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 'Eminent Victorians' by Lytton Strachey
Eminent Victorians

Lytton Strachey

Cover of 'Lives of the Caesars' by Suetonius
Lives of the Caesars

Suetonius

Cover of 'Lives of the Artists' by Giorgio Vasari
Lives of the Artists

Giorgio Vasari

Cover of 'De Profundis' by Oscar Wilde
De Profundis

Oscar Wilde

Cover of 'Let Us Now Praise Famous Men' by James Agee
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

James Agee

Cover of 'Out Of Africa' by Karen Blixen
Out Of Africa

Karen Blixen

Cover of 'Anthony Blunt: His Lives' by Miranda Carter
Anthony Blunt: His Lives

Miranda Carter

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

Edmund de Waal

Cover of 'The Year of Magical Thinking' by Joan Didion
The Year of Magical Thinking

Joan Didion

Cover of 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius' by Dave Eggers
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Dave Eggers

Cover of 'The Life of Charlotte Brontë' by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Life of Charlotte Brontë

Elizabeth Gaskell

Cover of 'Churchill' by Martin Gilbert
Churchill

Martin Gilbert

Cover of 'Steve Jobs' by Walter Isaacson
Steve Jobs

Walter Isaacson

Cover of 'Giving up the Ghost' by Hilary Mantel
Giving up the Ghost

Hilary Mantel

Cover of 'Peter the Great' by Robert K. Massie
Peter the Great

Robert K. Massie

Cover of 'Persepolis' by Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi

Cover of 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman
Maus

Art Spiegelman

Cover of 'Walden' by Henry David Thoreau
Walden

Henry David Thoreau

Cover of 'The Double Helix' by James D. Watson
The Double Helix

James D. Watson

Cover of 'The Ascent of Money' by Niall Ferguson
The Ascent of Money

Niall Ferguson

Cover of 'Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way To Deal With Change In Your Work And In Your Life...' by Spencer Johnson
Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way To Deal With Change In Your Work And In Your Life...

Spencer Johnson

Cover of 'The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money' by John Maynard Keynes
The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money

John Maynard Keynes

Cover of 'Whoops!' by John Lanchester
Whoops!

John Lanchester

Cover of 'The Prince' by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli

Cover of 'Das Kapital' by Karl Marx
Das Kapital

Karl Marx

Cover of 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand
Atlas Shrugged

Ayn Rand

Cover of 'The Social Contract' by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The Social Contract

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Cover of 'The Wealth of Nations' by Adam Smith
The Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith

Cover of 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu
The Art of War

Sun Tzu

Cover of 'Capitalism and Freedom' by Milton Friedman
Capitalism and Freedom

Milton Friedman

Cover of 'The Great Crash, 1929' by John Kenneth Galbraith
The Great Crash, 1929

John Kenneth Galbraith

Cover of 'The Road to Serfdom' by Friedrich von Hayek
The Road to Serfdom

Friedrich von Hayek

Cover of 'Leviathan' by Thomas Hobbes
Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes

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

Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Cover of 'The Divine Comedy' by Dante Alighieri
The Divine Comedy

Dante Alighieri

Cover of 'Don Juan' by Lord Byron
Don Juan

Lord Byron

Cover of 'Family Values' by Wendy Cope
Family Values

Wendy Cope

Cover of 'Poems of Emily Dickinson' by Emily Dickinson
Poems of Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson

Cover of 'The Waste Land' by T. S. Eliot
The Waste Land

T. S. Eliot

Cover of 'Howl, Kaddish And Other Poems' by Allen Ginsberg
Howl, Kaddish And Other Poems

Allen Ginsberg

Cover of 'The Man With Night Sweats' by Thom Gunn
The Man With Night Sweats

Thom Gunn

Cover of 'Birthday Letters' by Ted Hughes
Birthday Letters

Ted Hughes

Cover of 'Paradise Lost And Other Poems' by John Milton
Paradise Lost And Other Poems

John Milton

Cover of 'Dart' by Alice Oswald
Dart

Alice Oswald

Cover of 'The Poems Of Li Po' by Li Po
The Poems Of Li Po

Li Po

Cover of 'Eugene Onegin' by Alexander Pushkin
Eugene Onegin

Alexander Pushkin

Cover of 'The Sonnets' by William Shakespeare
The Sonnets

William Shakespeare

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

Walt Whitman

Cover of 'Lyrical Ballads' by William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Lyrical Ballads

William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Cover of 'Selected Poetry' by Yehuda Amichai
Selected Poetry

Yehuda Amichai

Cover of 'The Flowers of Evil' by Charles Baudelaire
The Flowers of Evil

Charles Baudelaire

Cover of 'Poems Of John Clare' by John Clare
Poems Of John Clare

John Clare

Cover of 'Songs And Sonnets' by John Donne
Songs And Sonnets

John Donne

Cover of 'Faust' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Faust

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Cover of 'Station Island' by Seamus Heaney
Station Island

Seamus Heaney

Cover of 'Montage Of A Dream Deferred' by Langston Hughes
Montage Of A Dream Deferred

Langston Hughes

Cover of 'Twenty Love Poems And A Song Of Despair' by Pablo Neruda
Twenty Love Poems And A Song Of Despair

Pablo Neruda

Cover of 'The Golden Gate' by Vikram Seth
The Golden Gate

Vikram Seth

Cover of 'White Egrets' by Derek Walcott
White Egrets

Derek Walcott

Cover of 'Life Is a Dream' by Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Life Is a Dream

Pedro Calderón de la Barca

Cover of 'Uncle Vanya' by Anton Chekhov
Uncle Vanya

Anton Chekhov

Cover of 'Top Girls' by Caryl Churchill
Top Girls

Caryl Churchill

Cover of 'The Bacchae' by Euripides
The Bacchae

Euripides

Cover of 'The Government Inspector' by Nikolai Gogol
The Government Inspector

Nikolai Gogol

Cover of 'Largo Desolato' by Vaclav Havel
Largo Desolato

Vaclav Havel

Cover of 'Ghosts' by Unknown
Ghosts

Unknown
Cover of 'Doctor Faustus And Other Plays' by Christopher Marlowe
Doctor Faustus And Other Plays

Christopher Marlowe

Cover of 'The Lieutenant Of Inishmore' by Martin McDonagh
The Lieutenant Of Inishmore

Martin McDonagh

Cover of 'Death Of A Salesman' by Arthur Miller
Death Of A Salesman

Arthur Miller

Cover of 'The Would-Be Gentleman' by Molière
The Would-Be Gentleman

Molière

Cover of 'The Birthday Party' by Harold Pinter
The Birthday Party

Harold Pinter

Cover of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by William Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night's Dream

William Shakespeare

Cover of 'Hamlet' by William Shakespeare
Hamlet

William Shakespeare

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

Sophocles

Cover of 'Lysistrata' by Aristophanes
Lysistrata

Aristophanes

Cover of 'Waiting for Godot' by Samuel Beckett
Waiting for Godot

Samuel Beckett

Cover of 'The Rover' by Aphra Behn
The Rover

Aphra Behn

Cover of 'The Vortex' by Noel Coward
The Vortex

Noel Coward

Cover of 'The Bald Soprano' by Eugène Ionesco
The Bald Soprano

Eugène Ionesco

Cover of 'Insignificance' by Terry Johnson
Insignificance

Terry Johnson

Cover of 'Blasted' by Sarah Kane
Blasted

Sarah Kane

Cover of 'Enron' by Lucy Prebble
Enron

Lucy Prebble

Cover of 'Miss Julie' by August Strindberg
Miss Julie

August Strindberg

Cover of 'I Will Marry When I Want' by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
I Will Marry When I Want

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Cover of 'Watership Down' by Richard Adams
Watership Down

Richard Adams

Cover of 'James and the Giant Peach' by Roald Dahl
James and the Giant Peach

Roald Dahl

Cover of 'The Wind in the Willows' by Kenneth Grahame
The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame

Cover of 'A Little Princess' by Frances Hodgson Burnett
A Little Princess

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Cover of 'Emil And The Detectives' by Erich Kästner
Emil And The Detectives

Erich Kästner

Cover of 'Just So Stories' by Rudyard Kipling
Just So Stories

Rudyard Kipling

Cover of 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' by C. S. Lewis
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

C. S. Lewis

Cover of 'Pippi Longstocking' by Astrid Lindgren
Pippi Longstocking

Astrid Lindgren

Cover of 'The Doll People' by Ann M. Martin
The Doll People

Ann M. Martin

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

A. A. Milne

Cover of 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Cover of 'The Child That Books Built' by Francis Spufford
The Child That Books Built

Francis Spufford

Cover of 'The Hobbit' by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Hobbit

J. R. R. Tolkien

Cover of 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' by Jules Verne
Journey to the Center of the Earth

Jules Verne

Cover of 'Charlotte's Web' by E. B. White
Charlotte's Web

E. B. White

Cover of 'The Little White Horse' by Elizabeth Goudge
The Little White Horse

Elizabeth Goudge

Cover of 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Cover of 'How The Whale Became' by Ted Hughes
How The Whale Became

Ted Hughes

Cover of 'The Phantom Tollbooth' by Norton Juster
The Phantom Tollbooth

Norton Juster

Cover of 'Stig Of The Dump' by Clive King
Stig Of The Dump

Clive King

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

J. K. Rowling

Cover of 'A Boy And A Bear In A Boat' by Dave Shelton
A Boy And A Bear In A Boat

Dave Shelton

Cover of 'Heidi' by Johanna Spyri
Heidi

Johanna Spyri

Cover of 'The Sword in the Stone' by T. H. White
The Sword in the Stone

T. H. White

Cover of 'The Velveteen Rabbit' by Margery Williams
The Velveteen Rabbit

Margery Williams

Cover of 'Kitchen Confidential' by Anthony Bourdain
Kitchen Confidential

Anthony Bourdain

Cover of 'The Physiology Of Taste Or Meditations On Transcendental Gastronomy' by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
The Physiology Of Taste Or Meditations On Transcendental Gastronomy

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Cover of 'French Country Cooking' by Elizabeth David
French Country Cooking

Elizabeth David

Cover of 'Hangover Square' by Patrick Hamilton
Hangover Square

Patrick Hamilton

Cover of 'How To Eat' by Nigella Lawson
How To Eat

Nigella Lawson

Cover of 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' by Michael Pollan
The Omnivore's Dilemma

Michael Pollan

Cover of 'Fast Food Nation' by Eric Schlosser
Fast Food Nation

Eric Schlosser

Cover of 'The Minotaur Takes A Cigarette Break' by Steven Sherrill
The Minotaur Takes A Cigarette Break

Steven Sherrill

Cover of 'The Kitchen Diaries, Volume I + Ii' by Nigel Slater
The Kitchen Diaries, Volume I + Ii

Nigel Slater

Cover of 'The Man Who Ate Everything' by Jeffrey Steingarten
The Man Who Ate Everything

Jeffrey Steingarten

Cover of 'Thai Food' by David Thompson
Thai Food

David Thompson