Discover new books on Goodreads
Meet your next favorite book
Sign in with Facebook
Literature
Titles from classic literature which should be read by everyone.
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 — 6,736,662 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 2 |
|
Pride and Prejudice
by
4.29 avg rating — 4,677,539 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 3 |
|
Jane Eyre
by
4.16 avg rating — 2,275,938 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 4 |
|
1984
by
4.20 avg rating — 5,287,257 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 5 |
|
Les Misérables
by
4.21 avg rating — 834,082 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 6 |
|
The Great Gatsby
by
3.93 avg rating — 5,777,340 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 7 |
|
The Count of Monte Cristo
by
4.32 avg rating — 1,000,226 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 8 |
|
Wuthering Heights
by
3.90 avg rating — 1,975,232 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 9 |
|
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
by
4.30 avg rating — 4,374,138 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 10 |
|
Little Women (Little Women, #1)
by
4.17 avg rating — 2,409,746 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 11 |
|
The Little Prince
by
4.33 avg rating — 2,400,384 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 12 |
|
A Christmas Carol
by
4.09 avg rating — 900,943 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 13 |
|
Great Expectations
by
3.80 avg rating — 861,753 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 14 |
|
The Chronicles of Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia, #1-7)
by
4.28 avg rating — 697,724 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 15 |
|
East of Eden
by
4.43 avg rating — 611,644 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 16 |
|
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by
3.92 avg rating — 1,002,691 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 17 |
|
The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)
by
4.40 avg rating — 3,075,744 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 18 |
|
The Grapes of Wrath
by
4.02 avg rating — 977,360 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 19 |
|
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass
by
4.06 avg rating — 600,800 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 20 |
|
A Tale of Two Cities
by
3.88 avg rating — 1,000,689 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 21 |
|
Dracula
by
4.02 avg rating — 1,427,461 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 22 |
|
The Catcher in the Rye
by
3.80 avg rating — 3,824,883 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 23 |
|
Emma
by
4.05 avg rating — 958,290 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 24 |
|
Of Mice and Men
by
3.89 avg rating — 2,772,125 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 25 |
|
Frankenstein
by
3.89 avg rating — 1,788,813 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 26 |
|
The Odyssey
by
3.83 avg rating — 1,165,463 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 27 |
|
The Picture of Dorian Gray
by
4.13 avg rating — 1,806,683 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 28 |
|
Gone with the Wind
by
4.31 avg rating — 1,248,046 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 29 |
|
The Scarlet Letter
by
3.44 avg rating — 905,494 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 30 |
|
Oliver Twist
by
3.88 avg rating — 421,699 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 31 |
|
Steppenwolf
by
4.13 avg rating — 209,054 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 32 |
|
Lord of the Flies
by
3.70 avg rating — 3,138,212 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 33 |
|
Lolita
by
3.87 avg rating — 926,003 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 34 |
|
Crime and Punishment
by
4.28 avg rating — 1,038,839 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 35 |
|
The Old Man and the Sea
by
3.81 avg rating — 1,278,023 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 36 |
|
Anna Karenina
by
4.10 avg rating — 913,094 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 37 |
|
Persuasion
by
4.15 avg rating — 758,356 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 38 |
|
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
by
3.84 avg rating — 299,105 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 39 |
|
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)
by
4.24 avg rating — 3,082,923 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 40 |
|
The Stranger
by
4.03 avg rating — 1,337,067 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 41 |
|
Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)
by
4.32 avg rating — 1,088,200 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 42 |
|
Don Quixote
by
3.91 avg rating — 299,338 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 43 |
|
The Three Musketeers
by
4.10 avg rating — 346,384 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 44 |
|
Siddhartha
by
4.08 avg rating — 854,823 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 45 |
|
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)
by
4.22 avg rating — 1,981,649 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 46 |
|
Faust, First Part
by
3.83 avg rating — 84,591 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 47 |
|
Rebecca
by
4.25 avg rating — 704,719 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 48 |
|
Middlemarch
by
4.03 avg rating — 176,178 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 49 |
|
The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3)
by
4.58 avg rating — 1,013,918 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 50 |
|
The Sun Also Rises
by
3.79 avg rating — 485,282 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 51 |
|
The Complete Works
by
4.48 avg rating — 57,611 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 52 |
|
The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)
by
4.50 avg rating — 1,094,768 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 53 |
|
The Iliad
by
3.93 avg rating — 498,652 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 54 |
|
Moby-Dick or, The Whale
by
3.56 avg rating — 606,337 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 55 |
|
Animal Farm
by
4.01 avg rating — 4,405,861 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 56 |
|
All Quiet on the Western Front
by
4.10 avg rating — 509,130 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 57 |
|
Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)
by
4.31 avg rating — 1,456,274 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 58 |
|
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
by
3.92 avg rating — 240,369 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 59 |
|
Around the World in Eighty Days
by
3.95 avg rating — 277,110 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 60 |
|
The Phantom of the Opera
by
3.96 avg rating — 269,711 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 60 |
|
Fahrenheit 451
by
3.97 avg rating — 2,748,657 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 62 |
|
The Complete Stories and Poems
by
4.40 avg rating — 292,629 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 63 |
|
The Canterbury Tales
by
3.52 avg rating — 235,474 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 64 |
|
The Man Without Qualities
by
4.19 avg rating — 7,235 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 65 |
|
Inferno
by
4.03 avg rating — 201,989 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 66 |
|
Collected Fictions
by
4.56 avg rating — 25,247 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 67 |
|
War and Peace
by
4.17 avg rating — 359,203 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 68 |
|
The Color Purple
by
4.28 avg rating — 741,366 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 69 |
|
The Lord of the Rings
by
4.54 avg rating — 720,215 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 70 |
|
Bleak House
by
4.02 avg rating — 112,829 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 71 |
|
The Death of Ivan Ilych
by
4.14 avg rating — 209,667 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 72 |
|
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
by
3.93 avg rating — 9,738 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 73 |
|
A Tale of Two Cities / Great Expectations
by
4.02 avg rating — 17,488 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 74 |
|
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #3)
by
4.30 avg rating — 321,923 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 75 |
|
The Republic
by
3.97 avg rating — 221,661 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 76 |
|
The Merchant of Venice
by
3.78 avg rating — 200,113 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 77 |
|
Catch-22
by
3.99 avg rating — 876,953 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 78 |
|
Robinson Crusoe
by
3.68 avg rating — 326,812 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 79 |
|
Sense and Sensibility
by
4.09 avg rating — 1,274,369 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 80 |
|
The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairytales
by
4.23 avg rating — 219,753 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 81 |
|
Far From the Madding Crowd
by
3.97 avg rating — 163,824 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 82 |
|
The House of Mirth
by
3.97 avg rating — 104,187 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 83 |
|
Swann’s Way (In Search of Lost Time, #1)
by
4.16 avg rating — 66,841 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 84 |
|
Vanity Fair
by
3.81 avg rating — 132,325 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 85 |
|
David Copperfield
by
4.04 avg rating — 254,467 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 86 |
|
Northanger Abbey
by
3.85 avg rating — 442,805 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 87 |
|
Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson
by
Mitch Albom (Goodreads Author)
4.20 avg rating — 1,166,360 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 88 |
|
One Hundred Years of Solitude
by
4.12 avg rating — 1,079,608 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 89 |
|
Beowulf
by
3.50 avg rating — 340,003 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 90 |
|
Hamlet
by
4.03 avg rating — 1,026,992 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 91 |
|
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (Captain Nemo, #2)
by
3.89 avg rating — 272,346 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 92 |
|
Forty-Ninth
by
Boris Pronsky (Goodreads Author)
4.12 avg rating — 128 ratings
score: 899,
and
9 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 93 |
|
Common Sense
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 38,771 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 94 |
|
The Woman in White
by
4.01 avg rating — 163,505 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 95 |
|
For Whom the Bell Tolls
by
3.99 avg rating — 313,245 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 96 |
|
The Glass Menagerie
by
3.74 avg rating — 141,661 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 97 |
|
The Poetry of Robert Frost
by
4.24 avg rating — 49,083 ratings
score: 843,
and
9 people voted
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 98 |
|
Dubliners
by
3.84 avg rating — 171,594 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 99 |
|
The Secret Garden
by
4.17 avg rating — 1,271,756 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
| 100 |
|
The Pearl
by
3.56 avg rating — 264,289 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
Tags:
classic-literature
jb
2628 books
74 friends
74 friends
Lisa
7446 books
166 friends
166 friends
Nelda
181 books
51 friends
51 friends
DalalK.
266 books
9 friends
9 friends
Christina
228 books
22 friends
22 friends
Justine
316 books
1 friend
1 friend
Anajoy-rusticgirl
3565 books
27 friends
27 friends
Annie
862 books
107 friends
107 friends
More voters…
Comments Showing 1-23 of 23 (23 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
jb
(new)
Feb 05, 2010 02:07PM
This is a work in progress list.....
reply
|
flag
Lisa - I think you're my kind of literary girl. Is there some way we can chat through this site/list? I have been a voracious reader of quality literature for many years ( thanks to my upbringing, amazingly aewlf taught Welsh father, and finding my passion early) Have met very few people as eclectic in their tastes or widely read in the current canon ( and previous canons) . Language and what it reveals is my passion and while not confined to one genre or historical period - to me a book well written has an impact similar to what people claim music can do in their lives . Hope that doesn't seem to incoherent but time constriction here and have to sign off Jo
Great list. I'm very surprised you included Alan Watts, especially Does it Matter. Though it certainly is an interesting book.
Hmm...I'm having a hard time seeing Artemis Fowl as a classic at all, but multiples w/in the series?
NOT classic literatureThe Kite Runner (2003, if ever - modern classic)
Isn't it pretty to think so (2012)
Artemis Fowl
Ðɑηηɑ wrote: "The Narnia Chronicles is so Christian, I think you should wipe it off"Your comment is absurd and senseless. The Chronicles of Narnia will always be a classic, and trying to deny it that title simply because it is based off of Christianity is ridiculous. If you don't like to read anything that is considered Christian, then simply don't read it. But this classic literature should NOT be removed from this list. The Chronicles of Narnia will always be a classic, and that will never change just because it reflects Christianity.
Nicole wrote: "Ðɑηηɑ wrote: "The Narnia Chronicles is so Christian, I think you should wipe it off"Your comment is absurd and senseless. The Chronicles of Narnia will always be a classic, and trying to deny it ..."
That was a really stupid comment. I can't believe I wrote it!
Such a nice idea for a list.But. Whoever put in Coelho, the Hunger Games and John Green for the list does not understand the meaning of the term classic literature (I'm not saying those are in default bad books, but in no way classics).
Removed for not being classified as 'classic' under any circumstances:The AlchemistThe Fault in Our Stars
The classic novels that intrigued me the most are picture of dorian gray, lolita, and les miserables. The list actually gave a good tip on what to read next.
why do these lists always forget to include Dune by Frank Herbert it should definitely be up there
jennbunny wrote: "This is a work in progress list....."I sure hope so. The best ones are not listed.
Hi how could i read these literagures full version ? Pls help me
I dn't belive in the ratings,it dsn't indicates the worthness of a literary work.
Why would people of other countries need to read the American Constitution?
I just removed 11 (!) duplicates, which is quite a lot, considering there are 285 books on this list now.
George wrote: "This list is a joke."I'm afraid I tend to agree... There are books on this list which I would definitely not consider 'Best Classic Literature Ever'. I mean, Harry Potter?? Come on people. I loved the Harry Potter books, but they can't possibly be considered classic literature... And there are several other titles mentioned here which this applies to as well.
A list named "best classic literature ever" should have at least 5-6 Russian novels among top 30. The first Russian novel is listed as 37th; it should be a joke.
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.
