Stephen King names his 10 favourite books of all time
This is one of the 743 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.
About this list
Express, 10 Books
This list is a personal selection by Stephen King, showcasing his top ten favorite books of all time. The criteria for selection are based on King's literary influences and personal inspirations, highlighting a mix of classic and lesser-known works. The list was curated by Stephen King himself, providing insight into the books that have shaped his writing career. The list was initially shared during Goodreads' 10th anniversary in 2017. Although King acknowledges the subjective nature of such a list, he emphasizes the impact these books have had on his own work, without any major voting or public contribution involved in the selection process.
This list was originally published in 2017 and was added to this site about 1 year ago.
| Rank | Book | Authors | Year | Country | Language | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Lord of the Flies | William Golding | 1954 | British | English | |
| 2307 | Ship Of Fools | Katherine Anne Porter | 1962 | American | English | |
| 229 | Watership Down | Richard Adams | 1972 | British | English | |
| 8370 | The Orphan Master's Son | Adam Johnson | 2012 | American | English | |
| 10937 | The Hair of Harold Roux | Thomas Williams | 1974 | American | English | |
| 36 | Invisible Man | Ralph Ellison | 1952 | American | English | |
| 198 | Blood Meridian | Cormac McCarthy | 1985 | American | English | |
| 6 | Nineteen Eighty Four | George Orwell | 1949 | British | English | |
| 378 | American Pastoral | Philip Roth | 1997 | American | English | |
| 17 | The Lord Of The Rings | J. R. R. Tolkien | 1959 | English | English |