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The Western Core
The great books of the West, from Homer to our own time, gathered from twelve famous reading lists.
- Books in the core list
- 1,355
- Authors
- 677
- Source lists
- 12
- Free full texts
- 134
All the Books From the Great Lists
“The best which has been thought and said in the world.”
For more than a hundred years, great readers made lists of the books that every educated person must know. Arthur Humphreys made one in 1904. Clifton Fadiman, Harold Bloom and many others followed him.
We set twelve of these lists side by side. The books that they agree on make The Western Core: the works that each generation chose to keep and to give to the next.
Walk through the list in order of time, from the ancient world to today. Follow the long conversation of the West, one author at a time.
Find Your Next Great Book
Read in Order
Follow the books from the ancient world to today, period by period and author by author.
Books for Every Age
Many books have a reading level, from 1st grade to adult. Families and teachers can find the right book for each child.
Read It Free
Many great books are in the public domain. When a free full text exists, for example on Project Gutenberg, the book has a Text link.
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