The Web is grand. With its fame for hosting informative, easy-to-skim textual snippets and collaborative written works, people are spending more and more time reading online. Nevertheless, the Web cannot replace the authoritative transmissions from certain classic books that have delivered (or will deliver) profound ideas around the globe for generations.
The 30 books listed here are of unparalleled prose, packed with wisdom capable of igniting a new understanding of the world. Everyone should read these books before their 30th birthday.
- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse – A powerful story about the importance of life experiences as they relate to approaching an understanding of reality and attaining enlightenment.
- 1984 by George Orwell – 1984 still holds chief significance nearly 60 years after it was written in 1949. It is widely acclaimed for its haunting vision of an all-knowing government which uses pervasive, 24/7 surveillance tactics to manipulate all citizens of the populace.
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – The story surveys the controversial issues of race and economic class in the 1930’s Deep South via a court case of a black man charged with the rape and abuse of a young white girl. It’s a moving tale that delivers a profound message about fighting for justice and against prejudice.
- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess – A nightmarish vision of insane youth culture that depicts heart wrenching insight into the life of a disturbed adolescent. This novel will blow you away… leaving you breathless, livid, thrilled, and concerned.
- For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway – A short, powerful contemplation on death, ideology and the incredible brutality of war.
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy – This masterpiece is so enormous even Tolstoy said it couldn’t be described as a standard novel. The storyline takes place in Russian society during the Napoleonic Era, following the characters of Andrei, Pierre and Natasha… and the tragic and unanticipated way in which their lives interconnect.
- The Rights of Man by Tom Paine – Written during the era of the French Revolution, this book was one of the first to introduce the concept of human rights from the standpoint of democracy.
- The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau – A famous quote from the book states that “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” This accurately summarizes the book’s prime position on the importance of individual human rights within society.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez – This novel does not have a plot in the conventional sense, but instead uses various narratives to portray a clear message about the general importance of remembering our cultural history.
- The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin – Few books have had as significant an impact on the way society views the natural world and the genesis of humankind.
- The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton – A collection of thoughts, meditations and reflections that give insight into what life is like to live simply and purely, dedicated to a greater power than ourselves.
- The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell – Gladwell looks at how a small idea, or product concept, can spread like a virus and spark global sociological changes. Specifically, he analyzes “the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.”
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham – Arguably one of the best children’s books ever written; this short novel will help you appreciate the simple pleasures in life. It’s most notable for its playful mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie.
- The Art of War by Sun Tzu – One of the oldest books on military strategy in the world. It’s easily the most successful written work on the mechanics of general strategy and business tactics.
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien – One of the greatest fictional stories ever told, and by far one of the most popular and influential written works in 20th-century literature. Once you pick up the first book, you’ll read them all.
- David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – This is a tale that lingers on the topic of attaining and maintaining a disciplined heart as it relates to one’s emotional and moral life. Dickens states that we must learn to go against “the first mistaken impulse of the undisciplined heart.”
- Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot – Probably the wisest poetic prose of modern times. It was written during World War II, and is still entirely relevant today… here’s an excerpt: “The dove descending breaks the air/With flame of incandescent terror/Of which the tongues declare/The only discharge from sin and error/The only hope, or the despair/Lies in the choice of pyre or pyre–/To be redeemed from fire by fire./Who then devised this torment?/Love/Love is the unfamiliar Name/Behind the hands that wave/The intolerable shirt of flame/Which human power cannot remove./We only live, only suspire/Consumed by either fire or fire.”
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller – This book coined the self-titled term “catch-22” that is widely used in modern-day dialogue. As for the story, its message is clear: What’s commonly held to be good, may be bad… what is sensible, is nonsense. Its one of the greatest literary works of the 20th century. Read it.
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – Set in the Jazz Age of the roaring 20’s, this book unravels a cautionary tale of the American dream. Specifically, the reader learns that a few good friends are far more important that a zillion acquaintances, and the drive created from the desire to have something is more valuable than actually having it.
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – This novel firmly stands as an icon for accurately representing the ups and downs of teen angst, defiance and rebellion. If nothing else, it serves as a reminder of the unpredictable teenage mindset.
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – A smooth-flowing, captivating novel of a young man living in poverty who criminally succumbs to the desire for money, and the hefty phychological impact this has on him and the people closest to him.
- The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli – This book does a great job at describing situations of power and statesmanship. From political and corporate power struggles to attaining advancement, influence and authority over others, Machiavelli’s observations apply.
- Walden by Henry David Thoreau – Thoreau spent two years, two months and two days writing this book in a secluded cabin near the banks of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. This is a story about being truly free from the pressures of society. The book can speak for itself: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
- The Republic by Plato – A gripping and enduring work of philosophy on how life should be lived, justice should be served, and leaders should lead. It also gives the reader a fundamental understanding of western political theory.
- Lolita – This is the kind of book that blows your mind wide open to conflicting feelings of life, love and corruption… and at times makes you deeply question your own perceptions of each. The story is as devious as it is beautiful.
- Getting Things Done by David Allen – The quintessential guide to organizing your life and getting things done. Nuff said.
- How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie – This is the granddaddy of all self-improvement books. It is a comprehensive, easy to read guide for winning people over to your way of thinking in both business and personal relationships.
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding – A powerful and alarming look at the possibilities for savagery in a lawless environment, where compassionate human reasoning is replaced by anarchistic, animal instinct.
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck – Steinbeck’s deeply touching tale about the survival of displaced families desperately searching for work in a nation stuck by depression will never cease to be relevant.
- The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov – This anticommunist masterpiece is a multifaceted novel about the clash between good and evil. It dives head first into the topics of greed, corruption and deception as they relate to human nature.
- BONUS: How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman – 900 pages of simple instructions on how to cook everything you could ever dream of eating. Pretty much the greatest cookbook ever written. Get through a few recipes each week, and you’ll be a master chef by the time you’re 30.
- BONUS: Honeymoon with My Brother by Franz Wisner – Franz Wisner had it all… a great job and a beautiful fiancée. Life was good. But then his fiancée dumped him days before their wedding, and his boss basically fired him. So he dragged his younger brother to Costa Rica for his already-scheduled honeymoon and they never turned back… around the world they went for two full years. This is a fun, heartfelt adventure story about life, relationships, and self discovery.
VT says
Nice list of books! 🙂 but it would be great if you would give a wikipedia link rather than an amazon link 🙂
Brandon Carroll says
You forgot Three cups of tea!! One of the best books I have ever read. What about Blink? Or Good to Great?
Jordan says
Wow I’ve read most of those and did so in my early 20’s. With the exception of Tolkein books I read those somewhere around 16 or 17. Woot!
Getting Things Tone is the least favorite on that list.
There is actually an original GTD written in the 70’s by another author.
Dustin says
There’s an inherent problem with a list of this type. No matter how many you say – 30, 50, 100 – there will always be books that belong on the list and were left off. One that stands out immediately was On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Reads like a jazz concern and did almost as much to shape a culture as Elvis or the Beatles did. The Bell Jar was another as well as Slaughterhouse 5 and Stranger in a Strange Land.
Kyle says
i must disagree with 2 books/series on your list. the first being Lord of the Rings (and the subsequent novels). Tolkien, although amazing as a story writer, is a horrible, horrible story teller. i read all of one, all except for three pages of two, and finally by three i threw the damn thing at my door. Also, Wind in the Willows? No. no. no.
In place of these you should have…
1) Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
2) Watership Down by Richard Adams.
Kyle says
Also, Scar Tissue, by Anthony Keideis is wonderful and should be on this list.
Liz says
What about Animal Farm? or Farenheit 451? or In Cold Blood….i mean Truman Capote!!! Perhaps even Brave New World?
Karl Staib says
I got about 60% of them read. I’m 32, so that means that means life’s over for me, but you young ones… Go and read this list, stay ahead of the curve and life will be more fun and prosperous.
dwindle says
Sweet list. I’ve got 12 of them waiting for me (thank you, online library reserve and distribution list). Have to agree, Atlas shrugged belongs on the list. It should be a law that no one should vote or have a job until they have read it.
Lil says
Awful lot of US writers, no?
Nigel says
this is absolutely awesome list. how many you guys have read?
Annjaay says
i vote for celestine prophecy.
marci says
Funny thing is, 18 of those books were on my REQUIRED reading list during High School – 40 years ago! (Yes, 40 years ago) 🙂 So obviously I’ve read those 18, plus several others. 6 to go 🙂 Thanks for the suggestions.
I would add: The Foxfire Book, Foxfire 2, Foxfire 3, etc.series of books, with intro by Eliot Wigginton from the late 60’s and the 70’s.
Sid says
wtf!!!?!? No Atlas Shrugged!?!?
Marie @ Make and Takes says
I’m now almost 31 and I’ve only read 4 on that list. So sad. I better get reading. Thanks for the list. I would love to add the Sci-fi classic, Ender’s Game, to the list! My favorite book of all time.
Jordan says
Here’s another book that should be on that list:
The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx, the amazing fully true story of Sixx while he was deepest in his addictions to cocaine, heroin, and alcohol.
Not sure what it should replace, maybe Clockwork Orange, but I have not yet read that.
Shevy says
Interesting list, although I also consider myself relatively well-read and have only read 6 of your picks. (I own, read & reread literally 1,000s of books.)
I disliked For Whom the Bell Tolls intensely, but then I’ve never read any Hemingway I liked.
I made it through either The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings many years ago but was never the least interested in continuing with the others. On the other hand, I adore the Narnia Chronicles and have already read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe aloud chapter by chapter to my 5 year old.
I also think the Bible, Jane Eyre and Stranger in a Strange Land belong on the list (eclectic, no?) but For Us, The Living is merely an incredibly interesting peek into RAH’s mind and the values he believed in and held to. If you are a Heinlein fan (I read my first Heinlein novel, Red Planet, at age 7 and was hooked) you will see the initial concept of many of his famous characters which he fleshed out in later books or, in the case of Nehemiah Scudder, a very little more than appears in The Past Through Tomorrow series, particularly in If This Goes On. But Stranger is still the quintessential Heinlein novel.
I had to laugh at the idea of The DaVinci Code or a murder mystery (other than perhaps The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) being a candidate. The DaVinci Code was an interesting read, but it’s not likely to become a classic a century from now.
Perhaps I should post about the books that have most influenced my life….
Carrie says
What about A Handmaid’s Tale? Frightening for women.
FFB says
Wonderful list! I’ve read many of them but it seems I have a lot of catching up to do as well (I’m a tad past thirty to be kind). Thanks!
Lucas says
I’m 19 and have read 7 so far, i also started the master and margarita but didnt finish it. still, plenty of time tho.
Steven says
Good list. An extra suggestion: the Tibetan book of living and dying by Sogyal Rinpoche. This book illustrates how quality of life improves by actually getting used to the idea of dying, instead of continually running away from it. Good preparation for the 4th decade of life.
JoAnn says
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (going to pick up The Fountainhead from the library this weekend) and anything by Alice Walker and Toni Morrison (two of my favorite authors).
Sara says
I have 4 months to read 26 books. I’m going to be busy. Great post.
Scott says
Oh-oh
I’m 30+18 and I’ve never read any of those books.
That doesn’t look good.
ana says
Great! I am really happy. I am just 22 years old, eight more years and only 5 more titles left to read. Just kidding. O’Henry’s “Last Leaf”; Erih Maria Remarks ‘Three FriendS’ and Antuan de Sant Egzuper’s “Little Prince”. :)))))))))) read them too, believe me
ana says
and also “the old man and sea” it’s just great. Also read everything written by Vaja Pshavela – that really teaches you how to live properly. :)))))))))))
Anna says
Great list of books, I must say that I had to read quite a few of these in High School English classes. Other books will be added on to my list of books to read. I just turned 30, does that count? 😉
Dutchess of Kickball says
I was going to say you missed On The Road by Jack Kerouac but I think it needs to be read before your 20’s. This decade of my life would have been completely different if it weren’t for it’s representation.
Phil E. Drifter says
@Shevy: You’re out of your mind. The bible is full of hate, discrimination, racism and murder. The best thing anyone can do with a bible is use the pages as rolling papers in a pinch. Or you could use it to wipe your ass if you run out of toilet paper.
ham says
I’m currently reading 100 Years… To Kill.. is one of may favorites.
Great list you have here! ;p
Andrea says
Great list! Really! I’ve read several and most are already on my “to read” list. Still, I’m sad that Jane Austen has thus far not been on the list nor was she requested by previous commentors. She’s amazing!
Jimguru says
Heller’s other great works “Something Happened” and “Good as Gold” are also less well known masterpieces…
ele says
It would be a bit difficult to read about 28 books in thirteen days…
Chuck says
Malcolm Gladwell? Are you kidding me? It totally destroyed the credibility of the list for me.
Pyper says
Good list, maybe didn’t really agree with some. But I will definately be keeping it in mind the next time I’m looking for a good read.
I would probably add A Time To Kill by John Grisham.
It’s not as life changing or impacting as some of the others people have been suggesting, but I personally loved it. May be fairly similar to To Kill A Mockingbird, but updated and compelling.
There are so many good books out there that I’ve read that aren’t on this list…
Matt says
I don’t like the word ‘should’ and myself and many of my friends hardly read now, because in our youth we had it shoved down our throats at school by teachers saying: ‘You have to read this, you have to read that!!’
Let kids read what they like, rather than what someone else thinks is right for them. Ditto for adults. I’ve read about half the books on this list [there’s some great ones here] but I got just as much out of reading Dennis The menace and Mad magazine!
Dave Conrey says
So what do I do if I’m well over 30? Am I banned?
Linda says
I searched the list and agreed with Jessica:
Jessica
August 11th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
This is a great list.
Many of these are on my bookshelf.
However, even if you aren’t a Christian and have no interest in God, I think that the Bible is a must-read for anyone. It is, after all, the best-selling book of all time. 🙂 Definitely was one of the biggest influences on society as we know it.
Trent says
Great list…I’d add some more contemporary reads into this list like Generation X by Douglas Coupland, and Rorschach’s Ribs, by Marcus Eder, though…
Sweetkorn says
In my opinion, it’s a greate list, but I’d like to recommend one more book to read: Carl Sagan – The contact 🙂
Val says
I suggest: “The Dumbest Generation; How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future, or Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30” by Mark Bauerlein (2008).
Julie says
I think most of those books are better off on a good book list to read in general… if you’re making a list of things people should read before they are 30 you should include books that are a bit more profound. A lot of the books on that list are about social issues and western thinking (ie Walden).
People tend to be most interested in that AFTER they are 30. As it is a more valuable time for that sort of though.
Kurt Vonnegut should be read before 30 because of the social satire.
Something about reality not being fixated is great for those under 30 as well, maybe some Carlos Casanada or any other litature, really, that involves other cultures or plans of reality.
Some David Sadaris would be great on the list as well, it helps one to appreciate life.
Also quite important to read before 30 would be something about eastern religion, preferably about taoism (the inner chapters). This is especially so if one grew up in western culture. It teaches one that not all thought is alike. Something on Buddhism would also work.
There are other books as well, but basically what is fundamentally wrong with your list is that most of the books are very similar. What is important to learn before your 30 is a variety of different ideas/cultures/opinions in order to make one a more well rounded person that can have a deep understanding of ones culture and other cultures around them.
I’m also surprised no one mentioned james joyce is not on the list… (though not necessarily something to read before 30)
newtoid says
where do you draw the line? it is a brave thing you have done here, you must have expected a lot of abuse for it.
you still have a couple of years to go before you are 30, so can i suggest everything jack kerouac, william s burroughs, franz kafka, charles bukowski, john fante, knut hamsun, aldous huxley, roald dahl, kahlil gibran and His Holiness the Dalai Lama ever wrote.
there you go, a list of ten authors to read before you are 30.
oh, and the velveteen rabbit.
do you get paid for writing this? can i get a job?
Mike says
I remember reading the Catcher in the Rye when I was 10. My teacher lent me the book, talking about how highschool kids read it, and I would benefit from it a lot. Five years later I don’t remember a thing from it. I might read it again, to see if I can actually get some of those benefits.
clay says
No Bible?? Please…for the believer and non-believer, it’s the most important book in world history and language.
Don’t believe me?
Here’s a challenge: find a book among your 30 listed that does not contain quotes, if not entire sub-plots, taken directly from the Old & New Testaments.