Best Books of the Decade: 1920s (764 books)

The best books published during the 1920s decade (1920–1929).

See also
1920s lists
1920s shelf
Best By Date
Children's Books of the 1920s
Non-fiction of the 1920s
Most Rated Book by Year

Best Books by Century:
21st, 20th,
19th, 18th, 17th, 16th, 15th,14th, 13th, 12th, 11th, 10th,
9th, 8th, 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th

Best Books by Decade:
2020–2029, 2010–2019, 2000–2009,
1990–1999, 1980–1989, 1970–1979, 1960–1969, 1950–1959,
1940–1949, 1930–1939, 1920–1929, 1910–1919, 1900–1909,
1890–1899, 1880–1889, 1870–1879, 1860–1869, 1850–1859,
1840–1849, 1830–1839, 1820–1829, 1810–1819, 1800–1809

Best Books by Year:
1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929

Lists for all books by Number of Ratings:
10,000 to 15,000, 15,000 to 20,000, 20,000 to 25,000, 25,000 to 30,000,
30,000 to 40,000, 40,000 to 50,000, 50,000 to 60,000, 60,000 to 70,000,
70,000 to 80,000, 80,000 to 89,999, 90,000 to 99,999, 100,000 to 149,999,
150,000 to 199,999, 200,000 to 499,999, 500,000 to 999,999, 1,000,000 and more

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All Votes Add Books To This List

1	The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.93 avg rating — 5,863,118 ratings score: 50,005, and 508 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh, #1) by A.A. Milne 4.38 avg rating — 393,847 ratings score: 21,541, and 222 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque 4.11 avg rating — 517,070 ratings score: 20,779, and 213 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway 3.79 avg rating — 491,451 ratings score: 16,841, and 175 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse 4.08 avg rating — 870,357 ratings score: 14,233, and 151 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner 3.86 avg rating — 195,313 ratings score: 13,551, and 140 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway 3.82 avg rating — 351,826 ratings score: 13,078, and 138 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf 3.78 avg rating — 354,022 ratings score: 12,834, and 134 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton 3.97 avg rating — 194,643 ratings score: 12,809, and 134 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	The Trial by Franz Kafka 3.94 avg rating — 391,300 ratings score: 12,282, and 130 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf 3.81 avg rating — 213,344 ratings score: 12,222, and 130 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse 4.13 avg rating — 213,673 ratings score: 10,941, and 116 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Ulysses by James Joyce 3.76 avg rating — 137,392 ratings score: 10,488, and 111 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4) by Agatha Christie 4.26 avg rating — 341,912 ratings score: 10,402, and 110 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	A Passage to India by E.M. Forster 3.67 avg rating — 85,606 ratings score: 9,934, and 107 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco 4.31 avg rating — 272,023 ratings score: 9,300, and 99 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf 4.22 avg rating — 257,446 ratings score: 8,626, and 93 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot, #1) by Agatha Christie really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 501,370 ratings score: 8,151, and 87 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Waste Land and Other Poems by T.S. Eliot 4.22 avg rating — 73,516 ratings score: 7,919, and 85 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence 3.50 avg rating — 137,240 ratings score: 6,682, and 75 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran 4.23 avg rating — 327,180 ratings score: 6,561, and 73 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann 4.13 avg rating — 61,005 ratings score: 6,394, and 69 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Orlando by Virginia Woolf 3.87 avg rating — 114,065 ratings score: 6,317, and 69 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.63 avg rating — 79,800 ratings score: 6,028, and 66 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather 3.97 avg rating — 42,999 ratings score: 5,714, and 64 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	We by Yevgeny Zamyatin 3.88 avg rating — 111,642 ratings score: 4,904, and 54 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham 3.97 avg rating — 51,478 ratings score: 4,810, and 53 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder 3.79 avg rating — 38,407 ratings score: 4,462, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	The House at Pooh Corner (Winnie-the-Pooh, #2) by A.A. Milne 4.38 avg rating — 90,767 ratings score: 4,318, and 48 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.73 avg rating — 64,894 ratings score: 4,085, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Carry On, Jeeves (Jeeves, #3) by P.G. Wodehouse 4.25 avg rating — 27,264 ratings score: 4,072, and 46 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke 4.28 avg rating — 120,408 ratings score: 3,990, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis 3.69 avg rating — 24,793 ratings score: 3,977, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence 3.66 avg rating — 33,420 ratings score: 3,905, and 46 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Rilla of Ingleside (Anne of Green Gables, #8) by L.M. Montgomery 4.25 avg rating — 56,341 ratings score: 3,900, and 42 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey, #1) by Dorothy L. Sayers 3.82 avg rating — 60,994 ratings score: 3,846, and 43 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser 3.97 avg rating — 38,666 ratings score: 3,658, and 42 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Main Street by Sinclair Lewis 3.78 avg rating — 26,858 ratings score: 3,552, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Bambi: A Life in the Woods (Bambi, #1) by Felix Salten 4.12 avg rating — 38,052 ratings score: 3,376, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	The Castle by Franz Kafka 3.91 avg rating — 74,867 ratings score: 3,270, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	The Forsyte Saga (The Forsyte Chronicles, #1-3) by John Galsworthy 4.18 avg rating — 20,729 ratings score: 3,188, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield 3.82 avg rating — 10,515 ratings score: 3,101, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim 3.89 avg rating — 40,799 ratings score: 3,040, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The Murder on the Links (Hercule Poirot, #2) by Agatha Christie 3.87 avg rating — 117,578 ratings score: 3,014, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	The Inimitable Jeeves (Jeeves, #2) by P.G. Wodehouse 4.20 avg rating — 30,231 ratings score: 3,003, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Clouds of Witness (Lord Peter Wimsey, #2) by Dorothy L. Sayers 3.97 avg rating — 25,384 ratings score: 2,992, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek 4.09 avg rating — 20,932 ratings score: 2,957, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot 4.11 avg rating — 58,936 ratings score: 2,945, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	When We Were Very Young (Winnie-the-Pooh, #3) by A.A. Milne 4.23 avg rating — 26,929 ratings score: 2,912, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Secret Adversary (Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries, #1) by Agatha Christie 3.84 avg rating — 70,587 ratings score: 2,892, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway 3.73 avg rating — 27,230 ratings score: 2,861, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery 4.31 avg rating — 55,357 ratings score: 2,822, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Doctor Dolittle, #1) by Hugh Lofting 3.96 avg rating — 51,593 ratings score: 2,810, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Duino Elegies by Rainer Maria Rilke 4.39 avg rating — 10,039 ratings score: 2,781, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Being and Time by Martin Heidegger 4.05 avg rating — 27,681 ratings score: 2,747, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	Now We Are Six (Winnie-the-Pooh, #4) by A.A. Milne 4.28 avg rating — 23,432 ratings score: 2,742, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset 4.31 avg rating — 14,369 ratings score: 2,730, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #9) by Arthur Conan Doyle 4.11 avg rating — 30,413 ratings score: 2,663, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	Sodom and Gomorrah by Marcel Proust 4.32 avg rating — 9,826 ratings score: 2,564, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht 3.88 avg rating — 14,401 ratings score: 2,564, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh 3.83 avg rating — 15,848 ratings score: 2,557, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw 3.78 avg rating — 9,620 ratings score: 2,516, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell 3.95 avg rating — 60,957 ratings score: 2,500, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Red Harvest (The Continental Op #1) by Dashiell Hammett 3.94 avg rating — 29,627 ratings score: 2,475, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	Unnatural Death (Lord Peter Wimsey, #3) by Dorothy L. Sayers 4.06 avg rating — 30,004 ratings score: 2,322, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves 3.93 avg rating — 15,518 ratings score: 2,301, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos 3.61 avg rating — 7,213 ratings score: 2,284, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe 3.91 avg rating — 15,736 ratings score: 2,185, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (Doctor Dolittle, #2) by Hugh Lofting 3.98 avg rating — 17,596 ratings score: 2,162, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	The Guermantes Way by Marcel Proust 4.27 avg rating — 11,807 ratings score: 2,157, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Sonnets to Orpheus by Rainer Maria Rilke 4.24 avg rating — 4,177 ratings score: 2,134, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Lord Peter Wimsey, #5) by Dorothy L. Sayers 4.04 avg rating — 18,511 ratings score: 2,125, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Amerika by Franz Kafka 3.74 avg rating — 34,118 ratings score: 2,080, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	Passing by Nella Larsen 3.92 avg rating — 79,725 ratings score: 2,075, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.88 avg rating — 8,354 ratings score: 2,063, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin 3.84 avg rating — 11,191 ratings score: 2,058, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	Six Characters in Search of an Author and Other Plays by Luigi Pirandello 3.94 avg rating — 3,444 ratings score: 1,974, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner 3.98 avg rating — 11,928 ratings score: 1,956, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	Billy Budd, Sailor by Herman Melville 3.19 avg rating — 19,544 ratings score: 1,951, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle 4.51 avg rating — 216,306 ratings score: 1,936, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	Zeno's Conscience by Italo Svevo 3.77 avg rating — 32,226 ratings score: 1,919, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	The Secret of Chimneys (Superintendent Battle, #1) by Agatha Christie 3.84 avg rating — 33,453 ratings score: 1,888, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	Dream Story by Arthur Schnitzler 3.76 avg rating — 21,025 ratings score: 1,879, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10) by Agatha Christie 4.20 avg rating — 724,698 ratings score: 1,825, and 22 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Cane by Jean Toomer 3.82 avg rating — 11,536 ratings score: 1,822, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	The Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler 4.06 avg rating — 2,219 ratings score: 1,798, and 19 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos 3.64 avg rating — 7,200 ratings score: 1,797, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust 4.34 avg rating — 14,007 ratings score: 1,767, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	The Diamond as Big as the Ritz, and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.86 avg rating — 7,411 ratings score: 1,743, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	Time Regained by Marcel Proust 4.51 avg rating — 8,283 ratings score: 1,738, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis 4.01 avg rating — 6,365 ratings score: 1,635, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	Partners in Crime (Tommy & Tuppence Mysteries, #2) by Agatha Christie 3.78 avg rating — 24,466 ratings score: 1,634, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	Emily's Quest (Emily, #3) by L.M. Montgomery 4.13 avg rating — 21,865 ratings score: 1,633, and 19 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	The Short Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald 4.22 avg rating — 14,938 ratings score: 1,524, and 19 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	Miss Mapp (Lucia, #2) by E.F. Benson 4.10 avg rating — 2,538 ratings score: 1,515, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	Queen Lucia by E.F. Benson 3.92 avg rating — 5,364 ratings score: 1,513, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.57 avg rating — 77,970 ratings score: 1,486, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis 3.84 avg rating — 8,526 ratings score: 1,477, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	Emily Climbs (Emily, #2) by L.M. Montgomery 4.18 avg rating — 25,750 ratings score: 1,462, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini 4.18 avg rating — 17,616 ratings score: 1,442, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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764 books · 1,133 voters · list created June 22nd, 2008 by deleted user.

Tags: 1920, 1920s, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, best-by-decade, by-decade

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message 1: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Nov 06, 2009 01:03PM) (new)

Nov 06, 2009 01:02PM

Dada Almanach by Richard Huelsenbeck?

Original publication date changed to 1920. You should find it eligible now.

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message 2: by KristenR (new)

Sep 18, 2010 08:26AM

If you're interested in a "Through the Decades" challenge come check out The Well-Rounded Reader challenge group!

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message 3: by Chris (new)

Jan 31, 2011 12:15PM

Great Gatsby's the mainstream best book choice, Sound And The Fury or Ulysses are probably the best, and Jean Toomer "Cane" is my favorite and most slept-on novel of the 1920's. First true classic book in in Black Literature of the Century (what is black lit? there's no "White Lit" lol, Literature is Literature, but yeah). The book is the best piece of the well famed Harlem Renaissance of the 20's.

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message 4: by Ben (new)

Apr 04, 2011 06:46PM

The Trial was first published in 1914.

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message 5: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Apr 05, 2011 09:53AM

Removed:

The Trial, by Franz Kafka (1914)

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message 6: by Isaac (new)

Jun 22, 2011 01:13PM

Ben wrote: "The Trial was first published in 1914."

I believe this is false. It was written in 1914, but was published in 1925, after Kafka's death. Why would Kafka want to publish an unfinished work?

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message 7: by Tamora (new)

Mar 09, 2012 10:32AM

How could anyone include Jew Suss in a best books list?! It's Nazi propaganda!

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message 8: by Tamora (new)

Mar 09, 2012 10:34AM

How can anyone include Jew Suss by Lion Feuchtwanger in Best Books of the 1920s? It's Nazi propaganda!

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message 9: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Mar 09, 2012 10:45AM

It appears to qualify by publication date, and this is a collective list, so it was obviously added by someone who liked it.

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message 10: by Bettie (new)

Mar 09, 2012 11:05AM

Tamora wrote: "How can anyone include Jew Suss by Lion Feuchtwanger in Best Books of the 1920s? It's Nazi propaganda!"

Hmm - maybe not liked so much as important reading, I have it on one of my lists to get around to at some point as looking at all sides of a situation gains the clearest view dontcha fink.

About the author: Lion Feuchtwanger (1884-1958) was a German Jewish emigre. A renowned novelist and playwright who fled Europe during World War II and lived in Los Angeles from 1941 until his death.

A fierce critic of the Nazi regime years before it assumed power precipitated his departure, after a brief internment in France, from Europe.

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message 11: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Jan 22, 2013 05:40AM

Tamora wrote: "How can anyone include Jew Suss by Lion Feuchtwanger in Best Books of the 1920s? It's Nazi propaganda!"

It actually isn't -- it's a very insightful and differentiated philosophical novel based on a historic figure, a successful merchant named Joseph Süß Oppenheimer. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jud_S%C3... for further info on the novel and Feuchtwanger's own approach.

The Nazis subsequently stole the title of Feuchtwanger's book and had a director named Veit Harlan make a movie to specifically counter Feuchtwanger's portrayal of Oppenheimer. For further info on the movie, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jud_S%C3... .

From the two Wikipedia articles linked above:

"Although the story of Duke Karl Alexander and Joseph Süß Oppenheimer constituted a relatively obscure episode in German history, it became the subject of a number of literary and dramatic treatments over the course of more than a century; the earliest of these having been Wilhelm Hauff's 1827 novella. The most successful literary adaptation was Lion Feuchtwanger's 1925 novel titled Jud Süß based on a play that he had written in 1916 but subsequently withdrew. As a Jew, Feuchtwanger did not intend his portrayal of Süß to be antisemitic but rather as a study of the tragedy caused by the human weaknesses of greed, pride and ambition. With an interest in exploring the challenges confronting Jews in the Diaspora, Feuchtwanger was particularly concerned with the issues of conversion and anti-Semitism. He was particularly struck by the fact that Süß could have saved himself by converting to Christianity but had steadfastly refused to do so, opting instead to return to formal Jewish observance and piety."

"For Feuchtwanger, Süß was a forerunner that symbolized the evolution in European philosophy and cultural mentality, representing a shift towards Eastern philosophy, from Nietzsche to Buddha, from 'the old to the new covenant.' Karl Leydecker writes [in German Novelists of the Weimar Republic: intersections of literature and politics (2006)]:

'For Feuchtwanger, Jud Süss was primarily a novel of ideas, dealing with a number of philosophical oppositions such as vita activa versus vita contemplativa, outer versus inner life, appearance versus essence, power versus wisdom, the pursuit of one's desires vs. the denial of desires, Nietzsche vs. Buddha.' [...]

In Feuchtwanger’s play and novel Josef Süß Oppenheimer emerges as a father and his fictional daughter provides both an ideal centre and turning point of the narrative. In Harlan’s Nazi film, the central female figure Dorothea Sturm (played by Kristina Söderbaum) is, again, represented as ideal. However, her violation and subsequent suicide transform Josef Süß Oppenheimer’s execution (historically a miscarriage of justice) into a symbol of the judicial court’s true righteousness that is hailed by the masses. Like a negative image, the film is a tonal inversion of Feuchtwanger’s narrative as it mirrors the literary texts’ central elements in reverse; Lion Feuchtwanger’s depiction of Josef Süß Oppenheimer’s journey from a power-hungry financial and political genius to a more enlightened human being is turned into an anti-Semitic propaganda piece."

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message 12: by Bettie (new)

Jan 22, 2013 05:52AM

Themis-Athena wrote: "Tamora wrote: "How can anyone include Jew Suss by Lion Feuchtwanger in Best Books of the 1920s? It's Nazi propaganda!"

It actually isn't -- it's a very insightful and differentiated philosophical..."

GREAT research TA! Thanks for taking the time...
:O)

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message 13: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Jan 22, 2013 05:57AM

Bettie wrote: "GREAT research TA! Thanks for taking the time...
:O)"

Feuchtwanger is one of my favorite authors -- anything to clear his name! :)

Seriously, I don't even want to have to imagine how he must have felt about the Nazis' stealing his novel, of all things, and turning it into THE antisemitic show piece par excellence ...

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message 14: by Joss (new)

Sep 18, 2013 02:46AM