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Top 100 Classic Books

1
Wuthering Heights cover

Wuthering Heights

Brontë, Emily
Wuthering Heights is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two extensive upland estates and their landowning families on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons; and their turbulent relationships with the Earnshaws' foster son, Heathcliff. Driven by themes of love, possession, revenge, and reconciliation, the novel is influenced by Romanticism and Gothic fiction. It is considered a classic of English literature.
4,267,909 wiki views Elementary 7.7h read
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2
Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus cover

Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature from different body parts in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18 and staying in Bath, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared in the second edition, which was published in Paris in 1821.
814,709 wiki views Intermediate 5.0h read
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3
Hamlet cover

Hamlet

Shakespeare, William
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play depicts Prince Hamlet and his attempts to exact revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet's mother.
712,878 wiki views Elementary 2.1h read
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4
A Christmas Carol in Prose; Being a Ghost Story of Christmas cover

A Christmas Carol in Prose; Being a Ghost Story of Christmas

Dickens, Charles
A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. In the process, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.
561,588 wiki views Elementary 1.9h read
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5
The Count of Monte Cristo cover

The Count of Monte Cristo

Dumas, Alexandre
The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by the French writer Alexandre Dumas. It was serialised from 1844 to 1846, then published in book form in 1846. It is one of his most popular works, along with The Three Musketeers (1844) and Man in the Iron Mask (1850). Like many of his novels, it was expanded from plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter, Auguste Maquet. It is regarded as a classic of French and world literature.
506,367 wiki views Elementary 30.7h read
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6
The Iliad cover

The Iliad

Homer
The Iliad is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. Like the Odyssey, the poem is divided into 24 books and was written in dactylic hexameter. It contains 15,693 lines in its most widely accepted version. The Iliad is often regarded as the first substantial piece of European literature and is a central part of the Epic Cycle.
437,045 wiki views Intermediate 12.6h read
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7
Pride and Prejudice cover

Pride and Prejudice

Austen, Jane
Pride and Prejudice is the second published novel by English author Jane Austen, written when she was aged 20–21, and later published in 1813.
432,042 wiki views Intermediate 8.5h read
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8
The Great Gatsby cover

The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald, F. Scott (Francis Scott)
The Great Gatsby is a 1925 tragedy novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire obsessed with reuniting with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.
410,996 wiki views Elementary 3.2h read
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9
Romeo and Juliet cover

Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare, William
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, often shortened to Romeo and Juliet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed. The title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers.
367,084 wiki views Elementary 1.7h read
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10
Don Quixote cover

Don Quixote

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de
Don Quixote, the full title being The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and the first modern novel. The novel has been labelled by many well-known authors as the "best novel of all time" and the "best and most central work in world literature". Don Quixote is also one of the most-translated books in the world and one of the best-selling novels of all time.
365,220 wiki views Upper Intermediate 28.5h read
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11
Jane Eyre: An Autobiography cover

Jane Eyre: An Autobiography

Brontë, Charlotte
Jane Eyre is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first American edition was published in January 1848 by Harper & Brothers of New York. Jane Eyre is a bildungsroman that follows the experiences of its eponymous heroine, including her growth to adulthood and her love for Mr Rochester, the brooding master of Thornfield Hall.
358,156 wiki views Intermediate 12.4h read
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12
Dracula cover

Dracula

Stoker, Bram
Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking a business trip to stay at the castle of a Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula. Harker flees after learning that Dracula is a vampire, and the Count moves to England and plagues the seaside town of Whitby. A small group, led by Abraham Van Helsing, hunts and kills him.
320,066 wiki views Elementary 10.8h read
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13
Les Misérables cover

Les Misérables

Hugo, Victor
Les Misérables is a French epic historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. Les Misérables has been popularized through numerous adaptations for film, television, and the stage, including a musical.
315,671 wiki views Intermediate 37.7h read
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14
The King in Yellow cover

The King in Yellow

Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William)
The King in Yellow is a short story collection by American writer Robert W. Chambers, first published by F. Tennyson Neely in 1895. The British first edition was published by Chatto & Windus in 1895.
310,045 wiki views Elementary 4.8h read
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15
Paradise Lost cover

Paradise Lost

Milton, John
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674, arranged into twelve books with minor revisions throughout. It is considered to be Milton's masterpiece, and it helped solidify his reputation as one of the greatest English poets of all time.
309,261 wiki views Upper Intermediate 5.3h read
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16
The Brothers Karamazov cover

The Brothers Karamazov

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor
The Brothers Karamazov, also translated as The Karamazov Brothers, is the sixteenth and final novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing The Brothers Karamazov, which was published as a serial in The Russian Messenger from January 1879 to November 1880. Dostoevsky died less than four months after its publication. It has been acclaimed as one of the supreme achievements in world literature.
304,497 wiki views Elementary 23.4h read
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17
The Picture of Dorian Gray cover

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Wilde, Oscar
The Picture of Dorian Gray is an 1890 philosophical fiction and Gothic horror novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, while the novel-length version was published in April 1891. Wilde's only novel, it is widely regarded as a classic of both Gothic and English literature, having been adapted many times for films, stage, plays, and other forms of art performances, in addition to inspiring the Dorian Awards since 2009.
296,636 wiki views Elementary 5.3h read
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18
Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy cover

Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy

Alcott, Louisa May
Little Women is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details their passage from childhood to womanhood. Loosely based on the lives of the author and her three sisters, it is classified as an autobiographical or semi-autobiographical novel.
280,905 wiki views Elementary 12.8h read
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19
Moby Dick; Or, The Whale cover

Moby Dick; Or, The Whale

Melville, Herman
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 epic novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book centers on the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for vengeance against Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg on the ship's previous voyage. A contribution to the literature of the American Renaissance, Moby-Dick was published to mixed reviews, was a commercial failure, and was out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891. Its reputation as a Great American Novel was established only in the 20th century, after the 1919 centennial of its author's birth. William Faulkner said he wished he had written the book himself, and D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world" and "the greatest book of the sea ever written". Its opening sentence, "Call me Ishmael", is among world literature's most famous.
274,083 wiki views Intermediate 14.2h read
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20
Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem cover

Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem

Unknown
Beowulf is an Old English poem, an epic in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines, contained in the Nowell Codex. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating is for the manuscript, which was produced between AD 975 and 1025. Scholars call the anonymous author the "Beowulf poet". The story is set in pagan Scandinavia in the 5th and 6th centuries. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall Heorot has been under attack by the monster Grendel for twelve years. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother tries to take revenge and is in turn defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland and becomes king of the Geats. Fifty years later, Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is mortally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants cremate his body and erect a barrow on a headland in his memory.
273,393 wiki views Intermediate 2.6h read
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21
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland cover

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Carroll, Lewis
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 English children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatures. It is seen as an example of the literary nonsense genre. The artist John Tenniel provided 42 wood-engraved illustrations for the book.
273,180 wiki views Elementary 1.8h read
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22
Crime and Punishment cover

Crime and Punishment

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor
Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It was later published in a single volume. It is the second of Dostoevsky's full-length novels following his return from ten years of exile in Siberia. Crime and Punishment is considered the first great novel of his mature period of writing and is often cited as one of the greatest works of world literature.
270,309 wiki views Elementary 13.6h read
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23
Ulysses cover

Ulysses

Joyce, James
Ulysses is a modernist novel by the Irish writer James Joyce. Partially serialised in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, the entire work was published in Paris by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, Joyce's fortieth birthday. It is considered one of the most important works of modernist literature and a classic of the genre, having been called "a demonstration and summation of the entire movement".
249,610 wiki views Elementary 17.7h read
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24
Metamorphosis cover

Metamorphosis

Kafka, Franz
The Metamorphosis, also translated as The Transformation, is a novella by Franz Kafka published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, The Metamorphosis tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect and struggles to adjust to this condition, as does his family. The novella has been widely discussed among literary critics, who have offered varied interpretations. In popular culture and adaptations of the novella, the insect is commonly depicted as a cockroach.
247,334 wiki views Intermediate 1.5h read
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25
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz cover

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Baum, L. Frank (Lyman Frank)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 children's fantasy novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their home by a cyclone. Upon her arrival in the magical world of Oz, she learns she cannot return home until she has destroyed the Wicked Witch of the West.
236,906 wiki views Elementary 2.6h read
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26
Heart of Darkness cover

Heart of Darkness

Conrad, Joseph
Heart of Darkness is an 1899 novella by Polish-British novelist Joseph Conrad, in which sailor Charles Marlow tells the story of his assignment as steamer captain for a Belgian company in the African interior. The novel is widely regarded as a critique of European colonial rule in Africa, whilst also examining the themes of power dynamics and morality. Although Conrad does not name the river on which most of the narrative takes place, at the time of writing, the Congo Free State—the location of the large and economically important Congo River—was a private colony of Belgium's King Leopold II. Marlow is given an assignment to find Kurtz, an ivory trader working on a trading station far up the river, who has "gone native" and is the object of Marlow's expedition.
219,242 wiki views Elementary 2.5h read
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27
War and Peace cover

War and Peace

Tolstoy, Leo, graf
War and Peace is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work comprises both a fictional narrative and chapters in which Tolstoy discusses history and philosophy. An early version was published serially beginning in 1865, after which the entire book was rewritten and published in 1869. It is regarded, with Anna Karenina, as Tolstoy's finest literary achievement, and it remains an internationally praised classic of world literature.
211,531 wiki views Elementary 37.5h read
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28
The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde cover

The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Stevenson, Robert Louis
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is an 1886 Gothic horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and a murderous criminal named Edward Hyde.
201,009 wiki views Elementary 1.7h read
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29
Anna Karenina cover

Anna Karenina

Tolstoy, Leo, graf
Anna Karenina is a novel, first published in book form in 1878, by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Often considered to be among the greatest works of world literature, Tolstoy himself called it his first true novel. It was initially released in serial installments from 1875 to 1877, all but the last part appearing in the periodical The Russian Messenger. By the time he was finishing up the last installments, Tolstoy was in an anguished state of mind having come to hate it but finished it unwillingly.
199,651 wiki views Elementary 23.3h read
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30
Sense and Sensibility cover

Sense and Sensibility

Austen, Jane
Sense and Sensibility is the debut novel by English author Jane Austen, appearing in 1811. It was published anonymously: By A Lady appears on the title page where the author's name might have been.
195,700 wiki views Intermediate 7.9h read
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31
A Tale of Two Cities cover

A Tale of Two Cities

Dickens, Charles
A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel published in 1859 by English author Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.
190,110 wiki views Elementary 9.1h read
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32
Great Expectations cover

Great Expectations

Dickens, Charles
Great Expectations is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after David Copperfield, to be fully narrated in the first person. The novel was first published as a serial in Dickens's weekly periodical All the Year Round, from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. In October 1861, Chapman & Hall published the novel in three volumes.
178,512 wiki views Elementary 12.3h read
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33
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn cover

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Twain, Mark
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a picaresque novel by American author Mark Twain that was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. It is commonly named among the Great American Novels, and it is among the first in major American literature to be written throughout in vernacular English, characterized by local color regionalism. Being the direct sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, it is told in the first person by Huckleberry "Huck" Finn, the narrator of two other later Twain novels and a friend of Tom Sawyer.
176,115 wiki views Elementary 7.4h read
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34
Oliver Twist cover

Oliver Twist

Dickens, Charles
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows orphan Oliver Twist, who, after being raised in a workhouse, escapes to London, where he meets a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal Fagin, discovers the secrets of his parentage, and reconnects with his remaining family.
175,174 wiki views Intermediate 10.5h read
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35
Anne of Green Gables cover

Anne of Green Gables

Montgomery, L. M. (Lucy Maud)
Anne of Green Gables is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, the novel recounts the adventures of an 11-year-old orphan girl Anne Shirley sent by mistake to two middle-aged siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had originally intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in the fictional town of Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way through life with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.
174,478 wiki views Elementary 6.8h read
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36
The Art of War cover

The Art of War

Sunzi, active 6th century B.C.
The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the late Spring and Autumn period. The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu, is composed of 13 chapters. Each chapter is devoted to a different set of skills or arts related to warfare, finance and how they apply to military strategy and tactics. For almost 1,500 years, it was the lead text in an anthology that was formalized as the Seven Military Classics by Emperor Shenzong of Song in 1080. The Art of War remains one of the most influential works on strategy of all time and has shaped both East Asian and Western military theory and thinking.
153,027 wiki views Intermediate 3.7h read
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37
Treasure Island cover

Treasure Island

Stevenson, Robert Louis
Treasure Island is an adventure and historical novel by Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson. It was published as a book in 1883, but is set in the 18th century, and tells a story of "buccaneers and buried gold". It is considered a coming-of-age story, and is noted for its atmosphere, characters, and action.
150,938 wiki views Elementary 4.6h read
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38
The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People cover

The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People

Wilde, Oscar
The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde, the last of his four drawing-room plays, following Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893) and An Ideal Husband (1895). First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy depicting the tangled affairs of two young men about town who lead double lives to evade unwanted social obligations, both assuming the name Ernest while wooing the two young women of their affections.
134,787 wiki views Elementary 1.4h read
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39
The Prince cover

The Prince

Machiavelli, Niccolò
The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise written by the Italian diplomat, philosopher, and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli in the form of a realistic instruction guide for new princes. Many commentators have viewed that one of the main themes of The Prince is that immoral acts are sometimes necessary to achieve political glory.
133,580 wiki views Upper Intermediate 3.3h read
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40
Middlemarch cover

Middlemarch

Eliot, George
Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by English author George Eliot. It appeared in eight installments (volumes) in 1871 and 1872. Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midlands town, from 1829 to 1832, it follows distinct, intersecting stories with many characters. Issues include the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism, self-interest, religion, hypocrisy, political reform, and education. Leavened with comic elements, Middlemarch approaches significant historical events in a realist mode: the Reform Act 1832, early railways, and the accession of King William IV. It looks at medicine of the time and reactionary views in a settled community facing unwelcome change. Eliot began writing the two pieces that formed the novel in 1869–1870 and completed it in 1871. Initial reviews were mixed, but it is now seen widely as her best work and one of the great English novels.
117,185 wiki views Intermediate 21.1h read
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41
Meditations cover

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome
Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161–180 CE, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.
113,032 wiki views Intermediate 4.8h read
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42
Carmilla cover

Carmilla

Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan
Carmilla is an 1872 Gothic novella by Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. A foundational work of English-language vampire literature, it predated Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) by 25 years. First published as a serial in The Dark Blue from 1871–72, the novella subsequently appeared in Le Fanu’s short story collection In a Glass Darkly in 1872. Set in 19th century Styria, it is the story of a young woman who is pursued by the vampire Carmilla. Since its initial publication, Carmilla has often been regarded as one of the most influential vampire stories of all time, and popularized the lesbian vampire trope.
109,288 wiki views Intermediate 1.9h read
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43
Grimms' Fairy Tales cover

Grimms' Fairy Tales

Grimm, Jacob
Grimms' Fairy Tales, originally known as the Children's and Household Tales, is a German collection of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, first published on 20 December 1812. Vol. 1 of the first edition contained 86 stories, which were followed by 70 more tales, numbered consecutively, in the 1st edition, Vol. 2, in 1815. By the seventh edition in 1857, the corpus of tales had expanded to 200 tales and 10 "Children's Legends". It is considered the seminal work of Western children's literature and is listed by UNESCO in its Memory of the World Register.
100,894 wiki views Elementary 6.7h read
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44
The Republic cover

The Republic

Plato
The Republic is a Socratic dialogue authored by Plato around 375 BC, concerning justice, the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man. It is Plato's best-known work, and one of the world's most influential works of philosophy and political theory, both intellectually and historically.
96,096 wiki views Intermediate 14.4h read
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45
The Scarlet Letter cover

The Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne, Nathaniel
The Scarlet Letter: A Romance is a historical novel by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850. Set in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony during the years 1642 to 1649, the novel tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter with a man to whom she is not married and then struggles to lead a new life of repentance and dignity. As punishment, she must wear a scarlet letter 'A'. Containing a number of religious and historic allusions, the book explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.
93,739 wiki views Intermediate 5.6h read
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46
The Yellow Wallpaper cover

The Yellow Wallpaper

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins
"The Yellow Wallpaper" is a short story by American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in January 1891 in The New England Magazine. It is regarded as an important early work of American feminist literature for its illustration of the attitudes towards the mental and physical health of women in the 19th century. It is also lauded as an excellent work of horror fiction.
91,845 wiki views Elementary 0.4h read
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47
Leviathan cover

Leviathan

Hobbes, Thomas
Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil, commonly referred to as Leviathan, is a work of social and political theory by the English empiricist philosopher and political theorist Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), published in 1651. Its name derives from the chaotic Leviathan sea serpent of the Hebrew Bible and other earlier mythologies.
91,151 wiki views Upper Intermediate 14.2h read
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48
A Doll's House : a play cover

A Doll's House : a play

Ibsen, Henrik
A Doll's House is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having been published earlier that month. The play is set in a Norwegian town c. 1879.
90,603 wiki views Elementary 1.8h read
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49
The Hound of the Baskervilles cover

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Doyle, Arthur Conan
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely in Dartmoor, Devon, in England's West Country and follows Holmes and Watson investigating the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin. This was the first appearance of Holmes since his apparent death in "The Final Problem", and the success of The Hound of the Baskervilles led to the character's eventual revival.
85,714 wiki views Elementary 4.0h read
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50
Bleak House cover

Bleak House

Dickens, Charles
Bleak House is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between 12 March 1852 and 12 September 1853. The novel has many characters and several subplots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and partly by an omniscient narrator. At the centre of Bleak House is a long-running legal case in the Court of Chancery, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, which comes about because a testator has written several conflicting wills. In a preface to the 1853 first edition, Dickens said there were many actual precedents for his fictional case. One such was probably Thellusson v Woodford, in which a will read in 1797 was contested and not determined until 1859. Though many in the legal profession criticised Dickens's satire as exaggerated, Bleak House helped support a judicial reform movement that culminated in the enactment of legal reform in the 1870s.
81,292 wiki views Elementary 23.6h read
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51
A Modest Proposal: For preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick cover

A Modest Proposal: For preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick

Swift, Jonathan
A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick, commonly referred to simply as A Modest Proposal, is a 1729 Juvenalian satirical essay by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift. The essay suggests that poor people in Ireland could ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food to the elite. In English writing, the phrase "a modest proposal" is now conventionally an allusion to this style of deadpan satire.
76,705 wiki views Upper Intermediate 0.2h read
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52
The Turn of the Screw cover

The Turn of the Screw

James, Henry
The Turn of the Screw is an 1898 gothic horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in Collier's Weekly from January 27 to April 16, 1898. On October 7, 1898, it was collected in The Two Magics, published by Macmillan in New York City and Heinemann in London. The novella follows a governess who, caring for two children at a remote country house, becomes convinced that they are haunted.
74,963 wiki views Elementary 2.8h read
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53
Peter Pan : $b [Peter and Wendy] cover

Peter Pan : $b [Peter and Wendy]

Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew)
Peter Pan commonly refers to:Peter Pan (character), a fictional boy who refuses to grow up, created by Scottish author J. M. Barrie Peter Pan (1904), the play that first popularised the character
73,782 wiki views Elementary 3.1h read
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54
A Study in Scarlet cover

A Study in Scarlet

Doyle, Arthur Conan
A Study in Scarlet is an 1887 detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would go on to become one of the most well-known detective duos in literature.
71,162 wiki views Elementary 2.9h read
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55
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow cover

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Irving, Washington
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is an 1820 short story by American author Washington Irving contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories titled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Irving wrote the story while living in Birmingham, England.
68,113 wiki views Intermediate 0.8h read
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56
Dubliners cover

Dubliners

Joyce, James
Dubliners is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, written from 1904 to 1907. First published in 1914, Dubliners presents a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle-class life in and around Dublin in the early twentieth century.
49,667 wiki views Elementary 4.5h read
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57
Beyond Good and Evil cover

Beyond Good and Evil

Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm
Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future is a book by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche that covers ideas in his previous work Thus Spoke Zarathustra but with a more polemical approach. It was first published in 1886 under the publishing house C. G. Naumann of Leipzig at the author's own expense and first translated into English by Helen Zimmern, who was two years younger than Nietzsche and knew the author.
42,539 wiki views Upper Intermediate 4.2h read
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58
A Room with a View cover

A Room with a View

Forster, E. M. (Edward Morgan)
A Room with a View is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian-era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society at the beginning of the 20th century. Merchant Ivory produced an award-winning film adaptation in 1985.
36,136 wiki views Elementary 4.4h read
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59
Simple Sabotage Field Manual cover

Simple Sabotage Field Manual

United States. Office of Strategic Services
The Simple Sabotage Field Manual is a document written by the Office of Strategic Services in 1944. The manual was declassified by the Central Intelligence Agency in 2008.
33,757 wiki views Intermediate 0.6h read
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60
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes cover

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Doyle, Arthur Conan
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, which had been published in twelve monthly issues of The Strand Magazine from July 1891 to June 1892. The stories are collected in the same sequence, which is not supported by any fictional chronology. The only characters common to all twelve are Holmes and Dr. Watson, and all are related in first-person narrative from Watson's point of view.
31,664 wiki views Elementary 7.0h read
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61
On Liberty cover

On Liberty

Mill, John Stuart
On Liberty is an essay published in 1859 by the English philosopher John Stuart Mill, written with his wife Harriet Taylor Mill. It applied Mill's ethical system of utilitarianism to society and state. Mill suggested standards for the relationship between authority and liberty. He emphasized the importance of individuality, which he considered a prerequisite to the higher pleasures—the summum bonum of utilitarianism. Furthermore, Mill asserted that democratic ideals may result in the tyranny of the majority. Among the standards proposed are Mill's three basic liberties of individuals, his three legitimate objections to government intervention, and his two maxims regarding the relationship of the individual to society.
23,173 wiki views Upper Intermediate 3.5h read
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62
The Souls of Black Folk cover

The Souls of Black Folk

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt)
The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches is a 1903 work of American literature by W. E. B. Du Bois. It is a seminal work in the history of sociology and a cornerstone of African-American literature.
23,160 wiki views Intermediate 4.6h read
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63
How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York cover

How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York

Riis, Jacob A. (Jacob August)
How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York (1890) is an early publication of photojournalism by Jacob Riis, documenting squalid living conditions in New York City slums in the 1880s. The photographs served as a basis for future "muckraking" journalism by exposing the slums to New York City's upper and middle classes. They inspired many reforms of working-class housing, both immediately after publication as well as making a lasting impact in today's society.
17,686 wiki views Intermediate 5.5h read
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64
The Blue Castle: a novel cover

The Blue Castle: a novel

Montgomery, L. M. (Lucy Maud)
The Blue Castle is a 1926 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, best known for her novel Anne of Green Gables (1908).
10,719 wiki views Elementary 4.5h read
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65
The Enchanted April cover

The Enchanted April

Von Arnim, Elizabeth
The Enchanted April is a 1922 novel by British-Australian writer Elizabeth von Arnim. The work was inspired by a month-long holiday to the Italian Riviera, and was probably the most widely read of her novels.
8,255 wiki views Elementary 5.2h read
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66
The Odyssey: Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original cover

The Odyssey: Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original

Homer
The Odyssey is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the Iliad, the Odyssey is divided into 24 books. It follows the heroic king of Ithaca, Odysseus, also known by the Latin variant Ulysses, and his homecoming journey after the ten-year long Trojan War. His journey from Troy to Ithaca lasts an additional ten years, during which time he encounters many perils and all of his crewmates are killed. In Odysseus's long absence, he is presumed dead, leaving his wife Penelope and son Telemachus to contend with a group of unruly suitors competing for Penelope's hand in marriage.
6,880 wiki views Intermediate 8.6h read
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67
McTeague: A Story of San Francisco cover

McTeague: A Story of San Francisco

Norris, Frank
McTeague: A Story of San Francisco, otherwise known as simply McTeague, is a novel by Frank Norris, first published in 1899. It tells the story of a couple's courtship and marriage, and their subsequent descent into poverty and violence as the result of jealousy and greed. The book was the basis for the films McTeague (1916) and Erich von Stroheim's Greed (1924). It was also adapted as an opera by William Bolcom in 1992.
6,364 wiki views Elementary 7.5h read
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68
The Romance of Lust: A classic Victorian erotic novel cover

The Romance of Lust: A classic Victorian erotic novel

Anonymous
The Romance of Lust, or Early Experiences is a Victorian erotic novel written anonymously in four volumes during the years 1873–1876 and published by William Lazenby. Henry Spencer Ashbee discusses this novel in one of his bibliographies of erotic literature. In addition the compilers of British Museum General Catalogue of Printed Books list this book.
5,756 wiki views Intermediate 12.6h read
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69
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave cover

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Douglass, Frederick
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave is an 1845 memoir and treatise on abolition written by African-American orator and former slave Frederick Douglass during his time in Lynn, Massachusetts. It is the first of Douglass's three autobiographies, the others being My Bondage and My Freedom (1855) and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.
5,664 wiki views Intermediate 2.7h read
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70
The Ballad of the White Horse cover

The Ballad of the White Horse

Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)
The Ballad of the White Horse is a poem by G. K. Chesterton about the idealised exploits of the Saxon King Alfred the Great, published in 1911. Written in ballad form, the work is in the style of a traditional epic poem. The poem narrates how Alfred was able to defeat the invading Danes at the Battle of Ethandun with the aid of the Virgin Mary.
3,830 wiki views Elementary 1.2h read
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71
Calculus Made Easy: Being a very-simplest introduction to those beautiful methods which are generally called by the terrifying names of the Differential Calculus and the Integral Calculus cover

Calculus Made Easy: Being a very-simplest introduction to those beautiful methods which are generally called by the terrifying names of the Differential Calculus and the Integral Calculus

Thompson, Silvanus P. (Silvanus Phillips)
Calculus Made Easy is a book on infinitesimal calculus originally published in 1910 by Silvanus P. Thompson. The original text continues to be available as of 2008 from Macmillan and Co., but a 1998 update by Martin Gardner is available from St. Martin's Press which provides an introduction; three preliminary chapters explaining functions, limits, and derivatives; an appendix of recreational calculus problems; and notes for modern readers. Gardner changes "fifth form boys" to the more American sounding "high school students," updates many now obsolescent mathematical notations or terms, and uses American decimal dollars and cents in currency examples.
3,823 wiki views
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72
The Adventures of Roderick Random cover

The Adventures of Roderick Random

Smollett, T. (Tobias)
The Adventures of Roderick Random (1748) is a picaresque novel by Scottish author Tobias Smollett, notable for its episodic structure, satirical tone, and realistic portrayal of eighteenth-century British society. It is partially based on Smollett's experience as a naval-surgeon's mate in the Royal Navy, especially during the Battle of Cartagena de Indias in 1741. In the preface, Smollett acknowledges the connections of his novel to the two satirical picaresque works he translated into English: Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote (1605–15) and Alain-René Lesage's Gil Blas (1715–47)
3,556 wiki views Intermediate 12.7h read
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73
The Expedition of Humphry Clinker cover

The Expedition of Humphry Clinker

Smollett, T. (Tobias)
The Expedition of Humphry Clinker was the last of the picaresque novels of Tobias Smollett, published in London on 17 June 1771, and is considered by many to be his best and funniest work. It is an epistolary novel, presented in the form of letters written by six characters: Matthew Bramble, a Welsh Squire; his sister Tabitha; their niece Lydia and nephew Jeremy Melford; Tabitha's maid Winifred Jenkins; and Lydia's suitor Wilson.
3,399 wiki views Upper Intermediate 9.9h read
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74
Cranford cover

Cranford

Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn
Cranford may refer to:Cranford (novel), an 1853 novel by Elizabeth Gaskell Cranford , a 1972 BBC adaptation of the novel Cranford , a 2007 BBC adaptation of the novel and other works by Elizabeth Gaskell Return to Cranford, a 2009 two-part second season Christmas special of the 2007 TV series
1,028 wiki views Intermediate 4.7h read
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75
Second Treatise of Government cover

Second Treatise of Government

Locke, John
Two Treatises of Government is English philosopher John Locke's principal work of political philosophy. It was published anonymously in 1689, after the Glorious Revolution, but likely drafted 1680-81 during the Exclusion Crisis (1679-81). The First Treatise attacks patriarchalism in the form of sentence-by-sentence refutation of the late Robert Filmer's Patriarcha, which argues for a divinely ordained, hereditary, absolute monarchy, ideas which remained current with living defenders. The Second Treatise outlines Locke's ideas for a more civilized society based on natural rights and contract theory, with government requiring the consent of the governed, and, under limited circumstances, the right to overthrow the ruler. "There can be no doubt that the Second Treatise was, in its time and place, a revolutionary work." The book is a key foundational text in the theory of liberalism.
837 wiki views Advanced 3.8h read
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76
Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None cover

Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None

Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm
Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None, also translated as Thus Spake Zarathustra, is a work of philosophical fiction written by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and published in four volumes between 1883 and 1885. The protagonist is nominally the historical Zarathustra, more commonly called Zoroaster in the West.
219 wiki views Elementary 7.4h read
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77
The Enchiridion cover

The Enchiridion

Epictetus
"The Enchiridion!" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American animated television series Adventure Time. The episode was outlined, written, and storyboarded by Patrick McHale, Adam Muto, and Pendleton Ward. It originally aired on Cartoon Network on April 19, 2010. The episode guest stars Henry Rollins, John Moschitta Jr., and Mark Hamill.
181 wiki views Intermediate 0.7h read
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78
The Confessions of St. Augustine cover

The Confessions of St. Augustine

Augustine, of Hippo, Saint
Confessions is an autobiographical work by Augustine of Hippo, consisting of 13 books written in Latin between AD 397 and 400. The work outlines Augustine's sinful youth and his conversion to Christianity. Modern English translations are sometimes published under the title The Confessions of Saint Augustine in order to distinguish it from other books with similar titles. Its original title was Confessions in Thirteen Books; it was composed to be read out loud, with each book being a complete unit.
91 wiki views Intermediate 7.5h read
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79
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By Himself cover

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By Himself

Equiano, Olaudah
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, first published in 1789 in London, is the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, an African from what is now Nigeria who was enslaved in childhood and eventually bought his freedom and became an abolitionist in the United Kingdom.
85 wiki views Intermediate 5.5h read
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80
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare cover

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Shakespeare, William
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare is the standard name given to any volume containing all the plays and poems of William Shakespeare. Some editions include several works that were not completely of Shakespeare's authorship, such as The Two Noble Kinsmen, which was a collaboration with John Fletcher; Pericles, Prince of Tyre, the first two acts of which are likely to have been written by George Wilkins; or Edward III, whose authorship is disputed.
82 wiki views Elementary 64.2h read
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81
The Reign of Greed cover

The Reign of Greed

Rizal, José
El Filibusterismo, also known by its alternative English title The Reign of Greed, is the second novel written by Philippine national hero José Rizal. It is the sequel to Noli Me Tángere and, like the first book, was written in Spanish. It was first published in 1891 in Ghent.
16 wiki views Intermediate 7.7h read
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82
Twenty years after cover

Twenty years after

Dumas, Alexandre
41,864 downloads Elementary 16.1h read
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83
My Life — Volume 1 cover

My Life — Volume 1

Wagner, Richard
41,829 downloads Upper Intermediate 14.6h read
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84
The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Complete cover

The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Complete

Smollett, T. (Tobias)
41,089 downloads Upper Intermediate 10.8h read
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85
History of Tom Jones, a Foundling cover

History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

Fielding, Henry
40,054 downloads Upper Intermediate 23.4h read
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86
Embers, Complete cover

Embers, Complete

Parker, Gilbert
27,154 downloads Elementary 1.4h read
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87
White nights, and other stories cover

White nights, and other stories

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor
26,663 downloads Elementary 7.9h read
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88
Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience cover

Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience

Thoreau, Henry David
25,825 downloads Intermediate 7.7h read
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89
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Complete cover

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Complete

Twain, Mark
25,140 downloads Elementary 4.7h read
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90
Moby Multiple Language Lists of Common Words cover

Moby Multiple Language Lists of Common Words

Ward, Grady
24,429 downloads Intermediate
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91
Oedipus King of Thebes: Translated into English Rhyming Verse with Explanatory Notes cover

Oedipus King of Thebes: Translated into English Rhyming Verse with Explanatory Notes

Sophocles
22,258 downloads Elementary 1.2h read
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92
The City of God, Volume I cover

The City of God, Volume I

Augustine, of Hippo, Saint
19,950 downloads Advanced 15.4h read
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94
The divine comedy cover

The divine comedy

Dante Alighieri
19,397 downloads Elementary 7.2h read
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95
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 cover

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2

Poe, Edgar Allan
19,277 downloads Intermediate 6.3h read
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96
Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World cover

Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World

Swift, Jonathan
18,511 downloads Intermediate 7.0h read
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97
Paul Clifford — Complete cover

Paul Clifford — Complete

Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
18,097 downloads Intermediate 12.0h read
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98
Modern ships of war cover

Modern ships of war

Reed, Edward J. (Edward James), Sir
17,979 downloads Advanced 7.3h read
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99
The King James Version of the Bible cover

The King James Version of the Bible

Unknown
14,069 downloads Elementary 54.8h read
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100
The murder of Roger Ackroyd cover

The murder of Roger Ackroyd

Christie, Agatha
13,648 downloads Elementary 4.7h read
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