4.02 avg rating — 4,501,758 ratings

"A book that shows how easily it is to be seduced by authoritarianism. Should be boring but it is a gripping story. All animals are equal, some are just more equal than others"

4.06 avg rating — 606,752 ratings

"One of the first children's stories to be written without some annoying moral to ruin the story. Still great fun to read."

4.29 avg rating — 1,068,182 ratings

"One could argue that this book set the model for future crime stories."

4.25 avg rating — 1,057,705 ratings

"One of the best, if not the best, books for small children. Fascinating without being condescending."

4.28 avg rating — 704,900 ratings

"OK, this one is a bit of a subjective choice. This series sparked my life-long love of reading and I will always be grateful for that"

3.99 avg rating — 883,961 ratings

"This book describes how the military thinks better than any book written and it put the phrase Catch-22 into the lexicon. Even people who haven't read the book know what a catch-22 is"

4.05 avg rating — 1,206,492 ratings

"Beautifully written description of the depressed mind without ever becoming maudlin."

3.81 avg rating — 1,301,982 ratings

"A gripping story written without a single wasted word"

4.08 avg rating — 171,291 ratings

"Absolutely beautiful. "

3.90 avg rating — 1,406,186 ratings

"A fascinating condemnation of government interference in the lives of ordinary people"

3.43 avg rating — 555,990 ratings

"One of the darkest books ever written. If you don't want to read it, watch Apocalypse Now - it's based on this story"

3.76 avg rating — 137,411 ratings

"I'll admit this one's hard to read but, if you can get thru it, it's mythical in its proportions"

4.26 avg rating — 6,829,776 ratings

"A great description of racism in the American south before integration. Compassionate without being sentimental"

3.53 avg rating — 237,256 ratings

"Bawdy and brilliant, it gives a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people at the beginning of the renaissance"

4.62 avg rating — 143,647 ratings

"The book that started the whole modern fantasy genre not to mention all those RPG games"

3.88 avg rating — 426,068 ratings

"Again, this one is somewhat subjective - this is my favourite Dickens book. It reveals the horrors of life during the early industrial revolution but does it with humour and style"

3.64 avg rating — 163,536 ratings

"James Joyce is one of the greatest wordsmiths ever to put pen to page. "

3.85 avg rating — 181,600 ratings

"Beautiful"

4.07 avg rating — 83,429 ratings

"Gods, myths, and monsters! What's not to like!"

3.83 avg rating — 85,718 ratings

"Beautifully written story about how little it takes for a man to give up his soul. "

4.57 avg rating — 33,984 ratings

"Stories of Regency England during the Napoleonic Wars written with a wit that still resonates today"

3.80 avg rating — 3,869,986 ratings

"Best book ever written about adolescent male angst."

3.84 avg rating — 380,778 ratings

"If you ever want to know what motivates a country to declare war on another, read this book"

4.13 avg rating — 118,893 ratings

"Nothing portrays the Beat generation in all its black eloqence better than Howl. It's the Film Noir of poetry"

3.87 avg rating — 115,023 ratings

"Dashiell Hammett could create huge images with a single simile. "

3.68 avg rating — 175,597 ratings

"Antigone is a marvelous play about love and betrayal in the ancient Greece"

4.48 avg rating — 57,634 ratings

"It's Shakespeare -'nuff said!"

4.01 avg rating — 121,636 ratings

"One of the most important books ever written and still one of the most controversial"

4.11 avg rating — 517,238 ratings

4.30 avg rating — 509,793 ratings

4.25 avg rating — 714,664 ratings

3.99 avg rating — 2,063,121 ratings

4.10 avg rating — 1,476,087 ratings