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

Essential Classics

This list includes 150 essential Literary Classics from all over the world, not just Western canon. You must read them at least once in your life. Go ahead!
3,502 users · 16,860 views
 
made by Clara Curie
avg. score: 42 of 150 (28%)
required scores: 1, 23, 31, 45, 63 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 4
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
1
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Beowulf (Anonymous)
Beowulf
2
Anonymous
Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
Of Mice and Men
3
John Steinbeck
The Odyssey (Homer)
The Odyssey
4
Homer
The Aeneid (Virgil)
The Aeneid
5
Virgil
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
The Grapes of Wrath
6
John Steinbeck
Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
Crime and Punishment
7
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Tartuffe (Molière)
Tartuffe
8
Molière
The Prince (Niccolò Machiavelli)
The Prince
9
Niccolò Machiavelli
Robinson Crusoe (Daniel Defoe)
Robinson Crusoe
10
Daniel Defoe
The Illiad (Homer)
The Illiad
11
Homer
The Life of Lazarillo Tormes (Trans. W.S. Merwin)
The Life of Lazarillo Tormes
12
Trans. W.S. Merwin
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Simon Armitage (Translator))
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
13
Simon Armitage (Translator)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (Truman Capote)
Breakfast at Tiffany's
14
Truman Capote
The Sorrows of Young Werther (Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe)
The Sorrows of Young Werther
15
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
16
J.D. Salinger
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
17
George Orwell
Don Quixote (Miguel De Cervantes)
Don Quixote
18
Miguel De Cervantes
Ulysses (James Joyce)
Ulysses
19
James Joyce
Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
Anna Karenina
20
Leo Tolstoy
Count of Monte Cristo (Alexander Dumas)
Count of Monte Cristo
21
Alexander Dumas
The Aleph and Other Stories (Jorge Luis Borges)
The Aleph and Other Stories
22
Jorge Luis Borges
Othello (William Shakespeare)
Othello
23
William Shakespeare
The Island of Doctor Moreau
The Island of Doctor Moreau
24
From the Earth to the Moon (Jules Verne)
From the Earth to the Moon
25
Jules Verne
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
26
Aldous Huxley
The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis)
The Chronicles of Narnia
27
C.S. Lewis
Peter Pan (J.M. Barrie)
Peter Pan
28
J.M. Barrie
Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf)
Mrs. Dalloway
29
Virginia Woolf
Around the World in 80 Days (Jules Verne)
Around the World in 80 Days
30
Jules Verne
Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare)
Romeo and Juliet
31
William Shakespeare
2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke)
2001: A Space Odyssey
32
Arthur C. Clarke
To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)
To the Lighthouse
33
Virginia Woolf
The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner)
The Sound and the Fury
34
William Faulkner
War of the Worlds (H.G. Wells)
War of the Worlds
35
H.G. Wells
Hamlet (William Shakespeare)
Hamlet
36
William Shakespeare
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
Pride and Prejudice
37
Jane Austen
The Kingdom of This World (Alejo Carpentier)
The Kingdom of This World
38
Alejo Carpentier
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
The Bell Jar
39
Sylvia Plath
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
40
Mark Twain
Page 1 of 4
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'Essential Classics'
75 Essential Classic Science Fiction Novels
75 Essential Classic Science Fiction Novels
3,150
75
50 Essential Classics
50 Essential Classics
2,639
50
Gabi's 225 Essential Classics for a Lifetime
Gabi's 225 Essential Classics for a Lifetime
1,993
292
The Movie Loft - Essential Classics Reading List
The Movie Loft - Essential Classics Reading List
1,863
123
Essential Classic Hollywood Films
Essential Classic Hollywood Films
1,479
90
Read the World - The Peirene 100 Essential Classics From Around the Globe
Read the World - The Peirene 100 Essential Classics From Around the Globe
1,011
100
Essential Classics for Personal Development - Multiyear TBR
Essential Classics for Personal Development - Multiyear TBR
385
88
Essential Classic Science Fiction Novels: Part II
Essential Classic Science Fiction Novels: Part II
352
31
Essential Classics Challenge (A Publisher Publishes a List)
Essential Classics Challenge (A Publisher Publishes a List)
332
99
Essential Classic Science Fiction Novels, Part III
Essential Classic Science Fiction Novels, Part III
311
39
Essential Classic Hollywood Films by Eli Tecktiel (2nd Edition, Expanded)
Essential Classic Hollywood Films by Eli Tecktiel (2nd Edition, Expanded)
264
170
Essential Classic Science Fiction Novels, Part IV
Essential Classic Science Fiction Novels, Part IV
267
43
The Essential Classic Movie List
The Essential Classic Movie List
254
20
135 Essential Classic Hard Rock & Metal Albums
135 Essential Classic Hard Rock & Metal Albums
212
135
Essential Classic to Modern Romance Movies
Essential Classic to Modern Romance Movies
155
145
100 Essential Classic Rock Albums
100 Essential Classic Rock Albums
113
100
100 More Essential Classic Rock Albums
100 More Essential Classic Rock Albums
106
100
Grace Carbone's Essentials, Classics, and Favorites Extravaganza
Grace Carbone's Essentials, Classics, and Favorites Extravaganza
94
125
Classics and Modern Classics for People Who Don't Like Classics and Modern Classics
Classics and Modern Classics for People Who Don't Like Classics and Modern Classics
2,895
53
100 Essential Penguin Classics
100 Essential Penguin Classics
4,646
97
The Essentials: 52 Must-See Movies That Matter (Turner Classic Movies)
The Essentials: 52 Must-See Movies That Matter (Turner Classic Movies)
2,817
52
Classics Essentials
Classics Essentials
2,357
100
The 10 Essential Penguin Classics
The 10 Essential Penguin Classics
646
10
10 Modern Classics: Essential Reads of Our Time
10 Modern Classics: Essential Reads of Our Time
597
13
22 Essential Gothic Novels (Classic & Contemporary)
22 Essential Gothic Novels (Classic & Contemporary)
606
22
The Movie Loft - Classics Essentials (June 6, 2018)
The Movie Loft - Classics Essentials (June 6, 2018)
147
79
Essential Movies in HBO Max's Turner Classic Movies Hub
Essential Movies in HBO Max's Turner Classic Movies Hub
150
140
50 Essential Film Noir Classics
50 Essential Film Noir Classics
137
50
50 Essential Silent Classics
50 Essential Silent Classics
84
50
Rock Progressivo Italiano: John's Classic Rock Essential Discography
Rock Progressivo Italiano: John's Classic Rock Essential Discography
11
344
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