11 of 32

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 3

"East of Eden," by John Steinbeck. "Grapes of Wrath" is also powerful, but Steinbeck set out to make "East of Eden" his masterpiece, and he succeeded in this brilliant novel.

10) "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller. One of the greatest satires ever written, this is a stunning work filled with great humor, story, satire, and it set a new standard for fictional dialogue that still hasn't been matched.

11) "No Easy Walk to Freedom," by Nelson Mandela. The single most important autobiography of the modern era.

12) "Jude the Obscure," by Thomas Hardy. The last novel by Thomas Hardy, commenting on much of society, a depressing work that shows the "dues ex machina" of "rigged doom," or a universe where all characters are turned towards their own destruction.

13) "On the Road," by Jack Kerouac. Part of the beat generation, few travel novels capture the age's society or pure intensity of energy Kerouac's writings produce.

14) "Frankenstein," by Mary Shelly. Hello modern horror novel.

15) "Gilgamesh" (epic poem). A great epic poem, better than "Beowulf," in my opinion.

16) "The Odyssey," by Homer. No one should be able to call themselves a scholar, or even well read, if they don't know this story.

17) "The Communist Manifesto," by Karl Marx. This isn't only a work of political philosophy, but also of spiritual philosophy in a staggeringly well written and argued thesis.

18) "Les Miserables," by Victor Hugo. Maybe the finest story ever produced by a French author, and they have many to choose from.

19) "The Prince," by Niccolo Machiavelli. One of the most important and formative political writings in European history. I had this assigned three times in college: once for a political theory class, once for western history, and once for English.

20) "Another Country," by James Baldwin. Right up there with Richard Wright's "Native Son" as some of the most important African-American literature out there.

21) "Catcher in the Rye," by J.D. Salinger. This is one of the most popular and incredible novels ever written, and solidified Salinger as one of the great master of letters of all time.

22) "Lord of the Rings," by J.R.R. Tolkien. He wasn't the first fantasy writer, but he should still be considered the father of the modern genre.

23) "Lord of the Flies," by William Golding. Short, easy to read, but this novel takes a deep look into the dark part of the human psyche, to the blackness of human nature, to the brutality of the beast.

24) "The Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes," by Sir Arthur

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Classic book recommendations?
We want to hear your view. Write now!