About this list

Good Reading: A Guide for Serious Readers, 105 Books

Good Reading first appeared as a pamphlet in 1932 and ended its run in 1989 with a 23rd edition behemoth of some 465 pages with thousands of books selected by educators and experts in their fields. Its purpose was always "to lead an increasing number of people to savor the great or significant books, both those that strive to light the dark places in our understanding of our complex world and our equally complex selves, and those that aim simply to delight."
A constant through all these different editions was a list of around 100 or so "significant books that many
people have found rewarding to know", revised several times. This list is from the last 23rd edition of Good Reading: A Guide for Serious Readers.
Note: List consists of 105 books

Who Voted?
Committee on College Reading of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Contemporary reviews describe it as “a co-operative effort of 35 members of the Committee on College Reading.”

This list was originally published in 1989 and was added to this site over 1 year ago.