1954: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is published…
Publisher George Allen & Unwin, later purchased by HarperCollins, publishes the 9,250-page manuscript of The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. More
Kevin Henkes
The War of the Worlds
The much-adapted classic from “the father of science fiction.” More
The Inklings
Clive Staples Lewis (better known as C. S. Lewis) loved nothing more than sitting in the back room of his favorite pub, The Eagle and Child, surrounded by his closest literary friends, including J. R. R. Tolkien. More
Kitten’s First Full Moon
Its brief text, large type, and luminescent pictures evoke the classic picture book era; Caldecott Medal winner. More
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Thompson’s highly subjective blend of fact and fiction that popularized what has become known as gonzo journalism. More
Angela’s Ashes
The phenomenal worldwide bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winner. More
Bernard Cornwell
The most magical phrase I knew as a child was “Once upon a time” because those four words meant a story was coming. More
The Sheltering Sky
Bowles’s landmark literary novel, a classic work of psychological terror. More
Tracy Chevalier
I read because I want to know what it’s like to look at the world through someone else’s eyes, and reading is a remarkably efficient and vigorous way of doing that. More
Donna Hay
I read Patrick Süskind’s Perfume: The Story of a Murderer at twenty-three years old on the plane on my way to Paris, on the beginning of my first big overseas adventure. More
The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly
Memoir offering a haunting, harrowing look inside the cruel prison of locked-in syndrome. More
Goodnight Moon
Every child’s must-have bedtime classic; beloved by generations of readers and listeners. More
Sharpe’s Eagle
The first Sharpe novel published in Cornwell’s classic series. More
Judith Kerr
Why I write: Usually, so that I can do the illustrations. More
Empire of the Sun
Winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. More
Stacy Gregg
Each time the love is different. You meet-cute on the first page. More
A Woman of Substance
With her unforgettable heroine Emma Harte, Bradford popularized the rags-to-riches family saga. More
The Kitchen Diaries
Now in its third installment; the original was named “Book of the Year” by sixteen publications. More
Journey to Jo’burg
Groundbreaking book set in South Africa during the apartheid era and banned by its government. More
Flashman
When this novel was first published, many critics mistakenly accepted it as a genuine historical memoir. More
The Diary of a Wombat
Genesis of a picture book franchise that has sold more than half a million copies globally. More
Our Town
Pulitzer Prize–winning drama; hailed by Edward Albee as “The finest play ever written by an American.” More
Michael Morpurgo
I like above all to share the excitement of my dreams and discoveries, my doubts and fears, my joys and my sorrows, to take my readers on new journeys with me. More
Love and War in the Apennines
The early life story of a man who would become one of Britain’s best-loved literary adventurers. More
The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World
With more than one million copies sold worldwide, it’s the world’s largest commercially available world atlas in print. More
The Fellowship of the Ring
First volume in The Lord of the Rings series, which has sold more than 100 million copies. More