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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.
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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.
| 201 |
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Out of Africa
by
3.91 avg rating — 47,779 ratings
score: 393,
and
6 people voted
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| 202 |
|
The Sword in the Stone (Once and Future King, #1)
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3.89 avg rating — 28,282 ratings
score: 391,
and
7 people voted
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| 203 |
|
The Night Before Christmas
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4.40 avg rating — 127,207 ratings
score: 387,
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9 people voted
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| 204 |
|
A Clockwork Orange
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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 764,935 ratings
score: 378,
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5 people voted
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| 205 |
|
Green Eggs and Ham
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4.31 avg rating — 841,496 ratings
score: 377,
and
7 people voted
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| 206 |
|
Howards End
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3.96 avg rating — 94,500 ratings
score: 376,
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7 people voted
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| 207 |
|
Our Town
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3.74 avg rating — 58,851 ratings
score: 355,
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6 people voted
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| 208 |
|
The Borrowers (The Borrowers, #1)
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4.03 avg rating — 100,895 ratings
score: 354,
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6 people voted
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| 209 |
|
Songs of Innocence and of Experience
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4.09 avg rating — 51,768 ratings
score: 348,
and
5 people voted
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| 210 |
|
4:50 from Paddington (Miss Marple, #7)
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3.97 avg rating — 75,621 ratings
score: 341,
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5 people voted
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| 211 |
|
Dr. Faustus
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3.80 avg rating — 72,060 ratings
score: 337,
and
8 people voted
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| 211 |
|
Harold and the Purple Crayon (Harold, #1)
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4.28 avg rating — 147,199 ratings
score: 337,
and
5 people voted
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| 213 |
|
The Nine Tailors (Lord Peter Wimsey, #11)
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4.03 avg rating — 21,316 ratings
score: 332,
and
7 people voted
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| 214 |
|
Kristin Lavransdatter
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4.31 avg rating — 14,327 ratings
score: 329,
and
5 people voted
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| 215 |
|
The Emperor's New Clothes
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3.98 avg rating — 15,435 ratings
score: 326,
and
7 people voted
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| 216 |
|
Daisy Miller
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3.37 avg rating — 37,666 ratings
score: 315,
and
4 people voted
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| 217 |
|
Le Malade imaginaire
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3.62 avg rating — 19,236 ratings
score: 313,
and
5 people voted
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| 217 |
|
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
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4.07 avg rating — 29,668 ratings
score: 313,
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7 people voted
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| 219 |
|
Gulliver's Travels and ''A Modest Proposal''
by
3.92 avg rating — 5,888 ratings
score: 310,
and
6 people voted
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| 219 |
|
Dubliners
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3.83 avg rating — 174,390 ratings
score: 310,
and
5 people voted
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| 221 |
|
The Secret Agent
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3.58 avg rating — 24,738 ratings
score: 309,
and
5 people voted
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| 222 |
|
Island of the Blue Dolphins
by
3.88 avg rating — 348,723 ratings
score: 307,
and
6 people voted
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| 222 |
|
Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)
by
4.09 avg rating — 503,866 ratings
score: 307,
and
7 people voted
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| 224 |
|
Idylls of the King
by
3.97 avg rating — 10,409 ratings
score: 305,
and
6 people voted
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| 225 |
|
Old Yeller
by
4.11 avg rating — 103,314 ratings
score: 301,
and
7 people voted
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| 226 |
|
The Custom of the Country
by
4.07 avg rating — 15,975 ratings
score: 298,
and
3 people voted
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| 227 |
|
Antigone (The Theban Plays, #3)
by
3.68 avg rating — 175,156 ratings
score: 297,
and
5 people voted
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| 228 |
|
Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited
by
4.16 avg rating — 171,243 ratings
score: 290,
and
5 people voted
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| 229 |
|
The Illustrated Man
by
4.13 avg rating — 107,210 ratings
score: 288,
and
6 people voted
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| 229 |
|
Cold Comfort Farm
by
3.88 avg rating — 54,726 ratings
score: 288,
and
4 people voted
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| 231 |
|
The Stranger
by
4.03 avg rating — 1,374,464 ratings
score: 287,
and
5 people voted
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| 232 |
|
Make Way for Ducklings
by
4.25 avg rating — 90,781 ratings
score: 286,
and
6 people voted
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| 233 |
|
A Study in Scarlet
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4.13 avg rating — 490,977 ratings
score: 285,
and
6 people voted
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| 233 |
|
An Inspector Calls
by
3.82 avg rating — 45,447 ratings
score: 285,
and
5 people voted
|
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| 235 |
|
The House at Pooh Corner (Winnie-the-Pooh, #2)
by
4.38 avg rating — 90,707 ratings
score: 283,
and
7 people voted
|
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| 236 |
|
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
by
3.77 avg rating — 154,084 ratings
score: 282,
and
4 people voted
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| 237 |
|
Sister Carrie
by
3.78 avg rating — 41,691 ratings
score: 280,
and
4 people voted
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| 238 |
|
Brideshead Revisited
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 125,932 ratings
score: 277,
and
5 people voted
|
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| 239 |
|
Pudd'nhead Wilson
by
3.75 avg rating — 19,430 ratings
score: 275,
and
4 people voted
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| 240 |
|
The Ugly Duckling
by
Jerry Pinkney (Adapter, Illustrator)
4.13 avg rating — 43,099 ratings
score: 267,
and
4 people voted
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| 241 |
|
The Waves
by
4.14 avg rating — 52,984 ratings
score: 266,
and
3 people voted
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| 242 |
|
The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)
by
4.50 avg rating — 1,112,904 ratings
score: 264,
and
6 people voted
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| 243 |
|
The History of the Kings of Britain
by
3.71 avg rating — 6,866 ratings
score: 257,
and
4 people voted
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| 243 |
|
The Snowy Day (Peter, #1)
by
4.20 avg rating — 119,105 ratings
score: 257,
and
4 people voted
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| 245 |
|
Kindred
by
4.31 avg rating — 267,962 ratings
score: 254,
and
3 people voted
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| 246 |
|
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
by
3.98 avg rating — 124,373 ratings
score: 251,
and
6 people voted
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| 246 |
|
The Turn of the Screw
by
3.38 avg rating — 178,374 ratings
score: 251,
and
4 people voted
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| 248 |
|
The Complete Fairy Tales
by
4.16 avg rating — 33,310 ratings
score: 249,
and
4 people voted
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| 249 |
|
Native Son
by
4.04 avg rating — 104,319 ratings
score: 248,
and
4 people voted
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| 250 |
|
Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1)
by
3.98 avg rating — 486,783 ratings
score: 246,
and
4 people voted
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| 251 |
|
Little Bear (Little Bear, #1)
by
4.25 avg rating — 59,411 ratings
score: 244,
and
4 people voted
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| 252 |
|
Harry the Dirty Dog
by
4.20 avg rating — 56,609 ratings
score: 242,
and
4 people voted
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| 253 |
|
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by
3.92 avg rating — 1,011,987 ratings
score: 240,
and
5 people voted
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| 254 |
|
The Cask of Amontillado
by
4.07 avg rating — 87,532 ratings
score: 238,
and
5 people voted
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| 255 |
|
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
by
3.97 avg rating — 62,499 ratings
score: 236,
and
6 people voted
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| 256 |
|
Little Dorrit
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 49,722 ratings
score: 235,
and
6 people voted
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| 257 |
|
Melmoth the Wanderer
by
3.73 avg rating — 5,575 ratings
score: 234,
and
3 people voted
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| 257 |
|
Go Tell It on the Mountain
by
4.05 avg rating — 80,782 ratings
score: 234,
and
3 people voted
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| 259 |
|
Daddy-Long-Legs
by
4.13 avg rating — 75,081 ratings
score: 228,
and
3 people voted
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| 260 |
|
The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats
by
4.23 avg rating — 39,985 ratings
score: 227,
and
5 people voted
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| 260 |
|
The Call of the Wild
by
3.91 avg rating — 469,138 ratings
score: 227,
and
3 people voted
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| 262 |
|
We the Living
by
3.96 avg rating — 30,697 ratings
score: 226,
and
3 people voted
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| 262 |
|
The Monk
by
3.86 avg rating — 33,276 ratings
score: 226,
and
3 people voted
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| 264 |
|
Lord Jim
by
3.61 avg rating — 32,878 ratings
score: 225,
and
5 people voted
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| 265 |
|
The Selfish Giant
by
4.07 avg rating — 10,068 ratings
score: 223,
and
3 people voted
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| 266 |
|
The Kreutzer Sonata
by
3.86 avg rating — 35,187 ratings
score: 222,
and
3 people voted
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| 267 |
|
When We Were Very Young (Winnie-the-Pooh, #3)
by
4.23 avg rating — 26,907 ratings
score: 221,
and
5 people voted
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| 268 |
|
The Murders in the Rue Morgue: The Dupin Tales (C. Auguste Dupin, #1-3)
by
3.74 avg rating — 11,880 ratings
score: 219,
and
5 people voted
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| 268 |
|
Guess How Much I Love You
by
4.39 avg rating — 146,942 ratings
score: 219,
and
3 people voted
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| 268 |
|
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
by
4.38 avg rating — 444,408 ratings
score: 219,
and
5 people voted
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| 271 |
|
Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1)
by
4.57 avg rating — 235,023 ratings
score: 217,
and
4 people voted
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| 272 |
|
The Rage of Achilles
by
Terence Hawkins (Goodreads Author)
3.42 avg rating — 196 ratings
score: 216,
and
3 people voted
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| 273 |
|
The Haunting of Hill House
by
3.81 avg rating — 388,666 ratings
score: 212,
and
3 people voted
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| 274 |
|
The Souls of Black Folk
by
4.31 avg rating — 44,718 ratings
score: 204,
and
3 people voted
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| 275 |
|
Five Children and It (The Psammead Trilogy, #1)
by
3.86 avg rating — 28,122 ratings
score: 203,
and
4 people voted
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| 276 |
|
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
by
4.21 avg rating — 53,832 ratings
score: 201,
and
4 people voted
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| 277 |
|
12 Years a Slave
by
4.23 avg rating — 124,499 ratings
score: 200,
and
2 people voted
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| 278 |
|
Where the Wild Things Are
by
4.25 avg rating — 1,056,271 ratings
score: 199,
and
5 people voted
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| 279 |
|
The Nightingale
by
Fiona Black (Adaptation)
4.06 avg rating — 1,863 ratings
score: 198,
and
3 people voted
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| 280 |
|
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds
by
3.80 avg rating — 5,577 ratings
score: 197,
and
2 people voted
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| 280 |
|
The Pigman (The Pigman, #1)
by
3.60 avg rating — 28,664 ratings
score: 197,
and
2 people voted
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| 282 |
|
Holy Bible: New International Version
by
4.63 avg rating — 95,973 ratings
score: 189,
and
4 people voted
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| 283 |
|
A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1)
by
4.01 avg rating — 357,625 ratings
score: 186,
and
2 people voted
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| 284 |
|
U.S. Constitution (Saddlewire) (Books of American Wisdom)
by
4.52 avg rating — 27,131 ratings
score: 183,
and
4 people voted
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| 285 |
|
A Town Like Alice
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4.16 avg rating — 61,595 ratings
score: 181,
and
3 people voted
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| 286 |
|
Wind in the Willows
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4.02 avg rating — 239,098 ratings
score: 179,
and
7 people voted
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| 287 |
|
Light in August
by
3.94 avg rating — 66,432 ratings
score: 176,
and
3 people voted
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| 288 |
|
The Pearl
by
3.56 avg rating — 268,578 ratings
score: 175,
and
5 people voted
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| 289 |
|
The Book Thief
by
Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author)
4.39 avg rating — 2,852,717 ratings
score: 174,
and
2 people voted
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| 290 |
|
Lady Susan
by
3.66 avg rating — 52,364 ratings
score: 171,
and
4 people voted
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| 290 |
|
Agnes Grey
by
3.71 avg rating — 81,132 ratings
score: 171,
and
5 people voted
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| 290 |
|
Three Men in a Boat
by
3.83 avg rating — 79,672 ratings
score: 171,
and
3 people voted
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| 293 |
|
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
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4.03 avg rating — 159,845 ratings
score: 170,
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4 people voted
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| 294 |
|
The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1)
by
3.94 avg rating — 167,507 ratings
score: 168,
and
4 people voted
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| 294 |
|
A Girl of the Limberlost
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4.17 avg rating — 22,622 ratings
score: 168,
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3 people voted
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| 296 |
|
The Pit and the Pendulum
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4.14 avg rating — 72,072 ratings
score: 166,
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5 people voted
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| 297 |
|
The Fall
by
4.03 avg rating — 133,218 ratings
score: 165,
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3 people voted
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| 298 |
|
Green Mansions
by
3.69 avg rating — 3,322 ratings
score: 164,
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3 people voted
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| 299 |
|
The Purloined Letter (C. Auguste Dupin, #3)
by
3.62 avg rating — 14,010 ratings
score: 163,
and
4 people voted
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| 300 |
|
The Declaration of Independence / The Constitution of the United States
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4.44 avg rating — 27,279 ratings
score: 159,
and
4 people 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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