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.
8751. Catherine Z. Elgin
American philosopher known for work in epistemology and the philosophy of education, especially on understanding, reflective inquiry, and the role of exemplars in learning.
8752. R.B. Russell
British author, editor, publisher, and filmmaker known for work in weird and supernatural fiction; co-founder of the small press Tartarus Press.
8753. R.B. Russell
British author, editor and publisher; co-founder of Tartarus Press, known for writing, editing and publishing works of supernatural, weird and horror fiction.
8754. John Pilger
Australian journalist, author and documentary filmmaker known for investigative reporting and outspoken critiques of Western foreign policy and the mainstream media; notable for documentaries and books on Cambodia, East Timor and other international injustices.
8755. Ernst Cassirer
German-Jewish philosopher and intellectual historian, leading Neo-Kantian known for his philosophy of symbolic forms and major works such as The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms and An Essay on Man; contributed to epistemology, cultural philosophy, and the history of ideas.
8756. John Maizels
British writer, editor and publisher; founder and long-time editor of Raw Vision, an international magazine dedicated to outsider art and self-taught artists.
8757. Stephen Budiansky
American author, historian, and journalist known for books and articles on military history, intelligence, and animal behavior.
8758. Arthur Herman
American historian and author of popular histories on Western civilization, science, and technology; author of books including How the Scots Invented the Modern World, The Cave and the Light, and Freedom's Forge.
8759. Therese Walsh
Therese Walsh is an author known for her novels, including 'The Last Will of Moira Leahy' and 'The Moon Sisters'. She is also a co-founder of the popular writer's website Writer Unboxed.
8760. Edith Hamilton
American educator and classical scholar best known for popular books on ancient Greece and Rome, including The Greek Way, The Roman Way, and Mythology.
8761. Thomas de Waal
British journalist and writer who specialises in the Caucasus and ethnic/conflict studies; author of works including 'Black Garden' on Armenia and Azerbaijan.
8762. Craig Volk
8763. Forrest Stuart
American sociologist known for ethnographic research on policing and urban poverty; author of the book 'Down, Out, and Under Arrest'.
8764. David Rohde
American journalist and author who has reported for national outlets on international and conflict-related topics.
8765. Lakhdar Boumediene
Petitioner in the U.S. Supreme Court case Boumediene v. Bush (2008); a detainee held at Guantánamo Bay who challenged the suspension of habeas corpus.
8766. Jonathan Kellerman
American clinical psychologist and bestselling novelist, best known for the Alex Delaware series of psychological thrillers.
8767. Elizabeth Peters
Pen name of Barbara Mertz; American Egyptologist and novelist best known for the Amelia Peabody mystery series and other historical mysteries.
8768. Mark Bowman
American sportswriter and reporter for MLB.com, known for covering Major League Baseball, particularly the Atlanta Braves.
8769. Esther Lightcap Meek
American philosopher and author specializing in epistemology and philosophy of religion, known for work on relational knowing and for the book Longing to Know.
8770. Richard C. Lewontin
American evolutionary biologist and geneticist known for foundational work in population genetics and genetic diversity, critiques of strict adaptationism, and for influential books and essays; longtime Harvard professor.
8771. Karl Kerényi
Hungarian classical philologist and mythographer best known for his influential studies of Greek mythology and religion (works on Dionysus, Apollo, Hermes, etc.); associated with Jungian approaches to myth and active in German- and English-language scholarship.
8772. Daniel Defoe
English writer, trader, journalist and pamphleteer, best known as the author of novels such as Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders and A Journal of the Plague Year; an early pioneer of the English novel.
8773. Samuel Todes
American philosopher and phenomenologist best known for work on embodiment and spatiality; author of the posthumously published book "Body and World."
8774. Clive H. Church
8775. John Haugeland
American philosopher known for work in philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and philosophy of language; author of 'Artificial Intelligence: The Very Idea' and 'Having Thought.'
8776. Brian Cantwell Smith
Computer scientist and philosopher known for work on the philosophy of computing, cognition, and information; author of On the Origin of Objects; professor at the University of Toronto.
8777. Christian Grataloup
French historian and geographer specializing in global history, historical geography and the history of representations; author of works on globalization, migrations and world history.
8778. G.M. Davis
8779. John Carey Cremony
American soldier, linguist, and writer, known for his writings on the Apache (notably Life Among the Apaches).
8780. Paul Tough
Canadian-born author and journalist who writes on education, child development and social policy; author of 'How Children Succeed' and other works on education and opportunity.
8781. Tim Brady
Canadian guitarist, composer, and record producer known for work at the intersection of rock and contemporary classical/experimental music; based in Montreal.
8782. Benjamin Hall
Welsh industrialist and politician (1st Baron Llanover) who served as First Commissioner of Works; his name is popularly associated with the nickname 'Big Ben'.
8783. Dick Sundevall
8784. Malin Persson Giolito
Swedish author and former lawyer, best known for the 2016 crime novel Störst av allt (English: Quicksand), which was adapted into a Netflix series.
8785. Robert D. Kaplan
American author and journalist specializing in geopolitics and travel writing, known for books such as Balkan Ghosts and The Revenge of Geography.
8786. Alex Messenger
8787. Patrick Leigh Fermor
British author, travel writer and soldier, best known for his travel books such as 'A Time of Gifts' and 'Between the Woods and the Water', and for his World War II role in the abduction of General Kreipe in Crete.
8788. Alfred I. Tauber
American philosopher and historian of biology and medicine, specializing in philosophy of biology, immunology, and bioethics; author of The Immune Self and other works, and long associated with Boston University.
8789. Charles W. Lowney II
8790. Wolfram von Eschenbach
Medieval German knight and poet, best known for the Middle High German epic Parzival and other works such as Willehalm; active in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.
8791. Don Ihde
American philosopher of technology and phenomenologist, professor emeritus of philosophy at Stony Brook University, known for work on postphenomenology, the philosophy of technology, and the relations between humans and technological artifacts.
8792. Robert Barron
American Catholic bishop, theologian, author and evangelist; founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and producer of the 'Catholicism' documentary series.
8793. Joseph Ratzinger
German Catholic theologian and priest who served as Pope Benedict XVI (2005–2013); former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and influential author of theological works.
8794. Golo Mann
German historian, essayist and public intellectual; son of Thomas Mann, known for works on modern history and literary-political commentary.
8795. Wagner Helfritz NACK
8796. Corey Latta
8797. Vito Dumas
Argentine sailor, journalist and writer, best known for his solo long-distance voyages and travelogues.
8798. F.P. Ramsey
British mathematician, philosopher, and economist known for foundational contributions to probability and decision theory, Ramsey theory, and welfare economics; influential early-20th-century thinker.
8799. Patrick Süßkind
German novelist, playwright and screenwriter, best known for the international bestseller 'Perfume: The Story of a Murderer' (Das Parfum). Known for his reclusive nature and a small body of acclaimed works including the novella 'The Pigeon' and the play 'The Double Bass'.
8800. Fred Burton
American security and counterterrorism expert and author; former Diplomatic Security Service official known for books and commentary on terrorism and intelligence.