The 42nd Parallel
The first volume of the “brilliantly original” (Alfred Kazan) U.S.A. trilogy, a landmark of modernism. More
Nostromo
A sweeping masterpiece considered by many to be Conrad’s greatest novel. More
The Crying of Lot 49
This highly original satire is a classic of postmodern literature. More
Papillon
A bestselling phenomenon and classic memoir of prison breaks and adventure. More
Neil Gaiman
I read to travel, and to learn. More
A Game of Thrones
First volume in the internationally bestselling series that has sold upward of 70 million copies. More
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Multimillion-copy global bestseller that won critical acclaim for its beautifully wrought depiction of innocence corrupted. More
Fahrenheit 451
Though set in a dystopian world without books, Bradbury’s most famous work has never gone out of print. More
Our Town
Pulitzer Prize–winning drama; hailed by Edward Albee as “The finest play ever written by an American.” More
Jack Higgins
Why I write: Some years ago, although enjoying great success, I was accused by certain literary critics of repeating myself too much in my work. More
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
This 1972 Booker Prize–nominated novel was also made into a 1978 Australian film. More
The Sheltering Sky
Bowles’s landmark literary novel, a classic work of psychological terror. More
Gorky Park
First book in the Arkady Renko series, which became an instant bestseller and changed the crime fiction genre. More
Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors
A multimillion-copy benchmark of adventure/survival nonfiction. More
Michael Chabon
The first writer that I really fell in love with was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in particular his Sherlock Holmes stories, and the first story that I ever wrote was a Sherlock Holmes story. More
T. C. Boyle
I read in the way that I breathe, as a necessity of life. More
James Rollins
I owe my mother everything. More
Under the Volcano
A landmark of modernism, hailed as “one of the towering novels of this century” (New York Times). More
Moby-Dick
Often called the greatest American novel of all time. More
The Monkey Wrench Gang
Classic, irreverent novel that helped spark the modern movement of environmental activism. More
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Irving’s beloved coming-of-age tale that ranks among the most cherished of American classics. 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