Books that Shaped the Century

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  • Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela

    The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
    Cover of 'Long Walk To Freedom' by Nelson Mandela

    "Long Walk to Freedom" is a powerful autobiography that chronicles the extraordinary life of Nelson Mandela. From his humble beginnings in a rural village to becoming the first black president of South Africa, Mandela's journey is one of resilience, determination, and unwavering commitment to justice and equality. Through his personal experiences, he provides a vivid account of the struggle against apartheid, his 27 years of imprisonment, and the eventual triumph of democracy. This book serves as an inspiring testament to Mandela's unwavering spirit and his lifelong fight for freedom and human rights.

    The 2267th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org or Amazon
About this list

LOGOS 20th Century Books Project, 101 Books

The "Books that Shaped the Century" collection features 100 pivotal books from the twentieth century, selected by a panel from LOGOS, the international book publishing journal. This panel, consisting of publishers, librarians, and booksellers, identified books that profoundly influenced societal thoughts and actions, thereby shaping historical progress. The selection was made from 500 titles recommended by various prestigious sources, including The New York Times Book Review and Waterstones bookshops. The collection includes a diverse range of works, from children's books and plays to significant texts in social sciences, science, and humanities, covering topics such as psychology, politics, medicine, and feminism. This influential collection has been exhibited across Europe and the UK and is now permanently located at the Oxford Brookes University Library.

finding voting details on this is difficult
The final selection was made not by a public vote but by roughly thirty publishing professionals—publishers, senior librarians, and leading booksellers—who sat on the International Advisory Board of LOGOS: The Journal of the World Book Community. Their brief was to distil the 500 most-frequently cited ‘books of the century’ (as nominated by outlets such as The New York Times Book Review and Waterstones) down to the 100 that, in their judgment, most powerfully shaped twentieth-century thought and history.

This list was originally published in 2020 and was added to this site almost 2 years ago.

How Good is this List?

This list has a weight of 40%. To learn more about what this means please visit the Rankings page.

Here is a list of what is decreasing the importance of this list:

  • List: criteria is not just "best/favorite"
  • List: only covers mostly "Western Canon" books
  • List: only covers 100 years
  • Voters: Unknown Names

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List Information

Number of Voters:
30
Voter Count Unknown:
No
Voter Names Unknown:
Yes
High Quality Source:
No
Location Specific:
No
Category Specific:
No