A list of Classics

[Fi Skirata]

Hello all!

I have recently made it my goal to read as many classic books before I go to college in two years. Seeing as some of you seem to be fans of the art of literature, I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for ones I should read. I have read all of the ubber-famous ones (Moby Dick, Invisible Man, Pride& Prejudice and Black Arrow just to name a few) but I am sure that there are less heard of ones that would be good for me to read. If needed I could post a list of all the classics I have already read if that would make a difference in selection processes. Thanks!

[GeneralGrievous13]

:ponder: Hmmm... you may have already read most of these, but here are a few of the classics that I have enjoyed reading over the years:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Around the World in Eighty Days

The Count of Monte Cristo

A Journey to the Center of the Earth

The Last of the Mohicans

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

Mutiny on the Bounty

The Red Badge of Courage

Robinson Crusoe

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

The Three Musketeers

The Time Machine

Treasure Island

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

The War of the Worlds

Additionally, I highly recommend reading The Hobbit and all three books of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you are a crazy Tolkien fan like me, then you may also enjoy reading The Silmarillion.

Since this popped into my mind while thinking about these books, I also highly recommend Bored of the Rings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bored_of_the_Rings), a parody of The Lord of the Rings written by the Harvard Lampoon back in 1969. This book may not officially be a classic, but it is a wonderfully fun read.

[ollie]

i'd be curious to see what your list so far looks like. Here are a few I read and enjoyed as a teenager (or a bit later). There was a great series available in the UK then (and possibly still now) called "pound classics" that ran out-of-copyright books on cheap paper for GBP1.


* Three Men in a Boat, Jerome K. Jerome.
* The Club of Queer Trades, G. K. Chesterton.
* Brave New World, Aldous Huxley.
* Woman in White, Wilkie Collins.
* Emma, Jane Austen (I know you mentioned an Austen already, but this one is my pick---add it if you haven't already).
* 1984, George Orwell.
* The Thought Gang Tibor Fischer (it will be a classic, I'm sure).
* The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde.


Perhaps as important are the ones not to read! Here are some I struggled through (or at least part of the way through) but decided weren't worth the effort. Of course, better minds than mine will disagree. :)


* The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald.
* Anything by Virginia Woolf.
* Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad.
* Turn of the Screw, Henry James.
* Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien. :p


There are others too I'm sure that I've managed to blank.

[Onacara]

Adding to the list....

Frankenstein:The Modern Prometheus
The Odyssey
Dante's Inferno
Slaughterhouse Five
A Clockwork Orange

[screwDriver]

In addition to GeneralGrievous13's suggestion of The 3 Musketeers, I'd follow it up with Man In The Iron Mask. Both by Alexander Dumas.

Also an addition to Onacara's suggestion of The Odyssey, I'd suggest read the Trojan war, Iliad, first. Both are by Homer.

Others...

Prisoner of Zenda - Anthony Hope
Call of the Wild / Wild Fang - Jack London
Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and John Carter series
Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Luo Guanzhong (this is a Chinese literature which is particularly a favorite subject of a number of video/computer games and Chinese movies, you can find a number of translation of this.)
Edgar Allan Poe's poems and short stories.
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
For Whom The Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway
Dracula - Bram Stoker

Some readings that I think the current generation should read...
Fairy Tales collections - Hans Christian Anderson or the Grimm Brothers (don't rely on Disney)
Aesop's Fables

And finally... The Bible. Whether you believe in God or not, whether you care about religion or not. This book still have stories and teachings that are relevant to everyone. And it's probably the oldest classic of all.

[Fi Skirata]

I'd be curious to see what your list so far looks like.
Here you go:

The Three Musketeers (translated directly from french)
Prisoner of Zenda
Tom Sawyer
Huckleberry Finn
Old Man and the Sea
Call of the Wild
White Fang
Moby Dick
Secret Garden
Merchant of Venice
A Midnight Summers Dream
Sea Wolf
Pride & Prejudice
Black Arrow
The Time Machine
The Island of Dr. Moreu
The Invisible Man
War of the Worlds
First Men in the Moon
Aesops Fables (Most of them anyway ;))
Frankenstein
Brave New World
Of Mice and Men
Heart of Darkness
The Bible
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
The Mysterious Island
Treasure Island
To Kill A Mockingbird
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
A Journey to the Center of the Earth
A Christmas Carol
Lord of the Flies
Great Expectations
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Around the World in Eighty Days

I am not sure if the following count as classics, so I will include them:
Most of Isaac Asimov's books
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Hobbit
Fahrenheit 451

Read after starting this thread:
The Prince and the Pauper



Thanks to those who have so far made suggestions. I do have one question about one of the books listed. I have looked into Dracula before and have heard it is a romance novel (one that might have inappropriate content in it for my age) could someone tell me if this is true or not. Because if it is not then I would love to read that one.

[Scapemage]

How can you forget To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

[Fi Skirata]

How can you forget To Kill A Mockingbord by Harper Lee.

:duh: I forgot to have added that to my list of read books, that and Lord of the Flies...

[Onacara]

What I am finding slightly disturbing about this is that you are two years away from college and have not read some of these books already as part of your school curriculum?

[ollie]

Thanks to those who have so far made suggestions. I do have one question about one of the books listed. I have looked into Dracula before and have heard it is a romance novel (one that might have inappropriate content in it for my age) could someone tell me if this is true or not. Because if it is not then I would love to read that one.

Judging from your original post, you're about 16. To my mind, that's plenty old enough that you'll be strong-willed enough to deal with any "inappropriate content" in Dracula or pretty much any other book. The bible, to take an example from your list, is much racier.

If you're really getting stuck into the issues when reading these books (and if you're not, why bother reading them?) then "romance" is going to a long way down the list of items that you should be worrying about corrupting/inspiring you.

[Scapemage]

How can you forget To Kill A Mockingbord by Harper Lee.

:duh: I forgot to have added that to my list of read books, that and Lord of the Flies...
I'm surprised you haven't read this yet. My English class just finished it on Friday, and I'm a freshman.

[Arch-vile]

1984 and Animal Farm, both by George Orwell, are incredible reads. They tell a chilling story that is all to real. I enjoyed The Crucible by Arthur Miller (be warned- it's a play) and both The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer are fantastic.

Once I got past the Shakespearean language, I thought MacBeth was interesting. It is a really short Shakespeare play with a unique protagonist for Shakespeare's writing.


What I am finding slightly disturbing about this is that you are two years away from college and have not read some of these books already as part of your school curriculum?
I'm a high school senior and I have only read a few of these books in school, as "required reading". Most classics I've read on my own. It's really sad how anti-literature schools have become. Just last week I was talking to my old English teacher, who said that next year's kids won't be reading To Kill a Mockingbird until Freshman year now.

EDIT- wait, is the list what you have read or haven't?

[Fi Skirata]

wait, is the list what you have read or haven't?
It is what I have read

Judging from your original post, you're about 16.
Actually, I am fourteen almost fifteen ;).

Edit:
I'm surprised you haven't read this yet. My English class just finished it on Friday, and I'm a freshman.

I have read it (as I stated in a previous post), I just forgot to list it (it was about two years ago in the Eighth Grade) as well as the Merchant of Venice and Lord of the Flies (three years ago).

[GeneralGrievous13]

Lots of great suggestions so far! Here's a couple more classics that you may enjoy:

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

The Prince and the Pauper

Don Quixote

Gulliver's Travels

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Rip Van Winkle

Oliver Twist

Silas Marner

The Wind in the Willows

[Fi Skirata]

Also, to let you all know, I am slotted to read Hamlet this year in school. With MacBeth and a few other of Shakespeare's works next year in British lit.

[Son of Arathorn]

Catcher in the Rye,

Killer Angels,

to name a couple.

[Agent Minivann]

I've been jonesing to read for a while, but time (and reading speed) make it a little difficult. I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks at work ( about 5-6 hours that I can listen to my mp3 player) and I've discovered a nice resource. booksshouldbefree.com is a source for free audiobooks. All the titles are in the public domain. Reader quality isn't always great, but it is reasonable. There is also http://www.gutenberg.org/ is basically the same thing for ebooks in all kinds of formats.

[screwDriver]

This one's not a real classic novel in some sense but it was nominated as one of the top 100 books by Time Magazine. The Watchmen... the graphic novel by Alan Moore.

A few more suggestions of short readings...

Siddharta - Hermann Hesse
Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach
The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Mythologies (Greek, Norse, Romans, or if you can find Chinese or Japanese too)

[Fi Skirata]

I just finished Sea Wolf for school and I am starting on Don Quixote, by suggestion of GeneralGrievous13 .

[lefton4ya]

Just go to Project Gutenberg and look at the top downloads (http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/scores/top#books-last30) to see what the most popular public domain books available for free download. Just ignore the first book on the list, but work your way down. I am reading some Jane Austin books right now as well as LOTR (never read before).

[Arch-vile]

I just finished Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and really enjoyed it. It surprisingly read really fast and the persepective from the monster's view is brilliant writing.

Edit- already read it I see

[Rich10]

Just go to Project Gutenberg and look at the top downloads (http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/scores/top#books-last30) to see what the most popular public domain books available for free download. Just ignore the first book on the list, but work your way down. I am reading some Jane Austin books right now as well as LOTR (never read before).The Kama Sutra is the top download and might not be appropriate for a 14 year old. ;) Still, it did help me to remember some of my favorite classics.

You've read many of the books I would have suggested. A few other great choices would be:
A Tale of Two Cities
The Prince (also see The Art of War and The Book of the Five Rings)
Gulliver's Travels (also read A Modest Proposal)
Walden Two (possibly a positive version of Brave New World)
The Crucible (it may be a play, but I thought it was great)
Slaughterhouse Five (it might not be a classic yet, but it will be)
Siddharta
A Confederacy of Dunces (definitely not a classic, but it should be one day)

[Fi Skirata]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I just finished The Prince and the Pauper (for school) and am halfway through Don Quixote (it is surprisingly long).

[Tornado]

Anything (or better yet everything) by Robert E. Howard.
The greatest story teller to ever spin a yarn.
The father of sword & sorcery but he wrote tales for many genres including westerns, historical, boxing, Oriental, and even Cthullu (he was friends with H.P. Lovecraft).
Amazing writer able to deliver gripping descriptions with few words. He was also a great poet.

[ParaGoomba Slayer]

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo.

[braveheart101]

Here are my suggestions:

The Brothers Karamzov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It's long and dense, but ultimately worth it.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Many people recommend 1984 , but I find BNW to be much more applicable to the course of modern society.

The Great Gatsby, by F.Scott Fitzgerald. This is possibly my favorite book-it is beautiful, nostalgic and full of amazing insights into life.

For Whom the Bell Tolls/The Old Man and the Sea/A Farewell to Arms, all by Ernest Hemingway. These are all breathtaking works of literature, and Hemingway's clipped, masculine prose only makes them better.

The Grapes of Wrath/The Red Pony, both by Steinbeck. These are both very sad and poignant books, and are well worth reading.

To the Lighthouse, by Virgina Woolf. This is the most accessible introduction to modernist, stream-of-consciousness literature ever written. Plus, it is very moving.

Dubliners, by James Joyce. This is a collection of 15 hort stories; the final story, The Dead, is magnificent.

These are just a sampling of the books I consider worth reading. There are many more that I could name, but the above is a good starting point.

Have fun!

~Bravey

[MegaSilver]

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Many people recommend 1984 , but I find BNW to be much more applicable to the course of modern society.

Or, you could just read both like I did. ;)

[braveheart101]

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Many people recommend 1984 , but I find BNW to be much more applicable to the course of modern society.

Or, you could just read both like I did. ;)

I read both. I liked both, but I consider BNW the best of the two.

~Bravey

[ParaGoomba Slayer]

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Many people recommend 1984 , but I find BNW to be much more applicable to the course of modern society.

Or, you could just read both like I did. ;)

I read both. I liked both, but I consider BNW the best of the two.

~Bravey

I didn't care for any of the characters in Brave New World like I did for Winston and Julia.

[braveheart101]

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Many people recommend 1984 , but I find BNW to be much more applicable to the course of modern society.

Or, you could just read both like I did. ;)

I read both. I liked both, but I consider BNW the best of the two.

~Bravey

I didn't care for any of the characters in Brave New World like I did for Winston and Julia.

Oh, that's very true. Orwell manages to really let you get attached to the characters, whereas you can only pity or despise the characters in BNW. Still, I prefer it simply because Huxely did such a magnificent job of painting a frighteningly real picture of the future. Until the Soviet Union fell, 1984 held that place, but I really think the future from BNW is the most apposite to modern times.

~Bravey

[EternalThanos86]

How about:

The Twilight series
The Hunger Games
50 Shades of Grey
and my personal favorite, Justin Bieber: The Unauthorized Biography

[braveheart101]

How about:

The Twilight series
The Hunger Games
50 Shades of Grey
and my personal favorite, Justin Bieber: The Unauthorized Biography

:lol: Awesome!

~Bravey

[Garenex]

A few books I recommend, which I believe have not yet been suggested...

Les Miserable This is quite lengthy, as I've heard it's the longest stand-alone piece of literature ever written [could be wrong though.] It took me a fair amount of time to get read, and parts of it were pretty dry and didn't seem to have a lot to with the storyline itself, but I definitely think it's worth the read.

Chronicles of Narnia (One should not go through life without having read these).

Ivanhoe

The Iliad

Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women. This book by a George Macdonald is a curious work, about a man who ends up in fairy land. This was a major inspiration to CS Lewis. So if you enjoy his works (and I recommend all of them) this is a must.

[KnobleSavage]

Tarzan of the Apes

[Strange_Love]

My favorite author is Jane Austin. So any of her books make the top list of classics for me. My all time favorite being Pride and Prejudice.

I also enjoy the sequels to the classics. (most recently read Darcy's Temptation) Often they are written by other authors but take up where the story left off. Some of them do not keep with the style but others are great. This also means I enjoyed Jo's Boys and Little Men which were sequels to Little Women. But both Little Men and Jo's Boys were written by Louisa May Alcott the original author of Little Women.


Also A Wrinkle in Time is a great read. I read it when I was in 5th grade. It is a sci-fi book everyone should read.

Robinson Crusoe is also a great one.And of course The Adventures of Huck Fin and Tom Sawyer....Looking at my bookshelf I could go on and on. :)