100 Books to Read Before You Die: The Official BBC List
In 2003, the BBC conducted a massive poll to identify the most popular novels of all time. The survey, which gathered over 1 million votes, aimed to create a list of the top 100 books to read before you die. The result is a fascinating collection of timeless classics, modern bestsellers, and everything in between. Here's the official list of 100 books to read before you die, as voted by the public:
The Top 10:
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
- 1984 by George Orwell
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Classics:
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
- Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Modern Favorites:
- The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Children's Classics:
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
- The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Other Notable Mentions:
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
This list is a testament to the diversity of human taste and the power of literature to transcend time and cultures. Whether you're a fan of classic romance, science fiction, or modern bestsellers, there's something for everyone in this incredible collection of 100 books to read before you die. So, grab a cup of coffee, find a comfortable spot, and start reading!
