The Greatest Western Books of All Time

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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
9975 Gebrek Is Een Groot Woord Nina Polak 2018 Dutch Dutch
9980 Mirror, Shoulder, Signal Dorthe Nors 2016 Danish English
9985 Shadow & Claw Gene Wolfe 1994 American English
9984 The Atrocity Archives Charles Stross 2004 British English
9987 Pictures At A Revolution Mark Harris 2008 American English
9988 Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom Nik Cohn 1969 British English
9989 I Know This Much Is True Wally Lamb 1998 American English
9990 Ravel Jean Echenoz 2006 French French
9991 The Lost Highway David Adams Richards 2007 Canadian English
9995 Speaking Bones Denise Dumars 1996 American Unknown
9995 Nestlings Of A Dark God Michael R. Collings 1996 American English
9995 The Fuel Of Tender Years Joey Froehlich 1996 American Unknown
9995 Dreams And Wishes Susan Cooper 1996 British English
10002 Bertie And The Tin Man Peter Lovesey 1987 British English
10011 The Song Of The World Jean Giono 1934 French French
10007 The Dawn Of Everything David Graeber, David Wengrow 2021 British English
10009 Someone In The Dark August Derleth 1941 American English
10009 Edgar Allan Poe Arthur Hobson Quinn 1941 American English
10008 Lone Women Victor LaValle 2023 American English
10006 Where Tigers Are At Home Jean-Marie Blas de Roblès 2008 French French
10016 Wonder Boys Michael Chabon 1995 American English
10013 The End Of Nature Bill McKibben 1989 American English
10019 The Architects Are Here Michael Winter 2007 Canadian English
10024 Race Matters Cornel West 1993 American English
10020 The Night Stalker Jeff Rice 1973 American English
10023 The End Of The World Is A Cul De Sac Louise Kennedy 2021 Irish English
10027 Wounds Of Passion bell hooks 1997 American English
10025 The Nine Lives Of Charlotte Taylor Sally Armstrong 2007 Canadian English
10026 Ragged Islands Don Hannah 2007 Canadian English
10028 The Iambics Of Newfoundland Robert Finch 2007 Canadian English
10030 An Absolutely Remarkable Thing Hank Green 2018 American English
10029 The Dreaming City Michael Moorcock 1961 British English
10031 The Boy Who Stole Attila's Horse Ivan Repila 2013 Spanish Spanish
10031 Obsidio Amie Kaufman 2018 Australian English
10031 Wishes And Wellingtons Julie Berry 2018 American English
10038 Maoism Julia Lovell 2019 British English
10041 The Kulla Gulla Series Martha Sandwall-Bergström 1945 Swedish Swedish
10042 Poems Of Eugénio De Andrade Eugénio de Andrade 1977 Portuguese Portuguese
10042 A Part Of Speech Joseph Brodsky 1977 American Russian
10042 Houseboat Days John Ashbery 1977 American English
10042 Poems Of John Ashbery John Ashbery 1977 American English
10042 The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford Ron Hansen 1983 American English
10049 Distinction Pierre Bourdieu 1979 French French
10057 Tragic Sense Of Life Miguel de Unamuno 1912 Spanish Spanish
10053 Krieg Ludwig Renn 1928 German German
10053 A Shropshire Lad A. E. Housman 1896 British English
10048 Statarna Ivar Lo-Johansson 1936 Swedish Swedish
10050 Poems Of Karin Boye Karin Boye 1941 Swedish Swedish
10052 Jac The Clown Hjalmar Bergman 1919 Swedish Swedish
10060 Collected Shorter Plays Samuel Beckett 1984 Irish English
10060 Stars And Bars William Boyd 1984 British English
10059 A Truce That Is Not Peace Miriam Toews 2025 Canadian English
10062 In the Heart of the Sea Nathaniel Philbrick 2000 American English
10063 Wellness Nathan Hill 2024 American English
10064 Die Totalitäre Erfahrung Karl Dietrich Bracher 1987 German German
10065 Campo De Retamas Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio 2013 Spanish Spanish
10066 Persepolis 1 & 2 — The Complete Persepolis Marjane Satrapi 2000 French French
10067 The Killings At Badger's Drift Caroline Graham 1987 British English
10068 In The Café Of Lost Youth Patrick Modiano 2007 French French
10070 What Bloody Man Is That? Simon Brett 1987 British English
10069 The Mountain People Colin M. Turnbull 1972 British English
10073 New And Collected Poems Richard Wilbur 1988 American English
10076 Beautiful Ruins Jess Walter 2012 American English
10072 Verdes Valles, Colinas Rojas Ramiro Pinilla 2004 Spanish Spanish
10073 Shot In The Heart Mikal Gilmore 1994 American English
10073 The Mirror & The Light Hilary Mantel 2020 British English
10071 The Silences Of Hammerstein Hans Magnus Enzensberger 2008 German German
10077 Prufrock and Other Observations T. S. Eliot 1917 British English
10078 Nightmare By Daylight Christine Campbell Thomson 1942 British English
10079 The Body Project Joan Jacobs Brumberg 1997 American English
10081 Habibi Craig Thompson 2011 American English
10080 Creation Lake Rachel Kushner 2024 American English
10085 The Girl With All The Gifts M. R. Carey 2014 British English
10082 One Person, No Vote Carol Anderson 2018 American English
10082 Give People Money Annie Lowrey 2018 American English
10082 To Shape A New World Tommie Shelby, Brandon M. Terry 2018 American English
10086 Falling in Place Ann Beattie 1980 American English
10087 Disciplined Minds Jeff Schmidt 2000 American English
10088 Angelfall Susan Ee 2011 American English
10090 Assassin's Apprentice Robin Hobb 1995 American English
10091 Blood Sport Robert F. Jones 1974 American English
10092 The Ends Of The World Peter Brannen 2017 American English
10089 The Wilderness Angela Flournoy 2025 American English
10094 Confessions Of A Shopaholic Sophie Kinsella 2000 British English
10095 Manifesta Jennifer Baumgardner, Amy Richards 2000 American English
10096 Time Enough For Love Robert A. Heinlein 1973 American English
10097 Twenty Years And A Day Jorge Semprún 2003 Spanish Spanish
10099 Deep Down Dark Héctor Tobar 2014 American English
10099 écrits 2003 2014 Angélica Liddell 2015 Spanish Spanish
10101 Every Day David Levithan 2012 American English
10101 The People In The Trees Hanya Yanagihara 2013 American English
10105 A Fan's Notes Frederick Exley 1968 American English
10106 My Life As A Russian Novel Emmanuel Carrère 2007 French French
10108 The Fifth Elephant Terry Pratchett 1999 British English
10109 Orwell And Politics George Orwell 2001 British English
10109 Don Quixote's Delusions Miranda France 2001 British English
10111 Lose Your Mother Saidiya Hartman 2007 American English
10112 Carte Muette Philippe Vasset 2007 French French
10114 Tokyo Year Zero David Peace 2007 British English
10115 Blackberry Winter Margaret Mead 1972 American English
10115 Stradbroke Dreamtime Oodgeroo Noonuccal 1972 Australian English
10118 Revelations Douglas Winter 1997 American English
10120 The Taming of Chance Ian Hacking 1990 Canadian English
10119 Flashlight Susan Choi 2025 American English
10121 Through The Woods Emily Carroll 2014 Canadian English
10123 Always Magic in the Air Ken Emerson 2005 American English
10123 The Cuckoo’s Calling J. K. Rowling 2013 British English
10123 Ghostman Roger Hobbs 2013 American English
10123 The Invisible Guardian Dolores Redondo 2013 Spanish Spanish
10128 White City Kevin Power 2021 Irish English
10130 El Tiempo De Las Mujeres Ignacio Martínez de Pisón 2003 Spanish Spanish
10131 Nine Ghosts R. H. Malden 1943 British English
10132 Dealing With Dragons Patricia C. Wrede 1990 American English
10133 The Vaster Wilds Lauren Groff 2023 American English
10133 Shadow Ticket Thomas Pynchon 2025 American English
10135 Advances Anita Burgh 1998 British English
10137 Snowflake Louise Nealon 2021 Irish English
10138 Change Machine Jaya Savige 2020 Australian English
10136 Nora Nuala O’Connor 2021 Irish English
10139 Dealers Of Lightning Michael Hiltzik 2000 American English