Penguin Modern Classics

At Penguin Classics our mission has always been to make the best books ever written available to everyone. And that also means constantly redefining and refreshing exactly what makes a ‘classic’.

That’s where Modern Classics come in. Since 1961 they have been an organic, ever-growing and ever-evolving list of books that we believe will continue to be read over and over again.

Note: Do not add non Penguin Modern Classics editions. They will be summarily deleted. If you require assistance regarding adding the correct edition, please comment accordingly.

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1	Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell 4.20 avg rating — 5,281,873 ratings score: 16,947, and 173 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Animal Farm by George Orwell 4.01 avg rating — 4,401,529 ratings score: 13,982, and 145 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.93 avg rating — 5,773,206 ratings score: 11,906, and 124 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 3.87 avg rating — 925,396 ratings score: 11,096, and 114 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez 4.12 avg rating — 1,078,766 ratings score: 7,945, and 82 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 3.89 avg rating — 2,770,304 ratings score: 7,652, and 83 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	The Outsider by Albert Camus 4.03 avg rating — 1,335,182 ratings score: 7,284, and 78 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 4.20 avg rating — 4,100,568 ratings score: 7,258, and 77 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf 3.78 avg rating — 345,900 ratings score: 6,499, and 68 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 4.02 avg rating — 976,776 ratings score: 6,337, and 67 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Trial by Franz Kafka 3.94 avg rating — 380,512 ratings score: 6,219, and 67 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 4.20 avg rating — 770,739 ratings score: 5,475, and 59 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Perfume by Patrick Süskind 4.04 avg rating — 535,601 ratings score: 5,166, and 57 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 757,299 ratings score: 5,013, and 55 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Ulysses by James Joyce 3.77 avg rating — 139,011 ratings score: 4,983, and 53 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf 4.22 avg rating — 249,872 ratings score: 4,940, and 54 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	The Plague by Albert Camus 4.02 avg rating — 303,685 ratings score: 4,802, and 53 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez 3.94 avg rating — 538,684 ratings score: 4,262, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories by Truman Capote 3.83 avg rating — 288,065 ratings score: 3,924, and 46 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse 4.08 avg rating — 854,117 ratings score: 3,872, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	East of Eden by John Steinbeck 4.43 avg rating — 610,815 ratings score: 3,862, and 43 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 3.74 avg rating — 405,248 ratings score: 3,794, and 43 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 124,442 ratings score: 3,726, and 42 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Orlando by Virginia Woolf 3.87 avg rating — 110,954 ratings score: 3,689, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf 3.81 avg rating — 209,175 ratings score: 3,452, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 4.15 avg rating — 430,514 ratings score: 3,406, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka 3.89 avg rating — 7,236 ratings score: 3,378, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	On the Road by Jack Kerouac 3.61 avg rating — 441,145 ratings score: 3,316, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	The Waves by Virginia Woolf 4.14 avg rating — 51,724 ratings score: 3,287, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers 3.99 avg rating — 117,477 ratings score: 3,195, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 3.64 avg rating — 161,777 ratings score: 3,187, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Crucible by Arthur Miller 3.61 avg rating — 454,533 ratings score: 2,948, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison 3.92 avg rating — 199,535 ratings score: 2,809, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	I, Claudius by Robert Graves 4.24 avg rating — 72,054 ratings score: 2,755, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams 3.98 avg rating — 330,301 ratings score: 2,718, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller 3.58 avg rating — 254,100 ratings score: 2,706, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Night by Elie Wiesel 4.38 avg rating — 1,340,799 ratings score: 2,704, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin 4.34 avg rating — 232,936 ratings score: 2,625, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.77 avg rating — 147,467 ratings score: 2,602, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences by Truman Capote 4.09 avg rating — 714,697 ratings score: 2,592, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Dubliners by James Joyce 3.84 avg rating — 171,445 ratings score: 2,508, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse 4.13 avg rating — 208,847 ratings score: 2,453, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys 3.59 avg rating — 104,212 ratings score: 2,374, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson 3.81 avg rating — 369,877 ratings score: 2,241, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	The Fall by Albert Camus 4.03 avg rating — 129,572 ratings score: 2,224, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson 3.92 avg rating — 277,489 ratings score: 2,191, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 3.98 avg rating — 123,021 ratings score: 2,165, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell 4.09 avg rating — 98,413 ratings score: 2,133, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole 3.89 avg rating — 293,281 ratings score: 2,121, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre 3.93 avg rating — 135,559 ratings score: 2,118, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick 3.59 avg rating — 230,786 ratings score: 2,031, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Cannery Row (Cannery Row, #1) by John Steinbeck 4.06 avg rating — 150,766 ratings score: 2,002, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X 4.37 avg rating — 286,688 ratings score: 1,994, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran 4.23 avg rating — 322,963 ratings score: 1,946, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges 4.40 avg rating — 76,686 ratings score: 1,930, and 22 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	In Search of Lost Time, Volume 1: The Way by Swann's by Marcel Proust 4.16 avg rating — 66,782 ratings score: 1,877, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams 3.74 avg rating — 141,609 ratings score: 1,755, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham 4.01 avg rating — 115,719 ratings score: 1,732, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark 3.70 avg rating — 59,730 ratings score: 1,704, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar 4.22 avg rating — 34,727 ratings score: 1,565, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa 4.40 avg rating — 36,231 ratings score: 1,482, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	The Periodic Table by Primo Levi 4.14 avg rating — 18,930 ratings score: 1,418, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings by Jorge Luis Borges 4.44 avg rating — 33,399 ratings score: 1,392, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim 3.89 avg rating — 39,477 ratings score: 1,379, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	The Pearl by John Steinbeck 3.56 avg rating — 264,019 ratings score: 1,367, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry 3.76 avg rating — 26,486 ratings score: 1,345, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien 3.85 avg rating — 14,126 ratings score: 1,340, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	The Big Sleep and Other Novels (Philip Marlowe #1-2, 6) by Raymond Chandler 4.32 avg rating — 3,260 ratings score: 1,326, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	The Castle by Franz Kafka 3.92 avg rating — 72,907 ratings score: 1,326, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys 3.85 avg rating — 12,275 ratings score: 1,306, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson 4.02 avg rating — 82,950 ratings score: 1,301, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	The Chrysalids by John Wyndham 3.93 avg rating — 61,102 ratings score: 1,279, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	The Ballad of the Sad Café by Carson McCullers 3.79 avg rating — 25,684 ratings score: 1,260, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family by Thomas Mann 4.20 avg rating — 34,503 ratings score: 1,229, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (George Smiley, #3) by John Le Carré 4.09 avg rating — 123,212 ratings score: 1,202, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder 3.79 avg rating — 37,901 ratings score: 1,167, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin 3.61 avg rating — 24,913 ratings score: 1,157, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft 4.02 avg rating — 116,415 ratings score: 1,147, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	Hiroshima by John Hersey 4.05 avg rating — 87,298 ratings score: 1,135, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell 3.89 avg rating — 24,634 ratings score: 1,120, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand 3.89 avg rating — 334,755 ratings score: 1,111, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	Claudius the God by Robert Graves 4.20 avg rating — 16,439 ratings score: 1,110, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe 3.88 avg rating — 37,980 ratings score: 1,098, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr 4.09 avg rating — 24,624 ratings score: 1,081, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Burmese Days by George Orwell 3.87 avg rating — 31,559 ratings score: 1,062, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 14,103 ratings score: 1,045, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles 3.89 avg rating — 30,239 ratings score: 1,038, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow 3.89 avg rating — 45,851 ratings score: 1,024, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir 4.18 avg rating — 46,258 ratings score: 1,010, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford 3.87 avg rating — 6,774 ratings score: 1,007, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov 4.17 avg rating — 56,333 ratings score: 997, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers 3.81 avg rating — 20,018 ratings score: 946, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow 3.84 avg rating — 9,965 ratings score: 886, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	Silent Spring by Rachel Carson 4.05 avg rating — 53,718 ratings score: 870, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow 3.84 avg rating — 18,747 ratings score: 858, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin 4.05 avg rating — 79,056 ratings score: 843, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower by Marcel Proust 4.39 avg rating — 17,302 ratings score: 815, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.73 avg rating — 64,039 ratings score: 806, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	The Complete Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino 4.11 avg rating — 4,706 ratings score: 804, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	Brighton Rock by Graham Greene 3.69 avg rating — 35,116 ratings score: 795, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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411 books · 483 voters · list created April 4th, 2014 by Luke (votes) .

Tags: classic, literature, modern, penguin, penguin-modern-classics

1004 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (483)

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Post a comment »
Comments Showing 1-39 of 39 (39 new)

date

newest »

message 1: by Luke (new)

Apr 04, 2014 06:14PM

Ha. I've only read 23.

reply | flag

message 2: by Nivas (last edited Apr 04, 2014 10:23PM) (new)

Apr 04, 2014 10:22PM

9780141184760

add this book also...

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message 3: by Jonathan (last edited Apr 05, 2014 05:16AM) (new)

Apr 05, 2014 05:15AM

One can criticize Penguin for many things, but this is a pretty great list of books. I have read 68 of them and, apart from a couple, all are 4-5 star worthy.

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message 4: by Samadrita (new)

Apr 05, 2014 11:03AM

Uh oh people are adding Vintage editions to the list now. Aubrey, maybe you should disable the settings where anyone is allowed to add books.

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message 5: by Jonathan (new)

Apr 05, 2014 11:17AM

Samadrita wrote: "Uh oh people are adding Vintage editions to the list now. Aubrey, maybe you should disable the settings where anyone is allowed to add books."

yeah - not quite sure why people do that sort of thing! But yes Aubrey, maybe you should delete those and change the settings...

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message 6: by Luke (new)

Apr 05, 2014 11:52AM

Sigh. I wanted this list to work out the way the NYRB one did with 100% correct editions with community adding, but people will be idiots. I'll deal with the damage later and decide whether to request it be frozen then.

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message 7: by Ben (new)

Apr 05, 2014 05:10PM

The reason is that when GR gives you the option to search for a book, unless you're searching for one that's on your shelf and you've already shelved the Penguin edition, it only gives you the option of adding one edition. So then (unless I'm missing something - I'm far from expert at lists) you have to go find the right edition, add it to your books, and then search for it in your books. (Not that I'm excusing adding Vintage editions - obviously it defeats the purpose.)

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message 8: by Luke (last edited Apr 05, 2014 05:16PM) (new)

Apr 05, 2014 05:13PM

One can also search within the GR database proper and add the PMC edition via ISBN. I would rather people request additions in the comments that I as a librarian could more easily enable, rather than adding something that will inevitably be deleted. As such, I have modified the description.

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message 9: by Ben (last edited Apr 05, 2014 06:04PM) (new)

Apr 05, 2014 06:04PM

Aha, the ISBN, of course!

I noticed someone deleted Borges's Labyrinths from the list - was that you? I couldn't see a reason for it so I added it again, seeing as how it is the Penguin Modern Classic which most reorganised my head. But I'll add nothing more.

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message 10: by Luke (new)

Apr 05, 2014 06:08PM

I made the mistake of checking for duplicates (instinctive these days) and merged the proper one with the incorrect one someone else had added, of which the incorrect ended up triumphing and was subsequently deleted. Thank you for adding it back.

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message 11: by Ben (new)

Apr 05, 2014 06:16PM

No problems.

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message 12: by Sue (new)

Apr 05, 2014 06:20PM

I haven't read a lot but have many on my tbr. Also I didn't finish Ficciones so I'm not counting that. Some I may have read in other editions.

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message 13: by Ben (new)

Apr 05, 2014 07:29PM

What I want to know is when Penguin is going to acquire the rights to Juan Rulfo's Pedro Paramo. It's an incredible oversight on Penguin's part: this is probably (with Ficciones and One Hundred Years of Solitude) one of the three most influential works in modern Latin American literature. Though Penguin Modern Classics have been a major influence on me, it's lapses like this that make me realise how arbitrary their choices really are.

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message 14: by Ben (last edited Apr 05, 2014 07:34PM) (new)

Apr 05, 2014 07:34PM

(How about a new list: "Books we'd like to see in Penguin Classics"?)

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message 15: by Luke (new)

Apr 06, 2014 01:25PM

You may create the list if you wish, Ben, although a personal shelf would be a safer bet. The general populace has a far different view of modern classics than you or I.

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message 16: by Claudia (new)

Apr 06, 2014 06:57PM

No DH Lawrence?

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message 17: by Luke (new)

Apr 06, 2014 07:02PM

You may add Penguin Modern Classics of his work, if they exist.

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message 18: by Jeremy (new)

Apr 18, 2014 10:23PM

"Though Penguin Modern Classics have been a major influence on me, it's lapses like this that make me realise how arbitrary their choices really are."

It's not about choice on the part of Penguin; it's about rights determined by agents, authors and estates.

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message 19: by Ben (new)

Apr 19, 2014 12:53AM

Yeah, I wondered about that. But surely any agent or estate, in this instance, would rather sell to Penguin than Serpent's Tail (who last published Rulfo in English)?

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message 20: by Jeremy (new)

Apr 19, 2014 01:03AM

Depends on dozens of needlessly complex, melodramatic and frustrating variables.

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message 21: by Ben (new)

Apr 19, 2014 01:27AM

Not surprising, I guess. So the Penguin list (and, by extension, the whole western canon?) is arbitrary because of legal issues, not taste. Should I be relieved or depressed?

I notice you just rated Walser's Selected Stories. "Kleist in Thun" - now that is a classic.

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message 22: by Jeremy (new)

Apr 19, 2014 04:40AM

A "Books We'd Like to See in Penguin Classics" list would be great.

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message 23: by Jeremy (new)

Apr 19, 2014 04:41AM

"Kleist" mesmerized me start to finish. It felt extraordinarily real.

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message 24: by Richard (new)

Apr 19, 2014 04:42PM

Jeremy wrote: "A "Books We'd Like to See in Penguin Classics" list would be great."

Nice idea, Jeremy!

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message 25: by Ben (new)

Apr 19, 2014 11:44PM

Jeremy wrote: ""Kleist" mesmerized me start to finish. It felt extraordinarily real."

Good to hear it! In all this talk about Walser that's snowballed over the past 10 or so years, and the common perception of Susan Bernofsky as his only worthwhile translator, the fact that he wrote one of the greatest short stories in any language seems to have been forgotten.

Re the list, do you think it'd do any good? I guess (in my naivety) I thought maybe the staff at Penguin might notice it and act on it. But even in the unlikely event that they did, maybe they'd be powerless.

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message 26: by Anna (last edited May 01, 2014 05:09PM) (new)

May 01, 2014 04:46PM

(view spoiler)

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message 27: by Luke (new)

May 01, 2014 04:50PM

That's the second edition that's been switched to the wrong one somehow, along with The Wretched of the Earth. Ugh. What screwy thing are the data autocompilers up to now.

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message 28: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

May 01, 2014 09:17PM

If editions are combined, the more popular one wins; that may be the cause here.

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message 29: by Luke (new)

May 01, 2014 09:28PM

I wish it were, Susanna. However, the number of voters would have changed between combinations, as would have the number of books in the list, neither of which happened here.

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message 30: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

May 01, 2014 09:41PM

Then I have no idea what it was. With the screwy things the database does, who knows what caused it?

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message 31: by Luke (new)

May 01, 2014 09:45PM

My thoughts exactly. I'll just have to keep swatting at the bugs.

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message 32: by [deleted user] (new)

May 27, 2014 09:27AM

Finally, a list without 'Twilight' in it.