500 Must Read Books

This is one of the 743 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

The Daily Telegraph, 497 Books

500 'must-read' books of all time as selected by The Telegraph's team of literary experts.

This list was originally published in 2013 and was added to this site about 1 year ago.

View: List Grid Table
Cover of 'The Scar' by China Miéville
The Scar

China Miéville

Cover of 'Utopia' by Thomas More
Utopia

Thomas More

Cover of 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell
Animal Farm

George Orwell

Cover of 'The Fall of the House of Usher' by Edgar Allan Poe
The Fall of the House of Usher

Edgar Allan Poe

Cover of 'Contact' by Carl Sagan
Contact

Carl Sagan

Cover of 'Snow Crash' by Neal Stephenson
Snow Crash

Neal Stephenson

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

Jonathan Swift

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

J. R. R. Tolkien

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

H. G. Wells

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

Oscar Wilde

Cover of 'The Lost Estate' by Henri Alain-Fournier
The Lost Estate

Henri Alain-Fournier

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

Jane Austen

Cover of 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Brontë
Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë

Cover of 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë
Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë

Cover of 'Oscar and Lucinda' by Peter Carey
Oscar and Lucinda

Peter Carey

Cover of 'Madame Bovary' by Gustave Flaubert
Madame Bovary

Gustave Flaubert

Cover of 'A Room With a View' by E. M. Forster
A Room With a View

E. M. Forster

Cover of 'The End of the Affair' by Graham Greene
The End of the Affair

Graham Greene

Cover of 'The Well of Loneliness' by Radclyffe Hall
The Well of Loneliness

Radclyffe Hall

Cover of 'The Swimming-Pool Library' by Alan Hollinghurst
The Swimming-Pool Library

Alan Hollinghurst

Cover of 'The Remains of the Day' by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Remains of the Day

Kazuo Ishiguro

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

Henry James

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

Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

Cover of 'Atonement' by Ian McEwan
Atonement

Ian McEwan

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

Margaret Mitchell

Cover of 'Love in a Cold Climate' by Nancy Mitford
Love in a Cold Climate

Nancy Mitford

Cover of 'Norwegian Wood' by Haruki Murakami
Norwegian Wood

Haruki Murakami

Cover of 'Doctor Zhivago' by Boris Pasternak
Doctor Zhivago

Boris Pasternak

Cover of 'Bonjour Tristesse' by Francoise Sagan
Bonjour Tristesse

Francoise Sagan

Cover of 'At Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept' by Elizabeth Smart
At Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept

Elizabeth Smart

Cover of 'Possession' by A. S. Byatt
Possession

A. S. Byatt

Cover of 'The Lover' by Marguerite Duras
The Lover

Marguerite Duras

Cover of 'The Blue Flower' by Penelope Fitzgerald
The Blue Flower

Penelope Fitzgerald

Cover of 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' by John Fowles
The French Lieutenant's Woman

John Fowles

Cover of 'The Go-Between' by L. P. Hartley
The Go-Between

L. P. Hartley

Cover of 'The Piano Teacher' by Elfriede Jelinek
The Piano Teacher

Elfriede Jelinek

Cover of 'The Far Pavilions' by Mary Margaret Kaye
The Far Pavilions

Mary Margaret Kaye

Cover of 'Women in Love' by D. H. Lawrence
Women in Love

D. H. Lawrence

Cover of 'Foreign Affairs' by Alison Lurie
Foreign Affairs

Alison Lurie

Cover of 'The English Patient' by Michael Ondaatje
The English Patient

Michael Ondaatje

Cover of 'The Reader' by Bernhard Schlink
The Reader

Bernhard Schlink

Cover of 'Music and Silence' by Rose Tremain
Music and Silence

Rose Tremain

Cover of 'The Graduate' by Charles Webb
The Graduate

Charles Webb

Cover of 'The Passion' by Jeanette Winterson
The Passion

Jeanette Winterson

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

Douglas Adams

Cover of 'Lucky Jim' by Kingsley Amis
Lucky Jim

Kingsley Amis

Cover of 'The Bottle Factory Outing' by Beryl Bainbridge
The Bottle Factory Outing

Beryl Bainbridge

Cover of 'Queen Lucia' by E. F. Benson
Queen Lucia

E. F. Benson

Cover of 'The Commitments' by Roddy Doyle
The Commitments

Roddy Doyle

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

Helen Fielding

Cover of 'Cold Comfort Farm' by Stella Gibbons
Cold Comfort Farm

Stella Gibbons

Cover of 'The Diary of a Nobody' by George Grossmith, Weedon Grossmith
The Diary of a Nobody

George Grossmith, Weedon Grossmith

Cover of 'Three Men in a Boat' by Jerome K. Jerome
Three Men in a Boat

Jerome K. Jerome

Cover of 'Puckoon' by Spike Milligan
Puckoon

Spike Milligan

Cover of 'Gargantua and Pantagruel' by Francois Rabelais
Gargantua and Pantagruel

Francois Rabelais

Cover of 'The Life And Opinions Of Tristram Shandy' by Laurence Sterne
The Life And Opinions Of Tristram Shandy

Laurence Sterne

Cover of 'The Loved One' by Evelyn Waugh
The Loved One

Evelyn Waugh

Cover of 'Molesworth' by Geoffrey Willans, Ronald Searle
Molesworth

Geoffrey Willans, Ronald Searle

Cover of 'The Code of the Woosters' by P. G. Wodehouse
The Code of the Woosters

P. G. Wodehouse

Cover of 'The Ascent Of Rum Doodle' by W. E. Bowman
The Ascent Of Rum Doodle

W. E. Bowman

Cover of 'The History Man' by Malcolm Bradbury
The History Man

Malcolm Bradbury

Cover of 'What a Carve Up!' by Jonathan Coe
What a Carve Up!

Jonathan Coe

Cover of 'The Beastly Beatitudes Of Balthazar B' by J. P. Donleavy
The Beastly Beatitudes Of Balthazar B

J. P. Donleavy

Cover of 'Pnin' by Vladimir Nabokov
Pnin

Vladimir Nabokov

Cover of 'Portnoy's Complaint' by Philip Roth
Portnoy's Complaint

Philip Roth

Cover of 'Porterhouse Blue' by Tom Sharpe
Porterhouse Blue

Tom Sharpe

Cover of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' by John Kennedy Toole
A Confederacy of Dunces

John Kennedy Toole

Cover of 'Decline and Fall' by Evelyn Waugh
Decline and Fall

Evelyn Waugh

Cover of 'Thank You, Jeeves' by P. G. Wodehouse
Thank You, Jeeves

P. G. Wodehouse

Cover of 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee' by Dee Alexander Brown
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

Dee Alexander Brown

Cover of 'Ordinary Men' by Christopher R. Browning
Ordinary Men

Christopher R. Browning

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

Winston Churchill

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 'Legion Of The Damned' by Sven Hassel
Legion Of The Damned

Sven Hassel

Cover of 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller
Catch-22

Joseph Heller

Cover of 'A Farewell to Arms' by Ernest Hemingway
A Farewell to Arms

Ernest Hemingway

Cover of 'The Face of Battle' by John Keegan
The Face of Battle

John Keegan

Cover of 'Montaillou' by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie
Montaillou

Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie

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

Erich Maria Remarque

Cover of 'The Discovery Of France' by Graham Robb
The Discovery Of France

Graham Robb

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

Stephen Runciman

Cover of '1066 And All That' by W. C. Sellar
1066 And All That

W. C. Sellar

Cover of 'A Bright Shining Lie' by Neil Sheehan
A Bright Shining Lie

Neil Sheehan

Cover of 'Longitude' by Dava Sobel
Longitude

Dava Sobel

Cover of 'The Making Of The Middle Ages' by R. W. Southern
The Making Of The Middle Ages

R. W. Southern

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

Thucydides

Cover of 'The Guns of August' by Barbara Wertheim Tuchman
The Guns of August

Barbara Wertheim Tuchman

Cover of 'Slaughterhouse-Five' by Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five

Kurt Vonnegut

Cover of 'Sword Of Honour' by Evelyn Waugh
Sword Of Honour

Evelyn Waugh

Cover of 'Regeneration' by Pat Barker
Regeneration

Pat Barker

Cover of 'The Battle For Spain' by Antony Beevor
The Battle For Spain

Antony Beevor

Cover of 'A Short History Of Nearly Everything' by Bill Bryson
A Short History Of Nearly Everything

Bill Bryson

Cover of 'Ornamentalism' by David Cannadine
Ornamentalism

David Cannadine

Cover of 'Europe' by Norman Davies
Europe

Norman Davies

Cover of 'Corelli's Mandolin' by Louis de Bernières
Corelli's Mandolin

Louis de Bernières

Cover of 'Guns, Germs, and Steel' by Jared Diamond
Guns, Germs, and Steel

Jared Diamond

Cover of 'The Siege' by Helen Dunmore
The Siege

Helen Dunmore

Cover of 'Birdsong' by Sebastian Faulks
Birdsong

Sebastian Faulks

Cover of 'The Good Soldier Švejk' by Jaroslav Hašek
The Good Soldier Švejk

Jaroslav Hašek

Cover of 'Dispatches' by Michael Herr
Dispatches

Michael Herr

Cover of 'Hitler' by Ian Kershaw
Hitler

Ian Kershaw

Cover of 'The Naked and the Dead' by Norman Mailer
The Naked and the Dead

Norman Mailer

Cover of 'Citizens' by Simon Schama
Citizens

Simon Schama

Cover of 'Histories' by Cornelius Tacitus
Histories

Cornelius Tacitus

Cover of 'Experience' by Martin Amis
Experience

Martin Amis

Cover of 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' by Maya Angelou
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou

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

James Boswell

Cover of 'Testament Of Youth' by Vera Brittain
Testament Of Youth

Vera Brittain

Cover of 'Wild Swans' by Jung Chang
Wild Swans

Jung Chang

Cover of 'Diaries' by Alan Clark
Diaries

Alan Clark

Cover of 'My Family And Other Animals' by Gerald Durrell
My Family And Other Animals

Gerald Durrell

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

Anne Frank

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

Robert Graves

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

Ernest Hemingway

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

T. E. Lawrence

Cover of 'The Moon's A Balloon' by David Niven
The Moon's A Balloon

David Niven

Cover of 'Homage to Catalonia' by George Orwell
Homage to Catalonia

George Orwell

Cover of 'The Diary of Samuel Pepys' by Samuel Pepys
The Diary of Samuel Pepys

Samuel Pepys

Cover of 'The Rings of Saturn' by W. G. Sebald
The Rings of Saturn

W. G. Sebald

Cover of 'The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas' by Gertrude Stein
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

Gertrude Stein