Literary Merit Books

Showing 1-50 of 645
To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird (Paperback)
by (shelved 21 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.27 — 5,723,725 ratings — published 1960
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby (Paperback)
by (shelved 20 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.93 — 4,870,069 ratings — published 1925
Rate this book
Clear rating
Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice (Paperback)
by (shelved 17 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.28 — 3,968,139 ratings — published 1813
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye (Paperback)
by (shelved 15 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.80 — 3,331,561 ratings — published 1951
Rate this book
Clear rating
Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet (Mass Market Paperback)
by (shelved 15 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.74 — 2,480,738 ratings — published 1597
Rate this book
Clear rating
Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies (Paperback)
by (shelved 14 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.69 — 2,753,058 ratings — published 1954
Rate this book
Clear rating
1984 1984 (Paperback)
by (shelved 13 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.19 — 4,231,857 ratings — published 1949
Rate this book
Clear rating
Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men (Paperback)
by (shelved 13 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.88 — 2,409,028 ratings — published 1937
Rate this book
Clear rating
Animal Farm Animal Farm (Mass Market Paperback)
by (shelved 13 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.98 — 3,599,609 ratings — published 1945
Rate this book
Clear rating
Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights (Paperback)
by (shelved 11 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.88 — 1,692,843 ratings — published 1847
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts (Paperback)
by (shelved 10 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.60 — 388,222 ratings — published 1953
Rate this book
Clear rating
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text Frankenstein: The 1818 Text (Paperback)
by (shelved 10 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.85 — 1,479,820 ratings — published 1818
Rate this book
Clear rating
Brave New World Brave New World (Paperback)
by (shelved 9 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.99 — 1,751,800 ratings — published 1932
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Kite Runner The Kite Runner (Paperback)
by (shelved 9 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.33 — 2,969,740 ratings — published 2003
Rate this book
Clear rating
Oedipus Rex  (The Theban Plays, #1) Oedipus Rex (The Theban Plays, #1)
by (shelved 9 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.72 — 205,239 ratings — published -429
Rate this book
Clear rating
Jane Eyre Jane Eyre (Paperback)
by (shelved 9 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.14 — 1,985,473 ratings — published 1847
Rate this book
Clear rating
Fahrenheit 451 Fahrenheit 451 (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 9 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.97 — 2,232,124 ratings — published 1953
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter (Paperback)
by (shelved 9 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.43 — 828,538 ratings — published 1850
Rate this book
Clear rating
Hamlet Hamlet (Paperback)
by (shelved 9 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.02 — 895,537 ratings — published 1601
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Book Thief The Book Thief (Hardcover)
by (shelved 8 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.39 — 2,379,531 ratings — published 2006
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1) The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)
by (shelved 8 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.13 — 1,903,586 ratings — published 1985
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Color Purple The Color Purple (Paperback)
by (shelved 8 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.26 — 637,901 ratings — published 1982
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Paperback)
by (shelved 8 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.83 — 1,239,498 ratings — published 1884
Rate this book
Clear rating
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Mass Market Paperback)
by (shelved 8 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.20 — 707,467 ratings — published 1962
Rate this book
Clear rating
All the Light We Cannot See All the Light We Cannot See (Hardcover)
by (shelved 7 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.32 — 1,459,730 ratings — published 2014
Rate this book
Clear rating
A Clockwork Orange A Clockwork Orange (Paperback)
by (shelved 7 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.00 — 684,129 ratings — published 1962
Rate this book
Clear rating
A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream (Mass Market Paperback)
by (shelved 7 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.95 — 516,999 ratings — published 1595
Rate this book
Clear rating
Slaughterhouse-Five Slaughterhouse-Five (Paperback)
by (shelved 7 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.09 — 1,316,561 ratings — published 1969
Rate this book
Clear rating
Macbeth Macbeth (Mass Market Paperback)
by (shelved 7 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.90 — 845,675 ratings — published 1623
Rate this book
Clear rating
Antigone (The Theban Plays, #3) Antigone (The Theban Plays, #3)
by (shelved 6 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.66 — 140,492 ratings — published -441
Rate this book
Clear rating
Beloved Beloved (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.93 — 407,644 ratings — published 1987
Rate this book
Clear rating
Death of a Salesman Death of a Salesman (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.56 — 222,466 ratings — published 1949
Rate this book
Clear rating
Crime and Punishment Crime and Punishment (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.26 — 827,192 ratings — published 1866
Rate this book
Clear rating
Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.43 — 488,436 ratings — published 1899
Rate this book
Clear rating
Flowers for Algernon Flowers for Algernon (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.19 — 619,134 ratings — published 1959
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Bell Jar The Bell Jar (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.04 — 839,000 ratings — published 1963
Rate this book
Clear rating
Great Expectations Great Expectations (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.79 — 766,619 ratings — published 1860
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Grapes of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.00 — 867,636 ratings — published 1939
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Picture of Dorian Gray The Picture of Dorian Gray (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.12 — 1,383,507 ratings — published 1890
Rate this book
Clear rating
Their Eyes Were Watching God Their Eyes Were Watching God (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.97 — 326,421 ratings — published 1937
Rate this book
Clear rating
Les Misérables Les Misérables (Mass Market Paperback)
by (shelved 5 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.20 — 771,990 ratings — published 1862
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Outsiders The Outsiders (Mass Market Paperback)
by (shelved 5 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.12 — 1,230,071 ratings — published 1967
Rate this book
Clear rating
Night  (The Night Trilogy, #1) Night (The Night Trilogy, #1)
by (shelved 5 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.36 — 1,176,350 ratings — published 1956
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Importance of Being Earnest The Importance of Being Earnest (Paperback)
by (shelved 5 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.18 — 353,043 ratings — published 1895
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Giver (The Giver, #1) The Giver (The Giver, #1)
by (shelved 5 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.12 — 2,299,963 ratings — published 1993
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Hobbit (The Lord of the Rings, #0) The Hobbit (The Lord of the Rings, #0)
by (shelved 5 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.28 — 3,684,809 ratings — published 1937
Rate this book
Clear rating
A Separate Peace A Separate Peace (Paperback)
by (shelved 5 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.59 — 212,065 ratings — published 1959
Rate this book
Clear rating
Beowulf Beowulf (Paperback)
by (shelved 5 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.47 — 290,227 ratings — published 900
Rate this book
Clear rating
Song of Solomon Song of Solomon (Paperback)
by (shelved 4 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 4.13 — 106,023 ratings — published 1977
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Alchemist The Alchemist (Paperback)
by (shelved 4 times as literary-merit)
avg rating 3.90 — 2,812,954 ratings — published 1988
Rate this book
Clear rating


Iris Murdoch
“However one must ask not just, is it amusing, is it exciting, but is it a work of art?
Iris Murdoch, The Black Prince