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Books That Took Years to Write

To make you feel better about your own writing speed, here are 40 books it took authors anywhere from 2 to 10 to 17 to 50 years to complete.
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1
The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien
2
The Golden Compass (Philip Pullman)
The Golden Compass
Philip Pullman
3
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
4
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
5
Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)
Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn
6
The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
The Time Traveler's Wife
Audrey Niffenegger
7
Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
Lord of the Flies
William Golding
8
J K Rowling the Philosopher's Stone
J K Rowling the Philosopher's Stone
9
Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
Gone With the Wind
Margaret Mitchell
10
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger
11
Les Mis (Victor Hugo)
Les Mis
Victor Hugo
12
The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R.Tolkien)
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R.Tolkien
13
Finnegans Wake (James Joyce)
Finnegans Wake
James Joyce
14
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz)
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Junot Diaz
15
A Song Flung Up to Heaven (Maya Angelou - 2002)
A Song Flung Up to Heaven
Maya Angelou - 2002
16
No Great Mischief (Alistair MacLeod)
No Great Mischief
Alistair MacLeod
17
Sphere (Michael Crichton)
Sphere
Michael Crichton
18
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Vol. 1-3 (Edward Gibbon)
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Vol. 1-3
Edward Gibbon
19
Cantos
Cantos
20
Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton)
Jurassic Park
Michael Crichton
21
The Magicians (Lev Grossman)
The Magicians
Lev Grossman
22
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
C.S. Lewis
23
A Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin)
A Game of Thrones
George R.R. Martin
24
A Clash of Kings (George R.R. Martin)
A Clash of Kings
George R.R. Martin
25
A Storm of Swords (George R.R. Martin)
A Storm of Swords
George R.R. Martin
26
A Feast for Crows (George R.R. Martin)
A Feast for Crows
George R.R. Martin
27
A Dance With Dragons (George R.R. Martin)
A Dance With Dragons
George R.R. Martin
28
Dune (Frank Herbert)
Dune
Frank Herbert
29
The Secret History (Donna Tartt)
The Secret History
Donna Tartt
30
The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
The Pillars of the Earth
Ken Follett
31
The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss)
The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss
32
The Little Friend (Donna Tartt)
The Little Friend
Donna Tartt
33
The Wise Man's Fear (Patrick Rothfuss)
The Wise Man's Fear
Patrick Rothfuss
34
The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)
The Goldfinch
Donna Tartt
35
Stiltsville (Susanna Daniel)
Stiltsville
Susanna Daniel
36
War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy
37
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovtich (Alexander Solzhenitsyn)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovtich
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
38
Ulysses (James Joyce)
Ulysses
James Joyce
39
Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides)
Middlesex
Jeffrey Eugenides
40
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Catch-22
Joseph Heller
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