The 16 Greatest Books of All Time

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

About this list

NYU Local, 46 Books

Two book editors for the nyulocal.com present their list of the 16 greatest books of all time, with a list of runner-ups as well.

This list was originally published in 2008 and was added to this site over 11 years ago.

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Cover of 'Madame Bovary' by Gustave Flaubert
Madame Bovary

Gustave Flaubert

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

Jonathan Swift

Cover of 'The Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka
The Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka

Cover of 'Leaves of Grass' by Walt Whitman
Leaves of Grass

Walt Whitman

Cover of 'As I Lay Dying' by William Faulkner
As I Lay Dying

William Faulkner

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

Marcel Proust

Cover of 'A Moveable Feast' by Ernest Hemingway
A Moveable Feast

Ernest Hemingway

Cover of 'Paradise Lost' by John Milton
Paradise Lost

John Milton

Cover of 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' by Hunter S. Thompson
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Hunter S. Thompson

Cover of 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad
Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad

Cover of 'The Sound and the Fury' by William Faulkner
The Sound and the Fury

William Faulkner

Cover of 'Collected Poems' by Wallace Stevens
Collected Poems

Wallace Stevens

Cover of 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy
Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy

Cover of 'Nine Stories' by J. D. Salinger
Nine Stories

J. D. Salinger

Cover of 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man' by James Joyce
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

James Joyce

Cover of 'The Elements of Style' by E. B. White, William Strunk Jr.
The Elements of Style

E. B. White, William Strunk Jr.

Cover of 'The Brothers Karamazov' by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Brothers Karamazov

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Cover of 'Henderson The Rain King' by Saul Bellow
Henderson The Rain King

Saul Bellow

Cover of 'Hell's Angels' by Hunter S. Thompson
Hell's Angels

Hunter S. Thompson

Cover of 'Ulysses' by James Joyce
Ulysses

James Joyce

Cover of 'Mason & Dixon' by Thomas Pynchon
Mason & Dixon

Thomas Pynchon

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

Sigmund Freud

Cover of 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Cover of 'The Bible' by Unknown
The Bible

Unknown

Cover of 'First Folio' by William Shakespeare
First Folio

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'The Iliad' by Homer
The Iliad

Homer

Cover of 'The Odyssey' by Homer
The Odyssey

Homer

Cover of 'Metamorphoses' by Ovid
Metamorphoses

Ovid

Cover of 'Prometheus Bound' by Aeschylus
Prometheus Bound

Aeschylus

Cover of 'Oresteia' by Aeschylus
Oresteia

Aeschylus

Cover of 'Seven Against Thebes' by Aeschylus
Seven Against Thebes

Aeschylus

Cover of 'The Persians' by Aeschylus
The Persians

Aeschylus

Cover of 'The Suppliants' by Aeschylus
The Suppliants

Aeschylus

Cover of 'Medea' by Euripides
Medea

Euripides

Cover of 'The Bacchae' by Euripides
The Bacchae

Euripides

Cover of 'Trojan Women' by Euripides
Trojan Women

Euripides

Cover of 'Hippolytus' by Euripides
Hippolytus

Euripides

Cover of 'Oedipus at Colonus' by Sophocles
Oedipus at Colonus

Sophocles

Cover of 'Ajax' by Sophocles
Ajax

Sophocles

Cover of 'Electra' by Sophocles
Electra

Sophocles

Cover of 'Oedipus the King' by Sophocles
Oedipus the King

Sophocles

Cover of 'Philoctetes' by Sophocles
Philoctetes

Sophocles

Cover of 'Women of Trachis' by Sophocles
Women of Trachis

Sophocles

Cover of 'Antigone' by Sophocles
Antigone

Sophocles

Cover of 'The Sun Also Rises' by Ernest Hemingway
The Sun Also Rises

Ernest Hemingway

Cover of 'U.S.A. Trilogy' by John Dos Passos
U.S.A. Trilogy

John Dos Passos