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113 Best Books of All Time
... And Greatest Novels!

(according to 600+ really successful people)

Leading minds in business, entertainment, and tech are always asked
"what books would you recommend?"
We've collected and analyzed their responses 😊

Sources include interviews, biographies, podcast transcripts, public online lists (e.g., Oprah's book club), and more out the wazoo.

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19 Recommenders

  1. Atlas Shrugged

    Ayn Rand

16 Recommenders

  1. Meditations

    Marcus Aurelius

15 Recommenders

  1. Snow Crash

    A Novel

    Neal Stephenson

  2. The Alchemist

    Paulo Coelho

  3. Thinking, Fast and Slow

    Daniel Kahneman

9 Recommenders

  1. Steve Jobs

    Walter Isaacson

  2. The Great Gatsby

    F. Scott Fitzgerald

  3. Tao Te Ching

    Lao Tzu

  4. Crime and Punishment

    Fyodor Dostoevsky

8 Recommenders

  1. One Hundred Years of Solitude

    Gabriel Garcia Marquez

  2. Ready Player One

    Ernest Cline

  3. The Road

    Cormac McCarthy

  4. Between the World and Me

    Ta-Nehisi Coates

  5. The Catcher in the Rye

    J.D. Salinger

  6. Animal Farm

    George Orwell

  7. Rework

    David “DHH” Heinemeier Hansson

  8. What We Owe the Future

    William MacAskill

7 Recommenders

  1. When Breath Becomes Air

    Paul Kalanithi

  2. Autobiography of a Yogi

    Paramahansa Yogananda

  3. The Denial of Death

    Ernest Becker

  4. The Intelligent Investor

    Benjamin Graham

  5. The Prince

    Niccolò Machiavelli

  6. The Martian

    A Novel

    Andy Weir

  7. The Old Man and the Sea

    Ernest Hemingway

FAQ

  • What is considered the greatest book of all time?

    This is a highly debated (and based on pure subjectivity) topic so it opens the door to opinions that vary greatly. But according to we've called our list of greatest books of all time, the top winner is the history book "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari. If you haven't read this book, we highly recommend it. However a close all time second (which isn't too far off) is the beautifully written "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl (more of a biography). We recommend you buy and read both, since from all our research online they're the two clear winners. We also have all sorts of other choices from modern to classics for all who love reading books, so we're sure you'll find something you love!

  • Are there any notable ommissions from this list to read?

    Because we try to focus on the (roughly) 100 best books and novels of all time, we didn't account for the best books that had less than 7 recommendations (and only took stock of those that had more). Of course, there are a lot of other top books out there in the world, but we didn't want to make this page too long :) We already wrote more than 100 and (both us and some readers) think it's too much!

  • How does reading something widely-acclaimed compare to discovering a hidden gem or under-the-radar novel you might love?

    There is no real right or wrong answer to this question as it ultimately is based on each readers personal preference (although some people will race to make their own conclusions!). Some readers may prefer the reassurance and familiarity of what are called some of the most critically acclaimed books of all time, while others may enjoy the excitement and thrill of finding a lesser-known piece of literature they fall in love with. Both types of reading experiences can offer their own long list of real unique pleasures (social and personal). Reading a widely-acclaimed book (or named one of the greatest novels of all time, i.e. classics) allows the reader to connect with a larger community of readers and unite in its universal praise and admiration. Discovering a hidden gem, on the other hand, offers the sense of being part of an exclusive literary club/ family and being able to share your newfound love for the book with others who might not have heard about it before. The best books are ultimately the ones that make you feel the best (hence why debating it doesn't make any sense).

  • Why can't I buy any of these books here directly?

    Our number one rule begins with don't try to out-Bezos Bezos. Which is why we sell everything via Amazon (plus that's where you can view a copy of each book, read the review, see which books got fancy stuff like a national book award, find advanced sharing options on Twitter, Facebook, etc, buy your own AND in different formats from digital to paperback, even translated if needed!). It just makes life easier for everyone.

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