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

Alternative Rankings. A. Rank Averaging.

As noted in the explanation of the ranking system, the method I adopted to re-rank the titles from the sources exaggerates the scores of works that appear in more than one -- a feature I felt justified as a reward for such multiple appearances. For those who prefer that the rankings of the sources be reflected more faithfully, this alternative ranking system eliminates such exaggeration. An explanation of the alternative method follows:
  • First, the rankings of each title as given in each source list were totaled.
  • Second, each title's total was divided by the number of sources it appeared in, to determine its average ranking in the sources.
  • Finally, the works were re-ranked in the order of their average rankings. In cases where two or more works ended up with the same average ranking, the work(s) appearing in the most sources are ranked first. Works that both share the same number of points and appear in the same number of sources are ranked alphabetically by author and title.

The main strength of this method is that it preserves the relative standing each title had in the source lists. Its main defect is that it treats works all sources rate among the "best" no differently than those only one source elevates to that distinction, essentially favoring eccentic choices over consensus ones. Thus a work appearing in one source only can "beat out" one appearing in all the rest, assuming its single source rated it higher than the average rank the others gave its competitor. When this sort of thing can happen, there is something seriously amiss. Another result of using this method is that titles ranked low in the sources tend to rank even lower in the combined list, even though their relative standings in comparison to other titles are preserved -- because the combined list has a greater number of titles on it than any of the source lists contributing to it, several titles tend to "compete" for the same rank, forcing those "losing" the contest lower in ultimate rank than their average ranks. For example, T. H. White's The Once and Future King, with an average rank of 100, ends up with an "actual" rank of 200!

In this re-ranking the "points" column provides the average rank of a title, and the "rank" column its actual rank after completion of the re-ranking. The column key will explain the information provided on each work in the remaining columns.

The Composite List in the Alternative Ranking.

K LM R App. Points Rank Author Title Date
K-001 L-001 R-004 3 002 001 Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird 1960
K-003 L-013 M-002 R-001 4 004.75 002 Fitzgerald, F. Scott Great Gatsby, The 1925
K-008 L-006 R-005 3 006.33 003 Walker, Alice Color Purple, The 1982
K-009 L-005 R-007 3 007 004 Morrison, Toni Beloved 1987
K-006 L-007 M-013 R-009 4 008.75 005 Orwell, George Nineteen Eighty Four 1949
K-005 L-010 M-007 R-015 4 009.25 006 Heller, Joseph Catch-22 1961
K-004 L-020 M-010 R-003 4 009.25 007 Steinbeck, John Grapes of Wrath, The 1939
M-012 1 012 008 Butler, Samuel Way of All Flesh, The 1903
K-007 L-004 R-026 3 012.33 009 Mitchell, Margaret Gone With the Wind 1936
K-015 1 015 010 Toole, John K. Confederacy of Dunces, A 1980
K-031 L-017 M-004 R-011 4 015.75 011 Nabokov, Vladimir Lolita 1955
K-021 L-011 2 016 012 Buck, Pearl S. Good Earth, The 1931
L-016 1 016 013 McMurtry, Larry Lonesome Dove 1986
K-018 L-044 M-001 R-006 4 017.25 014 Joyce, James Ulysses 1922
K-013 L-008 M-031 R-017 4 017.25 015 Orwell, George Animal Farm 1945
K-012 L-009 M-041 R-008 4 017.5 016 Golding, William Lord of the Flies 1954
K-002 L-002 M-064 R-002 4 017.5 017 Salinger, J. D. Catcher in the Rye, The 1951
K-010 L-003 R-040 3 017.66 018 Tolkien, J. R. R. Lord of the Rings 1956
K-032 L-012 R-013 3 019 019 White, E. B. Charlotte's Web 1952
K-020 L-014 M-018 R-029 4 020.25 020 Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Slaughterhouse Five 1969
M-021 1 021 021 Bellow, Saul Henderson the Rain King 1959
K-024 L-041 M-005 R-016 4 021.5 022 Huxley, Aldous Brave New World 1932
K-016 L-028 M-019 R-024 4 021.75 023 Ellison, Ralph Invisible Man 1952
K-022 L-022 2 022 024 Tolkien, J. R. R. Hobbit, The 1937
M-022 1 022 025 O'Hara, John Appointment at Samarra 1934
K-027 L-018 2 022.5 026 Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit 451 1952
K-030 L-047 M-006 R-010 4 023.25 027 Faulkner, William Sound and the Fury, The 1929
K-017 L-036 2 026.5 028 Atwood, Margaret Handmaid's Tale, The 1986
M-035 R-019 2 027 029 Faulkner, William As I Lay Dying 1930
K-014 L-040 2 027 030 Heinlein, Robert A. Stranger in a Strange Land 1961
K-041 L-053 M-003 R-014 4 027.75 031 Joyce, James Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, A 1916
L-034 R-022 2 028 032 Milne, A. A. Winnie the Pooh 1926
L-029 1 029 033 Uris, Leon Exodus 1957
K-019 L-045 M-045 R-018 4 031.75 034 Hemingway, Ernest Sun Also Rises, The 1926
L-032 1 032 035 Wilder, Laura Ingalls Little House on the Prairie 1935
K-033 1 033 036 Allison, Dorothy Bastard Out of Carolina 1992
K-056 L-031 M-020 R-027 4 033.5 037 Wright, Richard Native Son 1940
M-034 1 034 038 Waugh, Evelyn Handful of Dust, A 1934
K-036 1 036 039 Shaara, Michael Killer Angels, The 1974
M-009 R-064 2 036.5 040 Lawrence, D. H. Sons and Lovers 1913
K-034 L-025 R-051 3 036.66 041 Cather, Willa My Antonia 1918
K-023 L-039 M-055 R-031 4 037 042 Kerouac, Jack On the Road 1957
K-039 L-060 M-015 R-034 4 037 043 Woolf, Virginia To the Lighthouse 1927
K-037 1 037 044 Proulx, E. Annie Shipping News, The 1993
K-011 L-078 R-023 3 037.33 045 Hurston, Zora Neale Their Eyes Were Watching God 1937
M-039 R-036 2 037.5 046 Baldwin, James Go Tell It on the Mountain 1953
L-027 R-048 2 037.5 047 Lawrence, D. H. Lady Chatterley's Lover 1928
L-050 R-025 2 037.5 048 Morrison, Toni Song of Solomon 1977
K-055 L-026 R-032 3 037.66 049 Hemingway, Ernest Old Man and the Sea, The 1952
K-028 L-019 R-071 3 039.33 050 Du Maurier, Daphne Rebecca 1938
L-035 R-045 2 040 051 Sinclair, Upton Jungle, The 1906
M-040 1 040 052 Greene, Graham Heart of the Matter, The 1948
K-060 L-021 2 040.5 053 Smith, Betty Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A 1947
R-041 1 041 054 Keneally, Thomas Schindler's List 1982
L-059 M-024 2 041.5 055 Anderson, Sherwood Winesburg, Ohio 1919
M-042 1 042 056 Dickey, James Deliverance 1970
K-035 L-037 M-058 R-042 4 043 057 Wharton, Edith Age of Innocence, The 1920
K-043 1 043 058 Guterson, David Snow Falling on Cedars 1994
M-043 1 043 059 Powell, Anthony Dance to the Music of Time, A (series) 1951/75
K-044 1 044 060 Adams, Richard Watership Down 1972
M-044 1 044 061 Huxley, Aldous Point Counter Point 1928
K-038 L-061 R-037 3 045.33 062 Irving, John World According to Garp, The 1978
K-057 L-033 M-074 R-020 4 046.0 063 Hemingway, Ernest Farewell to Arms, A 1929
M-046 1 046 064 Conrad, Joseph Secret Agent, The 1907
R-046 1 046 065 Woolf, Virginia Mrs. Dalloway 1925
K-025 L-056 R-060 3 047 066 Wharton, Edith Ethan Frome 1911
M-047 1 047 067 Conrad, Joseph Nostromo 1904
M-026 R-069 2 047.5 068 James, Henry Wings of the Dove, The 1902
M-048 1 048 069 Lawrence, D. H. Rainbow, The 1915
K-095 L-023 R-028 3 048.66 070 Kesey, Ken One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1962
K-068 R-030 2 049 071 Hemingway, Ernest For Whom the Bell Tolls 1940
L-049 1 049 072 Shields, Carol Stone Diaries 1994
L-024 M-076 2 050 073 Spark, Muriel Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The 1962
K-050 1 050 074 Irving, John Prayer for Owen Meany, A 1989
K-066 M-028 R-062 3 052 075 Fitzgerald, F. Scott Tender is the Night 1934
M-016 R-088 2 052 076 Dreiser, Theodore American Tragedy, An 1925
L-052 1 052 077 Haley, Alex Roots 1976
L-075 M-025 R-059 3 053 078 Forster, E. M. Passage to India, A 1924
M-053 1 053 079 Nabokov, Vladimir Pale Fire 1962
L-077 M-030 2 053.5 080 Ford, Ford Madox Good Soldier, The 1915
R-054 1 054 081 Salinger, J. D. Franny and Zooey 1961
L-062 R-047 2 054.5 082 Baum, L. Frank Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The 1900
L-055 1 055 083 Porter, Katherine Anne Pale Horse, Pale Rider 1939
R-055 1 055 084 Rushdie, Salman Satanic Verses, The 1988
K-049 L-058 M-065 R-049 4 055.25 085 Burgess, Anthony Clockwork Orange, A 1962
K-046 L-109 R-012 3 055.66 086 Steinbeck, John Of Mice and Men 1937
L-094 M-036 R-038 3 056 087 Warren, Robert Penn All the King's Men 1946
R-056 1 056 088 Morrison, Toni Jazz 1992
M-057 1 057 089 Ford, Ford Madox Parade's End 1924/28
K-042 L-067 M-088 R-033 4 057.5 090 London, Jack Call of the Wild, The 1903
K-084 M-038 R-052 3 058 091 Forster, E. M. Howard's End 1910
K-065 L-051 2 058 092 Tan, Amy Joy Luck Club, The 1989
R-058 1 058 093 Faulkner, William Absalom, Absalom! 1936
K-059 1 059 094 Archer, Jeffrey Kane and Abel 1980
M-059 1 059 095 Beerbohm, Max Zuleika Dobson 1911
L-086 M-033 2 059.5 096 Dreiser, Theodore Sister Carrie 1900
L-092 M-067 R-021 3 060 097 Conrad, Joseph Heart of Darkness 1902
L-097 M-023 2 060 098 Dos Passos, John U.S.A. (trilogy) 1930/37
K-097 L-070 M-014 3 060.33 099 Graves, Robert I, Claudius 1934
M-077 R-044 2 060.5 100 Joyce, James Finnegans Wake 1939
L-030 M-096 R-057 3 061 101 Styron, William Sophie's Choice 1979
M-054 R-068 2 061 102 Faulkner, William Light in August 1932
L-042 M-082 2 062 103 Stegner, Wallace Angle of Repose 1971
L-063 1 063 104 Lewis, C. S. Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The 1950
R-063 1 063 105 Woolf, Virginia Orlando 1928
K-082 L-065 R-043 3 063.33 106 Rand, Ayn Fountainhead, The 1943
K-058 M-069 2 063.5 107 Wharton, Edith House of Mirth, The 1905
L-064 1 064 108 Doyle, Arthur Conan Hound of the Baskervilles, The 1902
L-054 R-076 2 065 109 Wolfe, Thomas Look Homeward, Angel 1929
R-065 1 065 110 Wolfe, Tom Bonfire of the Vanities 1987
K-029 L-103 2 066 111 Lessing, Doris Golden Notebook, The 1962
K-040 R-092 2 066 112 Rand, Ayn Atlas Shrugged 1957
L-080 M-052 2 066 113 Roth, Philip Portnoy's Complaint 1969
L-066 1 066 114 Gordimer, Nadine Burger's Daughter, The 1979
L-071 M-062 2 066.5 115 Jones, James From Here to Eternity 1951
L-107 M-027 2 067 116 James, Henry Ambassadors, The 1903
L-102 M-032 2 067 117 James, Henry Golden Bowl, The 1904
R-067 1 067 118 Knowles, John Separate Peace, A 1959
K-052 L-084 2 068 119 Kingsolver, Barbara Bean Trees, The 1988
K-062 L-076 2 069 120 Clarke, Arthur C. 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968
L-069 1 069 121 Bradley, Marion Zimmer Mists of Avalon, The 1983
K-069 1 069 122 Gibbons, Kaye Ellen Foster 1987
K-070 1 070 123 Burns, Olive-Ann Cold Sassy Tree 1984
M-070 1 070 124 Durrell, Lawrence Alexandria Quartet, The 1957/60
K-094 L-048 2 071 125 Byatt, A. S. Possession 1990
L-131 M-011 2 071 126 Lowry, Malcolm Under the Volcano 1947
M-071 1 071 127 Hughes, Richard High Wind in Jamaica, A 1929
K-071 1 071 128 Ishiguro, Kazuo Remains of the Day, The 1989
R-072 1 072 129 Adams, Douglas Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The 1979
M-072 1 072 130 Naipaul, V. S. House for Mr. Biswas, A 1961
L-072 1 072 131 Steinbeck, John East of Eden 1952
K-072 1 072 132 Wouk, Herman War and Remembrance 1978
L-095 M-049 R-075 3 073 133 Lawrence, D. H. Women in Love 1920
L-073 1 073 134 Paton, Alan Cry, the Beloved Country 1948
M-073 1 073 135 West, Nathanael Day of the Locust, The 1939
L-087 R-061 2 074 136 O'Connor, Flannery Good Man is Hard to Find, A 1955
L-074 1 074 137 Drury, Allen Advise and Consent 1959
K-074 1 074 138 Michener, James A. Centennial 1974
M-075 1 075 139 Waugh, Evelyn Scoop 1938
K-092 L-038 R-097 3 075.66 140 Updike, John Rabbit, Run 1960
K-061 L-124 M-079 R-039 4 075.75 141 Forster, E. M. Room With a View, A 1908
K-078 1 078 142 Morrison, Toni Sula 1973
L-091 M-066 2 078.5 143 Maugham, W. Somerset Of Human Bondage 1915
L-101 M-056 R-079 3 078.66 144 Hammett, Dashiell Maltese Falcon, The 1930
K-085 R-073 2 079 145 Burroughs, William S. Naked Lunch 1959
K-079 1 079 146 King, Stephen Stand, The 1978
L-142 M-017 2 079.5 147 McCullers, Carson Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, The 1940
K-080 1 080 148 Finney, Jack Time and Again 1970
L-110 M-051 R-080 3 080.33 149 Mailer, Norman Naked and the Dead, The 1948
M-081 1 081 150 Bellow, Saul Adventures of Augie March, The 1953
K-048 L-115 2 081.5 151 Herbert, Frank Dune 1965
R-083 1 083 152 Cather, Willa O Pioneers! 1913
L-083 1 083 153 Morrison, Toni Bluest Eye, The 1969
M-083 1 083 154 Naipaul, V. S. Bend in the River, A 1979
M-084 1 084 155 Bowen, Elizabeth Death of the Heart, The 1938
L-079 R-090 2 084.5 156 Graham, Kenneth Wind in the Willows, The 1908
L-085 1 085 157 Burroughs, Edgar Rice Tarzan of the Apes 1914
M-085 R-086 2 085.5 158 Conrad, Joseph Lord Jim 1900
K-086 1 086 159 McCullough, Colleen Thorn Birds, The 1977
M-078 R-095 2 086.5 160 Kipling, Rudyard Kim 1901
M-087 1 087 161 Bennett, Arnold Old Wives' Tale, The 1908
L-089 M-086 2 087.5 162 Doctorow, E. L. Ragtime 1975
K-096 M-068 R-099 3 087.66 163 Lewis, Sinclair Main Street 1920
K-088 1 088 164 Carr, Caleb Alienist, The 1994
L-132 M-050 R-084 3 088.66 165 Miller, Henry Tropic of Cancer 1934
K-053 L-127 M-094 R-081 4 088.75 166 Rhys, Jean Wide Sargasso Sea 1966
L-117 M-061 R-089 3 089 167 Cather, Willa Death Comes for the Archbishop 1927
K-089 1 089 168 Berg, Elizabeth Talk Before Sleep 1994
M-089 1 089 169 Green, Henry Loving 1945
L-150 M-029 2 089.5 170 Farrell, James T. Studs Lonigan: A Trilogy 1932/35
L-090 1 090 171 Guest, Judith Ordinary People 1976
K-090 1 090 172 Pilcher, Rosamunde Shell Seekers, The 1987
K-063 L-128 R-082 3 091 173 DeLillo, Don White Noise 1985
L-119 M-080 R-074 3 091 174 Waugh, Evelyn Brideshead Revisited 1945
K-091 1 091 175 Brown, Rita Mae Rubyfruit Jungle 1973
M-091 1 091 176 Caldwell, Erskine Tobacco Road 1932
R-091 1 091 177 Fitzgerald, F. Scott This Side of Paradise 1920
L-118 R-066 2 092 178 Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Cat's Cradle 1963
L-148 M-037 2 092.5 179 Wilder, Thornton Bridge of San Luis Rey, The 1927
K-093 1 093 180 Conroy, Pat Prince of Tides, The 1986
R-093 1 093 181 Fowles, John French Lieutenant's Woman, The 1969
M-093 1 093 182 Fowles, John Magus, The 1966
L-093 R-094 2 093.5 183 Lewis, Sinclair Babbit 1922
K-081 L-106 2 093.5 184 Plath, Sylvia Bell Jar, The 1963
K-064 L-123 2 093.5 185 Smiley, Jane Thousand Acres, A 1991
M-090 R-100 2 095 186 Rushdie, Salman Midnight's Children 1981
M-095 1 095 187 Murdoch, Iris Under the Net 1954
R-096 1 096 188 Fitzgerald, F. Scott Beautiful and Damned, The 1922
L-096 1 096 189 Price, Reynolds Kate Vaiden 1986
L-130 M-063 2 096.5 190 Cheever, John Wapshot Chronicle, The 1957
M-097 1 097 191 Bowles, Paul Sheltering Sky, The 1949
L-136 M-060 2 098 192 Percy, Walker Moviegoer, The 1961
M-098 1 098 193 Cain, James M. Postman Always Rings Twice, The 1934
K-098 1 098 194 de Bernieres, Louis Corelli's Mandolin 1994
R-098 1 098 195 Forster, E. M. Where Angels Fear to Tread 1905
L-099 1 099 196 Agee, James Death in the Family, A 1957
M-099 1 099 197 Donleavy, J. P. Ginger Man, The 1955
K-099 1 099 198 Michener, James A. Hawaii 1959
M-100 1 100 199 Tarkington, Booth Magnificent Ambersons, The 1918
L-100 1 100 200 White, T. H. Once and Future King, The 1953
K-073 L-129 2 101 201 Sendak, Maurice Where the Wild Things Are 1963
L-133 R-070 2 101.5 202 Achebe, Chinua Things Fall Apart 1959
L-113 M-092 2 102.5 203 Kennedy, William Ironweed 1983
L-104 1 104 204 Galsworthy, John Forsyte Saga, The 1922
L-105 1 105 205 Chandler, Raymond Big Sleep, The 1939
K-075 L-141 2 108 206 Roth, Henry Call It Sleep 1934
L-112 1 112 207 Trumbo, Dalton Johnny Got His Gun 1939
K-083 L-143 2 113 208 Puzo, Mario Godfather, The 1969
L-114 1 114 209 Oates, Joyce Carol Them 1969
L-120 1 120 210 Tyler, Anne Breathing Lessons 1988
L-121 1 121 211 Blume, Judy Are You There God, It's Me Margaret 1970
L-122 1 122 212 Tyler, Anne Accidental Tourist, The 1985
L-125 1 125 213 O'Connor, Flannery Wise Blood 1952
L-134 1 134 214 Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan Yearling, The 1938
L-135 1 135 215 Wouk, Herman Winds of War, The 1971
L-137 1 137 216 Maugham, W. Somerset Razor's Edge, The 1944
L-139 1 139 217 Steinbeck, John Pearl, The 1947
L-144 1 144 218 Welty, Eudora Curtain of Green, A 1941
L-145 1 145 219 Greene, Graham End of the Affair, The 1951
L-147 1 147 220 Wouk, Herman Caine Mutiny, The 1951
L-149 1 149 221 Stone, Irving Agony and the Ecstasy, The 1961

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.