John Eldredge
I write for the same reasons I read—for pleasure, for wonder, but mostly to sort things out. More
Our Town
Pulitzer Prize–winning drama; hailed by Edward Albee as “The finest play ever written by an American.” More
A Christmas Carol
Dickens’s beloved classic of the meaning of Christmas that has inspired countless adaptations. More
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Major nineteenth-century English novel that challenged the sexual morals of late Victorian England. More
Papillon
A bestselling phenomenon and classic memoir of prison breaks and adventure. More
The Kon-Tiki Expedition
This classic, inspiring tale of daring and courage has been translated into sixty-five languages. 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 Hunt for Red October
Clancy’s debut novel launched a spectacular career and introduced the world to a new hero, Jack Ryan. More
The 42nd Parallel
The first volume of the “brilliantly original” (Alfred Kazan) U.S.A. trilogy, a landmark of modernism. More
Periodicals: Harper’s Weekly, Harper’s New Monthly and Harper’s Bazaar
The Harper brothers consistently sought ways to reach more readers with less expensive publications, and in 1850 they revolutionized the concept of the modern literary magazine with Harper’s New Monthly Magazine. More
Seven Years in Tibet
A landmark in travel writing, it has been translated into fifty-three languages. More
Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors
A multimillion-copy benchmark of adventure/survival nonfiction. More
T. C. Boyle
I read in the way that I breathe, as a necessity of life. More
Anthony Doerr
We are all mapmakers: We embed our memories everywhere, inscribing a private and intensely complicated latticework across the landscape. More
Master and Commander
First book in O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series, widely regarded as the greatest series of historical novels ever written. More
Wuthering Heights
A Gothic classic and one of the world’s greatest tales of unrequited love. 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
Nostromo
A sweeping masterpiece considered by many to be Conrad’s greatest novel. More
The Once and Future King
White’s masterful retelling of the Arthurian legend. More
The Odyssey of Homer
Hailed as “the best translation there is of a great, perhaps the greatest, poet” (New York Times Book Review). More
Jane Eyre
Brontë’s masterpiece of Gothic romance; a milestone title in the history of British feminist literature. More
1850: Harper’s New Monthly Magazine launches
Harper’s New Monthly Magazine launches in June, serializing Charles Dickens’s Bleak House, as well as then unknown authors Herman Melville and Mark Twain. More
Moby-Dick
Often called the greatest American novel of all time. More
Herman Melville and Moby-Dick
Harper & Brothers turned down Herman Melville’s first book, Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life, and it was released to strong sales by another publisher. More
Bleak House
Dickens’s tenth novel, often considered his finest; significantly influenced the development of mystery novels. More
The Woman in White
One of the earliest works of detective fiction, this story caused a sensation with readers at the time. More
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
Pulitzer Prize winner; considered one of the classic works of creative nonfiction of the late twentieth century. More