🏛️ Classic Literature · United States
Best Classic Literature Books from United States
Classic literature is the body of work that time has tested and culture has kept. United States has produced some of the most internationally recognised works in classic literature, with titles that have appeared on major prize lists and critical surveys worldwide. This page ranks the best classic literature from United States by editorial consensus.
#1
literary-fiction
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck· 1962
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score90/100
#2
literary-fiction
Beloved
Toni Morrison· 1993
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score85/100
#3
literary-fiction
Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison· 1952
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score79/100
#4
literary-fiction
The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner· 1949
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score78/100
#5
literary-fiction
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee· 1961
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score78/100
#6
literary-fiction
The Human Comedy
William Saroyan· 1943
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score76/100
#7
literary-fiction
Humboldt's Gift
Saul Bellow· 1976
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score70/100
#8
literary-fiction
The Adventures of Augie March
Saul Bellow· 1954
★National Book Award
Editorial Score70/100
#9
literary-fiction
The Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison· 1953
★National Book Award
Editorial Score69/100
#10
literary-fiction
The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway· 1954
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score67/100
#11
literary-fiction
Rabbit at Rest
John Updike· 1991
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score67/100
#12
literary-fiction
The Color Purple
Alice Walker· 1983
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score62/100
#13
literary-fiction
All the King's Men
Robert Penn Warren· 1947
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score62/100
#14
short-stories
The Stories of John Cheever
John Cheever· 1979
★National Book Award
Editorial Score61/100
#15
literary-fiction
Rabbit Is Rich
John Updike· 1982
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score60/100
#16
literary-fiction
White Noise
Don DeLillo· 1985
★National Book Award
Editorial Score60/100
#17
literary-fiction
A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole· 1981
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score59/100
#18
mystery-thriller
The Big Sleep
Raymond Chandler· 1939
★Edgar Award
Editorial Score58/100
#19
mystery-thriller
Farewell, My Lovely
Raymond Chandler· 1940
★Edgar Award
Editorial Score56/100
#20
literary-fiction
A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens· 1843
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score55/100
#21
literary-fiction
The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne· 1800
Library Journal
Editorial Score55/100
#22
literary-fiction
The Prince and the Pauper
Mark Twain· 1881
Library Journal
Editorial Score55/100
#23
literary-fiction
This Side of Paradise
F. Scott Fitzgerald· 1920
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score55/100
#24
literary-fiction
Tender is the Night
F. Scott Fitzgerald· 1933
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score55/100
#25
literary-fiction
Life on the Mississippi
Mark Twain· 1883
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score55/100
#26
literary-fiction
Green Hills of Africa
Ernest Hemingway· 1709
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score55/100
#27
literary-fiction
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe in Five Volumes
Edgar Allan Poe· 1903
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score55/100
#28
![Cover of Tales of Mystery and Imagination [29 stories]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcovers.openlibrary.org%2Fb%2Fid%2F11841090-M.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
literary-fiction
Tales of Mystery and Imagination [29 stories]
Edgar Allan Poe· 1902
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score55/100
#29
literary-fiction
Great American Short Stories
Wallace Stegner· 1957
Library Journal
Editorial Score55/100
#30
![Cover of Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe [21 stories, 34 poems]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcovers.openlibrary.org%2Fb%2Fid%2F11763627-M.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
literary-fiction
Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe [21 stories, 34 poems]
Edgar Allan Poe· 1940
Library Journal
Editorial Score55/100
#31
literary-fiction
Nouvelles histoires extraordinaires (Berenice / Black Cat / Cask of Amontillado / Colloquy of Monos and Una / Conversation of Eiros and Charmi / Devil in the Belfry / Fall of the House of Usher / Four Beasts in One / Hop-Frog / Imp of the Perverse / Island of the Fay / King Pest / Lionizing / Man of the Crowd / Masque of the Red Death / Oval Portrait / Pit and the Pendulum / Power of Words / Shadow / Silence / Some Words with a Mummy / Tell-Tale Heart / William Wilson)
Edgar Allan Poe· 1857
Library Journal
Editorial Score55/100
#32
![Cover of Tales of Mystery and Imagination [46 stories]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcovers.openlibrary.org%2Fb%2Fid%2F8245290-M.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
literary-fiction
Tales of Mystery and Imagination [46 stories]
Edgar Allan Poe· 1908
Library Journal
Editorial Score55/100
#33
![Cover of The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe [67 stories, 52 poems, 4 essays]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcovers.openlibrary.org%2Fb%2Fid%2F11694688-M.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
literary-fiction
The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe [67 stories, 52 poems, 4 essays]
Edgar Allan Poe· 1938
Library Journal
Editorial Score55/100
#34
![Cover of Tales of Mystery and Imagination [22 stories]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcovers.openlibrary.org%2Fb%2Fid%2F12391530-M.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
literary-fiction
Tales of Mystery and Imagination [22 stories]
Edgar Allan Poe· 1985
Library Journal
Editorial Score55/100
#35
literary-fiction
Selected Writings of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe· 1967
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score55/100
#36
literary-fiction
Tales of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe· 1944
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score55/100
#37
literary-fiction
Selected Tales
Edgar Allan Poe· 1967
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score55/100
#38
classic-literature
Great Short Works of Herman Melville
Herman Melville· 1940
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score55/100
#39
literary-fiction
Catch-22
Joseph Heller· 1961
TIME 100 Best NovelsBBC Big Read
Editorial Score54/100
#40
mystery-thriller
The Maltese Falcon
Dashiell Hammett· 1930
★Edgar Award
Editorial Score52/100
#41
literary-fiction
A history of New York
Washington Irving· 1800
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score50/100
#42
literary-fiction
The House of Seven Gables Readalong
Nathaniel Hawthorne· 1851
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score50/100
#43
literary-fiction
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym
Edgar Allan Poe· 1838
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score50/100
#44
literary-fiction
The sketch-book of Geoffrey Crayon, Esq
Washington Irving· 1819
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score50/100
#45
literary-fiction
Cyrano de Bergerac
Edmond Rostand· 1821
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score50/100
#46
literary-fiction
American notes
Charles Dickens· 1800
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score50/100
#47
literary-fiction
Typee
Herman Melville· 1840
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score50/100
#48
literary-fiction
The Four Just Men
Edgar Wallace· 1905
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score50/100
#49
literary-fiction
Carrie
Stephen King· 1974
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score50/100
#50
literary-fiction
Pictures from Italy
Charles Dickens· 1846
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score50/100
