It may be wrong, but I give these lists points for displaying their lists clearly, on one page, and not making me click through a bunch of ads. Comments to be added later.
I like to look through these, however, to find something new. I read almost exclusively non-fiction, so when I thought to try and make a top 10 list of fiction, I realized I couldn’t do it…
- Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo
- Candide (in The Portable Voltaire), Voltaire
- Moby Dick, Hermin Melville
- Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
- Lord of the Flies, 1954, William Golding
- A Modest Proposal (in The Writings of Jonathan Swift), Jonathan Swift
…and tapped out at #6. Arguably Candide is a “short story” so not sure it counts, but it’s fantastic. Other people have read “Candide” excerpts from stand alone books, and the lines weren’t as funny as the translation in The Portable Voltaire. And if Voltaire isn’t delivered with good timing, what’s the point?
A Modest Proposal is shorter still, so hardly a book, and easy to read, and free online, but my favorite story in the compendium. Combined with Gulivers Travels, etc., it earns it’s place on the list, arguably higher. “
Not that I haven’t read a lot more, and while I love Huxley, I don’t think Brave New World makes the list. Rather, I think I’m not well read enough with regards to literature. Given I’ve read a lot of books on others lists, that did make their top-10, I have to think various averages are just averages of moderately well read folks as well.
Perusing the lists, I have high hopes for Les Miserables, and a few things by Joyce.
As of now these lists are unordered.
The Library 100 by UCLC (whoever they are)
- Some good ideas, but no way Tom Sawyer is near the top right next to Huck Finn. Otherwise it looks hit or miss, but some good ideas.
Time Magazine’s All-Time 100 Novels (since 1923)
- “Since 1923” is quite the limitation.
- Makes me think I should read Gone With the Wind, however.
Penguin’s Modern Library 100 best novels (of the 20th century)
- I love Penguin’s books, translations, and introductions. I’ve thought, if I only read Penguin books, I could do a lot worse.
- Sure makes James Joyce look good.
- Lot’s of ideas. I’ve only read seven on the list and a lot of them I haven’t hear of.
- Reading their “100 best non-fiction” below, which is my genre depreciates this one. No wonder The Catcher in the Rye is on all these lists. I liked it, but it’s no Herman Melville.
Modern Library’s 100 best non-fiction (of the 20th century)
- I’m focusing here on fiction, but since this is on the same page as the above, I might as well include it.
- I’ve only read two of these, but it did get me to order 2 more.
- The “of the 20th century” caveat is a mighty handicap.
Norwegian Book Club’s top 100 books of all time
- I liked The Stranger, but #8 of all time?
Encyclopedia Britannica’s Great Books of the Western World
- Only 60 and more like it. But Plato’s Complete Works behind Animal Farm? I don’t know about that.
The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written
- This is more like it. I’ve read 25 of these if I didn’t lose count, and several more are on my shelf.
Sticking Huxley here for later
- This is all non-fiction, so off-topic for the page, but I’m looking to read some of these later. And Huxley’s Brave New Word and Island make a lot of “best literature” lists, but:
A) I think his fiction has great concepts, but the stories and dialog I just don’t think are that great. So sorry Alduous. Not bad, I gave Brave New Word an 8/10 on my rating scale, and Island a 9/10, but they’re just not remotely in the ballpark with Hugo or Melville.
B) Huxley’s prose is IMO amazing. Some being very high 10/10s, such as Brave New World Revisited, or the chapters I have read so far (starting at the last chapter with The Double Crisis) of Themes and Variations.
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