The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years
This is one of the 743 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.
About this list
BookList, 100 Books
The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years" is a curated list of 100 books created by Booklist to commemorate its 100th anniversary. The list celebrates a century of literature, selecting one book from each year that has had a significant impact over time. The impact considered is broad, encompassing literary, economic, sociological, and behavioral effects, showcasing the diversity in the criteria for selection. The process of choosing books highlighted the challenges of comparing different kinds of impacts and dealing with years that offered either an abundance of influential works or a scarcity of notable publications.
The compilation was undertaken by the Booklist staff, who also faced the task of acquiring a copy of each book, relying on their own collections and the resources of several Chicago-area libraries. This effort underscores the commitment and collaborative effort behind the project. The list includes a wide range of genres and types of books, from literature and cookbooks to children's books and sociological reports, indicating a comprehensive approach to recognizing books' varied impacts on society.
This list was originally published in 2005 and was added to this site over 2 years ago.
