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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.
| 300 |
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Demons
by
4.30 avg rating — 61,936 ratings
score: 159,
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2 people voted
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| 302 |
|
The Princess and the Pea
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4.13 avg rating — 18,910 ratings
score: 158,
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4 people voted
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| 302 |
|
Thumbelina
by
Brad Sneed (Adapter, Illustrator)
4.11 avg rating — 16,089 ratings
score: 158,
and
3 people voted
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| 302 |
|
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
by
3.91 avg rating — 290,779 ratings
score: 158,
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3 people voted
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| 305 |
|
The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree
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4.17 avg rating — 8,522 ratings
score: 157,
and
4 people voted
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| 306 |
|
The Invisible Man
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3.63 avg rating — 215,651 ratings
score: 155,
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2 people voted
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| 307 |
|
The Complete Poems 1927-1979
by
4.20 avg rating — 13,018 ratings
score: 153,
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2 people voted
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| 308 |
|
My Cousin Rachel
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4.01 avg rating — 68,490 ratings
score: 149,
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2 people voted
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| 309 |
|
My Ántonia
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3.84 avg rating — 146,905 ratings
score: 146,
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5 people voted
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| 310 |
|
Good Night, Gorilla
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4.24 avg rating — 51,688 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 — 51,393 ratings
score: 145,
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2 people voted
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| 312 |
|
Around the World in Eighty Days
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3.95 avg rating — 280,404 ratings
score: 143,
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2 people voted
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| 313 |
|
The Snow Queen
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3.74 avg rating — 18,694 ratings
score: 139,
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3 people voted
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| 313 |
|
Night
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4.38 avg rating — 1,353,318 ratings
score: 139,
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2 people voted
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| 315 |
|
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
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3.70 avg rating — 60,685 ratings
score: 138,
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4 people voted
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| 316 |
|
The Razor’s Edge
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4.19 avg rating — 53,581 ratings
score: 137,
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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 — 220,703 ratings
score: 136,
and
3 people voted
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| 318 |
|
the prophet
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4.23 avg rating — 326,675 ratings
score: 133,
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3 people voted
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| 318 |
|
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (Hercule Poirot, #37)
by
3.82 avg rating — 31,262 ratings
score: 133,
and
2 people voted
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| 320 |
|
As You Like It
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3.81 avg rating — 88,571 ratings
score: 131,
and
4 people voted
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| 321 |
|
Elizabeth and Her German Garden
by
3.72 avg rating — 5,665 ratings
score: 130,
and
2 people voted
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| 322 |
|
Adam Bede
by
3.83 avg rating — 26,378 ratings
score: 129,
and
2 people voted
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| 322 |
|
Kidnapped (David Balfour, #1)
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3.79 avg rating — 67,842 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 — 23,417 ratings
score: 128,
and
3 people voted
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| 325 |
|
Scoop
by
3.79 avg rating — 22,390 ratings
score: 126,
and
3 people voted
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| 325 |
|
The Betrothed
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3.88 avg rating — 17,555 ratings
score: 126,
and
2 people voted
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| 327 |
|
Steppenwolf
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4.13 avg rating — 213,094 ratings
score: 124,
and
2 people voted
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| 328 |
|
Leaves of Grass
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4.11 avg rating — 116,088 ratings
score: 123,
and
2 people voted
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| 329 |
|
Katy and the Big Snow
by
4.24 avg rating — 12,611 ratings
score: 121,
and
2 people voted
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| 330 |
|
Juno And the Paycock
by
3.62 avg rating — 1,592 ratings
score: 118,
and
2 people voted
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| 330 |
|
A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
by
4.14 avg rating — 39,858 ratings
score: 118,
and
2 people voted
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| 332 |
|
Siddhartha
by
4.08 avg rating — 868,431 ratings
score: 114,
and
2 people voted
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| 333 |
|
Women in Love
by
3.66 avg rating — 33,396 ratings
score: 113,
and
2 people voted
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| 334 |
|
A Child's Garden of Verses
by
4.27 avg rating — 26,725 ratings
score: 109,
and
2 people voted
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| 335 |
|
Pinocchio
by
3.84 avg rating — 88,395 ratings
score: 107,
and
2 people voted
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| 336 |
|
The Master of Ballantrae
by
3.70 avg rating — 6,478 ratings
score: 106,
and
2 people voted
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| 337 |
|
The Taming of the Shrew
by
3.74 avg rating — 179,956 ratings
score: 103,
and
2 people voted
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| 338 |
|
Ship of Fools
by
3.67 avg rating — 2,975 ratings
score: 102,
and
2 people voted
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| 339 |
|
A Doll's House
by
3.77 avg rating — 162,730 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)
4.11 avg rating — 18 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
3.83 avg rating — 11,459 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 — 13,327 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 — 911 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 — 78,246 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 350 |
|
The People of the Abyss
by
4.08 avg rating — 5,395 ratings
score: 99,
and
1 person voted
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| 351 |
|
A Little Princess
by
4.23 avg rating — 323,178 ratings
score: 98,
and
4 people voted
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| 351 |
|
The Torture by Hope
by
3.54 avg rating — 119 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 353 |
|
Cousin Pons
by
3.99 avg rating — 1,683 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 354 |
|
A Child's Christmas in Wales
by
4.11 avg rating — 8,119 ratings
score: 96,
and
3 people voted
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| 354 |
|
The Body in the Library (Miss Marple, #2)
by
3.81 avg rating — 126,137 ratings
score: 96,
and
2 people voted
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| 354 |
|
Tartuffe
by
3.66 avg rating — 43,000 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 354 |
|
Doctor Thorne
by
4.15 avg rating — 8,352 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 358 |
|
Castle Rackrent
by
3.16 avg rating — 4,357 ratings
score: 95,
and
2 people voted
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| 358 |
|
After Dark
by
3.80 avg rating — 468 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 360 |
|
Lyrical Ballads
by
3.95 avg rating — 13,070 ratings
score: 94,
and
2 people voted
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| 360 |
|
Picnic at Hanging Rock
by
3.66 avg rating — 30,439 ratings
score: 94,
and
1 person voted
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| 360 |
|
Perelandra
by
4.01 avg rating — 59,778 ratings
score: 94,
and
1 person voted
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| 363 |
|
The Color Purple
by
4.28 avg rating — 748,152 ratings
score: 93,
and
2 people voted
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| 363 |
|
The Twelve Caesars
by
4.03 avg rating — 22,680 ratings
score: 93,
and
2 people voted
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| 363 |
|
The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard
by
3.68 avg rating — 766 ratings
score: 93,
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1 person voted
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| 363 |
|
That Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy, #3)
by
3.93 avg rating — 45,616 ratings
score: 93,
and
1 person voted
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| 367 |
|
Quiet American
by
3.98 avg rating — 70,630 ratings
score: 92,
and
1 person voted
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| 367 |
|
A Simple Soul
by
3.45 avg rating — 9,292 ratings
score: 92,
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1 person voted
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| 367 |
|
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
by
4.05 avg rating — 5,731 ratings
score: 92,
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1 person voted
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| 370 |
|
Our Mutual Friend
by
4.09 avg rating — 31,252 ratings
score: 91,
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1 person voted
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| 370 |
|
Burmese Days
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3.87 avg rating — 32,093 ratings
score: 91,
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1 person voted
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| 370 |
|
The Castle of Otranto
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3.19 avg rating — 42,026 ratings
score: 91,
and
1 person voted
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| 373 |
|
The Inheritance
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3.65 avg rating — 6,177 ratings
score: 90,
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2 people voted
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| 373 |
|
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)
by
4.12 avg rating — 302,827 ratings
score: 90,
and
1 person voted
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| 373 |
|
Hedda Gabler
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3.83 avg rating — 39,222 ratings
score: 90,
and
1 person voted
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| 373 |
|
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
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4.48 avg rating — 57,682 ratings
score: 90,
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2 people voted
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| 373 |
|
The Monk
by
3.86 avg rating — 33,276 ratings
score: 90,
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1 person voted
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| 378 |
|
King Henry IV, Part 1
by
3.80 avg rating — 33,134 ratings
score: 89,
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2 people voted
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| 378 |
|
Intentions
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3.91 avg rating — 716 ratings
score: 89,
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1 person voted
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| 378 |
|
In Cold Blood
by
4.09 avg rating — 723,695 ratings
score: 89,
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2 people voted
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| 378 |
|
Vathek
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3.24 avg rating — 7,305 ratings
score: 89,
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1 person voted
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| 382 |
|
Looking Backward: 2000-1887
by
3.29 avg rating — 6,834 ratings
score: 88,
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1 person voted
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| 382 |
|
The Littlest Angel
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4.28 avg rating — 6,364 ratings
score: 88,
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2 people voted
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| 382 |
|
Generals Die in Bed
by
3.82 avg rating — 1,655 ratings
score: 88,
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1 person voted
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| 382 |
|
Tales of Unrest
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3.69 avg rating — 592 ratings
score: 88,
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1 person voted
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| 382 |
|
The House on the Borderland
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3.58 avg rating — 10,874 ratings
score: 88,
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1 person voted
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| 387 |
|
Mrs. Warren's Profession
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3.67 avg rating — 6,806 ratings
score: 87,
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1 person voted
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| 387 |
|
Dombey and Son
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3.96 avg rating — 16,653 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,
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1 person voted
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| 390 |
|
The Duchess of Malfi and Other Plays
by
3.90 avg rating — 2,146 ratings
score: 85,
and
2 people voted
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| 390 |
|
The Theory of the Leisure Class
by
3.87 avg rating — 4,000 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 — 12,679 ratings
score: 84,
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2 people voted
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| 392 |
|
Mary Barton
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3.74 avg rating — 21,383 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 — 379,890 ratings
score: 84,
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2 people voted
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| 392 |
|
The Golem
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3.82 avg rating — 9,107 ratings
score: 84,
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1 person voted
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| 396 |
|
Carnacki the Ghost-Finder
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3.73 avg rating — 2,578 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
3.81 avg rating — 1,642 ratings
score: 82,
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1 person voted
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| 397 |
|
Goblin Market
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4.09 avg rating — 16,447 ratings
score: 82,
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1 person voted
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| 397 |
|
Brighton Rock
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3.69 avg rating — 35,646 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 — 7,138 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)
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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.
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