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The Classics of Science Fiction (Compiled by James Wallace Harris and Michael Jorgensen)

The Classics of Science Fiction list, compiled by James Wallace Harris and Michael Jorgensen, is an attempt to create a definitive list of the best Science Fiction books. Harris and Jorgensen collected 65 SF book recommendation lists and generated a cumulative list of books that included any title that was on at least 10 of those lists. The result is a ranked list of 139 books.
This is the recently updated version 4 of the Classics list. Be sure to visit https://classicsofsciencefiction.com for more information including an extensive essay on the methodology used to create the list.
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Dune (Frank Herbert)
Dune
1
Frank Herbert
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller)
A Canticle for Leibowitz
2
Miller
The Left Hand of Darkness (Ursula K. Le Guin)
The Left Hand of Darkness
3
Ursula K. Le Guin
Childhood's End (Arthur C. Clarke)
Childhood's End
4
Arthur C. Clarke
Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell)
Nineteen Eighty-Four
5
George Orwell
The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)
The Martian Chronicles
6
Ray Bradbury
Foundation Trilogy (Isaac Asimov)
Foundation Trilogy
7
Isaac Asimov
Neuromancer (William Gibson)
Neuromancer
8
William Gibson
The Stars My Destination (Alfred Bester)
The Stars My Destination
9
Alfred Bester
The Dispossessed (Ursula K. Le Guin)
The Dispossessed
10
Ursula K. Le Guin
The Demolished Man (Alfred Bester)
The Demolished Man
11
Alfred Bester
Ringworld (Larry Niven)
Ringworld
12
Larry Niven
Hyperion (Dan Simmons)
Hyperion
13
Dan Simmons
Man in the High Castle, the (Philip K. Dick)
Man in the High Castle, The
14
Philip K. Dick
Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
Ender's Game
15
Orson Scott Card
Stranger in a Strange Land (Robert A. Heinlein)
Stranger in a Strange Land
16
Robert A. Heinlein
Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)
Flowers for Algernon
17
Daniel Keyes
Forever War
Forever War
18
Rendezvous With Rama (Arthur C. Clarke)
Rendezvous With Rama
19
Arthur C. Clarke
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
Fahrenheit 451
20
Ray Bradbury
Red Mars (Kim Stanley Robinson)
Red Mars
21
Kim Stanley Robinson
The Time Machine (H.G. Wells)
The Time Machine
22
H.G. Wells
Doomsday Book (Connie Willis)
Doomsday Book
23
Connie Willis
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
24
Douglas Adams
Gateway (Frederik Pohl)
Gateway
25
Frederik Pohl
The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
The Road
26
Cormac McCarthy
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
27
Aldous Huxley
Stand on Zanzibar (John Brunner)
Stand on Zanzibar
28
John Brunner
The War of the Worlds (H.G. Wells)
The War of the Worlds
29
H.G. Wells
More Than Human (Theodore Sturgeon)
More Than Human
30
Theodore Sturgeon
Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)
Snow Crash
31
Neal Stephenson
Lord of Light (Roger Zelazny)
Lord of Light
32
Roger Zelazny
The Book of the New Sun (Gene Wolfe)
The Book of the New Sun
33
Gene Wolfe
A Fire Upon the Deep (Vernor Vinge)
A Fire Upon the Deep
34
Vernor Vinge
The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
The Handmaid's Tale
35
Margaret Atwood
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (Robert A. Heinlein)
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
36
Robert A. Heinlein
Starship Troopers (Robert A. Heinlein)
Starship Troopers
37
Robert A. Heinlein
The Windup Girl (Paolo Bacigalupi)
The Windup Girl
38
Paolo Bacigalupi
Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)
Frankenstein
39
Mary Shelley
Solaris (Stanislaw Lem)
Solaris
40
Stanislaw Lem
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