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This list is generated from 128 "best of" book lists from a variety of great sources. An algorithm is used to create a master list based on how many lists a particular book appears on. Some lists count more than others. I generally trust "best of all time" lists voted by authors and experts over user-generated lists. On the lists that are actually ranked, the book that is 1st counts a lot more than the book that's 100th.

Top 100 Works in World Literature The editors of the Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute, polled a panel of 100 authors from 54 countries on what they considered the “best and most central works in world literature.” Among the authors polled were Milan Kundera, Doris Lessing, Seamus Heaney, Salman Rushdie, Wo... - Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute

Biblioteca 38 Argentinean Authors were polled by the Argentinean government for their favorite books. This is a tally of all books with more than 1 vote. - Argentina

El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors El Pais ran A Poll of 100 Spanish Authors and Their Favorite Books. This is summary of all the books - El Pais

For The Love of Books Ronald Schwartz polled 115 major writers about their favorite books, and published each of their ballots in the book “For the Love of Books”. - For The Love of Books

Pour une Bibliothèque Idéale "In the early 1950s Raymond Queneau asked several dozen French authors and critics to list the hundred books they would choose if they had to limit themselves to that number. He reproduced all their responses in the book Pour une Bibliothèque Idéale (Gallimard, 1956), along with the overall top 1... - Raymond Queneau

The 25 Favorite Books of 100 Francophone Writers Télérama, a weekly French magazine, asked 100s of french authors to list their top 10 favorite books of all time. - Telerama

The Ideal Library 100 prominent cultural figures, mostly writers, were polled for their choice of an "ideal library". The following list is a tally of every book that received at least 2 votes. - Book

The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time The Top 10 book chosen by 125 top writers from the book "The Top 10" edited by J. Peder Zane. - The Top 10 (Book)

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die A book edited by Peter Boxall, and written by over 100 hundred international critics. - The Book

Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century Intended as a companion to the infamous Modern Library ranking of the top 100 books of the past century, this list represents a different viewpoint--that of the booksellers themselves. Compiled from the responses of over 150 Koen Book Distributors customers, the following titles represent the ver... - themodernnovel.com

The Celebrity Reading List The Gardiner Public Library, from 1988 to 2007, polled various famous figures from all around the world (writers, artists, filmmakers, politicians, actors, etc.) to ask for their book recommendations. This list is based on the books that received at least two mentions. - Gardiner Public Library

100 Life-Changing Books National Book Award-winning authors got together to select what was, in their opinions, 100 life-changing books. - National Book Award

Finest Works of Fiction In Novels and Novelists, A Guide to the World of Fiction (1980) Seymour-Smith and the other contributors selected about 55 works of fiction as receiving full marks on the four criteria used for evaluation: Readability, Characterization, Plot, and Literary Merit. These represent, for the contrib... - Martin Seymour-Smith and Editors

Great Books of the Western World Great Books of the Western World is a series of books originally published in the United States in 1952 by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. to present the western canon in a single package of 54 volume... - Great Books Foundation

The 100 Best Non-Fiction Books of the Century The 100 best non-fiction books of all time judged by a panel of historians, authors, publishers, and experts for the National Review Magazine. - National Review

The New Lifetime Reading Plan Clifton Paul "Kip" Fadiman (May 15, 1904 – June 20, 1999) was an American intellectual, author, editor, radio and television personality. The New Lifetime Reading Plan provides readers with brief, informative and entertaining introductions to more than 130 classics of world literature. From H... - The New Lifetime Reading Plan

The New York Public Library's Books of the Century The following is a complete list of the titles included in the exhibition Books of the Century at The New York Public Library's Center for the Humanities, May 20, 1995-July 13, 1996, and in The New York Public Library's Books of the Century, published by Oxford University Press. A celebration ... - New York Public Library

Great Books "Great Books is an hour-long documentary and biography program that aired on The Learning Channel. The series was a project co-created by Walter Cronkite and former child actor Jonathan Ward under a deal they had with their company Cronkite-Ward, the The Discovery Channel, and The Learning Channe... - The Learning Channel

The 100 Greatest British Novels BBC Culture polled book critics outside the UK, to give an outsider’s perspective on the best in British literature. - BBC

The 50 Best Books of the Century ISI defined "best" as "volumes of extraordinary reflection and creativity in a traditional form, which heartens us with the knowledge that fine writing and clear-mindedness are perennially possible." All the books are non-fiction. The first 5 are ranked, the rest are alphabetical. - Intercollegiate Studies Institute

Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) was a Swedish list of the 100 best books in the world, made in 1991 by the Swedish literary magazine Tidningen Boken. The list was compiled through votes from members of the Svenska Akademien, Swedish Crime Writers' Academy, librarian, authors and others. App... - Tidningen Boken

Recommended Books "Discover which books made a difference in the early lives of the most eminent achievers of our times." - Academy of Achievement

The Greatest 20th Century Novels Waterstone’s 1999 poll of the greatest 20th century novels, according to British writers. This appeared to be the result of muddle in the way questions were put to and answered by the 47 authors, critics and media personalities who voted in the poll. - Waterstone

100 Books to Read in a Lifetime A bucket list of books to create a well-read life, from Amazon Book Editors. - Amazon.com (USA)

100 Novels That Shaped Our World Stories have the power to change us. We asked a panel of leading writers, curators and critics to choose 100 genre-busting novels that have had an impact on their lives, and this is the result. These English language novels, written over the last 300 years, range from children’s classics to popul... - BBC

"Best Foreign Work of Fiction" The French literary magazine Transfuge asked a group of francophone writers to pick their best foreign work of fiction. These are the results. - Transfuge

"Our Readable Century", The Best Books of the 20th Century Literary publication January Magazine polled writers for their favorite works of 2oth century fiction. These were the most mentioned books. - January Magazine

The 16 Greatest Books of All Time Two book editors for the nyulocal.com present their list of the 16 greatest books of all time, with a list of runner-ups as well. - NYU Local

The Bigger Read List The English PEN staff compiled a list of the best works not written in the English language. This list combines their list with the suggestions made by Fred Armentrout, President of Hong Kong (English-Speaking) PEN. - English PEN

25 acclaimed international writers choose 25 of the best books from the last 25 years The 25 books were chosen by 25 respected names in international writing, many of whom have contributed over the years to Wasafiri magazine, including Indra Sinha, Blake Morrison and Fred D’Aguiar. Note: I don't think the voters understood "the last 25 years" bit. There are many books that are ... - Wasafiri Magazine

48 Good Books Recommended literature by the Undergraduate Academies and Libraries of the University of Buffalo. - University of Buffalo

A Premature Attempt at the 21st Century Canon A panel of critics tells us what belongs on a list of the 100 most important books of the 2000s … so far. - Vulture

The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians Based on a survey of Librarians conducted by Brodart Co., September, 1998 - March, 1999. Brodart is an international company that services libraries around the world. - Bookman.com

The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written Easton Press's selection of the greatest books of the Western Canon. - Easton Press

The 21st Century's 12 Greatest Novels 12. Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex (2002)What are the greatest novels of the opening years of this tumultuous century? In search of a collective critical assessment, BBC Culture contributor Jane Ciabattari polled several dozen book critics, including The New York Times Book Review’s Parul Sehgal, T... - BBC

Top 100 World Literature Titles The top 100 titles for the world literature classroom, ranked in order of popularity, chosen by literature teachers from across the country. - Perfection Learning

110 Best Books: The Perfect Library From classics and sci-fi to poetry, biographies and books that changed the world… we present the ultimate reading list. - The Telegraph

Best German Novels of the Twentieth Century The Best German Novels of the Twentieth Century is a list of books compiled in 1999 by Literaturhaus München and Bertelsmann, in which 99 prominent German authors, literary critics, and scholars of German ranked the most significant German-language novels of the twentieth century. The group br... - Wikipedia

The Great American Read PBS and the producers worked with the public opinion polling service “YouGov” to conduct a demographically and statistically representative survey asking Americans to name their most-loved novel. Approximately 7,200 people participated. The results were tallied and organized based on our selec... - PBS

The New Vanguard Our critics chose 15 remarkable books by women that are shaping the way we read and write fiction in the 21st century. - New York Times

Third World Novels… The Top 10 There are many gifted Third World writers who can help you transcend barriers of language and tradition but you might find it difficult to know where to start. As a guide, the NI has chosen its ten best novels - the ones which are both enjoyable to read and give a vivid impression of life in ... - New Internationalist

Select 100 "This list was compiled by tabulating nominations by UWM faculty, staff and students for the Select 100. It includes changes which have resulted from nominations received since the original list was released. We asked you to recommend books which you have found to be so useful and important that ... - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

The Millions: The Best Fiction of the Millennium A poll of The Millions contributors and 48 of their favorite writers, editors, and critics, asking a single question: “What are the best books of fiction of the millennium(2000), so far?” The results were robust, diverse, and surprising. - The Millions

100 Best Books Michael Sexson, English teacher at Montana State University, in 2000 had his class of 45 students compose a list of the 100 greatest works of literature ever written, in their collective opinions. - Montana State University

100 Best Novels in English Since 1900 Jeffrey St. Clair and Alexander Cockburn's favorite novels since 1900. - Counterpunch

Best Books Ever "Whatever it's called we love a list of what we think are the best books of all time so we've compiled an entirely arbitrary and personal selection of 100 titles below for you to disagree with." - bookdepository.com

Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books In early 2010 Harvard Book Store employees worked together to come up with a list of our favorite books. Each staff member submitted a list of their favorite books of all time, in (rough) order of preference. Their selections were then weighted according to the order and the results were tabulate... - Harvard Book Store

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, United Kingdom, the prizes were founded in 1919 by Mrs J... - Wikipedia

Man Booker Prize The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known in short as the Booker Prize, is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of either the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe.[1] The winner of the Booker Prize is... - Man Booker Prize

National Book Award - Fiction The National Book Awards are among the most eminent literary prizes in the United States. Started in 1950, the awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the prior year, as well as lifetime achievement awards including the "Medal of Distinguished Contribution to... - National Book Foundation

National Book Award - Nonfiction The National Book Awards are among the most eminent literary prizes in the United States. Started in 1950, the awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the prior year, as well as lifetime achievement awards including the "Medal of Distinguished Contribution to... - National Book Foundation

National Book Critics Circle Award - Fiction The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote the finest books and reviews published in English. - National Book Critics Circle

National Book Critics Circle Award - Nonfiction The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote the finest books and reviews published in English. - National Book Critics Circle

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the author of the best American work of fiction that year. The winner receives US $15,000 and each of four runners-up receives US $5000. The foundation brings the winner and runners-up to Washington, D.C. to ... - PEN/Faulkner

Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography The Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished biography or autobiography by an American author. - Pulitzer Prize

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction All the books that have won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction from 1918 to the present. - Pulitzer Prize

Pulitzer Prize for History The Pulitzer Prize for History has been awarded since 1917 for a distinguished book upon the history of the United States. Many history books have also been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction and Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. Two people have won the Pulitzer Pr... - Pulitzer Prize

Pulitzer Prize for Non-Fiction The Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction has been awarded since 1962 for a distinguished book of non-fiction by an American author that is not eligible for consideration in any other category. - Pulitzer Prize

The 75 Best Books of the Past 75 Years A list of voted on by 17 employees(book sellers) at Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN for Parade Magazine. - Parade Magazine

100 Essential Books The Brazilian cultural magazine Bravo! selects 100 essential books. - Bravo! Magazine

50 Greatest Books of All Time A list of the 50 greatest books of all time as determined by a panel of secret judges for Globe and Mail. The books are not ranked. - Globe and Mail

Books That Changed the World: The 50 Most Influential Books in Human History A 208 page book written in 2009 by Journalist and Author Andrew Taylor. Books from every field of human creativity and intellectual endeavor - from poetry to politics, from fiction to philosophy, from theology to anthropology, and from economics to physics – have been selected to create a roun... - Book

Great Books A short list of essential works of the Western Canon, as selected scholar Anthony O'Hear. - Anthony O'Hear

How to Read and Why Information is endlessly available to us; where shall wisdom be found?" is the crucial question with which renowned literary critic Harold Bloom begins this impassioned book on the pleasures and benefits of reading well. For more than forty years, Bloom has transformed college students into lifel... - Harold Bloom

In Which These Are the 100 Greatest Novels ThisRecording.com Editor Alex Carnevale selects his choices for the "100 Greatest Novels of All Time". - ThisRecording.com

Masterpieces of World Literature Scholar Frank N. Magill’s famous literary studies reference book. A selection of over 200 of the greatest works of literature of all time - Frank N. Magill

The 100 Greatest Novels Critic Ted Gioia's selection of the 100 greatest novels ever written. - greatbooksguide.com

The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List The list of essential fiction from the past 300 years from Robert McCrum of The Observer. - The Observer

The Best Classics The Times selection of the 100 best classic works of literature. - The Times

The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers The 101 great books recommended by "The College Board", an American not-for-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. - http://www.uhlibrary.net/pdf/college_board_recommended_books.pdf

The Great Books Reader "In this volume you will be guided by esteemed professors and writers who have selected excerpts from the most important books in Western Civilization. A brief essay illuminates each excerpt and puts the work in context. Take your education to the next level by letting some of the best thinkers o... - Book

The Greatest Novel of All Time Author William Faulkner named Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" as the single greatest novel of all time. - William Faulkner

The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time The list below is from the book The Novel 100: A Ranking of Greatest Novels All Time (Checkmark Books/Facts On File, Inc.: New York, 2004), written by Daniel S. Burt. - The Novel 100

The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read The best novels of all time from Tolkien to Proust and Middlemarch - Telegraph

TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels Time critics Lev Grossman and Richard Lacayo pick the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present. - TIME Magazine

W. Somerset Maugham’s Ten Greatest Novels of All Time Maugham's studies of the lives and masterpieces of ten great novelists are outstanding examples of literary criticism at its finest. Afforded here are some of the formulae of greatness in the genre, as well as the flaws and heresies which enfeeble it. Written by a master of fiction, "Ten Novels a... - Great Novelists and Their Novels

50 Books That Changed the World "For centuries, books have been written in an attempt to share knowledge, inspiration, and discoveries. Sometimes those books make such an impact that they change the way the world thinks about things. The following books have done just that by providing readers an education in politics and gover... - Open Education Database

The 100 best books of the 21st century Dazzling debut novels, searing polemics, the history of humanity and trailblazing memoirs ... Read our pick of the best books since 2000 - The Guardian

The best books in Spanish for the last 25 years 50 critics, writers and booksellers from both sides of the Atlantic choose the milestones of the last quarter century. - El Pais

Top 10 British, Irish or Commonwealth Novels from 1980 to 2005 The Observer asked 150 literary luminaries to vote for the best British, Irish or Commonwealth novel from 1980 to 2005. - The Observer

What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years? The New York Times Book Review's editor, Sam Tanenhaus, sent out a short letter to a couple of hundred prominent writers, critics, editors and other literary sages, asking them to please identify... - New York Times

100 Best Novels Written in English Respected literary critic Robert McCrum selects the definitive 100 novels written in English. - The Guardian

100 Major Works of Modern Creative Nonfiction Essays, memoirs, autobiographies, biographies, travel writing, history, cultural studies, nature writing--all fit under the broad heading of creative nonfiction, and all are represented here: a list of 100 major works of creative nonfiction published by British and American writers over the past ... - About.com

100 Most Influential Books of the Century Boston Public Library's list of "The 100 Most Influential Books of the Century". A booklist for Adults. - Boston Public Library

20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction The 20th Century’s Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction is a popular "best of" list compiled by Larry McCaffery largely in response to Modern Library 100 Best Novels list (1999), which McCaffery saw as being out of touch with 20th-century fiction. McCaffery writes that he sees his... - Larry McCaffery

25 Books to Read Before you Die: 21st Century It’s hard for us to believe that it’s been 17 years since we first toasted the new millennium. In January 2001, a gallon of gas cost $1.46. Facebook was three years from launching. 9/11 hadn’t happened. Huge political and cultural shifts were only months away… and some of the best books we’ve eve... - Powell's Books

50 Books to (Re-)Read at 50 Your essential short list of novels, nonfiction and biographies Got some time on your hands? This list of 50 great books is a good way to raise your literary IQ. It's by no means the "definitive" list, but each of these masterpieces is at least as relevant and powerful today as when it was wri... - nextavenue

50 Memorable Books from 50 Years of Books to Remember A representative selection from over 1500 titles on annual lists of Books to Remember from 1956 to 2005. Chosen by a group of librarians who are specialists in their genres, these outstanding works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry provide an informative or transformative reading experience, ... - The New York Public Library

Books of the Decade The 50 books that defined the decade(2000) - The Guardian

Books That Changed the World Scholar Robert B. Downs selects the "great works that revolutionized our ideas about the universe - and ourselves". - Book

Costa Book Award - Best Novel The Costa Book Awards are a series of literary awards given to books by authors based in the United Kingdom and Ireland. They were known as the Whitbread Book Awards until 2005, after which Costa Coffee, a subsidiary of Whitbread, took over sponsorship. The awards, launched in 1971, are given bo... - Costa Coffee

D. G. Myers’ 50 Greatest English Language Novels D. G. Myers’, critic and literary historian’s 50 Greatest English Language Novels. A critic and literary historian for nearly a quarter of a century at Texas A&M and Ohio State. - D. G. Myers

Donald Barthelme’s Reading List 81 books recommended by Author Donald Barthelme to his students at the University of Houston. - Believer Mag

Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels Entertainment Weekly’s Top 100 Novels (2013), as selected by the EW staff in its July 5th 2013 issue - Entertainment Weekly

From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books 100 books that, in the opinion of Bookriot.com editor-in-chief Jeff O'Neal, one should read before deeming themselves "well-read". - Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com

Greatest Prose Works of the 20th Century Author Vladimir Nabokov's selection of the Top 4 greatest prose works of the 20th century. - Vladimir Nabokov

Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century The 100 Books of the Century (French: Les cent livres du siècle) is a list of the one hundred best books of the 20th century, according to a poll conducted in the spring of 1999 by the French retailer Fnac and the Paris newspaper Le Monde. Starting from a preliminary list of 200 titles created... - Le Monde

Modern classics: 11 novels that belong in the classroom When we think of English lit classes, we usually think of Hawthorne, Melville, Austen, Tolstoy, Dickens. But the times, they are a-changin’ and so too are the books we read, both in and out of the classroom. Since the millennium, a lot of good—nay, great—books have been published by masterful aut... - Today.com

Paste Magazine's Best Books of the Decade(2000-2009) The top 20 best books of the 2000s by Paste Magazine. It includes both fiction and nonfiction. - Paste Magazine

Robert McCrum's top 10 books of the twentieth century Robert McCrum is The Observer's literary editor and the author of, among other books, My Year Off. This is a list of this top 10 books of the twentieth century. - The Guardian

The 100 Best Books of the Decade(2000) The Time's list of the 100 Best Books of the 2000s. It's a mix of fiction and nonfiction. - Times

The 100 Best Nonfiction Books of All Time After two years of careful reading, moving backwards through time, Robert McCrum has concluded his selection of the 100 greatest nonfiction books. Take a quick look at five centuries of great writing - The Guardian

The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written: The History of Thought from Ancient Times to Today (1998) is a book of intellectual history written by Martin Seymour-Smith (1928–1998), a British poet, critic, and biographer. - Martin Seymour-Smith

The 10 Best of the Decade(2000) Entertainment Weekly's top 10 best books of the 2000s - Entertainment Weekly

The 40 Best Novels of the 2010s Novels have inherent power. From building new worlds to reanimating history, they have the ability to enthrall and challenge us. But their most powerful trait is that they offer an escape while still encouraging readers to think critically, weaving entertainment and reflection into one experience... - Paste Magazine

The 50 Books Everyone Needs to Read, 1963-2013 The choices here are influenced by the following: the stipulation that any specific author should not be chosen for more than one year, a general focus on fiction over other genres, and the tastes/whims/glaring prejudices of Flavorwire’s literary editor. - Flavor Wire

The 80 Books Every Man Should Read An unranked, incomplete, utterly biased list of the greatest works of literature ever published. - Esquire

The Best Books of the 2000s The Best Books of the 2000s according to the Onion AV club. Includes Fiction and Nonfiction. - The Onion AV Club

The Best Fiction Books of the 2010s Here are TIME’s picks for the 10 best fiction books of the 2010s, in order of publication year. - Time

The Best Southern Nonfiction of All Time The best southern United States nonfiction books of all time judged by 130 literary experts and authors. - Oxford American

The Best Southern Novels of All Time A list of the best southern novels of all time by Oxford American Magazine judged by 130 experts as well as authors. - Oxford American

The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics Editor W. John Campbell provides explanations and summaries for 100 of the world's best books. - Book

The Dream of the Great American Novel Writer Lawrence Buell discusses the primary contenders for the title of the "Great American Novel". - Book

The Graphic Canon The classic canon of Western civilization meets the artists and illustrators who have remade reading in the last years of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty-first century in Russ Kick's magisterial, three-volume, full-color The Graphic Canon, volumes 1, 2, and 3. - Amazon - Book

Top 10 Fiction Books of the Decade(2010) To celebrate the end of the 2010s, Entertainment Weekly’s Must List is looking back at the best pop culture of the decade that changed movies, TV, music, and more (catch up on our list so far, which includes the MCU’s big Snap, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s history-making hit Hamilton, and Beyonce’s iconi... - Entertainment Weekly