Books You Need to Read to be Considered Well-Read (721 books)

Contemporary or classic novels, plays, poem and short story anthologies, that any serious reader should read at least ones in his or her life.

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1	To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 4.26 avg rating — 6,782,086 ratings score: 11,634, and 121 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	1984 by George Orwell 4.20 avg rating — 5,344,229 ratings score: 11,191, and 118 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	Animal Farm by George Orwell 4.01 avg rating — 4,452,016 ratings score: 8,851, and 92 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	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 4.29 avg rating — 4,720,281 ratings score: 8,730, and 92 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	Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare 3.74 avg rating — 2,794,717 ratings score: 6,871, 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
6	The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 3.80 avg rating — 3,847,140 ratings score: 6,629, and 71 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	The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.93 avg rating — 5,819,735 ratings score: 6,537, and 71 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	Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 3.97 avg rating — 2,776,468 ratings score: 5,727, and 63 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	Lord of the Flies by William Golding 3.70 avg rating — 3,157,817 ratings score: 5,622, and 63 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	Hamlet by William Shakespeare 4.03 avg rating — 1,034,874 ratings score: 5,531, and 62 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	Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 3.89 avg rating — 2,791,989 ratings score: 5,456, and 63 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	Macbeth by William Shakespeare 3.89 avg rating — 1,005,891 ratings score: 5,261, and 58 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	The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 4.13 avg rating — 1,832,024 ratings score: 4,980, and 55 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	A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 3.88 avg rating — 1,004,628 ratings score: 4,742, 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
15	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 3.83 avg rating — 1,329,931 ratings score: 4,702, 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
16	Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 3.90 avg rating — 1,819,259 ratings score: 4,639, 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
17	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) by J.K. Rowling 4.47 avg rating — 11,231,661 ratings score: 4,481, and 51 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	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 4.16 avg rating — 2,291,360 ratings score: 4,280, 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
19	The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.30 avg rating — 4,401,871 ratings score: 4,181, and 51 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	A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 4.09 avg rating — 905,409 ratings score: 3,844, 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
21	Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 4.10 avg rating — 919,267 ratings score: 3,827, 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
22	The Iliad by Homer 3.93 avg rating — 502,799 ratings score: 3,795, and 44 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	The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 3.44 avg rating — 910,135 ratings score: 3,603, 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
24	Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.28 avg rating — 1,053,475 ratings score: 3,547, 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
25	Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville 3.56 avg rating — 609,581 ratings score: 3,542, 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
26	Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 3.90 avg rating — 1,998,220 ratings score: 3,515, and 44 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	Dracula by Bram Stoker 4.02 avg rating — 1,445,882 ratings score: 3,496, 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
28	Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 3.80 avg rating — 865,841 ratings score: 3,292, 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
29	Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 4.10 avg rating — 1,467,719 ratings score: 3,236, and 37 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 Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 4.02 avg rating — 983,321 ratings score: 3,205, 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
31	The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 4.32 avg rating — 1,008,081 ratings score: 3,152, and 37 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	Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll 4.06 avg rating — 603,740 ratings score: 3,147, 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
33	Little Women (Little Women, #1) by Louisa May Alcott 4.17 avg rating — 2,424,252 ratings score: 2,813, and 37 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	The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer 3.52 avg rating — 236,292 ratings score: 2,764, 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
35	Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 3.99 avg rating — 2,047,884 ratings score: 2,755, and 36 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	Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 3.91 avg rating — 301,527 ratings score: 2,748, 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
37	War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 4.17 avg rating — 361,425 ratings score: 2,723, 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
38	The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 3.81 avg rating — 1,290,008 ratings score: 2,640, 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
39	Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 3.99 avg rating — 880,508 ratings score: 2,603, 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
40	The Holy Bible: King James Version by Anonymous 4.45 avg rating — 313,156 ratings score: 2,573, 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
41	Night by Elie Wiesel 4.38 avg rating — 1,348,154 ratings score: 2,502, 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
42	Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 4.31 avg rating — 1,251,176 ratings score: 2,417, 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
43	Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 3.87 avg rating — 933,016 ratings score: 2,354, 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
44	Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe 3.68 avg rating — 328,526 ratings score: 2,183, 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
45	The Stranger by Albert Camus 4.03 avg rating — 1,357,874 ratings score: 2,159, 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
46	The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry 4.11 avg rating — 100,241 ratings score: 2,145, 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
47	The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.54 avg rating — 724,021 ratings score: 2,142, 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
48	The Time Machine by H.G. Wells 3.89 avg rating — 559,179 ratings score: 2,140, 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
49	All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque 4.11 avg rating — 513,077 ratings score: 2,079, 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
50	Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1) by Toni Morrison 3.98 avg rating — 483,930 ratings score: 2,070, 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
51	Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert 3.71 avg rating — 369,864 ratings score: 2,055, 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
52	The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 4.33 avg rating — 2,424,606 ratings score: 2,045, 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
53	The Color Purple by Alice Walker 4.28 avg rating — 745,390 ratings score: 2,040, 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
54	Othello by William Shakespeare 3.89 avg rating — 432,385 ratings score: 2,034, 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
55	The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis 4.28 avg rating — 701,345 ratings score: 2,000, 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
56	Les Misérables by Victor Hugo 4.21 avg rating — 837,547 ratings score: 1,979, 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
57	Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White 4.21 avg rating — 2,020,222 ratings score: 1,928, 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
58	The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1) by Douglas Adams 4.22 avg rating — 1,993,330 ratings score: 1,888, 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
59	One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey 4.20 avg rating — 774,324 ratings score: 1,816, 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
59	The Odyssey by Homer 3.83 avg rating — 1,174,162 ratings score: 1,816, 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
61	Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited by Aldous Huxley 4.16 avg rating — 170,939 ratings score: 1,757, 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
62	Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe 3.92 avg rating — 241,206 ratings score: 1,725, 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
63	Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse 4.13 avg rating — 211,298 ratings score: 1,723, 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
64	The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 3,500,441 ratings score: 1,710, 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
65	One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez 4.12 avg rating — 1,088,288 ratings score: 1,696, 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
66	Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1) by Chinua Achebe 3.74 avg rating — 407,999 ratings score: 1,684, 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
67	The Arabian Nights by Henry William Dulcken (Editor, Adapted By) 3.94 avg rating — 885 ratings score: 1,676, 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
68	Antigone (The Theban Plays, #3) by Sophocles 3.68 avg rating — 173,767 ratings score: 1,626, 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
69	Inferno by Dante Alighieri 4.03 avg rating — 203,526 ratings score: 1,616, 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
70	Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 4.23 avg rating — 779,395 ratings score: 1,606, 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
71	Oedipus Rex (The Theban Plays, #1) by Sophocles 3.73 avg rating — 234,917 ratings score: 1,557, 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
72	The Diary of Anne Frank and Related Readings by Frances Goodrich 4.09 avg rating — 11,344 ratings score: 1,542, 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
73	The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil 4.19 avg rating — 7,292 ratings score: 1,495, and 15 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	The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke 3.93 avg rating — 9,821 ratings score: 1,472, and 15 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	The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 4.17 avg rating — 1,279,921 ratings score: 1,463, 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
76	Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh, #1) by A.A. Milne 4.38 avg rating — 392,423 ratings score: 1,415, 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
77	Beowulf by Beowulf Poet 3.50 avg rating — 342,592 ratings score: 1,368, 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
78	Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens 3.88 avg rating — 423,873 ratings score: 1,366, 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
79	The Last of the Mohicans (The Leatherstocking Tales, #2) by James Fenimore Cooper 3.70 avg rating — 101,757 ratings score: 1,328, 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
80	The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle 4.51 avg rating — 215,659 ratings score: 1,266, and 16 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	The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 4.05 avg rating — 1,189,315 ratings score: 1,249, 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
82	The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame 4.02 avg rating — 238,095 ratings score: 1,246, 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
83	The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco 4.31 avg rating — 271,003 ratings score: 1,243, 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
84	Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman 4.11 avg rating — 115,709 ratings score: 1,235, and 16 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	I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1) by Maya Angelou 4.30 avg rating — 575,472 ratings score: 1,156, and 16 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	A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet, #1) by Madeleine L'Engle 3.97 avg rating — 1,272,207 ratings score: 1,141, 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
87	The Jungle Book (Jungle Book, #1) by Rudyard Kipling 3.90 avg rating — 131,855 ratings score: 1,132, 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
88	Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson 3.83 avg rating — 653,995 ratings score: 1,112, 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
89	Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie 4.03 avg rating — 371,779 ratings score: 1,108, 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
90	A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry 3.85 avg rating — 109,064 ratings score: 1,098, and 15 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	The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.40 avg rating — 3,100,700 ratings score: 1,085, and 14 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	The Complete Stories and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe 4.40 avg rating — 293,811 ratings score: 1,058, and 14 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	Ulysses by James Joyce 3.76 avg rating — 136,726 ratings score: 1,018, and 14 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	Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Three Stories by Truman Capote 3.85 avg rating — 249,668 ratings score: 1,007, and 15 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	Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 3.85 avg rating — 534,914 ratings score: 1,007, and 14 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	The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm 4.23 avg rating — 220,263 ratings score: 999, and 13 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	Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 3.69 avg rating — 405,045 ratings score: 950, and 12 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	Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe 3.80 avg rating — 71,743 ratings score: 946, and 13 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	The Awakening by Kate Chopin 3.69 avg rating — 225,065 ratings score: 922, and 11 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	The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1) by Pearl S. Buck 4.01 avg rating — 259,347 ratings score: 885, and 14 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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721 books · 405 voters · list created August 26th, 2010 by Joe (votes) .

Tags: literary-classics, literary-fiction

354 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (405)

Joe 19 books
0 friends

Ricki 5188 books
1478 friends

Sara 2923 books
45 friends

Diane Wakely-Park 20 books
4 friends

Susan 486 books
5 friends

Benjamin 301 books
0 friends

Hweeps 1463 books
34 friends

Carrie 2878 books
33 friends

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Comments Showing 1-41 of 41 (41 new)

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message 1: by [deleted user] (new)

Sep 16, 2012 09:31PM

Why the hell is "To Kill a Mockingbird" at number 1 and "Ulysses", the very definition of "literature", only 78. And no "Molloy" either?

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message 2: by Caleb (new)

Feb 07, 2013 01:58PM

I take huge issue with Animal Farm being #4. That book is boring as hell and would be considered simplistic by a 3rd grader. It's practically condescending. When my high school lit. teacher told me it was his favorite book, I lost all respect for him as a reader and writer. I made an account here just to correct this wrong.

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message 3: by A (new)

Aug 03, 2013 04:31PM

deleted user wrote: "Why the hell is "To Kill a Mockingbird" at number 1 and "Ulysses", the very definition of "literature", only 78. And no "Molloy" either?"

Probably because nobody ever actually reads "Ulysses" and people actually read "To Kill a Mockingbird"

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message 4: by James (new)

Dec 13, 2013 06:27AM

Caleb wrote: "I take huge issue with Animal Farm being #4. That book is boring as hell and would be considered simplistic by a 3rd grader. It's practically condescending. When my high school lit. teacher told me..."

Obviously you completely missed the point of the entire book.

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message 5: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Oct 05, 2014 07:55AM) (new)

Oct 05, 2014 06:34AM

A wrote: "Probably because nobody ever actually reads "Ulysses" and people actually read "To Kill a Mockingbird.."

I voted for both but you certainly have a point there.

It also sort of works the other way around: I disliked The Catcher in the Rye for instance but would have read it anyway should I have known beforehand, even if it hadn't been compulsory reading for me at the time. Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies aren't quite my thing either but I'm still glad I've read them.

I noticed by the way that there's an emphasis on books originally published in English, as there are only a few exceptions in this Listopia at present. For me 'being well read' is not only a work in progress but it also means having read important books published originally in other languages than English (whether in a translation or in the original language) and I was wondering how others felt about this. I'm moderator of a Dutch/Flemish group and our seasonal challenges take us around the world, which made me come across some classics I'd never even heard of before. like The Rose Garden (Gulistan) of Saadi, The Book of Dede Korkut, The Ring Of The Dove or the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, for example.

By the way, have a look at the Listopia for Forbidden books (now often considered classics), because there are certainly "Books you need to read to be considered well-read" on there. The number of titles which can be found on both Listopias is stricking...

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message 6: by Beks (new)

Oct 30, 2014 08:18AM

Caleb wrote: "I take huge issue with Animal Farm being #4. That book is boring as hell and would be considered simplistic by a 3rd grader. It's practically condescending. When my high school lit. teacher told me..."

oh right... you get that it's a political fable that millions of people have identified with?

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message 7: by Tyler (new)

Feb 13, 2015 06:20AM

Even if you don't get the Russian revolution bit Animal Farm is a great satire on humanity.

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message 8: by Monica (new)

Jun 06, 2015 07:15PM

What happened to reading for it's own sake? What happened to picking up a book and reading it, simply to enjoy it? I've read a lot of the books on this list, not out of some ego-driven desire to flaunt my "well-read" superiority in the face of my peers, but because i held the (obviously mistaken) belief that these books have attained that lofty status of 'classic' for a reason. And that reason is simply that they are good books. I guess i've come to realize that life is too short (and my love for a book i can sink my teeth into is too great) to spend my time reading something i don't want to, just so i can say "i've read that!"

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message 9: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Jun 06, 2015 10:04PM) (new)

Jun 06, 2015 10:03PM

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message 10: by Quint (new)

Dec 16, 2015 07:14AM

This is an exceptionally helpful list to someone such as I, whom was not given the proper 'education' in terms of reading and speech. Though I have passed Math, English, History and the like with flying colors, I find myself dumb-founded when it comes to the most basic of logic processing--the kind that reading is supposed to enhance. As I search for both entertainment and a better intelligence, I hold great appreciation to the creator of the list--putting out the most common sense of book titles out for even the most uneducated to find easily. Now, let's start with Winnie the Poo--and hopefully work our way up to The Great Gatsby.

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message 11: by Tyler (new)

Dec 16, 2015 10:08AM

Quint wrote: "This is an exceptionally helpful list to someone such as I, whom was not given the proper 'education' in terms of reading and speech. Though I have passed Math, English, History and the like with f..."
I have to say I don't understand the draw to Gatsby... I found it no better than average. Atlas Shrugged however...

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message 12: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Dec 19, 2015 04:40AM) (new)

Dec 19, 2015 04:37AM

"Monica wrote: "What happened to reading for it's own sake? What happened to picking up a book and reading it, simply to enjoy it? I've read a lot of the books on this list, not out of some ego-driv..."

By the way, did anyone have a look at 12 Books You NEED On Your Bookshelf :-) Very similar...

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message 13: by Neal (new)

Jul 03, 2016 05:45PM

None of The Lord of the Rings books are on this list? The books that defined modern fantasy? O_o Well, consider them added now.

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message 14: by Meli (new)

Aug 16, 2017 04:18PM

Only 2 women authors in the top 20? If this is what the canon looks like then we have some work to do.

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message 15: by Erin (new)

Mar 21, 2018 11:55AM

Monica wrote: "What happened to reading for it's own sake? What happened to picking up a book and reading it, simply to enjoy it? I've read a lot of the books on this list, not out of some ego-driven desire to fl..."

One should always read a book for its own sake; the purpose of lists (better than this one) should be to direct you to books that many people have enjoyed and been enriched by. Since joining groups focused on reading classics, I have been delighted and edifies that books I had either not heard of or might have overlooked before. Certainly, if you are reading a book with the sole goal of saying that you have, you are wasting your time.

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message 16: by Tyler (new)

Mar 21, 2018 02:02PM

Mel wrote: "Only 2 women authors in the top 20? If this is what the canon looks like then we have some work to do."

I'm always interested in comments like this. I don't ever consider the gender of the author. If I read something I like I will up more by that person. If GR, or a friend recommends something I will look into it, but I never consider the writer's gender. I like most genres, and have enjoyed books by men and women to be sure, but gender, race, religion... whatever of the writer simply don't enter into it.

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message 17: by Jonathan (new)

Jun 10, 2018 10:33AM

I like Oscar Wilde, but I'd prefer Gogol's "The Portrait" to The Picture of Dorian Gray, even if the former is a short story (that may have inspired Wilde's story). I'm disappointed that Gogol is overlooked altogether on this otherwise good list. His short story, "The Overcoat," is brilliant and the foundation of virtually all of Russian literature.

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message 18: by Meli (last edited Feb 10, 2020 02:51AM) (new)

Aug 07, 2018 04:22AM

Tyler wrote: "Mel wrote: "Only 2 women authors in the top 20? If this is what the canon looks like then we have some work to do."

I'm always interested in comments like this. I don't ever consider the gender of..."

Hello, thanks for your comment. I understand why it wouldn't occur to someone to look at the gender-- there is so much fabulous work out there. Why should the background of the author make a difference? The reason why I started looking at the gender is that I realized we are not picking up good books indiscriminately.

There are good books by people of all backgrounds, yet the ones that come into our sphere-- through networks on Goodreads, friends, publishers, articles, bookstores, etc. are not randomly ordered, because there is a historical gendered logic of access and exclusion to it. Because of this, lots of good books by men make this list here, for example, but the equally fantastic books written by women do not.

One more comment- the concept of "women exclusion" assumes an "inclusion" default, in which men are already found. If the men "category" is the default and women is the exception, then the complexity of gender in art and social spaces is already knotty. Lots to be said on this :-)

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message 19: by J. (new)

Aug 26, 2018 10:10AM

Caleb wrote: "I take huge issue with Animal Farm being #4. That book is boring as hell and would be considered simplistic by a 3rd grader. It's practically condescending. When my high school lit. teacher told me..."
I am sorry, do you realize its an allegory of the Russian revolution, and everything in the book actually happened in real life? How is that simplistic?

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message 20: by Erin (new)

Oct 16, 2018 11:01AM

There is an over representation of English books on this list (not that many of them aren’t rightfully classics), but I do not believe that one can be considered well-read without reading at least the major classics from around the world.

And then there are books that even those who enjoyed them could not conceivably think are literature, much less belonging on this list (Twilight being a flagrant example)! Maybe I should create a new list...

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message 21: by Nelle (new)

Feb 05, 2020 10:50AM

This looks overwhelmingly white. Hardly well-read.

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message 22: by Erin (new)

Feb 05, 2020 11:05AM

Nelle wrote: "This looks overwhelmingly white. Hardly well-read."

Agreed! Many of then are, of course, excellent books, but if you only read English plus a sampling of other European works, one could hardly be considered well-read.

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message 23: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (new)

Feb 05, 2020 11:23PM

Nelle wrote: "This looks overwhelmingly white. Hardly well-read."

In Europe most authors were/are white...

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message 24: by Meli (last edited Feb 10, 2020 02:46AM) (new)

Feb 10, 2020 02:46AM

Booklovinglady wrote: "Nelle wrote: "This looks overwhelmingly white. Hardly well-read."

In Europe most authors were/are white..."

This all too familiar argument is really a side step (or worse, a pretense) to qualify white reading canons. There is such a fantastic history of literature from other populations. If we say that most authors from these places are white we are simply blinded to the rich contributions of women and non-white authors. Fantastic lit created by other people is minimized because we make blanket biased acceptances of what is of merit and who is producing it in Europe and America.

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message 25: by Erin (last edited May 16, 2020 09:29PM) (new)

Feb 10, 2020 08:03AM

Booklovinglady wrote: "Nelle wrote: "This looks overwhelmingly white. Hardly well-read."

In Europe most authors were/are white..."

That’s completely irrelevant. The problem is that this list, like many, is overwhelmingly authors of Europe or European descent as if the “Western canon” were the only literary tradition in the world when nothing could be further from the truth. Great works are and have long been produced around the world and one cannot be considered well-read at all if their reading has been confined to only a single tradition.

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message 26: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (new)

May 16, 2020 11:49PM

@Nelle, Mel & Erin

Being from The Netherlands, I agree to disagree.

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message 27: by ~☆~Autumn (new)

May 17, 2020 10:56AM

Booklovinglady wrote: "@Nelle, Mel & Erin

Being from The Netherlands, I agree to disagree."

I agree with you Booklovinglady.

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message 28: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (new)

May 17, 2020 09:38PM

@~☆~Autumn♥♥
😀

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message 29: by Felicity (new)

Jun 10, 2020 10:13AM

I like reading lists, and there's no reason for anyone to be indignant if it doesn't match their list. There can be no definitive list like this. I would encourage you to correct the typo in the introduction (once, not ones).

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message 30: by Jeffrey (new)

Nov 21, 2020 10:02AM

James wrote: "Caleb wrote: "I take huge issue with Animal Farm being #4. That book is boring as hell and would be considered simplistic by a 3rd grader. It's practically condescending. When my high school lit. t..."

No, it really is that dumb.

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message 31: by ~☆~Autumn (new)

Nov 21, 2020 04:16PM

Jeffrey wrote: "James wrote: "Caleb wrote: "I take huge issue with Animal Farm being #4. That book is boring as hell and would be considered simplistic by a 3rd grader. It's practically condescending. When my high..."

I agree. It is awful and I only gave it one star.

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message 32: by Horacio (new)

Mar 01, 2021 10:08PM

As usual this kind of lists are ridiculously anglo and english language centered.... gringos think the world was created like 200 years ago but always forget that humanity has been writing for like 4 thousand years ago in a large number of languages....

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message 33: by Horacio (new)

Mar 01, 2021 10:13PM

Nelle wrote: "This looks overwhelmingly white. Hardly well-read."

Totally agree with you, but some people are used to think they are the center of the universe.... sad to see such blatant ignorance even in places where people are supposed to have a wider view of the world....

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message 34: by Horacio (new)

Mar 01, 2021 10:16PM

Meli wrote: "Booklovinglady wrote: "Nelle wrote: "This looks overwhelmingly white. Hardly well-read."

In Europe most authors were/are white..."

This all too familiar argument is really a side step (or worse, ..."

Totally agree with you but arrogance and ignorance usually go well together....

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message 35: by Jeffrey (new)

Apr 18, 2021 08:39PM

I read what I wanna read and not what other people tell me!

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message 36: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (new)

Apr 19, 2021 02:04PM

~☆~Autumn♥♥☔ wrote: "Very smart! Didn't school make you read some things?"

😁

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message 37: by Jeffrey (new)

Apr 24, 2021 10:28AM

~☆~Autumn♥♥☔ wrote: "Jeffrey wrote: "I read what I wanna read and not what other people tell me!"

Very smart! Didn't school make you read some things?"

Not all of those were worth it.

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message 38: by ~☆~Autumn (new)

Apr 24, 2021 03:59PM

Jeffrey wrote: "~☆~Autumn♥♥☔ wrote: "Jeffrey wrote: "I read what I wanna read and not what other people tell me!"

Very smart! Didn't school make you read some things?"

Not all of those were worth it."

I sure had to read them in order to pass the tests. Some of them I liked for instance Jane Eyre. Did you have to read that one? I also had to read Romeo and Juliet.

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message 39: by Jeffrey (new)

Oct 26, 2021 10:30PM

~☆~Autumn♥♥☔ wrote: "Jeffrey wrote: "~☆~Autumn♥♥☔ wrote: "Jeffrey wrote: "I read what I wanna read and not what other people tell me!"

Very smart! Didn't school make you read some things?"

Not all of those were worth..."
Romeo and Juliet yes and I liked it. I didn't get assigned Jane Eyre though.
Horacio wrote: "As usual this kind of lists are ridiculously anglo and english language centered.... gringos think the world was created like 200 years ago but always forget that humanity has been writing for like..."
I know! Dream of the Red Lotus alone blows the vast majority of required reading lists for ABRHS out of the water!

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message 40: by Ivan (last edited Oct 10, 2022 01:19PM) (new)

Oct 10, 2022 01:19PM