Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell
Set in a dystopian future, the novel presents a society under the total control of a totalitarian regime, led by the omnipresent Big Brother. The protagonist, a low-ranking member of 'the Party', begins to question the regime and falls in love with a woman, an act of rebellion in a world where independent thought, dissent, and love are prohibited. The novel explores themes of surveillance, censorship, and the manipulation of truth.
The 4th greatest book of all time
Ranking Details:
Our ranking system awards points to books based on their appearance and position on curated lists. Here's how it works:
Unranked Lists: For lists without specific rankings, each book receives points equivalent to the list's weight. This approach recognizes the book's inclusion on prestigious lists.
Ranked Lists: Books on ranked lists receive points in two ways:
- Base Points: Initially, every book is awarded points equal to the list's weight, acknowledging its significance.
- Bonus Points: Additionally, books earn bonus points based on their ranking. The total bonus pool, equal to 100% of the list's weight, is distributed among the books, with higher-ranked books receiving more points.
Exponential Distribution: The distribution of bonus points follows an exponential model. This means the top-ranked book (#1) receives significantly more bonus points than those further down the list (e.g., #100). Our algorithm ensures that higher placements are rewarded more generously, reflecting the achievement of a top rank on any given list.
This scoring system ensures that each book's ranking reflects both its presence on multiple lists and its positions within those lists, providing a comprehensive measure of its acclaim and popularity.
List Date Penalty Feature
In our continuous effort to provide the most accurate and fair rankings, we have introduced a new feature: the List Date Penalty. This feature aims to reduce recency bias in our rankings by applying a penalty to books based on their publication dates relative to the list's publication date.
How It Works
- Publication Date Comparison: For each book on a list, we compare its publication date to the publication date of the list.
-
Penalty Application:
- Maximum Penalty: If a book was published in the same year as the list, it receives the maximum penalty, as we believe it hasn't had enough time to stand the test of time.
- Proportional Penalty: Books that were published in the years leading up to the list's publication date receive a proportional penalty based on the number of years they have been available.
- No Penalty: Books that were published more than a specified number of years (max age for penalty) before the list's publication date do not receive any penalty, acknowledging their enduring relevance and influence.
Why This Matters
By mitigating recency bias, the List Date Penalty feature helps to ensure that books that have had more time to be evaluated by readers and critics are given their due weight. This results in a more equitable and historically balanced ranking that truly reflects the greatest books of all time.
Total Points: 8239
This book was first published in 1949
82 Lists
- score: 215 -- "Our Readable Century", The Best Books of the 20th Century - 2000 (Weight: 176)
- score: 206 -- The 50 best books of the past 100 years - 2022 (Weight: 192)
- score: 200 -- Top 100 Works in World Literature - 2002 (Weight: 200)
- score: 192 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 192)
- score: 172 -- 30 Books Every Adult Should Read Before They Die - 2006 (Weight: 152)
- score: 170 -- The Greatest 20th Century Novels - 1997 (Weight: 176)
- score: 158 -- The 100 Greatest British Novels - 2015 (Weight: 152)
- score: 157 -- The Greatest Books of All Time - 2022 (Weight: 152)
- score: 157 -- The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century - 1999 (Weight: 152)
- score: 152 -- 100 Novels That Shaped Our World - 2019 (Weight: 152)
- score: 152 -- Books of the Century - 1999 (Weight: 152)
- score: 152 -- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life - 2019 (Weight: 152)
- score: 152 -- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature - 2021 (Weight: 152)
- score: 145 -- What’s the Best Book of the Past 125 Years? We Asked Readers to Decide. - 2021 (Weight: 112)
- score: 144 -- Daily Telegraph's 100 Books of the Century, 1900-1999 - 1999 (Weight: 144)
- score: 144 -- The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years - 2005 (Weight: 144)
- score: 137 -- 100 Books of Classical and Modern Foreign Literature - 2013 (Weight: 136)
- score: 137 -- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century - 1996 (Weight: 144)
- score: 128 -- Big Read (Bulgarian) - 2009 (Weight: 124)
- score: 128 -- The New Lifetime Reading Plan - 1999 (Weight: 128)
- score: 127 -- The Hundred Most Influential Books Since The War (WW2) - 1995 (Weight: 136)
- score: 125 -- Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century - 1999 (Weight: 120)
- score: 125 -- 50 Classics You Must Read Before You Die - 2024 (Weight: 120)
- score: 120 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime - 2014 (Weight: 120)
- score: 120 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime - 2014 (Weight: 120)
- score: 120 -- 100 Books, 100 Companions - 2023 (Weight: 120)
- score: 120 -- Twenty Books that Changed the World - 2015 (Weight: 120)
- score: 118 -- Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century - 1999 (Weight: 115)
- score: 116 -- The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels - 1999 (Weight: 112)
- score: 115 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels - 1998 (Weight: 112)
- score: 112 -- 100 Most Influential Books of the Century - 2000 (Weight: 112)
- score: 112 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 112)
- score: 110 -- 100 Essential Books - 2009 (Weight: 108)
- score: 108 -- The Great American Read - 2018 (Weight: 108)
- score: 104 -- Big Read (Hungarian) - 2005 (Weight: 100)
- score: 104 -- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels - 2005 (Weight: 104)
- score: 100 -- My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read - 2004 (Weight: 96)
- score: 98 -- The Big Read - 2003 (Weight: 96)
- score: 97 -- 50 Books to Read Before You Die - 2012 (Weight: 92)
- score: 97 -- Best Books Listed for High School Students - 1984 (Weight: 128)
- score: 96 -- Big Read (German) - 2004 (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- Select 100 - 2015 (Weight: 96)
- score: 94 -- 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction - 1999 (Weight: 92)
- score: 92 -- Kanon na koniec wieku (Canon at the end of the century) - 2002 (Weight: 88)
- score: 89 -- Waterstone's Books of the Century - 1997 (Weight: 88)
- score: 88 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users - 2008 (Weight: 88)
- score: 88 -- 50 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That Everyone Should Read - 2013 (Weight: 88)
- score: 84 -- The Graphic Canon - 2012 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- A Century of Reading - 2018 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- The Best Classics - 2006 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library - 2008 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- 50 Books to (Re-)Read at 50 - 2012 (Weight: 84)
- score: 80 -- Masterpieces of World Literature - 1991 (Weight: 92)
- score: 80 -- Recommended Books - 2017 (Weight: 80)
- score: 80 -- The Ultimate Book Bucket List: The 75 Best Books Of All Time - 2023 (Weight: 80)
- score: 80 -- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition - 2011 (Weight: 80)
- score: 76 -- Great Books - 2006 (Weight: 76)
- score: 76 -- 100 Best Novels Written in English - 2015 (Weight: 76)
- score: 76 -- The Books You've Always Meant to Read - 2020 (Weight: 76)
- score: 76 -- The 50 Most Influential Books of All Time - 2010 (Weight: 76)
- score: 72 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 72)
- score: 70 -- The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read - 2009 (Weight: 68)
- score: 69 -- Ninety-Nine Novels: The Best in English since 1939 - 1984 (Weight: 92)
- score: 68 -- The 100 Greatest Novels - 2007 (Weight: 68)
- score: 68 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time - 2004 (Weight: 68)
- score: 68 -- The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List - 2003 (Weight: 68)
- score: 68 -- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics - 2001 (Weight: 68)
- score: 60 -- Books That Changed the World: The 50 Most Influential Books in Human History - 2009 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books - 2013 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- 50 Books to Read Before You Die - 2015 (Weight: 60)
- score: 58 -- Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books - 2011 (Weight: 56)
- score: 55 -- D. G. Myers’ 50 Greatest English Language Novels - 2009 (Weight: 52)
- score: 55 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 60)
- score: 48 -- The 50 Best Sci-Fi Books for Every Kind of Reader - 2024 (Weight: 48)
- score: 36 -- The Well-Educated Mind - 2003 (Weight: 36)
- score: 36 -- 100 Main Fantasy and Science-Fiction Books - 2008 (Weight: 36)
- score: 35 -- The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written - 1998 (Weight: 36)
- score: 28 -- Top 200 Science Fiction Books (Pre-2000) - 2021 (Weight: 28)
- score: 28 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 28)
- score: 21 -- Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels - 1985 (Weight: 28)
- score: 12 -- The 100 Best Science Fiction Books of All Time - 2019 (Weight: 12)
- score: 12 -- Zeit Literaturkanon - 2012 (Weight: 12)