The Greatest Books of All Time on Craftsmanship

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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.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
980 News from Nowhere William Morris 1890 British English
1265 On Writing Stephen King 2000 American English
1935 Autobiography Benvenuto Cellini 1728 Italian Italian
2459 Lark Rise To Candleford Flora Thompson 1945 British English
3002 The Monkey's Wrench Primo Levi 1978 Italian Italian
3323 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
5860 The Stones Of Venice John Ruskin 1851 British English
6251 The Craftsman Richard Sennett 2008 American English
6551 The Quilts Of Gee's Bend William Arnett, Alvia Wardlaw, Jane Livingston, John Beardsley 2002 American English
7215 Tales Nikolai Leskov 1870 Russian Russian
7573 The Fair Maid Of Perth Sir Walter Scott 1828 Scottish English
10448 House Tracy Kidder 1985 American English
10706 The Dress Diary Kate Strasdin 2023 Unknown English
12081 Shop Class As Soulcraft Matthew B. Crawford 2009 American English
12513 The Road Through Miyama Leila Philip 1991 American English
13266 Ganado Red Susan Lowell 1993 American English
13787 Le Passeur De Lumière Bernard Tirtiaux 1993 French French
14983 The Beauty Of Everyday Things Soetsu Yanagi 2019 Japanese Japanese
15634 The Boatbuilder Daniel Gumbiner 2018 American English
15897 Japanese Homes And Their Surroundings Edwin Morse 1886 American English
15897 The Tentmaker Julius Berstl 1935 Unknown German
17114 England in Particular Sue Clifford, Angela King 2006 British English
17114 Paul Revere and the World He Lived In Esther Forbes 1942 American English
17114 A Bride's Story Kaoru Mori 2009 Japanese Japanese
17114 Poor Man's Tapestry G. Oliver Onions 1946 British English
17114 The Piano Shop On The Left Bank Thad Carhart 2000 American English
17114 Passing The Time In Ballymenone Henry Glassie 1982 American English
17114 The Emperor's Soul Brandon Sanderson 2012 American English
17114 Gathering Blue Lois Lowry 2000 American English
17114 On Becoming A Novelist John Gardner 1983 American English
17114 The Art Of Fiction John Gardner 1983 American English
17114 Graven Images Paul Fleischman 1982 American English
17114 Un Monde à Portée De Main Maylis de Kerangal 2018 French French
17114 The Glass Blowers Daphne du Maurier 1963 British English
17114 Worn Sofi Thanhauser 2022 Unknown English
17114 Cross‑Stitch Jazmina Barrera 2023 Unknown Spanish
17114 The Real Work Adam Gopnik 2023 American English