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Not limited to any specific number, the list features debut works, Pulitzer Prize winners, and books that have been subject to bans, all chosen for their ability to challenge, delight, and leave readers more informed and engaged.
Mar 14, 2024 · The list is the result of a project that looks at the most influential novels in America for the past 100 years (roughly from 1924-2023). The 136 novels on the list were chosen by The Atlantic’s editors, who were in conversation with scholars, critics, and novelists outside of the publication.
The Greatest American Books of All Time. This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 305 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books.
- Nathaniel Hawthorne 1804 – 1864. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a novelist and short story writer. Hawthorne’s works have been labelled ‘dark romanticism,’ dominated as they are by cautionary tales that suggest that guilt, sin, and evil are the most inherent natural qualities of humankind.
- Edgar Allan Poe 1809 –1849. Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, editor, and literary critic. He is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and suspense.
- Herman Melville 1819 – 1891. Herman Melville was an American writer of novels, short stories and poems. He is best known for the novel Moby-Dick and a romantic account of his experiences in Polynesian life, Typee.
- Walt Whitman 1819-1892. Walt Whitman was a poet, essayist, and journalist who transformed poetry around the world with his disregard for traditional rhyme and meter and his celebration of democracy and sensual pleasure.
- To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee.
- The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald.
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain.
- The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger.
Jan 9, 2017 · Which is why, right now, the Great American Novel is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne as runners-up. Are these the best American novels?
Apr 20, 2018 · America’s Best-Loved Books. You can sort this list by title, last name of author, year published, or genre by clicking the arrow above the upper righthand corner of each column.
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