The Greatest Books of All Time on Craftsmanship

Click to learn how this list is calculated.

This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

View: List Grid Table
Filter by: Genres Dates Countries

Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
980 News from Nowhere William Morris 1890 British English
1265 On Writing Stephen King 2000 American English
1936 Autobiography Benvenuto Cellini 1728 Italian Italian
2461 Lark Rise To Candleford Flora Thompson 1945 British English
3005 The Monkey's Wrench Primo Levi 1978 Italian Italian
3324 Thomas of Reading, Or, The Sixe Worthie Yeomen of the West Thomas Deloney 1599 British English
3637 The Seven Lamps Of Architecture John Ruskin 1849 British English
3950 The Phoenix And The Mirror Avram Davidson 1969 American English
4149 The Tale Of Cross Eyed Lefty From Tula And The Steel Flea Nikolai Leskov 1881 Russian Russian
4436 Native Funk & Flash Alexandra Jacopetti 1974 American English
5863 The Stones Of Venice John Ruskin 1851 British English
6254 The Craftsman Richard Sennett 2008 American English
6553 The Quilts Of Gee's Bend William Arnett, Alvia Wardlaw, Jane Livingston, John Beardsley 2002 American English
7216 Tales Nikolai Leskov 1870 Russian Russian
7574 The Fair Maid Of Perth Sir Walter Scott 1828 Scottish English
10453 House Tracy Kidder 1985 American English
10712 The Dress Diary Kate Strasdin 2023 Unknown English
12082 Shop Class As Soulcraft Matthew B. Crawford 2009 American English
12515 The Road Through Miyama Leila Philip 1991 American English
13269 Ganado Red Susan Lowell 1993 American English
13788 Le Passeur De Lumière Bernard Tirtiaux 1993 French French
14985 The Beauty Of Everyday Things Soetsu Yanagi 2019 Japanese Japanese
15642 The Boatbuilder Daniel Gumbiner 2018 American English
15914 Japanese Homes And Their Surroundings Edwin Morse 1886 American English
15914 The Tentmaker Julius Berstl 1935 Unknown German
17158 England in Particular Sue Clifford, Angela King 2006 British English
17158 Paul Revere and the World He Lived In Esther Forbes 1942 American English
17158 A Bride's Story Kaoru Mori 2009 Japanese Japanese
17158 Poor Man's Tapestry G. Oliver Onions 1946 British English
17158 The Piano Shop On The Left Bank Thad Carhart 2000 American English
17158 Passing The Time In Ballymenone Henry Glassie 1982 American English
17158 The Emperor's Soul Brandon Sanderson 2012 American English
17158 Gathering Blue Lois Lowry 2000 American English
17158 On Becoming A Novelist John Gardner 1983 American English
17158 The Art Of Fiction John Gardner 1983 American English
17158 Graven Images Paul Fleischman 1982 American English
17158 Un Monde à Portée De Main Maylis de Kerangal 2018 French French
17158 The Glass Blowers Daphne du Maurier 1963 British English
17158 Worn Sofi Thanhauser 2022 Unknown English
17158 Cross‑Stitch Jazmina Barrera 2023 Unknown Spanish
17158 The Real Work Adam Gopnik 2023 American English