The 25 best books of the 1940s
The 25 highest-ranked books first published in the 1940s in our ranking of 2,819, scored on how much readers love them, their prize, best-list and bestseller record, and current buzz. We rank 50 books of the 1940s in all. How we rank
- 1
198490.6Must-Read Score1984
It's one of the most influential novels ever written, and its ideas (Big Brother, doublethink, Newspeak, the memory hole) have become part of how we talk about power and truth.
- 2
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn84.7Must-Read ScoreA Tree Grows in Brooklyn
It's one of the most beloved American novels, warm, honest and full of small, unforgettable moments, and generations of readers have seen themselves in Francie.
- 3The Little Prince84.1Must-Read Score
The Little Prince
It's one of the best-selling books ever written, with about 200 million copies sold, and it's on the BBC's Big Read, PBS's Great American Read and Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century.
- 4
Black Boy: A Record of Youth and Childhood84.0Must-Read ScoreBlack Boy: A Record of Youth and Childhood
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller in 1945 and is on the Modern Library and Guardian lists of the best nonfiction ever written.
- 5
Ficciones83.8Must-Read ScoreFicciones
It's on Le Monde's list of the books of the century and the Bokklubben World Library of the greatest books ever written.
- 6
Pale Fire83.1Must-Read ScorePale Fire
It's on both TIME's list of the best novels and the Modern Library's.
- 7
All the King's Men81.7Must-Read ScoreAll the King's Men
It won the Pulitzer Prize and is on both TIME's list of the best novels and the Modern Library's.
- 8
The Open Society and Its Enemies79.7Must-Read ScoreThe Open Society and Its Enemies
It's on both the Modern Library and Guardian lists of the best nonfiction.
- 9
The Diary of a Young Girl79.2Must-Read ScoreThe Diary of a Young Girl
It's on Le Monde's list of the books of the century and is one of the most widely read books in the world.
- 10
Animal Farm79.2Must-Read ScoreAnimal Farm
It's on TIME's list of the best novels, the Modern Library's and the BBC's Big Read.
- 11Hiroshima79.1Must-Read Score
Hiroshima
It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books and the Guardian's 100 best nonfiction books of all time.
- 12
Native Son78.7Must-Read ScoreNative Son
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller in 1940 and is on TIME's list of the best novels and the Modern Library's.
- 13The Robe77.9Must-Read Score
The Robe
It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list and became the first film released in CinemaScope.
- 14Joy in the Morning77.8Must-Read Score
Joy in the Morning
It's on the Guardian's list of the 100 best novels in English, and many fans consider it the best Jeeves and Wooster novel.
- 15
Speak, Memory77.6Must-Read ScoreSpeak, Memory
It's on the Modern Library list of the best nonfiction and is often called the most beautiful memoir in English.
- 16Arch of Triumph77.3Must-Read Score
Arch of Triumph
It spent eight weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was one of the ten best-selling books of 1946.
- 17
Black Lamb and Grey Falcon77.1Must-Read ScoreBlack Lamb and Grey Falcon
It's on the Modern Library list of the best nonfiction and is considered one of the greatest travel books ever written.
- 18
The Egyptian76.8Must-Read ScoreThe Egyptian
It spent 16 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and is the most famous novel ever written in Finnish.
- 19
Brideshead Revisited76.6Must-Read ScoreBrideshead Revisited
It's on the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels and was voted onto the BBC's Big Read.
- 20
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living76.5Must-Read ScoreHow to Stop Worrying and Start Living
It spent 14 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and has helped millions of readers.
- 21If This Is a Man75.6Must-Read Score
If This Is a Man
It's on Le Monde's list of the 100 books of the century, and it's one of the most important books about the Holocaust.
- 22
Darkness at Noon75.3Must-Read ScoreDarkness at Noon
It's on the Modern Library list of the best novels and is one of the great novels about totalitarianism.
- 23Man's Search for Meaning74.8Must-Read Score
Man's Search for Meaning
It's one of the most influential books of the 20th century, read by millions as a guide to living through hardship.
- 24
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter74.7Must-Read ScoreThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
It's on both the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels, and McCullers wrote it at twenty-three.
- 25
The Razor's Edge74.5Must-Read ScoreThe Razor's Edge
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list.