500 Essential Cult Books: The Ultimate Guide

by Gina McKinnon, Steve Holland (Contributor)

Whether it's today's best sellers that readers can't get enough of or all-time favourites that no one will ever forget, this is the definitive guide to some of the best cult classic books ever written. It brings together the works of famous as well as less-known authors, all of whom boast passionate followings. Every genre you could imagine is covered, including literature, memoirs, thrillers, science fiction, self-help, fantasy, graphic novels, fairy tales, and more. Each entry features a photo of the book cover, a plot synopsis, a review, and suggestions for further reading.

Fun to pore over ... A great reference source ... Sure to provoke conversation and debates among devoted readers ... Here's a page-turner you won't ever want to close the book on.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Books About Books, Cult Classics, Criticism, Literary Criticism, Collections

383 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2010

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't WAIT to dive into this one!

This book was made for me (and good explanation about what makes a "cult" novel and based upon the author's definition, I had very few quarrels with those selected). However it lived in my suitcase, and I would dip into it whenever I was traveling, wanted to read a few pages and wasn't in the middle of something else....however, I'm ALWAYS in the middle of something else, so it took well over a year and a weekend away when I was in pain, and couldn't concentrate on much to finally finish. I'm stealing a page from goodreads friend Karen to sum up all that I found (I know this isn't much of a review, but the book is basically a list of books with brief reviews, so I'm mostly using this as a reference list for myself):

Of the 500 how many I've read: 102

Books to read that I had heard of before (if starred, they were already on my TBR):


THE MASTER AND THE MARGARITA - Mikhail Bulgakov
THE CEMENT GARDEN - Ian McEwan*
THE GROTESQUE - Patrick McGrath
THE MEZZANINE - Nicholson Baker
THE WASP FACTORY - Iain Banks*
THE DAMNATION GAME - Clive Barker
THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS - John Wyndham
VURT - Jeff Noon
FROM HELL - Alan Moore
THE BOOK THIEF - Markus Zusak*
STORY OF THE EYE-Georges Bataille
HATCHET-Gary Paulsen*
VERNON GOD LITTLE - DBC Pierre*


Books to read that I had never heard of before reading this:

253 - Geoff Ryman
CITY OF GLASS (illustrated version) - Paul Auster
A FEAST OF SNAKES - Harry Crews
LIFE: A USER'S MANUAL- Georges Perec
THE STORY OF MY LIFE - Jay McInerney
BLACK HOLE - Charles Burns
ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE - William Goldman
BLANKETS - Craig Thompson
RIDDLEY WALKER - Russell Hoban
HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS AND ALIENATE PEOPLE - Toby Young
GREENWICH KILLING TIME - Kinky Friedman
SLEEPYHEAD - Mark Billingham
JUNK - Melvin Burgess
THE 9/11 REPORT: A GRAPHIC ADAPTATION - Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon
TALES OF HOFFMAN - E.T.A. Hoffman
WETLANDS-Charlotte Roche
WONDERLAND AVENUE - Danny Sugerman
THE HISTORY OF LUMINOUS MOTION - Scott Bradfield
EXERCISES IN STYLE - Raymond Queneau
LAST DISCO IN OUTER MONGOLIA - Nicholas Middleton
UNDERGROUND - Haruki Murakami

[Michael P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a sad little assemblage this is. I picked the book up because its slick packaging made it look like fun and I want to discover books I would not ordinarily read. This guide not only failed to convince me that there are 500 cult books in the world, but I doubt that there are even 100.

I mean, ATLAS SHRUGGED, THE OUTSIDER, THE STORY OF O? Sure. These are genuine cult books. But JANE EYRE? ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT? THE NAME OF THE ROSE? THE HANDMAIDS’S TALE? THE WEALTH OF NATIONS? THE FEMALE EUNICH? ARISTOTLE, for Christ’s sake? These are not cult books by any reasonable measure, but mainstream works. Many, many of these books are taught in universities. Even if you add the former cult books that have entered the mainstream, such as LADY CHATTERLY’S LOVER or A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES, you will not find 100 books with genuine cult followings here.

There are genuine cult writers represented, but usually by one book each. All of Richard Stark’s (aka Donald Westlake’s) Parker novels have a cult following, so it does not really make any more sense to single out the first, THE HUNTER, than it does to neglect the rest. The same is true for singling out Jack Kerouac and ON THE ROAD. By this criteria, shouldn’t a Sherlock Holmes book by Conan Doyle or one of Proust’s REMEMBRANCE novels be included? They are not.

I hoped to discover some books I would want to read. Not one, because the little formulaic texts that accompany each book say so little that I seldom had a CONVINCING sense of why a book is special, though I credit McKinnon and her team for trying hard while constrained by such a limited format.

One star for the text and another for the nicely reproduced covers, but that is all the stars this one gets. MOBY DICK a cult novel? Lunacy.

[Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember, years ago, being involved in an extended, entirely friendly, but nevertheless intense argument with several friends, fellow science fiction fans, about which were the “best” novels in that field. Not the most literary, nor even the best-written (which might have excluded Heinlein entirely), but the essential books that no one who considered himself a fan could have not read. My top choice was (probably still is) Stranger in a Strange Land. Also Ringworld. A few years later and I would have included Snow Crash. We didn’t use the word, but what we were talking about is what McKinnon calls “cult” books. And she defines those as books that have a “peculiar ability to speak to the reader.” This goes beyond liking or loving a book into the realm of near-manic devotion. The books you insist your friends have got to read. The books you probably have several copies of. And usually, they’re books you discovered as a teenager or young adult because cult books almost always have youth appeal. These are the books that will stay with you forever. We know what we’re talking about now, right? Catcher in the Ry. A Clockwork Orange. 1984. Atlas Shrugged. Lord of the Flies. Fahrenheit 451. On the Road. Maus. More recently, Trainspotting and Lonesome Dove, though I think it takes a while for a book to do its work and be recognized as a cult classic. (There are cult books, like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, that gave rise to equally cult films, but the author doesn’t stray into that other huge subject.)

There are ten chapters here, organized around genres or themes, and each starts with the Top Ten Classics in that category, followed by the forty Best of the Rest. And there are amazingly few selections whose inclusion I would disagree with, not did I find any of my own nominations for cult status that were omitted -- with the sole exception of Cryptonomicon. Each listing includes a brief plot summary and a short review to orient you. If you’re any kind of a reader at all, you will find quite a few titles here (I certainly did) that you read earlier in your life and ought to go and read again. You’ll find others you were aware of but never read. And others (one hopes not too many) that you’ve honestly never heard of. If you’re of the younger literary generation, you should come away with a good long list of books you simply must read. If, again like me, you’ve been reading almost continually for more than half a century, the list may not be much shorter. What can I say? You should buy this book, or least borrow it from the library, and begin making notes. You have a lot of reading and re-reading to do.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting to browse through, but not much more. The definition of "cult" seems to be something like "popular to some group of people" as there are dozens of books in the mix that had quite a lot of mainstream appeal. There are, however, lots of true cult choices here too. I guess I'm a cult reader, because I've probably read a larger proportion of these books than I would have read if looking at a similar selection of classics.

Anyway, give this a browse. If nothing else, it's fascinating to look at all the covers of all the different editions that are included as illustrations.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review on my book blog: http://quirkyreader.livejournal.com/2...

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

500 Essential Cult Books is a fun guide to the world of cult literature, covering fiction, non-fiction and graphic novels. Though it offers a very brief definition of what exactly constitutes "cult books" - books that transcend being liked, books that you buy in each & every edition, and books that have youth appeal - this book doesn't linger on working toward a singular meaning. Maybe there isn't one, who knows?

Sorted out between ten distinct sections, the titles featured are those you would expect in a book about cult classics, to those that you've skirted around reading, to some genuine surprises. The broad selection of books featured vary between the widely available to more obscure titles. The blurbs explore and explain each book's cult appeal by offering a brief synopsis and review, as well as pointing toward further reading and similar titles. As with any guide that attempts to be a definitive guide, there are titles you will bemoan their inclusion, rage at the glaring omissions and maybe even find something that you simply MUST read based on a three hundred word summary.

One minor criticism is that the author's names aren't given more of a prominent position in their listings, other than on the featured cover art, and instead the author is relegated to the same tiny print as the ISBN and publication date. Other than that 500 Essential Cult Books has an easy to follow layout and design.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ultimate bathroom/bathtub/on your working desk type of book. There are many essential guides on literature, but this one is put together quite well. Also a lot of book cover graphics and most important it lists my edition of "Foam of the Daze" in their classic section of cult novels. Page 50 to remind you.

But also of course there are essential "cult" books left out as well. Dennis Copper comes to mind right away and that is an essential read in that field, and there are others. But again, that is part of the fun in these type of collections. What should be in and what shouldn't be in the collection. Nicely edited for those who need a quick reference, and also a great guide to bring with you when you come to Book Soup (my occupation).

[Elif · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is a cult book anyway? You'll enjoy flipping through this one.

English: https://elifthereader.com/books/500-e...
Türkçe: https://kitaplikkedisi.com/kitaplar/k...

[Justin Seitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone Must Read. Great way to find out what books you should be reading!!!!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing collection of Cult Classic books. So far I have been able to tell accurately if I am going to love or hate a book based on their reviews.

I am slowly making my way through this list.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

meta!

[Oscar Power · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s honestly a bit of an impossible task for the editor of this book. What is a cult book? They state in the introduction that their criteria mainly boils down to ‘reccomend-ability and covetousness.’ Which is already a doomed set of criteria given neither are quantifiable and you can argue til the cows come home on whether a book fits neatly into either. They also rather confusingly accept that mainstream books (such as the example they give of Pride and Prejudice) can also be cult. This raises the question why bother putting ‘cult’ in the title to begin with? If the purpose of the book is to reccomend neglected works, I don’t think Austen, Orwell or Aristotle are jonesing for new readers. If the opposite is true, it they’re taking a more historical approach and looking at books that define eras or countercultural movements (such as Howl, or Chomsky) then it’s also fairly slipshod. Why, for example, include Twilight but not the Harry Potter series? Why include several meh memoirs (Mr Nice, Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, and inexplicably a volume of William Shatners Star Trek anecdotes) more at home in a remaindered bookstore then here? Why so loftily mention including some less than critical darlings, such as the Da Vinci Code, which now with more hindsight, look a deluded choice to include? Far too often a good recommendation (genuinely found out about Tales from the City from here) is sandwiched between some deservedly forgotten late 90’s/early 00’s potboiler that feels like it’s been slapped in to make up the numbers. Avoid.

[Eric Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too Many Pictures

Not enough text, and what’s there is tedious.

I enjoy books about books, and I bought this book with anticipation. Its 500 pages contain 100s of color photographs of book covers, rating symbols, and chapter dividers. The covers leave little room for copy, and the page design features white space, lots and lots of white space. The reviews usually take up one paragraph, with some books featuring longer copy for no apparent reason.

My bigger problem with the book is its content, there are indeed cult classics here—A Clockwork Orange, On the Road, and Naked Lunch, for instance—but also included are non-cult books, such as Obama’s The Audacity of Hope and Zane Grey’s Riders of the Purple Sage (really?). Worse yet, there are so many classics here, not cultish at all, including Of Mice and Men, Dracula, and The Histories (by Herodotus, really), plus random non-fiction, popular fiction, and nuggets more like inside jokes than recommendations.

The real problem? The book bores me: a tedious summary paragraph followed by a toothless review and opinion paragraph, page after page for hundreds of pages.
The Rough Guide to Cult Fiction, on the other hand, is a guidebook for the ages. It has small cover images in black and white but glorious copy and editorial. It demands that you look deeply into book after book, and I came away with over one hundred books to investigate versus the five from the 500 Essentials.

Recommendation: skip this book.

Postscript: Donated to Goodwill.

[Ross Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The choices seem arbitrary, but their math is perfect: there are indeed 500 esoteric or bizarre books throughout the ages. Although the selection is tipped more toward our current time 1980-2010 (2010 being the year it was published), it does include such heavyweights as Proust, multiple Brontes, and even Herodotus. Although Anglocentric (not a surprise), there are also translations of German, Italian, Russian, Polish, even Chinese and Japanese.

The book is compartmented into different categories: Cult Classics, Incredible Worlds (Sci Fi/Fantasy), Real Lives (Biographies), Thrilling Tales, Young Cult, Rebellious Voices, Walk on the Wild Side, Inner Spirits, Outcasts and Loners, and One of A Kind. Honestly, many of the choices in these categories felt like they could felt just at home in others, and I did wonder more than once why some made it on the list at all, as they seemed to repeat content or were rated by their evaluators very poorly in this book. But the name on the cover means even the bad reviews of often uncommon titles is not false advertising: these are cult favorites, after all.

[S. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

500 Essential Cult Books is the rarest of its breed, a glossy coffee-table book that is as informative as it is attractive. With one or two books per page, accompanied by insightful comments and additional reading suggestions, a lifetime of potential reading material is at your disposal. From classic to controversial, but never common, you're bound to find something you've never heard of within these pages. You could probably read the book front to back, but there is possibly more pleasure to be derived from casually flipping through to works you are familiar with just to see what else has been included in the same category. With access to the internet and information being almost universal, there aren't many "guides" that are worthy of taking up shelf space. This is one of the good ones, grab it if you can.

[Loco4Libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are the usual suspects, A Clockwork Orange, Fahrenheit 451, Catch 22, Watership Down, 1984, Catcher in the Rye and also a lot of lesser known works, at least to me.

McKinnon includes a nice mixture of newer books like Life of Pi, The Book Thief and Less than Zero and many graphic novels, like Ghost World and Maus.

Interesting how many of these cult books are always the same ones that are banned!

I guess we also have to differentiate between a well-loved classic book and a cult book or a list of cult books starts to read like a 10th grade summer book list. Mice and Men is a cult book but not The Awakening?

What then is a “cult” book? McKinnon does offer a sound definition. But I thought there were some weird inclusions that didn’t satisfy her definition or mine. Books like an autobiography by Chuck Barris?

The book is graphically pleasing and well researched.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for a thing I'm doing. While some of the books here were, in my opinion, accurate for the definition of "cult classic" or "cult lit", the addition of books like Pride and Prejudice and Barack Obama's first book (you know, the former President of the fucking United States, that Barack Obama) felt thrown in to, I don't know, make the target audience of middle aged white ladies feel cool for liking grouped with actual cult fiction books like American Psycho and Naked Lunch. And, like, I sort of get what she means by the fandom surrounded books like Pride and Prejudice (and Jane Austen in general), but, I mean, Star Wars also has a massive fandom of nerds who dress up like the characters and go to conventions, but that doesn't make Star Wars a cult film. For those looking for a better book of cult authors/books, pick up Cult Fiction: A Reader's Guide by Andrew Calcutt.

[Julio The Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem with a catalog like this one is very simple---baby kissing. In order to sell a list of 500 cult books to a young audience Gina McKinnon has to resurrect sci-fi novels perhaps 17 people have read and sequels to sequels of LORD OF THE RINGS. Fiction is to be preferred over non-fiction by at least 5 to 1 in her mind. I am not entirely unsympathetic to her selections. Walter Miller Jr.'s masterpiece of Christian post-apocalypse horror and hope, A CANTICLE FOR LEBOWITZ needs Gina's free publicity, and I am glad she paired Orwell's 1984 with a lesser know opus, THE ROAD TO WIGAN PEAR. The non-fiction shelves include the welcomed GRAMSCI: PRISON NOTEBOOKS and Hobbes, LEVIATHAN, the greatest piece of political prose in English. Alas, these are diamonds in the sty of mediocrity. The young may treasure these suggestions; everyone else should look higher.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully produced, lavishly illustrated reference work about the great, the obscure, and the unclassifiable in the world of books. The categories and selections are thought-provoking, the thumbnail descriptions and evaluations are remarkably cogent given the space restrictions, and the formatting and cross-referencing are easy to navigate. The book is a real treat for book nerds like me; I actually read it straight through, cover-to-cover.

[Tobias · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good Readers' Advisory (RA) tool.

[Aaron Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading books and I love reading ABOUT books, too! I have read a lot of these, but there’s so many more I want to read!

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think you’ve read it all? Think again. With five hundred books examined and more examples of other cult reads, you’ll have things to read for years.

Written by Gina McKinnon with Steven Holland, 500 Cult Books: The Ultimate Guide was published by Sterling in 2010. It is a reference book published with full color covers of many of the mentioned books. The book is frequently found at discounted prices.

I picked up 500 Cult Books: The Ultimate Guide at the Half-Price Bookstore for a really cheap price. Being a lit major, I’m always looking for different (and/or extreme) things to read and Cult Books provides a decent look at the different available writers.

The book is divided into ten categories: Top Classics, Incredible Worlds, Real Lives, Thrilling Tales, Young Cult, Rebellious Voices, Walk on the Wild Side, Inner Spirits, Outcasts and Loners, and One of a Kind. I don’t know that I love the categories, but they do provide a nice broad basis for examination. It is awful hard to devise a book like this and any formula is going to be difficult to truly satisfy everyone.

The book has a broad base...old books like The Complete I Ching are right next to books like L. Ron Hubbards’ Dianetics. I like that McKinnon wasn’t just looking at all the typical cult books and includes books right up to the publication date that were already gaining steam into being classics. Also with each book, McKinnon provides other books to read.

I also like that not all the books are listed as good... There are a number of cult classic books that aren’t that great. The scale is a five star scale and there are a number of four and five star books, but they give Battlefield Earth one star (and I agree there). Whether you agree with the ratings or not, that is part of the fun since you get to debate and argue them.

500 Essential Cult Books: The Ultimate Guide is a good buy if you see it. Another book I have picked up is Cult Fiction by Andrew Calcutt with similar books, but both provide you good content and some great reads. The book is colorful and filled with some great original book art (many fun, trashy paperback covers) that are worth looking through.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

It figures that l'd read a great book about great books. l'm always looking for new sources to give me ideas of what to read next, it's why l have the Goodreads app on my phone, and this is cover-to-cover packed with fantastic books. While l've read a good chunk of the 500 listed works, there are atleast twice as many that l've either never heard of or never considered picking up. I strongly suggest grabbing this if you see it along with a stack of Post-its to mark what piques your interest. lt also doesn't hurt that Gina McKinnon is very funny and does an incredible job summarizing plots and/or subjects. Definitely worth the price l paid at Half Price Books and would've been worth it if l had gotten it in-store at Barnes & Noble.

[Dan Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very meta. I love books about books, and this didn't disappoint. There's a lot of room open for the definition of "cult" but that's semantics. This list goes off-road a bit without being obscure, and borrows enough from the mainstream without being a typical "best of" list.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers a comprehensive selection of titles from a wide range of genres. The synopsis/summary and reviews are well written and very helpful. A definitive guide to finding your next cult read.

[Edel Waugh Salisbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was an excellent book!! A huge amount of work obviously went into this book and it really is a must read for people who enjoy books about books. This book is also an essential if you are having trouble wondering what to read next. This will give you plenty of inspiration !!

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

thanks Erin for this one! Have a list of must-reads!

[Rowan MacBean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great list. Lots of excellent recommendations, and full of information.

[Riekardt Van der wath · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ultimate book to have when you don't know what to read! Brilliant reviews and descriptions of only the best cult novels.

[Kevin Gallan · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic book