vote on existing books from the list, beside each book there is a link vote for this book clicking it will add that book to your votes.
To vote on books not in the list or books you couldn't find in the list, you can click on the tab add books to this list and then choose from your books, or simply search.