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