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Classic Literature

These are the novels most often meant by the phrase "the classics": works from roughly 1700 to 1930 that are still read for pleasure, taught in schools, and argued about. The list is built from our editorially reviewed titles only, so every entry has an introduction written for a first-time reader, verified publication details and a working online reader.

Where to start: If you have never read a nineteenth-century novel, start with something short and dialog-driven (Austen, Stevenson, Wilde) before attempting Dickens or the Russians.

44 books, in order of first publication

Cover of The Prince

The Prince

Niccolò Machiavelli

1532 Classic Literature

Cover of Candide

Candide

Voltaire

1759 Classic Literature

Cover of Emma

Emma

Jane Austen

1815 Classic Literature

Cover of Carmilla

Carmilla

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

1872 Classic Literature

Cover of Dracula

Dracula

Bram Stoker

1897 Classic Literature

Cover of Meditations

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome

Classic Literature

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