The 25 best classic books
The 25 highest-ranked books published before 1990 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 763 classic books in all. How we rank
- 1
Gone with the Wind94.6Must-Read ScoreGone with the Wind
Few novels are this addictive at this length.
- 2
To Kill a Mockingbird94.3Must-Read ScoreTo Kill a Mockingbird
It's one of the most beloved novels in American history, voted America's favorite in PBS's Great American Read, because it's both a warm, funny childhood story and a clear-eyed look at injustice.
- 3Ender's Game94.2Must-Read Score
Ender's Game
It won both the Hugo and the Nebula, science fiction's two biggest awards, and it's one of the most widely read science fiction novels ever written.
- 4
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York91.2Must-Read ScoreThe Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
It won the Pulitzer Prize and is on the Modern Library's list of the best nonfiction ever written.
- 5
The Making of the Atomic Bomb91.1Must-Read ScoreThe Making of the Atomic Bomb
It's widely considered one of the greatest works of narrative history ever written, winning the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award and the NBCC Award.
- 6
Dune90.9Must-Read ScoreDune
It's the best-selling science-fiction novel of all time, and it earns it: a vast, intricate world of politics, religion, ecology and power, with a hero story that slowly turns into a warning about heroes.
- 7
The Color Purple90.9Must-Read ScoreThe Color Purple
It starts in pain and ends in joy, and the journey between is one of the most moving in American fiction.
- 8
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.
- 9
The Lord of the Rings89.9Must-Read ScoreThe Lord of the Rings
It's the book that made modern fantasy, and it still has no equal for depth of world, sense of history, and a friendship you'll feel at the end.
- 10
How to Win Friends and Influence People89.7Must-Read ScoreHow to Win Friends and Influence People
It's one of the best-selling books of all time because its advice still works, nearly a century later, in jobs, marriages and friendships.
- 11
A Brief History of Time89.6Must-Read ScoreA Brief History of Time
It's one of the best-selling science books ever because Hawking makes mind-expanding ideas feel within reach, with wit and wonder.
- 12
Lonesome Dove89.6Must-Read ScoreLonesome Dove
It's the great American Western, and much more: a sweeping, funny, heartbreaking novel about friendship, love and the end of the frontier.
- 13Maus89.6Must-Read Score
Maus
It's the only graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize (a special citation in 1992), and it's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books.
- 14
Roots89.5Must-Read ScoreRoots
It changed how America thought about slavery and family history, and the 1977 TV series became one of the most-watched broadcasts in history.
- 15
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany89.3Must-Read ScoreThe Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany
Since 1960 it has been the classic one-volume history of Nazi Germany, read by millions and winner of the National Book Award.
- 16
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid88.9Must-Read ScoreGödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
It's one of the most original books ever written, a playful, mind-bending work that won the Pulitzer Prize and has inspired generations of scientists and thinkers.
- 17
Notes of a Native Son88.6Must-Read ScoreNotes of a Native Son
Baldwin is one of the great prose writers in English, and these essays are as urgent and beautifully written today as in 1955.
- 18
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era88.6Must-Read ScoreBattle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
It won the Pulitzer Prize and has been the standard one-volume history for decades because it's both authoritative and genuinely gripping.
- 19
The Handmaid’s Tale88.6Must-Read ScoreThe Handmaid’s Tale
It was a Booker finalist and is one of the most influential dystopian novels ever written, picked for both the BBC's Big Read and the PBS Great American Read.
- 20
Pride and Prejudice88.4Must-Read ScorePride and Prejudice
It's the original enemies-to-lovers romance and still one of the funniest, smartest novels ever written.
- 21
Cosmos87.7Must-Read ScoreCosmos
Sagan makes science feel like wonder, and his prose can make you see the night sky differently for the rest of your life.
- 22
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe87.6Must-Read ScoreThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
It's one of the most beloved children's books ever written, a perfect adventure that adults reread with delight.
- 23
Hyperion87.0Must-Read ScoreHyperion
It won the Hugo Award and is one of the most acclaimed science fiction novels ever.
- 24
The Godfather86.7Must-Read ScoreThe Godfather
It's one of the most gripping crime novels ever written and a dark, operatic family saga about power, loyalty and the American dream.
- 25
Parting the Waters : America in the King Years 1954-6386.6Must-Read ScoreParting the Waters : America in the King Years 1954-63
It's widely considered the greatest history of the civil rights movement ever written, and it won the Pulitzer Prize.