110 Best Books: The Perfect Library

This is one of the 759 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

The Telegraph, 112 Books

From classics and sci-fi to poetry, biographies and books that changed the world… we present the ultimate reading list.

This list was originally published in 2008 and was added to this site over 12 years ago.

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Cover of 'The Iliad' by Homer
The Iliad

Homer

Cover of 'The Odyssey' by Homer
The Odyssey

Homer

Cover of 'The Chronicles of Barsetshire' by Anthony Trollope
The Chronicles of Barsetshire

Anthony Trollope

Cover of 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

Cover of 'Gulliver's Travels' by Jonathan Swift
Gulliver's Travels

Jonathan Swift

Cover of 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Brontë
Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë

Cover of 'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace

Leo Tolstoy

Cover of 'David Copperfield' by Charles Dickens
David Copperfield

Charles Dickens

Cover of 'Vanity Fair' by William Makepeace Thackeray
Vanity Fair

William Makepeace Thackeray

Cover of 'Madame Bovary' by Gustave Flaubert
Madame Bovary

Gustave Flaubert

Cover of 'Middlemarch' by George Eliot
Middlemarch

George Eliot

Cover of 'The Sonnets' by William Shakespeare
The Sonnets

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'The Canterbury Tales' by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer

Cover of 'The Prelude' by William Wordsworth
The Prelude

William Wordsworth

Cover of 'Odes' by John Keats
Odes

John Keats

Cover of 'Paradise Lost' by John Milton
Paradise Lost

John Milton

Cover of 'Songs of Innocence and Experience' by William Blake
Songs of Innocence and Experience

William Blake

Cover of 'Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats' by William Butler Yeats
Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats

William Butler Yeats

Cover of 'Collected Poems of Ted Hughes' by Ted Hughes
Collected Poems of Ted Hughes

Ted Hughes

Cover of 'The Portrait of a Lady' by Henry James
The Portrait of a Lady

Henry James

Cover of 'In Search of Lost Time' by Marcel Proust
In Search of Lost Time

Marcel Proust

Cover of 'Ulysses' by James Joyce
Ulysses

James Joyce

Cover of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' by Ernest Hemingway
For Whom the Bell Tolls

Ernest Hemingway

Cover of 'The Ballad of Peckham Rye' by Muriel Spark
The Ballad of Peckham Rye

Muriel Spark

Cover of 'Rabbit, Run' by John Updike
Rabbit, Run

John Updike

Cover of 'Rabbit Is Rich' by John Updike
Rabbit Is Rich

John Updike

Cover of 'Rabbit at Rest' by John Updike
Rabbit at Rest

John Updike

Cover of 'Rabbit Redux' by John Updike
Rabbit Redux

John Updike

Cover of 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' by Gabriel García Márquez
One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel García Márquez

Cover of 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison
Beloved

Toni Morrison

Cover of 'The Human Stain' by Philip Roth
The Human Stain

Philip Roth

Cover of 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca

Daphne du Maurier

Cover of 'Le Morte d'Arthur' by Thomas Malory
Le Morte d'Arthur

Thomas Malory

Cover of 'Dangerous Liaison' by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Dangerous Liaison

Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

Cover of 'I, Claudius' by Robert Graves
I, Claudius

Robert Graves

Cover of 'Master and Commander' by Patrick O'Brian
Master and Commander

Patrick O'Brian

Cover of 'Gone With the Wind' by Margaret Mitchell
Gone With the Wind

Margaret Mitchell

Cover of 'Doctor Zhivago' by Boris Pasternak
Doctor Zhivago

Boris Pasternak

Cover of 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' by Thomas Hardy
Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Thomas Hardy

Cover of 'Swallows and Amazons' by Arthur Ransome
Swallows and Amazons

Arthur Ransome

Cover of 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' by C. S. Lewis
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

C. S. Lewis

Cover of 'The Lord Of The Rings' by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Lord Of The Rings

J. R. R. Tolkien

Cover of 'His Dark Materials' by Philip Pullman
His Dark Materials

Philip Pullman

Cover of 'Histoire de Babar' by Jean de Brunhoff
Histoire de Babar

Jean de Brunhoff

Cover of 'The Railway Children' by Edith Nesbit
The Railway Children

Edith Nesbit

Cover of 'Winnie the Pooh' by A. A. Milne
Winnie the Pooh

A. A. Milne

Cover of 'Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone' by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone

J. K. Rowling

Cover of 'The Wind in the Willows' by Kenneth Grahame
The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame

Cover of 'Treasure Island' by Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson

Cover of 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley
Frankenstein

Mary Shelley

Cover of 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' by Jules Verne
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Jules Verne

Cover of 'The Time Machine' by H. G. Wells
The Time Machine

H. G. Wells

Cover of 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley
Brave New World

Aldous Huxley

Cover of 'Nineteen Eighty Four' by George Orwell
Nineteen Eighty Four

George Orwell

Cover of 'The Day of the Triffids' by John Wyndham
The Day of the Triffids

John Wyndham

Cover of 'Foundation' by Isaac Asimov
Foundation

Isaac Asimov

Cover of '2001' by Arthur C. Clarke
2001

Arthur C. Clarke

Cover of 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' by Philip K. Dick
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Philip K. Dick

Cover of 'Neuromancer' by William Gibson
Neuromancer

William Gibson

Cover of 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' by Patricia Highsmith
The Talented Mr. Ripley

Patricia Highsmith

Cover of 'The Maltese Falcon' by Dashiell Hammett
The Maltese Falcon

Dashiell Hammett

Cover of 'The Complete Sherlock Holmes' by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Complete Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle

Cover of 'The Big Sleep' by Raymond Chandler
The Big Sleep

Raymond Chandler

Cover of 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' by John le Carré
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

John le Carré

Cover of 'Red Dragon' by Thomas Harris
Red Dragon

Thomas Harris

Cover of 'Murder on the Orient Express' by Agatha Christie
Murder on the Orient Express

Agatha Christie

Cover of 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' by Edgar Allan Poe
The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Edgar Allan Poe

Cover of 'The Woman in White' by Wilkie Collins
The Woman in White

Wilkie Collins

Cover of 'Killshot' by Elmore Leonard
Killshot

Elmore Leonard

Cover of 'The Plantagenet Saga' by Jean Plaidy
The Plantagenet Saga

Jean Plaidy

Cover of 'Das Kapital' by Karl Marx
Das Kapital

Karl Marx

Cover of 'Rights of Man' by Thomas Paine
Rights of Man

Thomas Paine

Cover of 'The Social Contract' by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The Social Contract

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Cover of 'Democracy in America' by Alexis de Tocqueville
Democracy in America

Alexis de Tocqueville

Cover of 'On War' by Carl Von Clausewitz
On War

Carl Von Clausewitz

Cover of 'The Prince' by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli

Cover of 'Leviathan' by Thomas Hobbes
Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes

Cover of 'The Interpretation of Dreams' by Sigmund Freud
The Interpretation of Dreams

Sigmund Freud

Cover of 'On the Origin of Species' by Charles Darwin
On the Origin of Species

Charles Darwin

Cover of 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' by Robert M. Pirsig
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Robert M. Pirsig

Cover of 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' by Richard Bach
Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Richard Bach

Cover of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' by Douglas Adams
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams

Cover of 'The Tipping Point' by Malcolm Gladwell
The Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell

Cover of 'The Beauty Myth' by Naomi Wolf
The Beauty Myth

Naomi Wolf

Cover of 'How to Cook' by Delia Smith
How to Cook

Delia Smith

Cover of 'A Year in Provence' by Peter Mayle
A Year in Provence

Peter Mayle

Cover of 'A Child Called 'It'' by Dave Pelzer
A Child Called 'It'

Dave Pelzer

Cover of 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' by Lynne Truss
Eats, Shoots and Leaves

Lynne Truss

Cover of 'Schott's Original Miscellany' by Ben Schott
Schott's Original Miscellany

Ben Schott

Cover of 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' by Edward Gibbon
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Edward Gibbon

Cover of 'A History of the English-Speaking Peoples' by Winston Churchill
A History of the English-Speaking Peoples

Winston Churchill

Cover of 'A History of the Crusades' by Stephen Runciman
A History of the Crusades

Stephen Runciman

Cover of 'The Histories of Herodotus' by Herodotus
The Histories of Herodotus

Herodotus

Cover of 'The History of the Peloponnesian War' by Thucydides
The History of the Peloponnesian War

Thucydides

Cover of 'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle' by Unknown
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Unknown

Cover of 'A People's Tragedy' by Orlando Figes
A People's Tragedy

Orlando Figes

Cover of 'Citizens' by Simon Schama
Citizens

Simon Schama

Cover of 'The Origins of the Second World War' by A. J. P. Taylor
The Origins of the Second World War

A. J. P. Taylor

Cover of 'Confessions' by Augustine
Confessions

Augustine

Cover of 'Lives of the Caesars' by Suetonius
Lives of the Caesars

Suetonius

Cover of 'Lives of the Artists' by Giorgio Vasari
Lives of the Artists

Giorgio Vasari

Cover of 'If This Is a Man' by Primo Levi
If This Is a Man

Primo Levi

Cover of 'Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man' by Siegfried Sassoon
Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man

Siegfried Sassoon

Cover of 'Eminent Victorians' by Lytton Strachey
Eminent Victorians

Lytton Strachey

Cover of 'The Life of Charlotte Brontë' by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Life of Charlotte Brontë

Elizabeth Gaskell

Cover of 'Good-Bye to All That' by Robert Graves
Good-Bye to All That

Robert Graves

Cover of 'The Life of Samuel Johnson' by James Boswell
The Life of Samuel Johnson

James Boswell

Cover of 'Diaries' by Alan Clark
Diaries

Alan Clark

Cover of 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom' by T. E. Lawrence
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

T. E. Lawrence

Cover of 'The Divine Comedy' by Dante Alighieri
The Divine Comedy

Dante Alighieri

Cover of 'The Waste Land' by T. S. Eliot
The Waste Land

T. S. Eliot

Cover of 'Encyclopédie' by Denis Diderot
Encyclopédie

Denis Diderot