List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man's Library

There are the books you read, and then there are the books that change your life. We can all look back on the books that have shaped our perspective on politics, religion, money, and love. Some will even become a source of inspiration for the rest of your life. From a seemingly infinite list of books of anecdotal or literal merit, we have narrowed down the top 100 books that have shaped the lives of individual men while also helping define broader cultural ideas of what it means to be a man.
Whether it be a book on adventure, war, or manners, there is so much to learn about life’s great questions from these gems. And without further ado, this is our list.
1,195 users · 6,326 views
 
avg. score: 20 of 100 (20%)
required scores: 1, 10, 15, 21, 28 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 3
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
1
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Prince (Niccolò Machiavelli)
The Prince
2
Niccolò Machiavelli
Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut)
Slaughterhouse-Five
3
Kurt Vonnegut
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
4
George Orwell
The Republic (Plato)
The Republic
5
Plato
The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
The Brothers Karamazov
6
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
7
J.D. Salinger
The Wealth of Nations (Adam Smith)
The Wealth of Nations
8
Adam Smith
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemingway)
For Whom the Bell Tolls
9
Ernest Hemingway
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)
The Picture of Dorian Gray
10
Oscar Wilde
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
The Grapes of Wrath
11
John Steinbeck
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
12
Aldous Huxley
How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)
How to Win Friends and Influence People
13
Dale Carnegie
The Call of the Wild (Jack London)
The Call of the Wild
14
Jack London
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Edmund Morris)
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
15
Edmund Morris
The Swiss Family Robinson (Johann David Wyss)
The Swiss Family Robinson
16
Johann David Wyss
The Dharma Bums (Jack Kerouac)
The Dharma Bums
17
Jack Kerouac
The Iliad and the Odyssey (Homer)
The Iliad and the Odyssey
18
Homer
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Catch-22
19
Joseph Heller
Walden (Henry David Thoreau)
Walden
20
Henry David Thoreau
Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
Lord of the Flies
21
William Golding
The Master and Margarita (Mikhail Bulgakov)
The Master and Margarita
22
Mikhail Bulgakov
Bluebeard (Kurt Vonnegut)
Bluebeard
23
Kurt Vonnegut
Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
Atlas Shrugged
24
Ayn Rand
The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka)
The Metamorphosis
25
Franz Kafka
American Boy's Handy Book
American Boy's Handy Book
26
Into Thin Air (Jon Krakauer)
Into Thin Air
27
Jon Krakauer
King Solomon's Mines (H. Rider Haggard)
King Solomon's Mines
28
H. Rider Haggard
The Idiot (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
The Idiot
29
Fyodor Dostoevsky
A River Runs Through It (Montana)
A River Runs Through It (Montana)
30
The Island of Dr. Moreau (H.G. Wells)
The Island of Dr. Moreau
31
H.G. Wells
The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Alex Haley and Malcolm X)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
32
Alex Haley and Malcolm X
Theodore Rex (Edmund Morris)
Theodore Rex
33
Edmund Morris
The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
The Count of Monte Cristo
34
Alexandre Dumas
All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque)
All Quiet on the Western Front
35
Erich Maria Remarque
The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane)
The Red Badge of Courage
36
Stephen Crane
Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans (Plutarc)
Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans
37
Plutarc
The Strenuous Life (Theodore Roosevel)
The Strenuous Life
38
Theodore Roosevel
The Bible (Anonymous)
The Bible
39
Anonymous
Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry)
Lonesome Dove
40
Larry McMurtry
Page 1 of 3
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to '100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man's Library'
The Essential Man's Library: 100 Must-Read Books
The Essential Man's Library: 100 Must-Read Books
2,849
99
The Essential Man's Library: 50 Fictional Adventure Books Edition
The Essential Man's Library: 50 Fictional Adventure Books Edition
713
50
100 Must See Movies: The Essential Men's Movie Library
100 Must See Movies: The Essential Men's Movie Library
783
100
Man Up Your Movie Game – 20 Essential Movies You're Embarrassingly Overlooking (Man and Home)
Man Up Your Movie Game – 20 Essential Movies You're Embarrassingly Overlooking (Man and Home)
392
20
10 Essential Reads for Men, by Women
10 Essential Reads for Men, by Women
268
10
Art of Manliness-Essential Jeremiads: 16 Cultural Critiques Every Man Should Read
Art of Manliness-Essential Jeremiads: 16 Cultural Critiques Every Man Should Read
105
16
Everyman's Library: 100 Essential Books
Everyman's Library: 100 Essential Books
2,193
100
74 Essential Books for Your Personal Library: A List Curated by Female Creatives
74 Essential Books for Your Personal Library: A List Curated by Female Creatives
675
74
The Essential Adventure Library: 50 Non-Fiction Adventure Books
The Essential Adventure Library: 50 Non-Fiction Adventure Books
391
50
Books on S's to Read List
Books on S's to Read List
472
229
S's Books Read to Date
S's Books Read to Date
349
294
S's Books Read Part 1
S's Books Read Part 1
215
56
S's Books Read Part 2
S's Books Read Part 2
187
50
S's Books Read Part 3
S's Books Read Part 3
153
14
S's Fave Authors With Multiple Books Read
S's Fave Authors With Multiple Books Read
144
80
Books About Books or With Words About Books/Library/Read/Story Etc in the Title
Books About Books or With Words About Books/Library/Read/Story Etc in the Title
167
65
Books About Books, Bookstores, Libraries and the Reading Life
Books About Books, Bookstores, Libraries and the Reading Life
877
127
Willow Reads: Books About Books, Bookshops and Libraries
Willow Reads: Books About Books, Bookshops and Libraries
375
151
All the Books Book Elephant Has Borrowed and Read From the Library (Since April 2012)
All the Books Book Elephant Has Borrowed and Read From the Library (Since April 2012)
172
898
Man Up! Manly Books for Manly Men 1
Man Up! Manly Books for Manly Men 1
142
214
51 Comic-Book Movies From Before X-Men and Spider-Man Conquered Hollywood (IGN)
51 Comic-Book Movies From Before X-Men and Spider-Man Conquered Hollywood (IGN)
141
51
Hiconsumption's Best Movies Ever: The Ultimate Men's Movie Library
Hiconsumption's Best Movies Ever: The Ultimate Men's Movie Library
125
472
Top 50 Essential Books to Read to Earn "Well-Read" Status
Top 50 Essential Books to Read to Earn "Well-Read" Status
3,150
50
50 Amazing and Essential Novels to Enrich Your Library
50 Amazing and Essential Novels to Enrich Your Library
2,192
51
Essential Geek/Nerd Library
Essential Geek/Nerd Library
1,439
234
New York Times Essential Library: Children's Movies: A Critic's Guide to the Best Films
New York Times Essential Library: Children's Movies: A Critic's Guide to the Best Films
389
102
10 Essential Songs: Boyz II Men
10 Essential Songs: Boyz II Men
80
10
The Strange Library: Ten Essential 'Doctor Strange' Comics
The Strange Library: Ten Essential 'Doctor Strange' Comics
81
10
The Essential Baseball Library
The Essential Baseball Library
76
75
The Gay Essentials: The 75 Albums Every Gay Man NEEDS to Own
The Gay Essentials: The 75 Albums Every Gay Man NEEDS to Own
79
75
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN