The New York Times Reveals Best Books Of The Last 125 Years

Are you looking to gain fresh perspectives from your next read? Your best option could be to retreat to something you read in school.

To commemorate the 125th anniversary of its ‘Book Review’ panel, the New York Times asked its readers to nominate the best books of that timespan. The activity is drawn from the column’s own roots—in its earlier years, the ‘Book Review’ section heavily relied on reader recommendations, inviting them to name the top books, short stories, and poems. “This was a nod to our history… We wanted this project, like those early ones, to reflect readers’ tastes and preferences,” said the Times.

Despite having a plethora of titles to choose from, readers leaned into nostalgia. The news outlet whittled thousands of suggestions down to the 25 most nominated, many of which were classics, to be further voted on. 200,000 ballots spanning all 50 states and 67 countries later, the results were in.

The most beloved book, To Kill A Mockingbird, apparently won “by a narrow margin.” Check below to see which other titles took the top spots.

1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

2. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

“I don’t know half of you as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”

 
3. 1984 by George Orwell

“Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”

4. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

“It’s enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment.”

5. Beloved by Toni Morrison

“She is a friend of my mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order.”

The most popular authors within the past 125 years are John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner, who each had nominations for seven books. Following closely behind are James Baldwin, Margaret Atwood, and Virginia Woolf, with five nominated books each; and Joan Didion, who received nominations for four titles.

[via The New York Times and Boing Boing, images via various sources]