We cannot deny that there are thousands of great and best famous books of all time, and these books come in different genres such as fiction, non-fiction, horror, and a lot more. These popular and highly notable books do not only come from the present since there is a large number of these from the past that are still popular today; furthermore, these old books even top the bestselling modern books of today.
So to give you an idea of what the best famous books of all time are, here is a list of some of the greatest selling books that are still sought after until today:
In Search of Lost Time
By: Marcel Proust
This is the first part of Proust’s best famous books of all time; here, he also introduces the various themes that are present in the story. The story begins with the protagonist (also the narrator) reliving his childhood while being aided by the popular Madeleine.
Anna Karenina
By: Leo Tolstoy
One of the best famous books of all time is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy which tells of the tragic love affair of the rebellious and sensuous Anna and the flamboyant officer named Count Vronsky. However, tragedy eventually unfolds when she dismisses her passionless marriage to endure the hypocritical behavior of society.
Ulysses
By: James Joyce
One of the best famous books is Ulysses that narrates the passages of Leopold Bloom. This title points and parallels to Odysseus who is known as the hero of Odyssey by Homer.
Madame Bovary
By: Gustave Flaubert
This is a tale of a lady, destroyed by her reckless chase to achieve her romantic dreams; to create the story of Madame Bovary, its author bravely peered right into the heart of an adulteress to clearly and thoroughly list its contents with sheer dispassion. Because of this, the author, Gustave Flaubert was tried for offenses against religion and ethics.
Moby Dick
By: Herman Melville
Moby Dick has been named the greatest novel in the history of American literature and it is also one of the best famous books of all time. The story is about Captain Ahab and his monomaniacal quest to hunt down the white whale who took one of his legs during his previous expedition out in the sea.
Lolita
By: Vladimir Nabokov
A book that has become internationally popular due to its innovative style of storytelling, as well as it being infamous for tackling a rather controversial and sensitive subject: a middle-aged man, the unreliable narrator and protagonist of the story, who becomes utterly obsessed and even sexually involved with a 12 year old girl, Dolores Haze.
Hamlet
By: William Shakespeare
A tragic novel about Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark; this is among the best famous books that is believed to have been created around the years 1599 and 1601. The story recounts how Hamlet takes revenge on Claudius, his uncle, who murdered the prince’s father to take the throne then later on, married the queen who is Hamlet’s mother.
The Stories of Anton Chekhov
By: Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov is a short-story writer, physician, and playwright from Russia who is known as one of the greatest writers of short stories in the world of literature. The Stories of Anton Chekhov is known as one of the best famous books of all time since it is a compilation of the sought out short stories that he created.
The Divine Comedy
By: Dante Alighieri
A creation of Dante Alighieri that is known as a very moving drama; The Divine Comedy shows Dante’s unforgettable journey through the endless torments of Hell then up to the difficult passages of Purgatory before reaching the brilliant realm of Paradise.
Great Expectations
By: Charles Dickens
This is one of the best famous books that follow the story of either a woman or man in their journey to search for maturity; it generally begins in their childhood and ends right in the adulthood of the main character which is exactly how the story goes for the orphan named Pip. He writes about his life from his younger days until he reaches adulthood where he attempts to be a refined gentleman in the process.
The Brothers Karamazov
By: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
This story created by Dostoyevsky is a brilliantly written crime story as well as a passionate and witty philosophical debate. It speaks of the corrupt landowner who is murdered at some point, with hints that his sons, at some level, are involved in this death.
100 Years of Solitude
By: Gabriela Marquez
This book tells the story of the achievement and downfall of the mythical Macondo through the history of the Buendia family. One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of the best famous books that feature a brilliant and rich narration about life and death, as well as the tragic-comedy of humankind.
The Illiad
By: Homer
The Illiad is a known epic poem that is mainly set during the Trojan War; it tells the tales of events and battles during the week-long quarrel of Achilles and King Agamemnon. Though the book only covers weeks during the war’s final years, it mentions numerous Greek legends that relate to the siege.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
By: Lewis Carroll
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is popular and among the best famous books of all time; it is about a young little girl who accidentally stumbles down into a rabbit hole which is the start of Alice’s immortal adventures.
King Lear
By: William Shakespeare
This is a tragedy story by Shakespeare that is believed to have been created around 1603 and 1606; it is also considered as one of Shakespeare’s greatest creations, as well as one of the best famous books in the world of literature. King Lear is based on the myth of Leir of Britain, a pre-Roman Celtic king.
The Trial
By: Franz Kafka
The Trial is known as one of the most vital novels created during the twentieth century: it begins with the horrifying tale of a well-known bank officer named Josef K who was suddenly arrested for a crime he did not do. Josef needs to find every way to defend himself against something that he cannot acquire information from.
The Sound and the Fury
By: William Faulkner
This one of the best famous books that are set in a fictional county called Yoknapatawpha; the story centers on a certain family who was known as former aristocrats from the south. The family deals and struggles with their rupture, as well as their reputation.
Pride and Prejudice
By: Jane Austen
A book that follows the life of Elizabeth Bennet who deals with various life matters such as marriage, upbringing, moral rightness, as well as education in an aristocratic institution.
Catcher in the Rye
By: J.D. Salinger
This is a novel written in the year 1945 and it was primarily published for adults; however, The Catcher in the Rye has eventually become a ‘regular’ element for both the curricula of high schools and colleges throughout the English-speaking world.
To the Lighthouse
By: Virgina Woolf
One of the best famous books about high modernism that focuses on the Ramsay family and their random journeys to visit the Isle of Skye; To the Lighthouse includes short dialogues with almost no actions in the text since most of this is displayed as various observations and thoughts. This amazing novel is reminiscent to the power of emotions during childhood while simultaneously highlighting the brevity of adult relationships.
