The Best English-Language Fiction of the Twentieth Century
A Composite List and Ranking
by Brian Kunde  

INTRODUCTION	SOURCE LISTS	COMPOSITE LIST	RANKING SYSTEM
COLUMN KEY	REVIEWS	LINKS

By Title. K L M R App. Points Rank Author Title Date R-058 1 043 124 Faulkner, William Absalom, Absalom! 1936 L-122 1 -021 211 Tyler, Anne Accidental Tourist, The 1985 M-081 1 020 162 Bellow, Saul Adventures of Augie March, The 1953 L-074 1 027 155 Drury, Allen Advise and Consent 1959 K-035 L-037 M-058 R-042 4 232 025 Wharton, Edith Age of Innocence, The 1920 L-149 1 -048 222 Stone, Irving Agony and the Ecstasy, The 1961 M-070 1 031 142 Durrell, Lawrence Alexandria Quartet, The 1957/60 K-088 1 013 175 Carr, Caleb Alienist, The 1994 L-094 M-036 R-038 3 135 046 Warren, Robert Penn All the King's Men 1946 L-107 M-027 2 068 087 James, Henry Ambassadors, The 1903 M-016 R-088 2 098 063 Dreiser, Theodore American Tragedy, An 1925 L-042 M-082 2 078 077 Stegner, Wallace Angle of Repose 1971 K-013 L-008 M-031 R-017 4 335 007 Orwell, George Animal Farm 1945 M-022 1 079 076 O'Hara, John Appointment at Samarra 1934 L-121 1 -020 210 Blume, Judy Are You There God, It's Me Margaret 1970 M-035 R-019 2 148 040 Faulkner, William As I Lay Dying 1930 K-040 R-092 2 070 083 Rand, Ayn Atlas Shrugged 1957 L-093 R-094 2 015 170 Lewis, Sinclair Babbit 1922 K-033 1 068 089 Allison, Dorothy Bastard Out of Carolina 1992 K-052 L-084 2 066 092 Kingsolver, Barbara Bean Trees, The 1988 R-096 1 005 190 Fitzgerald, F. Scott Beautiful and Damned, The 1922 K-081 L-106 2 015 171 Plath, Sylvia Bell Jar, The 1963 K-009 L-005 R-007 3 282 017 Morrison, Toni Beloved 1987 M-083 1 018 166 Naipaul, V. S. Bend in the River, A 1979 L-105 1 -004 205 Chandler, Raymond Big Sleep, The 1939 L-083 1 018 165 Morrison, Toni Bluest Eye, The 1969 R-065 1 036 134 Wolfe, Tom Bonfire of the Vanities 1987 K-024 L-041 M-005 R-016 4 318 011 Huxley, Aldous Brave New World 1932 L-120 1 -019 209 Tyler, Anne Breathing Lessons 1988 L-119 M-080 R-074 3 030 144 Waugh, Evelyn Brideshead Revisited 1945 L-148 M-037 2 017 167 Wilder, Thornton Bridge of San Luis Rey, The 1927 L-066 1 035 135 Gordimer, Nadine Burger's Daughter, The 1979 L-147 1 -046 220 Wouk, Herman Caine Mutiny, The 1951 K-075 L-141 2 -014 208 Roth, Henry Call It Sleep 1934 K-042 L-067 M-088 R-033 4 174 032 London, Jack Call of the Wild, The 1903 K-005 L-010 M-007 R-015 4 367 003 Heller, Joseph Catch-22 1961 K-002 L-002 M-064 R-002 4 334 009 Salinger, J. D. Catcher in the Rye, The 1951 L-118 R-066 2 018 163 Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Cat's Cradle 1963 K-074 1 027 156 Michener, James A. Centennial 1974 K-032 L-012 R-013 3 246 024 White, E. B. Charlotte's Web 1952 K-049 L-058 M-065 R-049 4 183 031 Burgess, Anthony Clockwork Orange, A 1962 K-070 1 031 141 Burns, Olive-Ann Cold Sassy Tree 1984 K-008 L-006 R-005 3 264 016 Walker, Alice Color Purple, The 1982 K-015 1 086 068 Toole, John K. Confederacy of Dunces, A 1980 K-098 1 003 194 de Bernieres, Louis Corelli's Mandolin 1994 L-073 1 028 152 Paton, Alan Cry, the Beloved Country 1948 L-144 1 -043 218 Welty, Eudora Curtain of Green, A 1941 M-043 1 058 103 Powell, Anthony Dance to the Music of Time, A (series) 1951/75 M-073 1 028 153 West, Nathanael Day of the Locust, The 1939 L-117 M-061 R-089 3 036 133 Cather, Willa Death Comes for the Archbishop 1927 L-099 1 002 196 Agee, James Death in the Family, A 1957 M-084 1 017 168 Bowen, Elizabeth Death of the Heart, The 1938 M-042 1 059 101 Dickey, James Deliverance 1970 K-048 L-115 2 039 128 Herbert, Frank Dune 1965 L-072 1 029 150 Steinbeck, John East of Eden 1952 K-069 1 032 139 Gibbons, Kaye Ellen Foster 1987 L-145 1 -044 219 Greene, Graham End of the Affair, The 1951 K-025 L-056 R-060 3 162 035 Wharton, Edith Ethan Frome 1911 L-029 1 072 081 Uris, Leon Exodus 1957 K-027 L-018 2 157 038 Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit 451 1952 K-057 L-033 M-074 R-020 4 220 026 Hemingway, Ernest Farewell to Arms, A 1929 M-077 R-044 2 081 073 Joyce, James Finnegans Wake 1939 K-068 R-030 2 104 060 Hemingway, Ernest For Whom the Bell Tolls 1940 L-104 1 -003 204 Galsworthy, John Forsyte Saga, The 1922 K-082 L-065 R-043 3 113 058 Rand, Ayn Fountainhead, The 1943 R-054 1 047 116 Salinger, J. D. Franny and Zooey 1961 R-093 1 008 186 Fowles, John French Lieutenant's Woman, The 1969 L-071 M-062 2 069 085 Jones, James From Here to Eternity 1951 M-099 1 002 197 Donleavy, J. P. Ginger Man, The 1955 M-039 R-036 2 127 049 Baldwin, James Go Tell It on the Mountain 1953 K-083 L-143 2 -024 212 Puzo, Mario Godfather, The 1969 L-102 M-032 2 068 088 James, Henry Golden Bowl, The 1904 K-029 L-103 2 070 082 Lessing, Doris Golden Notebook. The 1962 K-007 L-004 R-026 3 266 020 Mitchell, Margaret Gone With the Wind 1936 K-021 L-011 2 170 033 Buck, Pearl S. Good Earth, The 1931 L-087 R-061 2 054 108 O'Connor, Flannery Good Man is Hard to Find, A 1955 L-077 M-030 2 095 064 Ford, Ford Madox Good Soldier, The 1915 K-004 L-020 M-010 R-003 4 367 004 Steinbeck, John Grapes of Wrath, The 1939 K-003 L-013 M-002 R-001 4 385 001 Fitzgerald, F. Scott Great Gatsby, The 1925 M-034 1 067 091 Waugh, Evelyn Handful of Dust, A 1934 K-017 L-036 2 149 039 Atwood, Margaret Handmaid's Tale, The 1986 K-099 1 002 198 Michener, James A. Hawaii 1959 L-142 M-017 2 043 123 McCullers, Carson Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, The 1940 L-092 M-067 R-021 3 123 052 Conrad, Joseph Heart of Darkness 1902 M-040 1 061 097 Greene, Graham Heart of the Matter, The 1948 M-021 1 080 075 Bellow, Saul Henderson the Rain King 1959 M-071 1 030 145 Hughes, Richard High Wind in Jamaica, A 1929 R-072 1 029 148 Adams, Douglas Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The 1979 K-022 L-022 2 158 036 Tolkien, J. R. R. Hobbit, The 1937 L-064 1 037 132 Doyle, Arthur Conan Hound of the Baskervilles, The 1902 M-072 1 029 149 Naipaul, V. S. House for Mr. Biswas, A 1961 K-058 M-069 2 075 079 Wharton, Edith House of Mirth, The 1905 K-084 M-038 R-052 3 129 047 Forster, E. M. Howard's End 1910 K-097 L-070 M-014 3 122 053 Graves, Robert I, Claudius 1934 R-077 1 024 158 Hemingway, Ernest In Our Time 1925 K-016 L-028 M-019 R-024 4 317 012 Ellison, Ralph Invisible Man 1952 L-113 M-092 2 -003 203 Kennedy, William Ironweed 1983 R-056 1 045 120 Morrison, Toni Jazz 1992 L-112 1 -011 206 Trumbo, Dalton Johnny Got His Gun 1939 K-065 L-051 2 086 067 Tan, Amy Joy Luck Club, The 1989 L-035 R-045 2 122 054 Sinclair, Upton Jungle, The 1906 K-059 1 042 125 Archer, Jeffrey Kane and Abel 1980 L-096 1 005 191 Price, Reynolds Kate Vaiden 1986 K-036 1 065 093 Shaara, Michael Killer Angels, The 1974 M-078 R-095 2 029 147 Kipling, Rudyard Kim 1901 L-027 R-048 2 127 050 Lawrence, D. H. Lady Chatterley's Lover 1928 M-054 R-068 2 080 074 Faulkner, William Light in August 1932 L-063 1 038 129 Lewis, C. S. Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The 1950 L-032 1 069 086 Wilder, Laura Ingalls Little House on the Prairie 1935 K-031 L-017 M-004 R-011 4 341 005 Nabokov, Vladimir Lolita 1955 L-016 1 085 069 McMurtry, Larry Lonesome Dove 1986 L-054 R-076 2 072 080 Wolfe, Thomas Look Homeward, Angel 1929 M-085 R-086 2 031 140 Conrad, Joseph Lord Jim 1900 K-012 L-009 M-041 R-008 4 334 008 Golding, William Lord of the Flies 1954 K-010 L-003 R-040 3 250 023 Tolkien, J. R. R. Lord of the Rings 1956 M-089 1 012 178 Green, Henry Loving 1945 M-100 1 001 199 Tarkington, Booth Magnificent Ambersons, The 1918 M-093 1 008 187 Fowles, John Magus, The 1966 K-096 M-068 R-099 3 140 127 Lewis, Sinclair Main Street 1920 L-101 M-056 R-079 3 067 090 Hammett, Dashiell Maltese Falcon, The 1930 M-090 R-100 2 012 176 Rushdie, Salman Midnight's Children 1981 L-069 1 032 138 Bradley, Marion Zimmer Mists of Avalon, The 1983 L-136 M-060 2 006 188 Percy, Walker Moviegoer, The 1961 R-046 1 155 107 Woolf, Virginia Mrs. Dalloway 1925 K-034 L-025 R-051 3 193 027 Cather, Willa My Antonia 1918 L-110 M-051 R-080 3 062 096 Mailer, Norman Naked and the Dead, The 1948 K-085 R-073 2 044 121 Burroughs, William S. Naked Lunch 1959 K-056 L-031 M-020 R-027 4 270 019 Wright, Richard Native Son 1940 K-006 L-007 M-013 R-009 4 369 002 Orwell, George Nineteen Eighty Four 1949 M-047 1 054 109 Conrad, Joseph Nostromo 1904 R-083 1 018 164 Cather, Willa O Pioneers! 1913 L-091 M-066 2 045 119 Maugham, W. Somerset Of Human Bondage 1915 K-046 L-109 R-012 3 136 045 Steinbeck, John Of Mice and Men 1937 K-055 L-026 R-032 3 190 029 Hemingway, Ernest Old Man and the Sea, The 1952 M-087 1 014 174 Bennett, Arnold Old Wives' Tale, The 1908 K-023 L-039 M-055 R-031 4 256 021 Kerouac, Jack On the Road 1957 L-100 1 001 200 White, T. H. Once and Future King, The 1953 K-095 L-023 R-028 3 157 037 Kesey, Ken One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1962 L-090 1 011 179 Guest, Judith Ordinary People 1976 R-063 1 038 130 Woolf, Virginia Orlando 1928 L-140 1 -039 219 Wilson, Colin Outsider, The 1956 M-053 1 048 115 Nabokov, Vladimir Pale Fire 1962 L-055 1 046 117 Porter, Katherine Anne Pale Horse, Pale Rider 1939 M-057 1 044 122 Ford, Ford Madox Parade's End 1924/28 L-075 M-025 R-059 3 144 044 Forster, E. M. Passage to India, A 1924 L-139 1 -038 217 Steinbeck, John Pearl, The 1947 M-044 1 057 105 Huxley, Aldous Point Counter Point 1928 L-080 M-052 2 070 084 Roth, Philip Portnoy's Complaint 1969 K-041 L-053 M-003 R-014 4 293 015 Joyce, James Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, A 1916 K-094 L-048 2 060 098 Byatt, A. S. Possession 1990 M-098 1 003 193 Cain, James M. Postman Always Rings Twice, The 1934 K-050 1 051 112 Irving, John Prayer for Owen Meany, A 1989 L-024 M-076 2 102 061 Spark, Muriel Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The 1962 K-093 1 008 185 Conroy, Pat Prince of Tides, The 1986 K-092 L-038 R-097 3 076 078 Updike, John Rabbit, Run 1960 L-089 M-086 2 027 154 Doctorow, E. L. Ragtime 1975 M-048 1 053 110 Lawrence, D. H. Rainbow, The 1915 L-137 1 -036 216 Maugham, W. Somerset Razor's Edge, The 1944 K-028 L-019 R-071 3 185 030 Du Maurier, Daphne Rebecca 1938 K-071 1 030 146 Ishiguro, Kazuo Remains of the Day, The 1989 K-061 L-124 M-079 R-039 4 101 062 Forster, E. M. Room With a View, A 1908 L-052 1 049 114 Haley, Alex Roots 1976 K-091 1 010 181 Brown, Rita Mae Rubyfruit Jungle 1973 R-055 1 046 118 Rushdie, Salman Satanic Verses, The 1988 R-041 1 060 100 Keneally, Thomas Schindler's List 1982 M-075 1 026 157 Waugh, Evelyn Scoop 1938 M-046 1 055 106 Conrad, Joseph Secret Agent, The 1907 R-067 1 034 136 Knowles, John Separate Peace, A 1959 K-090 1 011 180 Pilcher, Rosamunde Shell Seekers, The 1987 M-097 1 004 192 Bowles, Paul Sheltering Sky, The 1949 K-037 1 064 095 Proulx, E. Annie Shipping News, The 1993 L-086 M-033 2 083 071 Dreiser, Theodore Sister Carrie 1900 K-020 L-014 M-018 R-029 4 323 010 Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Slaughterhouse Five 1969 K-043 1 058 102 Guterson, David Snow Falling on Cedars 1994 L-050 R-025 2 127 051 Morrison, Toni Song of Solomon 1977 M-009 R-064 2 129 048 Lawrence, D. H. Sons and Lovers 1913 L-030 M-096 R-057 3 120 056 Styron, William Sophie's Choice 1979 K-030 L-047 M-006 R-010 4 311 013 Faulkner, William Sound and the Fury, The 1929 K-079 1 022 160 King, Stephen Stand, The 1978 L-049 1 052 111 Shields, Carol Stone Diaries 1994 K-014 L-040 2 148 041 Heinlein, Robert A. Stranger in a Strange Land 1961 L-150 M-029 2 023 158 Farrell, James T. Studs Lonigan: A Trilogy 1932/35 K-078 1 023 159 Morrison, Toni Sula 1973 K-019 L-045 M-045 R-018 4 277 018 Hemingway, Ernest Sun Also Rises, The 1926 K-089 1 012 177 Berg, Elizabeth Talk Before Sleep 1994 L-085 1 016 169 Burroughs, Edgar Rice Tarzan of the Apes 1914 K-066 M-028 R-062 3 147 042 Fitzgerald, F. Scott Tender is the Night 1934 K-011 L-078 R-023 3 191 028 Hurston, Zora Neale Their Eyes Were Watching God 1937 L-114 1 -013 207 Oates, Joyce Carol Them 1969 L-133 R-070 2 -001 202 Achebe, Chinua Things Fall Apart 1959 R-091 1 010 183 Fitzgerald, F. Scott This Side of Paradise 1920 K-086 1 015 173 McCullough, Colleen Thorn Birds, The 1977 K-064 L-123 2 015 172 Smiley, Jane Thousand Acres, A 1991 K-080 1 021 161 Finney, Jack Time and Again 1970 K-001 L-001 R-004 3 297 014 Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird 1960 K-039 L-060 M-015 R-034 4 256 022 Woolf, Virginia To the Lighthouse 1927 M-091 1 010 182 Caldwell, Erskine Tobacco Road 1932 K-060 L-021 2 121 055 Smith, Betty Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A 1947 L-132 M-050 R-084 3 037 131 Miller, Henry Tropic of Cancer 1934 K-062 L-076 2 064 094 Clarke, Arthur C. 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 L-097 M-023 2 082 072 Dos Passos, John U.S.A. (trilogy) 1930/37 K-018 L-044 M-001 R-006 4 335 006 Joyce, James Ulysses 1922 M-095 1 006 189 Murdoch, Iris Under the Net 1954 L-131 M-011 2 060 099 Lowry, Malcolm Under the Volcano 1947 L-130 M-063 2 009 184 Cheever, John Wapshot Chronicle, The 1957 K-072 1 029 151 Wouk, Herman War and Remembrance 1978 K-044 1 057 104 Adams, Richard Watership Down 1972 M-012 1 089 066 Butler, Samuel Way of All Flesh, The 1903 R-098 1 003 195 Forster, E. M. Where Angels Fear to Tread 1905 K-073 L-129 2 000 201 Sendak, Maurice Where the Wild Things Are 1963 K-063 L-128 R-082 3 030 143 DeLillo, Don White Noise 1985 K-053 L-127 M-094 R-081 4 049 113 Rhys, Jean Wide Sargasso Sea 1966 L-079 R-090 2 033 137 Graham, Kenneth Wind in the Willows, The 1908 L-135 1 -034 215 Wouk, Herman Winds of War, The 1971 L-059 M-024 2 119 057 Anderson, Sherwood Winesburg, Ohio 1919 M-026 R-069 2 107 059 James, Henry Wings of the Dove, The 1902 L-034 R-022 2 146 043 Milne, A. A. Winnie the Pooh 1926 L-125 1 -024 213 O'Connor, Flannery Wise Blood 1952 L-095 M-049 R-075 3 084 070 Lawrence, D. H. Women in Love 1920 L-062 R-047 2 093 065 Baum, L. Frank Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The 1900 K-038 L-061 R-037 3 167 034 Irving, John World According to Garp, The 1978 L-134 1 -033 214 Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan Yearling, The 1938 M-059 1 042 126 Beerbohm, Max Zuleika Dobson 1911 1st web edition posted 2/26/99 (last updated 5/25/04). 2nd web edition posted 6/24/05 (last updated 12/4/13). Please report any errors to the compiler. Published by Fleabonnet Press. The source list data is public domain. Additional material © 1999-2013 by Brian Kunde.