10 Classic books to read at least once in your lifetime

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Both a romance full of gowns and balls, and an incisive nineteenth-century satire, this is a novel that will pull on both your heart and your brain.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

One of the most renowned novels by this Victorian great, if you're looking for a Charles Dickens book to tick off of your literary bucket list, Great Expectations is a must-read.

Middlemarch by George Eliot

A masterpiece of candid observation, emotional insight and transcending humour, Middlemarch is a truly monumental novel.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the influential and shocking story of technology-created life, and is widely considered the first ever science-fiction novel.

Greyfriars Bobby by Eleanor Atkinson

Greyfriars Bobby is the deeply touching story of an inseparable bond and a wonderful evocation of Edinburgh in the late nineteenth century.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

This semi-autobiographical novel charts the highs and lows of the four sisters as they navigate their way from childhood to adulthood.

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

Following its immortal namesake through three centuries of history, Orlando is a whimsical exploration of perceptions of gender and love through the ages.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

Portraying a key moment in the anti-slavery movement, this unique memoir tells the incredible story of a man's escape from enslavement and journey to freedom.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

An enduring love story and undisputed classic, Jane Eyre is full of passion, mystery, tragedy, and a strong-willed and beloved heroine.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The book that best captures the flamboyance, the carelessness and the cruelty of the wealthy during America’s Jazz age.