The Greatest Authors of All Time
Ever wondered who the greatest authors of all time are? We've analyzed 759 diverse book lists to create this comprehensive ranking of literary masters. Our algorithm considers several key factors to determine each author's position:
- Book Rankings: Each author's score starts with the sum of their books' rankings from our master list.
- Number of Great Books: Authors are rewarded for having multiple highly-ranked books. The more great books an author has, the higher their overall score.
- Age of Books: Older books receive a small bonus to their score, with the maximum bonus going to books over 100 years old.
This system ensures that authors with multiple enduring works are recognized, while still giving weight to the quality of individual books. The rankings are automatically calculated and updated as new lists are added to our database.
8651. Cyprian Ekwensi
Nigerian novelist, short-story writer and children's author known for portrayals of urban life; author of works such as Jagua Nana and People of the City.
8652. Alasdair MacIntyre
Scottish philosopher best known for contributions to moral and political philosophy and the history of philosophy; a leading figure in contemporary virtue ethics and author of After Virtue (1981) and Whose Justice? Which Rationality?
8653. Patricia Glinton-Meicholas
Bahamian writer, poet, historian and educator known for work on Bahamian history, folklore and literature; author of poetry, essays, short fiction and children's books and active in cultural preservation and academic life.
8654. Valdimar Ásmundsson
8655. Alexander Laban Hinton
American anthropologist and genocide scholar, professor at Rutgers University–Newark, known for work on genocide, mass violence, and human rights (author of 'Why Did They Kill?').
8656. Keith J. Hayward
8657. Nthikeng Mohlele
South African novelist and writer of contemporary fiction.
8658. Iris Yamashita
Iris Yamashita is a Japanese-American screenwriter, best known for her work on the film 'Letters from Iwo Jima,' which was directed by Clint Eastwood and earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
8659. Max Boot
American foreign policy analyst, historian, author, and journalist of Russian birth, known for commentary and books on U.S. foreign policy and military history.
8660. Walter Richmond
American historian and author, known for research on the Caucasus region and works on the Circassian Genocide.
8661. Freida McFadden
Contemporary American author known for psychological thrillers and domestic-suspense novels.
8662. Adam Tooze
British historian of twentieth-century economic and international history, professor at Columbia University and author of works including The Wages of Destruction and Crashed.
8663. Alan Ryan
British philosopher and historian of political thought, known for scholarship on liberalism and figures such as John Stuart Mill; author and academic.
8664. Marc C. Johnson
8665. Mariane Pearl
French journalist and author, best known for her memoir 'A Mighty Heart' about the 2002 kidnapping and murder of her husband, journalist Daniel Pearl.
8666. Victoria Law
Writer, journalist, and activist who documents incarceration and prison abolition issues, especially the experiences of incarcerated women.
8667. Philipp Meyer
American novelist, author of American Rust (2009) and The Son (2013).
8668. Michael Tamelander
Swedish author and historian who writes on 20th-century history, notably World War II and extremist movements in Sweden.
8669. Béla Fehér
8670. Greg King
8671. Deborah Hopkinson
American author of children's and young-adult books, known for historical fiction and nonfiction for young readers.
8672. Madeline Miller
American novelist best known for modern retellings of Greek mythology, including The Song of Achilles (2011) and Circe (2018).
8673. Géza Gárdonyi
Hungarian novelist, journalist and teacher, best known for the historical novel 'Eclipse of the Crescent Moon' (Egri csillagok) and other works of fiction and youth literature.
8674. László Szilasi
8675. Kálmán Mikszáth
Hungarian novelist, journalist and politician (1847–1910), noted for realist and satirical portrayals of rural and small-town Hungarian life; major works include Beszterce ostroma (The Siege of Beszterce) and A Noszty fiú esete Tóth Marival.
8676. Gottlob Frege
German philosopher, logician, and mathematician best known as a founder of modern logic and analytic philosophy; notable works include Begriffsschrift (1879), The Foundations of Arithmetic (1884), and Grundgesetze der Arithmetik.
8677. Willard Van Orman Quine
American philosopher and logician, a leading 20th-century analytic philosopher known for contributions to logic, philosophy of language and science, the indeterminacy of translation, and naturalized epistemology (author of 'Two Dogmas of Empiricism').
8678. Jeffery A Bell
8679. Carl Page
American entrepreneur and investor; brother of Google co-founder Larry Page.
8681. Amie L. Thomasson
American philosopher and professor known for work in metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of art; author of the book 'Ontology Made Easy' (2015).
8682. Walter F. Otto
German classical philologist and scholar of ancient Greek religion and mythology, known for influential studies on the nature of the gods in Greek thought.
8683. Herbert A. Simon
American economist, political scientist, cognitive psychologist, and computer scientist; Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences (1978) known for work on bounded rationality, satisficing, decision-making, organizational theory, and contributions to artificial intelligence.
8684. Hasok Chang
Historian and philosopher of science known for work on the history and philosophy of chemistry and measurement; author of Inventing Temperature (2004) and Is Water H2O? (2012).
8685. Jonathan Lear
American philosopher and psychoanalyst known for work on Aristotle, psychoanalysis, and ethics; author of works including Radical Hope.
8686. Дж. К. Роулинг
British author best known for writing the Harry Potter fantasy series (publishing as J. K. Rowling). Also writes crime fiction under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith and is active as a philanthropist and screenwriter.
8687. Dahlia Adler
American author and editor of young adult fiction, known for contemporary novels and advocacy for LGBTQ+ representation in YA literature.
8688. Julie Satow
American journalist and reporter, known for covering real estate for The New York Times.
8689. Stephanie Coontz
American historian and author who writes on the history of the family, marriage, and gender; author of books including The Way We Never Were and Marriage, a History, and a frequent commentator on contemporary family issues.
8690. Ravi Somaiya
Journalist and reporter who has covered media and the entertainment industry for The New York Times.
8691. Mark Harris
8692. Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, best known for her influential career in country music with hits like "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You", and for founding the Dollywood theme park and the Imagination Library literacy charity.
8693. Margaret Cavendish
17th-century English aristocrat, poet, playwright, philosopher and early natural philosopher; author of works including The Blazing World and Observations upon Experimental Philosophy.
8694. Hubert L. Dreyfus
American philosopher known for his work on phenomenology and existentialism, and for influential critiques of artificial intelligence and cognitive science drawing on Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and skill-acquisition studies; author of works including What Computers Can't Do and Being-in-the-World.
8695. Nicholas Rescher
German-born American philosopher and prolific scholar (born 1928). Emeritus professor at the University of Pittsburgh, known for work in epistemology, logic, philosophy of science, metaphysics, and pragmatism; author of numerous books and articles.
8696. Martin Jay
American intellectual historian and emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley, known for his scholarship on the Frankfurt School, critical theory, and modern European intellectual history.
8697. Justin Phillip Reed
American poet and writer, author of the poetry collection Indecency, which won the 2018 National Book Award for Poetry; known for work exploring Blackness and queerness.
8698. David Gentleman
British artist, designer and illustrator known for watercolours, printmaking, book illustrations and prolific postage stamp and poster designs from the mid-20th century onward.
8699. James Lapine
American theatre director, playwright, librettist and screenwriter best known for his collaborations with composer Stephen Sondheim on musicals such as Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods; recipient of multiple Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize.
8700. Christopher Vogler Ken Lee
American story consultant, film development executive, and author best known for popularizing the Hero's Journey for writers through his book The Writer's Journey and his influential studio memo adapting Joseph Campbell's monomyth for screenwriters.