100 Books to Read in a Lifetime

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

About this list

Amazon.com (UK), 100 Books

Amazon UK editors select 100 books that they deem "essential".

This list was originally published in 2014 and was added to this site over 11 years ago.

View: List Grid Table

Cover of 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit' by Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

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

Winnie the Pooh

Cover of 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory,' by Roald Dahl

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory,

Cover of 'Watership Down' by Richard Adams

Watership Down

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

Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone

Cover of 'Lord of the Flies' by William Golding

Lord of the Flies

William Golding

Cover of 'The Diary of a Young Girl' by Anne Frank

The Diary of a Young Girl

Cover of 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott

Cover of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird

Cover of 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller

Catch-22

Cover of 'The Grapes of Wrath' by John Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath

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

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Cover of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Arthur Conan Doyle

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

Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Cover of 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein

Cover of 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice

Cover of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Cover of 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat' by Oliver Sacks

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Cover of 'Norwegian Wood' by Haruki Murakami

Norwegian Wood

Haruki Murakami

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

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Cover of 'Midnight's Children' by Salman Rushdie

Midnight's Children

Cover of 'Oranges are not the only Fruit' by Jeanette Winterson

Oranges are not the only Fruit

Jeanette Winterson

Cover of 'Schindler's List' by Thomas Keneally

Schindler's List

Thomas Keneally

Cover of 'Gulliver's Travels' by Jonathan Swift

Gulliver's Travels

Cover of 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë

Wuthering Heights

Cover of 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens

Great Expectations

Charles Dickens

Cover of 'The Mill on the Floss' by George Eliot

The Mill on the Floss

Cover of 'Crime and Punishment' by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Crime and Punishment

Fyodor Dostoevsky

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

The Lord Of The Rings

J. R. R. Tolkien

Cover of 'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood

Cover of 'The Stand' by Stephen King

The Stand

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

The Time Machine

Cover of 'Watchmen' by Alan Moore

Watchmen

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

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

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

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Cover of 'A Game of Thrones' by George R. R. Martin

A Game of Thrones

George R. R. Martin

Cover of 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini

Cover of 'High Fidelity' by Nick Hornby

High Fidelity

Cover of 'Bridget Jones's Diary' by Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones's Diary

Cover of 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief

Cover of 'White Teeth' by Zadie Smith

White Teeth

Cover of 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy

The Road

Cormac McCarthy

Cover of 'American Psycho' by Bret Easton Ellis

American Psycho

Bret Easton Ellis

Cover of 'The English Patient' by Michael Ondaatje

The English Patient

Michael Ondaatje

Cover of 'Atonement' by Ian McEwan

Atonement

Cover of 'A Fine Balance' by Rohinton Mistry

A Fine Balance

Rohinton Mistry

Cover of 'The Poisonwood Bible' by Barbara Kingsolver

The Poisonwood Bible

Barbara Kingsolver

Cover of 'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt

The Secret History

Cover of 'Never Let Me Go' by Kazuo Ishiguro

Never Let Me Go

Cover of 'Last Orders' by Graham Swift

Last Orders

Cover of 'The Sense of an Ending' by Julian Barnes

The Sense of an Ending

Cover of 'London Fields' by Martin Amis

London Fields

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

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Hunter S. Thompson

Cover of 'Nineteen Eighty Four' by George Orwell

Nineteen Eighty Four

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

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel García Márquez

Cover of 'In Cold Blood' by Truman Capote

In Cold Blood

Cover of 'Cider with Rosie' by Laurie Lee

Cider with Rosie

Cover of 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita

Vladimir Nabokov

Cover of 'Casino Royale' by Ian Fleming

Casino Royale

Cover of 'The Old Man and the Sea' by Ernest Hemingway

The Old Man and the Sea

Ernest Hemingway

Cover of 'Brideshead Revisited' by Evelyn Waugh

Brideshead Revisited

Cover of 'Brighton Rock' by Graham Greene

Brighton Rock

Cover of 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier

Rebecca

Daphne du Maurier

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

Murder on the Orient Express

Agatha Christie

Cover of 'All Quiet on the Western Front' by Erich Maria Remarque

All Quiet on the Western Front

Erich Maria Remarque

Cover of 'To the Lighthouse' by Virginia Woolf

To the Lighthouse

Cover of 'Carry On, Jeeves' by P. G. Wodehouse

Carry On, Jeeves

P. G. Wodehouse

Cover of 'Freakonomics' by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Freakonomics

Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Cover of 'A Brief History of Time' by Stephen Hawking

A Brief History of Time

Stephen Hawking

Cover of 'London' by Peter Ackroyd

London

Cover of 'Notes from a Small Island' by Bill Bryson

Notes from a Small Island

Cover of 'Bad Science' by Ben Goldacre

Bad Science

Cover of 'The Gruffalo' by Julia Donaldson

The Gruffalo

Julia Donaldson

Cover of 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' by Michael Rosen

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Cover of 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' by Judith Kerr

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

Cover of 'The Enchanted Wood' by Enid Blyton

The Enchanted Wood

Cover of 'The Worst Witch' by Jill Murphy

The Worst Witch

Cover of 'The Story of Tracy Beaker' by Jacqueline Wilson

The Story of Tracy Beaker

Jacqueline Wilson

Cover of 'Goodnight Mister Tom' by Michelle Magorian

Goodnight Mister Tom

Michelle Magorian

Cover of 'Artemis Fowl' by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl

Cover of 'Stormbreaker' by Anthony Horowitz

Stormbreaker

Anthony Horowitz

Cover of 'Noughts and Crosses' by Malorie Blackman

Noughts and Crosses

Malorie Blackman

Cover of 'I Capture the Castle' by Dodie Smith

I Capture the Castle

Cover of 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' by John Boyne

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Cover of 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4' by Sue Townsend

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4

Cover of 'The Hare with Amber Eyes' by Edmund de Waal

The Hare with Amber Eyes

Cover of 'The Wasp Factory' by Iain Banks

The Wasp Factory

Cover of 'The Commitments' by Roddy Doyle

The Commitments

Cover of 'Knots and Crosses' by Ian Rankin

Knots and Crosses

Cover of 'American Gods' by Neil Gaiman

American Gods

Cover of 'The Colour of Magic' by Terry Pratchett

The Colour of Magic

Terry Pratchett

Cover of 'Trainspotting' by Irvine Welsh

Trainspotting

Cover of 'Birdsong' by Sebastian Faulks

Birdsong

Sebastian Faulks

Cover of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' by Stieg Larsson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Cover of 'Dissolution' by C. J. Sansom

Dissolution

Cover of 'Long Walk To Freedom' by Nelson Mandela

Long Walk To Freedom

Cover of 'Wild Swans' by Jung Chang

Wild Swans

Cover of 'Venice' by Jan Morris

Venice

Cover of 'The Selfish Gene' by Richard Dawkins

The Selfish Gene

Richard Dawkins

Cover of 'A History of the World in 100 Objects' by Neil MacGregor

A History of the World in 100 Objects