100 novels that shaped our world
BBC Arts, 2019. A critics list. See the original list
We use only the titles, authors and places from this list. 100 novels from it are in The Novel Index.
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Bartleby, the Scrivener
Herman Melville, 1853
On 1 of the 12 lists it was eligible for
Emily of New Moon
L. M. Montgomery, 1923
On 1 of the 15 lists it was eligible for
Nights at the Circus
Angela Carter, 1984
On 1 of the 19 lists it was eligible for
Psmith, Journalist
P. G. Wodehouse, 1915
On 1 of the 15 lists it was eligible for
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Alan Sillitoe, 1958
On 1 of the 17 lists it was eligible for
The Earthsea Trilogy
Ursula K. Le Guin, 1968
On 1 of the 17 lists it was eligible for
The Forty Rules of Love
Elif Shafak, 2009
On 1 of the 13 lists it was eligible for
The Jack Aubrey Novels
Patrick O’Brian, 1969
On 1 of the 18 lists it was eligible for
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
Brian Moore, 1955
On 1 of the 17 lists it was eligible for
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 ¾
Sue Townsend, 1982
On 2 of the 19 lists it was eligible for
The Slaves of Solitude
Patrick Hamilton, 1947
On 1 of the 16 lists it was eligible for
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Anne Brontë, 1848
On 1 of the 13 lists it was eligible for
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name
Audre Lorde, 1982
On 1 of the 17 lists it was eligible for
The lists that agree with this one most
| List | Books in common |
|---|---|
| The 100 best novels of all time (The Guardian, 2026) | 22 |
| The Great American Read (PBS, 2018) | 21 |
| The 100 greatest British novels (BBC Culture, 2015) | 17 |
| The Big Read top 100 (BBC, 2003) | 16 |
| Readers' top 100 novels (The Guardian, 2026) | 16 |