Top Books Recommended on Cambridge Reading Lists

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

About this list

Oxbridge, 23 Books

Are you a curious student eager to discover the literary gems that can enrich your academic journey? Look no further. We’ve curated a list of must-read books from the renowned Cambridge University English Literature Reading List, ensuring you have a head start in expanding your intellectual horizons.

From thought-provoking classics to contemporary masterpieces, we’ve handpicked titles from the University of Cambridge English Literature reading list that captivate your imagination and fuel your passion for learning.

Whether you’re an aspiring literature scholar or simply seeking stimulating reads, our blog is your gateway to unlocking the literary treasures that await you on your Cambridge journey.

Let’s dive into the world of remarkable books together!

It's unclear exactly who curated this list, and apart from some notable classics, many of the selections appear quite modern.

This list was originally published in 2025 and was added to this site about 1 year ago.

View: List Grid Table
Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
12 Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen 1813 British English
16 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee 1960 American English
6 Nineteen Eighty Four George Orwell 1949 British English
28 Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë 1847 British English
3 The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald 1925 American English
7 Moby-Dick Herman Melville 1851 American English
132 The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood 1985 Canadian English
49 Beloved Toni Morrison 1987 American English
891 The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini 2003 Afghan English
267 Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro 2005 British English
769 The Underground Railroad Colson Whitehead 2016 American English
395 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Diaz 2007 Dominican English
402 Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel 2009 British English
100 Dune Frank Herbert 1965 American English
2178 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson 2005 Swedish Swedish
113 The Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank 1947 Dutch Dutch
156 Poems of Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson 1890 American English
312 Meditations Marcus Aurelius 161 Roman Greek
8037 Pedagogy Of The Oppressed Paulo Freire 1970 Brazilian Portuguese
17007 The Joy Of X Steven H. Strogatz 2012 American English
14901 The Disappearing Spoon Sam Kean 2010 American English
2071 Thinking, Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman 2011 Israeli English
3228 Freakonomics Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner 2005 American English