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Classics Library
I am on a mission to read and reread classic literature. I searched far and wide for a decent book list but all seem incomplete to me. Please add your favorite classic books to the list.
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.
| 300 |
|
Demons
by
4.30 avg rating — 60,641 ratings
score: 159,
and
2 people voted
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| 302 |
|
The Princess and the Pea
by
4.13 avg rating — 18,853 ratings
score: 158,
and
4 people voted
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| 302 |
|
Thumbelina
by
Brad Sneed (Adapter, Illustrator)
4.11 avg rating — 15,739 ratings
score: 158,
and
3 people voted
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| 302 |
|
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
by
3.92 avg rating — 277,972 ratings
score: 158,
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3 people voted
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| 305 |
|
The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree
by
4.18 avg rating — 8,455 ratings
score: 157,
and
4 people voted
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| 306 |
|
The Invisible Man
by
3.63 avg rating — 212,780 ratings
score: 155,
and
2 people voted
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| 307 |
|
The Complete Poems 1927-1979
by
4.20 avg rating — 12,990 ratings
score: 153,
and
2 people voted
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| 308 |
|
My Cousin Rachel
by
4.01 avg rating — 66,893 ratings
score: 149,
and
2 people voted
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| 309 |
|
My Ántonia
by
3.84 avg rating — 145,584 ratings
score: 146,
and
5 people voted
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| 310 |
|
Good Night, Gorilla
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4.24 avg rating — 51,462 ratings
score: 145,
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3 people voted
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| 310 |
|
The Painted Veil
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3.97 avg rating — 50,745 ratings
score: 145,
and
2 people voted
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| 312 |
|
Around the World in Eighty Days
by
3.95 avg rating — 277,123 ratings
score: 143,
and
2 people voted
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| 313 |
|
The Snow Queen
by
3.74 avg rating — 18,466 ratings
score: 139,
and
3 people voted
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| 313 |
|
Night
by
4.38 avg rating — 1,341,488 ratings
score: 139,
and
2 people voted
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| 315 |
|
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
by
3.70 avg rating — 59,777 ratings
score: 138,
and
4 people voted
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| 316 |
|
The Razor’s Edge
by
4.19 avg rating — 52,901 ratings
score: 137,
and
2 people voted
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| 317 |
|
The Complete Folk & Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
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4.23 avg rating — 219,753 ratings
score: 136,
and
3 people voted
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| 318 |
|
the prophet
by
4.23 avg rating — 323,202 ratings
score: 133,
and
3 people voted
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| 318 |
|
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (Hercule Poirot, #37)
by
3.77 avg rating — 26,335 ratings
score: 133,
and
2 people voted
|
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| 320 |
|
As You Like It
by
3.81 avg rating — 87,774 ratings
score: 131,
and
4 people voted
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| 321 |
|
Elizabeth and Her German Garden
by
3.72 avg rating — 5,587 ratings
score: 130,
and
2 people voted
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| 322 |
|
Adam Bede
by
3.83 avg rating — 26,227 ratings
score: 129,
and
2 people voted
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| 322 |
|
Kidnapped (David Balfour, #1)
by
3.79 avg rating — 67,360 ratings
score: 129,
and
2 people voted
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| 324 |
|
Now We Are Six (Winnie-the-Pooh, #4)
by
4.28 avg rating — 23,287 ratings
score: 128,
and
3 people voted
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| 325 |
|
Scoop
by
3.79 avg rating — 22,165 ratings
score: 126,
and
3 people voted
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| 325 |
|
The Betrothed
by
3.88 avg rating — 17,249 ratings
score: 126,
and
2 people voted
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| 327 |
|
Steppenwolf
by
4.13 avg rating — 209,084 ratings
score: 124,
and
2 people voted
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| 328 |
|
Leaves of Grass
by
4.11 avg rating — 115,203 ratings
score: 123,
and
2 people voted
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| 329 |
|
Katy and the Big Snow
by
4.24 avg rating — 12,558 ratings
score: 121,
and
2 people voted
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| 330 |
|
Juno And the Paycock
by
3.61 avg rating — 1,573 ratings
score: 118,
and
2 people voted
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| 330 |
|
A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
by
4.14 avg rating — 39,674 ratings
score: 118,
and
2 people voted
|
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| 332 |
|
Siddhartha
by
4.08 avg rating — 854,906 ratings
score: 114,
and
2 people voted
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| 333 |
|
Women in Love
by
3.66 avg rating — 33,247 ratings
score: 113,
and
2 people voted
|
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| 334 |
|
A Child's Garden of Verses
by
4.27 avg rating — 26,644 ratings
score: 109,
and
2 people voted
|
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| 335 |
|
Pinocchio
by
3.84 avg rating — 87,553 ratings
score: 107,
and
2 people voted
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| 336 |
|
The Master of Ballantrae
by
3.70 avg rating — 6,436 ratings
score: 106,
and
2 people voted
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| 337 |
|
The Taming of the Shrew
by
3.74 avg rating — 178,952 ratings
score: 103,
and
2 people voted
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| 338 |
|
Ship of Fools
by
3.67 avg rating — 2,947 ratings
score: 102,
and
2 people voted
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| 339 |
|
A Doll's House
by
3.77 avg rating — 160,217 ratings
score: 101,
and
2 people voted
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| 340 |
|
Champion: A Story of the Happy Life of Roman Lefthanded Losinski
by
Miles Cobbett (Goodreads Author)
4.24 avg rating — 17 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 340 |
|
The Experience of Place: A New Way of Looking at and Dealing with our Radically Changing Cities and Countryside
by
3.82 avg rating — 136 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
|
War in Korea
by
3.56 avg rating — 39 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
|
Barnaby Rudge
by
3.82 avg rating — 11,360 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
|
Pantheisticon: A Modern English Translation
by
3.78 avg rating — 23 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
|
The Scapegoat
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 13,022 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
|
Their Pilgrimage
by
2.40 avg rating — 5 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
|
Damselfly
by
Chandra Prasad (Goodreads Author)
3.37 avg rating — 897 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
|
A Paraphrase of Paradise Lost for Youngsters: The Tragedy of Lucifer
by
Joseph Stemberga (Goodreads Author)
4.33 avg rating — 9 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
|
Ficciones
by
4.40 avg rating — 76,789 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 350 |
|
The People of the Abyss
by
4.08 avg rating — 5,280 ratings
score: 99,
and
1 person voted
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| 351 |
|
A Little Princess
by
4.23 avg rating — 321,541 ratings
score: 98,
and
4 people voted
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| 351 |
|
The Torture by Hope
by
3.54 avg rating — 114 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 353 |
|
Cousin Pons
by
3.98 avg rating — 1,669 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 354 |
|
A Child's Christmas in Wales
by
4.12 avg rating — 7,975 ratings
score: 96,
and
3 people voted
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| 354 |
|
The Body in the Library (Miss Marple, #3)
by
3.82 avg rating — 123,552 ratings
score: 96,
and
2 people voted
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| 354 |
|
Tartuffe
by
3.66 avg rating — 42,537 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 354 |
|
Doctor Thorne
by
4.15 avg rating — 8,234 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 358 |
|
Castle Rackrent
by
3.16 avg rating — 4,304 ratings
score: 95,
and
2 people voted
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| 358 |
|
After Dark
by
3.80 avg rating — 466 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 360 |
|
Lyrical Ballads
by
3.95 avg rating — 12,964 ratings
score: 94,
and
2 people voted
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| 360 |
|
Picnic at Hanging Rock
by
3.66 avg rating — 29,601 ratings
score: 94,
and
1 person voted
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| 360 |
|
Perelandra
by
4.01 avg rating — 58,880 ratings
score: 94,
and
1 person voted
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| 363 |
|
The Color Purple
by
4.28 avg rating — 741,420 ratings
score: 93,
and
2 people voted
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| 363 |
|
The Twelve Caesars
by
4.02 avg rating — 22,329 ratings
score: 93,
and
2 people voted
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| 363 |
|
The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard
by
3.68 avg rating — 756 ratings
score: 93,
and
1 person voted
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| 363 |
|
That Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy, #3)
by
3.93 avg rating — 44,884 ratings
score: 93,
and
1 person voted
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| 367 |
|
Quiet American
by
3.98 avg rating — 69,521 ratings
score: 92,
and
1 person voted
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| 367 |
|
A Simple Soul
by
3.45 avg rating — 9,066 ratings
score: 92,
and
1 person voted
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| 367 |
|
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
by
4.05 avg rating — 5,625 ratings
score: 92,
and
1 person voted
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| 370 |
|
Our Mutual Friend
by
4.09 avg rating — 31,024 ratings
score: 91,
and
1 person voted
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| 370 |
|
Burmese Days
by
3.87 avg rating — 31,596 ratings
score: 91,
and
1 person voted
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| 370 |
|
The Castle of Otranto
by
3.19 avg rating — 40,323 ratings
score: 91,
and
1 person voted
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| 373 |
|
The Inheritance
by
3.65 avg rating — 6,141 ratings
score: 90,
and
2 people voted
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| 373 |
|
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)
by
4.12 avg rating — 297,451 ratings
score: 90,
and
1 person voted
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| 373 |
|
Hedda Gabler
by
3.83 avg rating — 38,705 ratings
score: 90,
and
1 person voted
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| 373 |
|
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
by
4.48 avg rating — 57,611 ratings
score: 90,
and
2 people voted
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| 373 |
|
The Monk
by
3.85 avg rating — 32,060 ratings
score: 90,
and
1 person voted
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| 378 |
|
King Henry IV, Part 1
by
3.80 avg rating — 32,715 ratings
score: 89,
and
2 people voted
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| 378 |
|
Intentions
by
3.91 avg rating — 710 ratings
score: 89,
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1 person voted
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| 378 |
|
In Cold Blood
by
4.09 avg rating — 715,168 ratings
score: 89,
and
2 people voted
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| 378 |
|
Vathek
by
3.24 avg rating — 7,142 ratings
score: 89,
and
1 person voted
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| 382 |
|
Looking Backward: 2000-1887
by
3.29 avg rating — 6,746 ratings
score: 88,
and
1 person voted
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| 382 |
|
The Littlest Angel
by
4.27 avg rating — 6,356 ratings
score: 88,
and
2 people voted
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| 382 |
|
Generals Die in Bed
by
3.82 avg rating — 1,639 ratings
score: 88,
and
1 person voted
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| 382 |
|
Tales of Unrest
by
3.69 avg rating — 584 ratings
score: 88,
and
1 person voted
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| 382 |
|
The House on the Borderland
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3.59 avg rating — 10,427 ratings
score: 88,
and
1 person voted
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| 387 |
|
Mrs. Warren's Profession
by
3.67 avg rating — 6,709 ratings
score: 87,
and
1 person voted
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| 387 |
|
Dombey and Son
by
3.96 avg rating — 16,520 ratings
score: 87,
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1 person voted
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| 389 |
|
The Weird Orient; Nine Mystic Tales from Morocco
by
3.80 avg rating — 5 ratings
score: 86,
and
1 person voted
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| 390 |
|
The Duchess of Malfi and Other Plays
by
3.89 avg rating — 2,111 ratings
score: 85,
and
2 people voted
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| 390 |
|
The Theory of the Leisure Class
by
3.87 avg rating — 3,959 ratings
score: 85,
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1 person voted
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| 392 |
|
The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters
by
Janet Ahlberg (Illustrator)
4.50 avg rating — 12,620 ratings
score: 84,
and
2 people voted
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| 392 |
|
Mary Barton
by
3.74 avg rating — 21,166 ratings
score: 84,
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1 person voted
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| 392 |
|
The Prince
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3.84 avg rating — 374,613 ratings
score: 84,
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2 people voted
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| 392 |
|
The Golem
by
3.83 avg rating — 8,934 ratings
score: 84,
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1 person voted
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| 396 |
|
Carnacki the Ghost-Finder
by
3.73 avg rating — 2,538 ratings
score: 83,
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1 person voted
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| 397 |
|
Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott
by
3.80 avg rating — 1,616 ratings
score: 82,
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1 person voted
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| 397 |
|
Goblin Market
by
4.08 avg rating — 16,142 ratings
score: 82,
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1 person voted
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| 397 |
|
Brighton Rock
by
3.69 avg rating — 35,140 ratings
score: 82,
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1 person voted
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| 397 |
|
Uncle Silas
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3.74 avg rating — 7,037 ratings
score: 82,
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1 person voted
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634 books ·
522 voters ·
list created June 21st, 2008
by Crystal.
Tags:
classic, literature
Comments Showing 1-7 of 7 (7 new)
date
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message 1:
by
Tamora
(new)
Apr 04, 2009 11:38AM
I'm just clicking on what I've read, not on what I liked. When you're dealing with books like these, that generally drop into everyone's life before they're 20, what you like and what you don't like is highly individual. I don't think you can really go by the opinion of the next person, because you're all forming your opinions. I liked TARZAN, but had no interest in CHARLOTTE'S WEB. My classmates had spasms over CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, so much so that I never told them that I kinda liked it. They were okay with THE SCARLET LETTER, which made me crazy. You really have to try the books that our parents, teachers, and peers think are probably classic, and decide for yourself if they're good reads as far as you're concerned!
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I would just like to say that I believe 'Les Miserables' by Victor Hugo is the best book on this list. And nooooo, I'm not basing it on the hit musical (even though I love that as well), because it did get a lot wrong. I'm currently reading A Tale of 2 Cities, nad let me say I've made a lot of connections to Les Miserables. It's just an amzing and epic Book!
I agree with Tamora, There are several books i've been told are must reads by people who don't read much themselves. I have been disappointed in many of them most books are classics because they've been around forever and a day. Much of the language is outdated and stale. occasionally you do stumble upon a book with a plot that holds up but it is a rare find. That being said, I loved Scarlett Letter and The hunchback of Notra Dame but found Pride and Prejudice tedious at best shallow and mindless at worst
i just discovered my interest in reading so i've read only a few. i just finished che's book on social revolution. so far from what i've read dracula is the best they describe the events as if one was there. my second best is lady chaterley's lover
This is a great list! I have this sort of mission too, although I gotta find a good library to hold all of these books. Too bad I don't have it in the area, or money to but some..
@CrystalI've tried adding other books than then ones originally written in English, apart from voting for the ones already on the list I mean, as there are so many great classics worth reading. All of which are available in English translations, by the way. Books I've added are, for instance, Alle fabels, Lustgebed, Avondgezichten, Het hoofdkussenboek, Het boek van Dede Korkoet, Nibelungenlied, De ring van de duif, Het boek der koningen, De rozentuin and Rubaiyat, to name just a few.
By the way, 'Classics' = 'Modern Classics' too? As there are plenty of those on your list.
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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.
