About this list

William J. Bennett, 35 Books

In 1984, William J. Bennett, then chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, conducted an informal and unscientific survey among scholars, journalists, teachers, and leaders in government and culture to identify essential readings for high school students. Prompted by a query during a press meeting, Bennett sought to determine a core list of literary works deemed vital for every student to study before graduation. The survey garnered responses from 325 individuals, including feedback through a syndicated column by George F. Will and input from high school teachers participating in seminars sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Mellon Foundation. The resulting list of thirty most frequently mentioned works, highlighted by Shakespeare's oeuvre, the Declaration of Independence, Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn," and the Bible, aimed to elevate the standard of reading material in high schools, suggesting that a selection of any ten from the list would offer significant educational value.

*NOTE*
I did not include any of the documents of United States history since they are not books. I also only included the top 3 highest rated William Faulkner novels, since including every one of his novels seems excessive.

This list was originally published in 1984 and was added to this site over 2 years ago.