Collection

The Guardian’s Best 100 Novels in English (2015)

The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
#2
10h 42m

The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe
Shipwrecked on a remote tropical island, a resourceful Englishman manages to survive alone for many years.
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe
#10
6h 56m

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

Edgar Allan Poe
A young stowaway embarks on high-seas adventures.
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
#24
7h 7m

Kidnapped

Robert Louis Stevenson
After his parents die, a young Scottish man travels to see his only remaining relative, expecting to be welcomed, but instead finds his life and liberty in grave danger.
The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
#26
4h 3m

The Sign of the Four

Arthur Conan Doyle
An analytical detective is consulted by a young woman who has received a strange communication regarding her long-missing father and a mysterious treasure.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
#27
7h 27m

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde
A Victorian dandy turns to a life of debauchery after a magical portrait stops him from aging.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
#31
14h 29m

Dracula

Bram Stoker
An ancient undead monster terrorizes Victorian London.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
#32
3h 38m

Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad
A steamer captain in the heart of Africa witnesses the final days of a brutal ivory trader.
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
#34
10h 17m

Kim

Rudyard Kipling
An orphaned street-urchin follows a holy man across India during the time of the British Raj, eventually gaining an education and becoming a recruit to the Great Game of espionage against the Russians.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
#35
3h 7m

The Call of the Wild

Jack London
The story of a domesticated dog’s return to a primitive state in the late 19th-century Yukon.
The History of Mr. Polly by H. G. Wells
#39
6h 55m

The History of Mr. Polly

H. G. Wells
A middle-aged man in early Edwardian England finds himself despairing at his failed business and marriage, and takes a drastic step to escape—with unexpected results.
The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence
#43
17h 46m

The Rainbow

D. H. Lawrence
Three generations of an English family struggle to adapt in a society rapidly changed by industrialization.