Best Books of All Time, Ranked

From the Beginning of Time Until 1900

According toGroblé

194 ranked

  1. 1The Divine ComedyDante Alighieri1320 · epic poem · Italian · Medieval
  2. 2Moby-Dick or, The WhaleHerman Melville1851 · novel · English
  3. 3Les MisérablesVictor Hugo1862 · novel · French · French 19th Century
  4. 4The Brothers KaramazovFyodor Dostoevsky1880 · novel · Russian · Russian 19th Century
  5. 5The Count of Monte CristoAlexandre Dumas1844 · novel · French · French 19th Century
  6. 6Paradise LostJohn Milton1667 · epic poem · English · Renaissance
  7. 7Anna KareninaLeo Tolstoy1877 · novel · Russian · Russian 19th Century
  8. 8The Arabian NightsAnonymous800 · story collection · Arabic · Medieval
  9. 9David CopperfieldCharles Dickens1850 · novel · English · Victorian
  10. 10Oedipus RexSophoclesc. 429 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  11. 11A Midsummer Night’s DreamWilliam Shakespeare1595 · comedy · English · Shakespeare
  12. 12The History of Tom Jones, a FoundlingHenry Fielding1749 · novel · English · Enlightenment
  13. 13HamletWilliam Shakespeare1601 · tragedy · English · Shakespeare
  14. 14Gargantua and PantagruelFrançois Rabelais1532 · satirical novel · French · Renaissance
  15. 15The AeneidVirgil19 BCE · epic poem · Latin · Ancient Rome
  16. 16PhaedoPlato380 BCE · philosophical dialogue · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  17. 17JobUnknownc. 500 BCE · wisdom literature · Hebrew · Bible
  18. 18The Bhagavad GitaVyasac. 200 BCE · philosophical poetry · Sanskrit · Ancient World
  19. 19Tess of the D’UrbervillesThomas Hardy1891 · novel · English · Victorian
  20. 20OthelloWilliam Shakespeare1603 · tragedy · English · Shakespeare
  21. 21The Red and the BlackStendhal1830 · novel · French · French 19th Century
  22. 22The CloudsAristophanes423 BCE · comedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  23. 23King LearWilliam Shakespeare1605 · tragedy · English · Shakespeare
  24. 24The MahabharataRamesh Menon400 BCE · epic poem · Sanskrit · Ancient World
  25. 25Jane EyreCharlotte Brontë1847 · novel · English · Victorian
  26. 26MacbethWilliam Shakespeare1606 · tragedy · English · Shakespeare
  27. 27ConfessionsAugustine of Hippo400 · autobiography/theology · Latin · Ancient Rome
  28. 28Aesop’s FablesAesop560 BCE · fable collection · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  29. 29Fathers and SonsIvan Turgenev1862 · novel · Russian · Russian 19th Century
  30. 30The IdiotFyodor Dostoevsky1869 · novel · Russian · Russian 19th Century
  31. 31GenesisMosesc. 550 BCE · narrative · Hebrew · Bible
  32. 32Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen1813 · novel · English · Romantics
  33. 33PoeticsAristotle335 BCE · literary criticism · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  34. 34The Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorne1850 · novel · English · Transcendentalists
  35. 35The GospelsMatthewc. 85 · gospel · Ancient Greek · Bible
  36. 36The SymposiumPlato380 BCE · philosophical dialogue · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  37. 37The Nicomachean EthicsAristotle350 BCE · philosophical treatise · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  38. 38Self-Reliance and NatureRalph Waldo Emerson1844 · essay · English · Transcendentalists
  39. 39Little WomenLouisa May Alcott1868 · novel · English · Transcendentalists
  40. 40Richard IIWilliam Shakespeare1595 · history play · English · Shakespeare
  41. 41Twelfth NightWilliam Shakespeare1601 · comedy · English · Shakespeare
  42. 42The Death of Ivan IlychLeo Tolstoy1886 · novella · Russian · Russian 19th Century
  43. 43Thus Spoke ZarathustraFriedrich Nietzsche1885 · philosophical novel · German
  44. 44DevilsFyodor Dostoevsky1872 · novel · Russian · Russian 19th Century
  45. 45ConfessionsJean-Jacques Rousseau1773 · autobiography · French · Enlightenment
  46. 46CandideVoltaire1759 · satirical novella · French · Enlightenment
  47. 47The Origin of SpeciesCharles Darwin1859 · treatise · English · Victorian
  48. 48FrankensteinMary Wollstonecraft Shelley1818 · novel · English · Romantics
  49. 49Romeo and JulietWilliam Shakespeare1590 · tragedy · English · Shakespeare
  50. 50The OresteiaAeschylus458 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  51. 51The TempestWilliam Shakespeare1611 · romance · English · Shakespeare
  52. 52Letters from a StoicSeneca64 · epistolary philosophy · Latin · Ancient Rome
  53. 53The PrinceNiccolò Machiavelli1513 · political treatise · Italian · Renaissance
  54. 54MiddlemarchGeorge Eliot1872 · novel · English · Victorian
  55. 55PhaedrusPlato370 BCE · philosophical dialogue · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  56. 56Love's Labour's LostWilliam Shakespeare1598 · comedy · English · Shakespeare
  57. 57War and PeaceLeo Tolstoy1869 · historical novel · Russian · Russian 19th Century
  58. 58The IliadHomerc. 750 BCE · epic poem · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  59. 59On the Nature of ThingsLucretius55 BCE · philosophical poem · Latin · Ancient Rome
  60. 60The Hunchback of Notre-DameVictor Hugo1831 · novel · French · French 19th Century
  61. 61The Portrait of a LadyHenry James1881 · novel · English · Late 19th-Century American
  62. 62Robinson CrusoeDaniel Defoe1719 · novel · English · Enlightenment
  63. 63The RepublicPlato400 BCE · philosophical dialogue · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  64. 64The Adventures of Tom SawyerMark Twain1876 · novel · English · Late 19th-Century American
  65. 65The Golden AssApuleius159 · novel · Latin · Ancient Rome
  66. 66LeviathanThomas Hobbes1651 · political philosophy · English · Enlightenment
  67. 67All's Well That Ends WellWilliam Shakespeare1604 · comedy · English · Shakespeare
  68. 68The AnalectsConfucius475 BCE · philosophical dialogue · Classical Chinese · Ancient World
  69. 69Much Ado About NothingWilliam Shakespeare1598 · comedy · English · Shakespeare
  70. 70AntigoneSophocles441 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  71. 71The Epic of GilgameshAnonymous2000 BCE · epic poem · Sumerian/Akkadian · Ancient World
  72. 72DraculaBram Stoker1897 · novel · English · Victorian
  73. 73Notes from UndergroundFyodor Dostoevsky1864 · novella · Russian · Russian 19th Century
  74. 74The OdysseyHomerc. 800 BCE · epic poem · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  75. 75Julius CaesarWilliam Shakespeare1599 · tragedy · English · Shakespeare
  76. 76King Henry IV, Part 1William Shakespeare1597 · history play · English · Shakespeare
  77. 77The Works of CiceroMarcus Tullius Cicero43 BCE · oratory/philosophy · Latin · Ancient Rome
  78. 78The Merchant of VeniceWilliam Shakespeare1596 · comedy · English · Shakespeare
  79. 79Measure for MeasureWilliam Shakespeare1604 · comedy · English · Shakespeare
  80. 80The Canterbury TalesGeoffrey Chaucer1400 · story collection · Middle English · Medieval
  81. 81BeowulfUnknown1000 · epic poem · Old English · Medieval
  82. 82Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoevsky1866 · novel · Russian · Russian 19th Century
  83. 83The Autobiography of Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin1791 · autobiography · English · Enlightenment
  84. 84The SatyriconPetronius60 · satire · Latin · Ancient Rome
  85. 85EmmaJane Austen1815 · novel · English · Romantics
  86. 86Madame BovaryGustave Flaubert1856 · novel · French · French 19th Century
  87. 87Common SenseThomas Paine1776 · political pamphlet · English · Enlightenment
  88. 88The Pilgrim's ProgressJohn Bunyan1678 · allegory · English · Enlightenment
  89. 89The Three MusketeersAlexandre Dumas1844 · novel · French · French 19th Century
  90. 90Faust, First PartJohann Wolfgang von Goethe1808 · verse drama · German · Romantics
  91. 91As You Like ItWilliam Shakespeare1599 · comedy · English · Shakespeare
  92. 92CelestinaFernando de Rojas1499 · dramatic novel · Spanish · Renaissance
  93. 93The Tale of Genji紫式部c. 1010 · novel · Japanese · Medieval
  94. 94The NibelungenliedUnknown1200 · epic poem · Middle High German · Medieval
  95. 95Vanity FairWilliam Makepeace Thackeray1847 · novel · English · Victorian
  96. 96The Complete Poems of SapphoSappho550 BCE · lyric poetry · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  97. 97MedeaEuripides431 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  98. 98Praise of FollyErasmus1508 · satire · Latin · Renaissance
  99. 99The Hound of the BaskervillesArthur Conan Doyle1902 · novel · English · Modern
  100. 100MetamorphosesOvid8 · epic poem · Latin · Ancient Rome
  101. 101PenséesBlaise Pascal1660 · philosophical fragments · French · Enlightenment
  102. 102Meditations on First PhilosophyRené Descartes1641 · philosophical treatise · Latin · Enlightenment
  103. 103Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeaJules Verne1869 · science fiction novel · French · French 19th Century
  104. 104An Enquiry Concerning Human UnderstandingDavid Hume1748 · philosophical treatise · English · Enlightenment
  105. 105Don QuixoteMiguel de Cervantes Saavedra1615 · novel · Spanish · Renaissance
  106. 106A Tale of Two CitiesCharles Dickens1859 · historical novel · English · Victorian
  107. 107Narrative of the Life of Frederick DouglassFrederick Douglass1845 · autobiography · English
  108. 108Antony and CleopatraWilliam Shakespeare1606 · tragedy · English · Shakespeare
  109. 109The DecameronGiovanni Boccaccio1349 · story collection · Italian · Medieval
  110. 110The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnMark Twain1885 · novel · English · Late 19th-Century American
  111. 111The Complete EssaysMichel de Montaigne1580 · essay · French · Renaissance
  112. 112The JungleUpton Sinclair1906 · novel · English · Modern
  113. 113The Good Soldier: A Tale of PassionFord Madox Ford1915 · novel · English · Modern
  114. 114ApologyPlato399 BCE · philosophical dialogue · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  115. 115Heart of DarknessJoseph Conrad1899 · novella · English · Victorian
  116. 116The Art of WarSun Tzu500 BCE · military treatise · Classical Chinese · Ancient World
  117. 117Richard IIIWilliam Shakespeare1593 · history play · English · Shakespeare
  118. 118WaspsAristophanes422 BCE · comedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  119. 119Dr. FaustusChristopher Marlowe1588 · tragedy · English · Renaissance
  120. 120Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-GlassLewis Carroll1871 · fantasy novel · English · Victorian
  121. 121Eugene OneginAlexander Pushkin1833 · novel in verse · Russian · Russian 19th Century
  122. 122The Consolation of PhilosophyBoethius524 · philosophical dialogue · Latin · Ancient Rome
  123. 123LysistrataAristophanes423 BCE · comedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  124. 124The Odes of HoraceHoratius23 BCE · lyric poetry · Latin · Ancient Rome
  125. 125Theogony and Works and DaysHesiod800 BCE · didactic poem · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  126. 126Henry VWilliam Shakespeare1599 · history play · English · Shakespeare
  127. 127The GeorgicsVirgil29 BCE · didactic poem · Latin · Ancient Rome
  128. 128Around the World in Eighty DaysJules Verne1872 · adventure novel · French · French 19th Century
  129. 129Dead SoulsNikolai Gogol1842 · novel · Russian · Russian 19th Century
  130. 130MeditationsMarcus Aurelius180 · philosophical journal · Ancient Greek · Ancient Rome
  131. 131The Charterhouse of ParmaStendhal1839 · novel · French · French 19th Century
  132. 132The Picture of Dorian GrayOscar Wilde1890 · novel · English · Victorian
  133. 133The FrogsAristophanes405 BCE · comedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  134. 134The Winter's TaleWilliam Shakespeare1610 · romance · English · Shakespeare
  135. 135The Taming of the ShrewWilliam Shakespeare1593 · comedy · English · Shakespeare
  136. 136Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë1847 · novel · English · Victorian
  137. 137Tao Te ChingLao Tzu350 BCE · philosophical poetry · Classical Chinese · Ancient World
  138. 138Plutarch's LivesPlutarch100 · biography · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  139. 139Troilus and CressidaWilliam Shakespeare1601 · tragedy · English · Shakespeare
  140. 140Prometheus BoundAeschylus480 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  141. 141Oedipus at ColonusSophocles401 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  142. 142The Interpretation of DreamsSigmund Freud1900 · treatise · German
  143. 143CanzoniereFrancesco Petrarca1368 · lyric poetry · Italian · Medieval
  144. 144The LusiadsLuís de Camões1572 · epic poem · Portuguese · Renaissance
  145. 145PhiloctetesSophocles409 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  146. 146The Comedy of ErrorsWilliam Shakespeare1594 · comedy · English · Shakespeare
  147. 147Women of TrachisSophocles450 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  148. 148CoriolanusWilliam Shakespeare1608 · tragedy · English · Shakespeare
  149. 149AjaxSophocles440 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  150. 150AlcestisEuripides438 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  151. 151Lord JimJoseph Conrad1900 · novel · English · Victorian
  152. 152King JohnWilliam Shakespeare1596 · history play · English · Shakespeare
  153. 153The Seven Against ThebesAeschylus467 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  154. 154Uncle Tom’s CabinHarriet Beecher Stowe1852 · novel · English
  155. 155Walden or, Life in the WoodsHenry David Thoreau1854 · memoir/philosophy · English · Transcendentalists
  156. 156Journey to the Center of the EarthJules Verne1864 · science fiction novel · French · French 19th Century
  157. 157PersuasionJane Austen1817 · novel · English · Romantics
  158. 158The EcloguesVirgil39 BCE · pastoral poetry · Latin · Ancient Rome
  159. 159Timon of AthensWilliam Shakespeare1605 · tragedy · English · Shakespeare
  160. 160Personal MemoirsUlysses S. Grant1885 · memoir · English · Late 19th-Century American
  161. 161The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, GentlemanLaurence Sterne1767 · novel · English · Enlightenment
  162. 162The Song of RolandUnknown1115 · chanson de geste · Old French · Medieval
  163. 163Le Morte d'ArthurThomas Malory1469 · romance · English · Renaissance
  164. 164Gulliver’s TravelsJonathan Swift1726 · satire · English · Enlightenment
  165. 165The AcharniansAristophanes425 BCE · comedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  166. 166The BacchaeEuripides405 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  167. 167Bleak HouseCharles Dickens1853 · novel · English · Victorian
  168. 168The Two Gentlemen of VeronaWilliam Shakespeare1594 · comedy · English · Shakespeare
  169. 169Henry IV, Part TwoWilliam Shakespeare1598 · history play · English · Shakespeare
  170. 170The Book of Five RingsMiyamoto Musashi1645 · martial arts treatise · Japanese
  171. 171Titus AndronicusWilliam Shakespeare1594 · tragedy · English · Shakespeare
  172. 172The Merry Wives of WindsorWilliam Shakespeare1597 · comedy · English · Shakespeare
  173. 173CymbelineWilliam Shakespeare1610 · romance · English · Shakespeare
  174. 174PericlesWilliam Shakespeare1608 · romance · English · Shakespeare
  175. 175The Two Noble KinsmenWilliam Shakespeare1614 · romance · English · Shakespeare
  176. 176The Communist ManifestoKarl Marx1848 · political treatise · German
  177. 177The HistoriesHerodotus430 BCE · history · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  178. 178EthicsBaruch Spinoza1677 · philosophical treatise · Latin · Enlightenment
  179. 179The Annals of Imperial RomePublius Cornelius Tacitus116 · history · Latin · Ancient Rome
  180. 180History of the Peloponnesian WarThucydides411 BCE · history · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  181. 181ElectraSophocles410 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  182. 182Henry VI, Part 1William Shakespeare1592 · history play · English · Shakespeare
  183. 183King Henry VI, Part 2William Shakespeare1591 · history play · English · Shakespeare
  184. 184King Henry VI, Part 3William Shakespeare1592 · history play · English · Shakespeare
  185. 185The PersiansAeschylus472 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  186. 186A Sentimental EducationGustave Flaubert1869 · novel · French · French 19th Century
  187. 187The Woman in WhiteWilkie Collins1859 · novel · English · Victorian
  188. 188Faust, Part TwoJohann Wolfgang von Goethe1832 · verse drama · German · Romantics
  189. 189The SuppliantsAeschylus463 BCE · tragedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  190. 190The Poetic EddaUnknown1270 · mythological poetry · Old Norse · Medieval
  191. 191The Turn of the ScrewHenry James1898 · novella · English · Late 19th-Century American
  192. 192The BirdsAristophanes414 BCE · comedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece
  193. 193Henry VIIIWilliam Shakespeare1613 · history play · English · Shakespeare
  194. 194PeaceAristophanes421 BCE · comedy · Ancient Greek · Ancient Greece