William H. F. Lamont’s 100 Best Novels (1947)
This is one of the 759 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.
About this list
archive.org, 100 Books
The 100 best novels, compiled by William H. F. Lamont for the magazine Books Abroad, Vol. 21 No.1, Winter 1947.
To start off he 'decided to examine the fiction section (57 novels) of John Cowper Powys’ list of One Hundred Best Books, the fiction section (approximately 300 novels) of Asa Don Dickinson’s One Thousand Best Books, & the entire fiction list of William Lyon Phelps' One Hundred Best Novels'.
He found the lists inadequate as regards to Continental & South American novels, as well as those from small countries, changed them substantially and then 'I sent it to perhaps fifty of the outstanding scholars of America, asking for their criticism', which they delivered in spades - that part is funny & illuminating, you get an idea of how the sausages are made when there's a real attempt at a professional list.
This list was originally published in 1947 and was added to this site about 2 years ago.
