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Best classic novels everyone should read
The ten best classic novels to read in 2026, from Pride and Prejudice and Nineteen Eighty-Four to Don Quixote, with what each is about and how hard it is.
Bitezine Editorial TeamRankings, reviews & guides 9 min read
AI generatedThe best classic novels have lasted because they still speak to readers generations later, whether they are about love and money, power and surveillance, or guilt and redemption. The ten below are the classic books everyone should read at least once, and most are far more readable than their reputation suggests.
We compared lists of the best classic books of all time from critics, universities and reader polls, and chose novels that keep appearing across them. We aimed for a mix of countries and centuries, and for each book we note its length and difficulty so you can find easy classic books to start with as well as longer challenges.
At a glance
#1 · Best for First classic read
Pride and Prejudice
Witty, warm and endlessly readable
Elizabeth Bennet, one of five sisters with uncertain prospects, clashes with the proud Mr Darcy while her family navigates money, marriage and reputation. Austen's sharp dialogue and irony make it feel surprisingly modern. It is the most loved of her novels and has been adapted many times.
- Romantic comedy of manners
- Memorable heroine
- Sharp, ironic narration
- Many film and TV versions
- Author
- Jane Austen
- First published
- 1813
- Length
- Medium (about 400 pages)
#2 · Best for Readers interested in politics
Nineteen Eighty-Four
The essential political novel
Winston Smith works at the Ministry of Truth in a totalitarian state where history is rewritten and thought itself is policed. His small acts of rebellion lead to a chilling conclusion. The book gave us Big Brother, doublethink and Newspeak.
- Dystopian classic
- Themes of surveillance and truth
- Fast, clear prose
- Widely taught in schools
- Author
- George Orwell
- First published
- 1949
- Length
- Medium (about 330 pages)
#3 · Best for Teen and adult readers
To Kill a Mockingbird
A moving coming-of-age classic
In 1930s Alabama, young Scout Finch watches her father, lawyer Atticus Finch, defend a Black man falsely accused of a crime. Told with humour through a child's eyes, it tackles racism and justice head-on. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
- Pulitzer Prize winner
- Child narrator
- Themes of justice and prejudice
- Classic 1962 film
- Author
- Harper Lee
- First published
- 1960
- Length
- Medium (about 320 pages)
#4 · Best for A quick classic
The Great Gatsby
The great short American novel
Narrator Nick Carraway is drawn into the world of his mysterious neighbour Jay Gatsby, who throws lavish parties in the hope of winning back Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgerald captures the glamour and emptiness of the Jazz Age in lyrical prose. It is short enough to read in an evening or two.
- Jazz Age setting
- Themes of wealth and the American Dream
- Very short
- Several film adaptations
- Author
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
- First published
- 1925
- Length
- Short (about 180 pages)
#5 · Best for Romance and gothic fans
Jane Eyre
A passionate, independent heroine
Orphaned Jane survives a harsh childhood, becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall and falls for its brooding owner, Mr Rochester, who hides a dark secret. The first-person voice is direct and intense. Brontë first published it under the pen name Currer Bell.
- Gothic romance
- Strong first-person narrator
- Themes of independence and faith
- Published under a pen name
- Author
- Charlotte Brontë
- First published
- 1847
- Length
- Long (about 500 pages)
#6 · Best for Entry into Russian literature
Crime and Punishment
The gripping psychological classic
In St Petersburg, the impoverished former student Raskolnikov commits a murder he believes he can justify, then unravels under guilt and a patient detective. It reads almost like a thriller while exploring morality and redemption. It is the most accessible of Dostoevsky's major novels.
- Psychological crime story
- Cat-and-mouse investigation
- Deep moral questions
- Several strong translations
- Author
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
- First published
- 1866
- Length
- Long (about 550 pages)
#7 · Best for Ambitious readers
Anna Karenina
Tolstoy's rich portrait of love and society
Anna, a married aristocrat, begins an affair with Count Vronsky and faces the judgement of Russian high society, while the landowner Levin searches for meaning in family and work. Tolstoy moves between the two stories with remarkable insight into people. It is long but never dull.
- Two parallel storylines
- Deep character psychology
- Portrait of 19th-century Russia
- Frequently adapted
- Author
- Leo Tolstoy
- First published
- 1878
- Length
- Very long (about 850 pages)
#8 · Best for Readers seeking a big challenge
Don Quixote
The first modern novel
An ageing gentleman reads so many chivalric romances that he sets out as a knight-errant, accompanied by the practical Sancho Panza. The comic adventures turn into a thoughtful story about imagination, reality and friendship. It was published in two parts, ten years apart.
- Often called the first modern novel
- Comic adventures
- Published in two parts
- Enormously influential
- Author
- Miguel de Cervantes
- First published
- 1605 and 1615
- Length
- Very long (about 1,000 pages)
#9 · Best for Patient, curious readers
Moby-Dick
An obsessive, epic sea story
Ishmael signs on to the whaling ship Pequod, whose captain, Ahab, is determined to hunt the white whale that took his leg. The novel mixes adventure with philosophy, humour and long chapters on whaling. It sold poorly when it was published but is now regarded as a great American novel.
- Famous opening line
- Adventure and philosophy
- Chapters on whaling life
- Rediscovered in the 20th century
- Author
- Herman Melville
- First published
- 1851
- Length
- Long (about 600 pages)
#10 · Best for Readers who like something different
One Hundred Years of Solitude
The landmark of magical realism
The novel follows seven generations of the Buendía family in the fictional town of Macondo, where extraordinary events are treated as ordinary. It is a story about memory, history and repetition in Latin America. García Márquez later received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- Magical realism classic
- Multi-generation family saga
- Translated from Spanish
- Adapted as a TV series
- Author
- Gabriel García Márquez
- First published
- 1967
- Length
- Long (about 420 pages)
How to choose
If you are new to classic literature, begin with shorter, faster books. The Great Gatsby, Nineteen Eighty-Four and To Kill a Mockingbird are gripping from the first chapter and make good classic novels for beginners. Pride and Prejudice is funnier than many expect and is a natural next step.
For longer reads, pick a translation carefully. Modern translations of the best Russian novels, such as Crime and Punishment and Anna Karenina, are often easier to follow than older ones, and the same goes for Don Quixote and One Hundred Years of Solitude. An annotated edition helps with 19th-century novels like Moby-Dick and Jane Eyre, and audiobooks are a good way through the longest books.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best classic novel to start with?
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The Great Gatsby and Nineteen Eighty-Four are short, fast and easy to follow. Pride and Prejudice is another good first choice because of its humour and clear plot.
What is considered the greatest novel ever written?
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Don Quixote, Anna Karenina and War and Peace are among the most common answers in polls of writers and critics. There is no single agreed winner, and lists vary by country and era.
What is the first modern novel?
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Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, is often called the first modern novel because of its realistic characters and playful storytelling.
Which translation of Crime and Punishment should I read?
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Several modern English translations are well regarded, including those by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, Oliver Ready, and Michael R. Katz. Read a sample page of each and choose the style you find easiest.
What are some short classic novels?
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The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, Animal Farm and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde can each be read in a day or two. Fahrenheit 451 is another short classic from the 20th century.
Why is Nineteen Eighty-Four still relevant?
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Its ideas about surveillance, propaganda and the manipulation of truth still frame debates about technology and politics. Terms such as Big Brother and doublethink come from the book.
Is Moby-Dick hard to read?
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It can be. The story is simple, but Melville includes long chapters on whales and whaling that slow the pace. Many readers enjoy it more when they treat those sections as essays within the novel.
Pride and Prejudice is the best all-round starting point, while Nineteen Eighty-Four and The Great Gatsby are the quickest wins. Once you have a few under your belt, the longer must read classic literature on this list, from Anna Karenina to Don Quixote, becomes far less intimidating.
How we research: We compare each product on the same criteria, using makers’ documentation, independent reviews and owner feedback, and re-check the list when products change.
Written by
Bitezine Editorial Team
Rankings, reviews & guides
Our editors research every piece from makers’ documentation, independent tests and owner reports, and update it when products change.
