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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 — 6,753,430 ratings
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2 |
The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)
by
Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)
4.15 avg rating — 2,358,358 ratings
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3 |
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
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4.20 avg rating — 772,252 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 — 1,985,821 ratings
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5 |
The Outsiders
by
S.E. Hinton (Goodreads Author)
4.14 avg rating — 1,559,278 ratings
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6 |
The Kite Runner
by
Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author)
4.35 avg rating — 3,433,741 ratings
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7 |
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
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4.35 avg rating — 9,700,431 ratings
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8 |
The Book Thief
by
Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author)
4.39 avg rating — 2,827,906 ratings
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9 |
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)
by
4.58 avg rating — 4,732,633 ratings
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10 |
The Color Purple
by
4.28 avg rating — 742,852 ratings
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11 |
In Cold Blood
by
4.09 avg rating — 716,751 ratings
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12 |
Atonement
by
Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author)
3.95 avg rating — 556,517 ratings
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13 |
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
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3.89 avg rating — 1,579,330 ratings
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14 |
Catch-22
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3.99 avg rating — 878,289 ratings
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15 |
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)
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4.43 avg rating — 4,396,783 ratings
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16 |
The Giver (The Giver, #1)
by
Lois Lowry (Goodreads Author)
4.12 avg rating — 2,757,894 ratings
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17 |
The Princess Bride
by
4.27 avg rating — 940,838 ratings
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18 |
The Bell Jar
by
4.05 avg rating — 1,178,957 ratings
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19 |
Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)
by
4.09 avg rating — 501,593 ratings
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20 |
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
by
4.30 avg rating — 4,384,213 ratings
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21 |
The Master and Margarita
by
4.28 avg rating — 408,237 ratings
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22 |
Dune (Dune #1)
by
4.29 avg rating — 1,591,003 ratings
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23 |
The Name of the Rose
by
4.14 avg rating — 390,454 ratings
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24 |
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
by
4.28 avg rating — 323,547 ratings
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25 |
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
by
4.09 avg rating — 502,575 ratings
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26 |
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)
by
4.30 avg rating — 573,428 ratings
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27 |
A Clockwork Orange
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 758,977 ratings
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28 |
Fight Club
by
Chuck Palahniuk (Goodreads Author)
4.18 avg rating — 633,806 ratings
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29 |
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)
by
4.24 avg rating — 3,091,074 ratings
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30 |
Water for Elephants
by
Sara Gruen (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 1,687,840 ratings
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31 |
The Joy Luck Club
by
Amy Tan (Goodreads Author)
3.97 avg rating — 705,758 ratings
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32 |
The Fault in Our Stars
by
John Green (Goodreads Author)
4.12 avg rating — 5,628,415 ratings
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33 |
Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)
by
4.31 avg rating — 1,458,472 ratings
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34 |
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by
4.24 avg rating — 1,966,501 ratings
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35 |
The Man Without Qualities
by
4.19 avg rating — 7,257 ratings
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36 |
The Remains of the Day
by
Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author)
4.14 avg rating — 349,776 ratings
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37 |
The Help
by
Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author)
4.47 avg rating — 2,981,731 ratings
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38 |
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1)
by
4.03 avg rating — 1,601,988 ratings
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39 |
Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)
by
4.13 avg rating — 1,043,759 ratings
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40 |
Midnight’s Children
by
3.98 avg rating — 131,535 ratings
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41 |
The Alchemist
by
Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author)
3.92 avg rating — 3,478,745 ratings
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42 |
Memoirs of a Geisha
by
4.16 avg rating — 2,092,514 ratings
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43 |
The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)
by
Ken Follett (Goodreads Author)
4.35 avg rating — 816,853 ratings
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44 |
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
by
4.45 avg rating — 2,694,401 ratings
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45 |
Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)
by
4.02 avg rating — 638,952 ratings
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46 |
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
by
3.93 avg rating — 9,761 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 — 1,343,224 ratings
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48 |
A Wrinkle in Time
by
3.97 avg rating — 1,269,515 ratings
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49 |
The Things They Carried
by
4.14 avg rating — 339,985 ratings
score: 834,
and
9 people voted
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50 |
Jaws (Jaws, #1)
by
3.95 avg rating — 176,840 ratings
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51 |
As I Lay Dying
by
3.72 avg rating — 184,109 ratings
score: 824,
and
9 people voted
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52 |
Love in the Time of Cholera
by
3.94 avg rating — 540,029 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 — 193,775 ratings
score: 802,
and
9 people voted
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54 |
The Godfather (The Godfather, #1)
by
4.40 avg rating — 456,950 ratings
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55 |
Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1)
by
4.57 avg rating — 228,329 ratings
score: 779,
and
9 people voted
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56 |
Holes (Holes, #1)
by
Louis Sachar (Goodreads Author)
4.01 avg rating — 1,344,849 ratings
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57 |
Night
by
4.38 avg rating — 1,343,940 ratings
score: 720,
and
8 people voted
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58 |
Valley of the Dolls
by
3.86 avg rating — 76,159 ratings
score: 696,
and
8 people voted
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59 |
Matilda
by
4.33 avg rating — 1,087,491 ratings
score: 679,
and
8 people voted
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60 |
The Incredible Journey
by
4.16 avg rating — 52,591 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 — 386,467 ratings
score: 669,
and
8 people voted
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62 |
The Neverending Story
by
4.18 avg rating — 217,856 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 — 237,044 ratings
score: 629,
and
7 people voted
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64 |
Rosemary’s Baby (Rosemary's Baby, #1)
by
4.05 avg rating — 155,335 ratings
score: 618,
and
8 people voted
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65 |
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
by
4.04 avg rating — 92,393 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 — 90,979 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 — 705,491 ratings
score: 599,
and
7 people voted
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68 |
The Poisonwood Bible
by
4.11 avg rating — 785,170 ratings
score: 593,
and
7 people voted
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69 |
The Thorn Birds
by
4.25 avg rating — 362,533 ratings
score: 590,
and
7 people voted
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70 |
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by
3.87 avg rating — 251,847 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 — 291,552 ratings
score: 573,
and
7 people voted
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72 |
The Shipping News
by
3.88 avg rating — 151,486 ratings
score: 568,
and
7 people voted
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73 |
Starship Troopers
by
4.01 avg rating — 243,452 ratings
score: 562,
and
7 people voted
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74 |
Contact
by
4.15 avg rating — 150,940 ratings
score: 559,
and
7 people voted
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75 |
Empire of the Sun
by
3.98 avg rating — 22,274 ratings
score: 550,
and
6 people voted
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76 |
The Shell Seekers
by
4.20 avg rating — 119,306 ratings
score: 538,
and
7 people voted
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77 |
The Bluest Eye
by
4.13 avg rating — 292,604 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 — 983,311 ratings
score: 536,
and
6 people voted
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79 |
A Scanner Darkly
by
4.03 avg rating — 108,948 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 — 125,011 ratings
score: 514,
and
6 people voted
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81 |
The Diary of a Young Girl
by
4.20 avg rating — 4,114,179 ratings
score: 510,
and
6 people voted
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82 |
Gilead (Gilead, #1)
by
3.85 avg rating — 122,315 ratings
score: 482,
and
5 people voted
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83 |
Rebecca
by
4.25 avg rating — 707,752 ratings
score: 470,
and
5 people voted
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84 |
Cold Mountain
by
3.89 avg rating — 248,827 ratings
score: 469,
and
6 people voted
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85 |
A Canticle for Leibowitz (St. Leibowitz, #1)
by
3.99 avg rating — 117,625 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 — 815,395 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 — 433,067 ratings
score: 464,
and
5 people voted
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88 |
A Fine Balance
by
4.38 avg rating — 158,064 ratings
score: 434,
and
5 people voted
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89 |
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by
4.30 avg rating — 504,256 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 — 142,535 ratings
score: 425,
and
5 people voted
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91 |
The Client
by
John Grisham (Goodreads Author)
4.06 avg rating — 460,132 ratings
score: 414,
and
5 people voted
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91 |
The Selfish Gene
by
Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author)
4.16 avg rating — 190,335 ratings
score: 414,
and
5 people voted
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93 |
Coma
by
Robin Cook (Goodreads Author)
3.88 avg rating — 53,065 ratings
score: 393,
and
5 people voted
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94 |
Centennial
by
4.26 avg rating — 44,737 ratings
score: 375,
and
5 people voted
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94 |
The Blind Assassin
by
Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)
3.96 avg rating — 162,147 ratings
score: 375,
and
4 people voted
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96 |
The Pelican Brief
by
John Grisham (Goodreads Author)
4.06 avg rating — 444,629 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 — 433,629 ratings
score: 339,
and
4 people voted
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97 |
Red Storm Rising
by
4.21 avg rating — 84,100 ratings
score: 339,
and
4 people voted
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99 |
The Andromeda Strain (Andromeda, #1)
by
3.91 avg rating — 268,931 ratings
score: 336,
and
5 people voted
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100 |
The Prince of Tides
by
4.26 avg rating — 214,821 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
4184 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
699 books
25 friends
25 friends
Michaela
502 books
62 friends
62 friends
More voters…
Comments Showing 1-18 of 18 (18 new)
date
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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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flag


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.