There are hundreds of great classic novels out there to read. Choosing which ones to read is no easy task. That is why we made a list of 9 classics that everyone should read. Keep reading to find out which ones made our list!
This is a follow up to a previous list of classics that everyone should read that you can check out here. That is why some obvious classics didn’t make this list. These classics are also must reads which is why we had to make another list to include them. You can see the full list below!
9 Classics That Everyone Should Read
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
- The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Must Read Classics
The first novel on the list is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. A few novels by Dickens could have made the list but Great Expectations is going to leave most readers satisfied. He is considered one of the greatest authors ever and every book lover needs to read this novel at least once.
The next novel to make the list is The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. It was first published in 1895 and popularized the science fiction genre. It was also the first book to popularize time travel by use of a vehicle to go forward or backward. The term time travel was coined by Wells and that is already a good enough reason to read this classic novel.
Another classic that is a must read in my opinion isThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It captures the decadence of the 1920’s and it is a great story overall. The amazing book cover alone is worth picking it up and giving it a read. It is no wonder that it is one of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s favorite books of all time.
There is a good chance that you probably have heard of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It is a novel that is assigned in many classrooms and a right of passage for English majors. The novel is considered one of the greatest works of literature and that is why you should read it if you haven’t already.
In high school, I remember reading The Color Purple by Alice Walker for class. It is a powerful book that might not be an easy read but it is an important work of literature. The novel won the two biggest awards in literature, the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.
Conclusion
That is all for our list of 9 classics that everyone should read. How many of these have you read? What classics should we include in our next list? Let us know in the comments below!
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what about Tristram Shandy?
Jane Austen?
well, nine books is too less, init?
How can you expect anyone to take what you seriously when you say ‘init’?
Alas, I know that no one reads today 🙁 What I want to say is: there are much more than ten good writers?
What about Gibran Kahlil Gibran The Prophet, the most classic book world wide.
Stockholm – Sweden
Gone With The Wind
Yes, I agree with Gone With the Wind , I read it at least once, also David Copperfield, I read that twice. And the Gone with the Wind Letters – Mitchell said only once about Scarlett “I think she gets him back”. But Fred Allen’s Treadmill to Oblivion, I read that FIVE TIMES. The Parades Gone By by Brownlow, I have a First Edition copy.
You missed a usa classic To Kill a Mockingbird
As a youth I enjoyed the Sci-Fi books, I still hunt for them, in local shops. Well I would if not in Bosnia .
I have taught ‘The Gatsby” in high school classes, I have never been impressed with the book. Thomas Hardy, Grapes of Wrath, In Cold Blood, and may others top this block.
No one should read Wuthering Heights. There are MANY books more deserving of a spot on this list than Wuthering Heights…. just about any book is better than Wuthering Heights.
The picture is very misleading for the article. This is clearly taken in a fantasy section.
I would add Gibran Khalil Gibran book : The Prophet. 22 translations, the most read book worldwide.
Stockholm – Sweden.
How about, the Corsican brothers written by alexandre dumas ?
Strange that Moby Dick is not on this list, nor Frederick Douglass’ My Bondage, My Freedom?
May I recommend two American classics.
To Kill a Mockingbird and Catch-22