The Best English-Language Fiction of the Twentieth Century
A Composite List and Ranking
by Brian Kunde
 
INTRODUCTION
SOURCE LISTS
COMPOSITE LIST
RANKING SYSTEM
COLUMN KEY
REVIEWS
LINKS

Alternative Rankings. C. 150-Point Scale.

As noted in the explanation of the ranking system, the method I adopted to re-rank the titles from the sources originally used a simple 150-point scale, which remained in place on this site for over six years. It was abandoned after John Young pointed out that rating 100-title lists on the same scale as a 150-title list disadvantaged the former, an observation that resulted in the discovery of other problems with the system. Rather than consign it to complete oblivion, however, I present it here as an alternative ranking, and an object lesson, perhaps, in mathematical naiveté. An explanation of the alternative method follows:
  • First, to ensure that equivalent ratings in each source were given equal weight, the rankings in each source list were converted into points on a 150-point scale (since there are 150 works in the longest source). A first-place rank was given 150 points, a second place rank 149, and so on - down to 51 points for a 100th-place rank on the three shorter lists, and down to 1 point for the 150th-place rank on the longest list.
  • Second, the points for every work on each list were totaled to determine its cumulative popularity (or weight) in the sources.
  • Finally, the works were re-ranked according to total points received, those with the most ranking highest and those with the least ranking lowest. In cases where two or more works ended up with the same number of points, the works(s) appearing in the most sources are ranked first. Works that both share the same number of points and appear in the same number of sources are ranked alphabetically by author and title.

The main strength of this method is that it provides a method of reconciling the rankings of the various source lists while also recognizing the greater claim to a higher ranking of titles that are repeated on two or more source lists than titles unique to one source list. Its main defects are that the simple 150-point scale disadvantages titles on the three shorter lists, that the extra points awarded to titles appearing on more than one source list are overly excessive, and that the scores of titles on the three shorter lists duplicated among the last fifty entries on the longest list are augmented thereby when they ought to be reduced.

The Composite List in the Alternative Ranking.

K LM R App. Points Rank Author Title Date
K-003 L-013 M-002 R-001 4 585 001 Fitzgerald, F. Scott Great Gatsby, The 1925
K-006 L-007 M-013 R-009 4 569 002 Orwell, George Nineteen Eighty Four 1949
K-005 L-010 M-007 R-015 4 567 003 Heller, Joseph Catch 22 1961
K-004 L-020 M-010 R-003 4 567 004 Steinbeck, John Grapes of Wrath, The 1939
K-031 L-017 M-004 R-011 4 541 005 Nabokov, Vladimir Lolita 1955
K-018 L-044 M-001 R-006 4 535 006 Joyce, James Ulysses 1922
K-013 L-008 M-031 R-017 4 535 007 Orwell, George Animal Farm 1945
K-012 L-009 M-041 R-008 4 534 008 Golding, William Lord of the Flies 1954
K-002 L-002 M-064 R-002 4 534 009 Salinger, J. D. Catcher in the Rye, The 1951
K-020 L-014 M-018 R-029 4 523 010 Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Slaughterhouse Five 1969
K-024 L-041 M-005 R-016 4 518 011 Huxley, Aldous Brave New World 1932
K-016 L-028 M-019 R-024 4 517 012 Ellison, Ralph Invisible Man 1952
K-030 L-047 M-006 R-010 4 511 013 Faulkner, William Sound and the Fury, The 1929
K-041 L-053 M-003 R-014 4 493 014 Joyce, James Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, A 1916
K-019 L-045 M-045 R-018 4 477 015 Hemingway, Ernest Sun Also Rises, The 1926
K-056 L-031 M-020 R-027 4 470 016 Wright, Richard Native Son 1940
K-023 L-039 M-055 R-031 4 456 017 Kerouac, Jack On the Road 1957
K-039 L-060 M-015 R-034 4 456 018 Woolf, Virginia To the Lighthouse 1927
K-001 L-001 R-004 3 447 019 Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird 1960
K-008 L-006 R-005 3 434 020 Walker, Alice Color Purple, The 1982
K-035 L-037 M-058 R-042 4 432 021 Wharton, Edith Age of Innocence, The 1920
K-009 L-005 R-007 3 432 022 Morrison, Toni Beloved 1987
K-057 L-033 M-074 R-020 4 420 023 Hemingway, Ernest Farewell to Arms, A 1929
K-007 L-004 R-026 3 416 024 Mitchell, Margaret Gone With the Wind 1936
K-010 L-003 R-040 3 400 025 Tolkien, J. R. R. Lord of the Rings 1956
K-032 L-012 R-013 3 396 026 White, E. B. Charlotte's Web 1952
K-049 L-058 M-065 R-049 4 383 027 Burgess, Anthony Clockwork Orange, A 1962
K-042 L-067 M-088 R-033 4 374 028 London, Jack Call of the Wild, The 1903
K-034 L-025 R-051 3 343 029 Cather, Willa My Antonia 1918
K-011 L-078 R-023 3 341 030 Hurston, Zora Neale Their Eyes Were Watching God 1937
K-055 L-026 R-032 3 340 031 Hemingway, Ernest Old Man and the Sea, The 1952
K-028 L-019 R-071 3 335 032 Du Maurier, Daphne Rebecca 1938
K-038 L-061 R-037 3 317 033 Irving, John World According to Garp, The 1978
K-025 L-056 R-060 3 312 034 Wharton, Edith Ethan Frome 1911
K-095 L-023 R-028 3 307 035 Kesey, Ken One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1962
K-061 L-124 M-079 R-039 4 301 036 Forster, E. M. Room With a View, A 1908
K-066 M-028 R-062 3 297 037 Fitzgerald, F. Scott Tender is the Night 1934
L-075 M-025 R-059 3 294 038 Forster, E. M. Passage to India, A 1924
K-046 L-109 R-012 3 286 039 Steinbeck, John Of Mice and Men 1937
L-094 M-036 R-038 3 285 040 Warren, Robert Penn All the King's Men 1946
K-084 M-038 R-052 3 279 041 Forster, E. M. Howard's End 1910
L-092 M-067 R-021 3 273 042 Conrad, Joseph Heart of Darkness 1902
K-097 L-070 M-014 3 272 043 Graves, Robert I, Claudius 1934
L-030 M-096 R-057 3 270 044 Styron, William Sophie's Choice 1979
K-021 L-011 2 270 045 Buck, Pearl S. Good Earth, The 1931
K-082 L-065 R-043 3 263 046 Rand, Ayn Fountainhead, The 1943
K-022 L-022 2 258 047 Tolkien, J. R. R. Hobbit, The 1937
K-027 L-018 2 257 048 Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit 451 1952
K-053 L-127 M-094 R-081 4 249 049 Rhys, Jean Wide Sargasso Sea 1966
K-017 L-036 2 249 050 Atwood, Margaret Handmaid's Tale, The 1986
M-035 R-019 2 248 051 Faulkner, William As I Lay Dying 1930
K-014 L-040 2 248 052 Heinlein, Robert A. Stranger in a Strange Land 1961
L-034 R-022 2 246 053 Milne, A. A. Winnie the Pooh 1926
L-095 M-049 R-075 3 234 054 Lawrence, D. H. Women in Love 1920
M-009 R-064 2 229 055 Lawrence, D. H. Sons and Lovers 1913
M-039 R-036 2 227 056 Baldwin, James Go Tell It on the Mountain 1953
L-027 R-048 2 227 057 Lawrence, D. H. Lady Chatterley's Lover 1928
L-050 R-025 2 227 058 Morrison, Toni Song of Solomon 1977
K-092 L-038 R-097 3 226 059 Updike, John Rabbit, Run 1960
L-035 R-045 2 222 060 Sinclair, Upton Jungle, The 1906
K-060 L-021 2 221 061 Smith, Betty Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A 1947
L-059 M-024 2 219 062 Anderson, Sherwood Winesburg, Ohio 1919
L-101 M-056 R-079 3 217 063 Hammett, Dashiell Maltese Falcon, The 1930
L-110 M-051 R-080 3 212 064 Mailer, Norman Naked and the Dead, The 1948
M-026 R-069 2 207 065 James, Henry Wings of the Dove, The 1902
K-068 R-030 2 204 066 Hemingway, Ernest For Whom the Bell Tolls 1940
L-024 M-076 2 202 067 Spark, Muriel Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The 1962
M-016 R-088 2 198 068 Dreiser, Theodore American Tragedy, An 1925
L-077 M-030 2 195 069 Ford, Ford Madox Good Soldier, The 1915
L-062 R-047 2 193 070 Baum, L. Frank Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The 1900
K-096 M-068 R-099 3 190 071 Lewis, Sinclair Main Street 1920
L-132 M-050 R-084 3 187 072 Miller, Henry Tropic of Cancer 1934
L-117 M-061 R-089 3 186 073 Cather, Willa Death Comes for the Archbishop 1927
K-065 L-051 2 186 074 Tan, Amy Joy Luck Club, The 1989
L-086 M-033 2 183 075 Dreiser, Theodore Sister Carrie 1900
L-097 M-023 2 182 076 Dos Passos, John U.S.A. (trilogy) 1930/37
M-077 R-044 2 181 077 Joyce, James Finnegans Wake 1939
K-063 L-128 R-082 3 180 078 DeLillo, Don White Noise 1985
L-119 M-080 R-074 3 180 079 Waugh, Evelyn Brideshead Revisited 1945
M-054 R-068 2 180 080 Faulkner, William Light in August 1932
L-042 M-082 2 178 081 Stegner, Wallace Angle of Repose 1971
K-058 M-069 2 175 082 Wharton, Edith House of Mirth, The 1905
L-054 R-076 2 172 083 Wolfe, Thomas Look Homeward, Angel 1929
K-029 L-103 2 170 084 Lessing, Doris Golden Notebook. The 1962
K-040 R-092 2 170 085 Rand, Ayn Atlas Shrugged 1957
L-080 M-052 2 170 086 Roth, Philip Portnoy's Complaint 1969
L-071 M-062 2 169 087 Jones, James From Here to Eternity 1951
L-107 M-027 2 168 088 James, Henry Ambassadors, The 1903
L-102 M-032 2 168 089 James, Henry Golden Bowl, The 1904
K-052 L-084 2 166 090 Kingsolver, Barbara Bean Trees, The 1988
K-062 L-076 2 164 091 Clarke, Arthur C. 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968
K-094 L-048 2 160 092 Byatt, A. S. Possession 1990
L-131 M-011 2 160 093 Lowry, Malcolm Under the Volcano 1947
L-087 R-061 2 154 094 O'Connor, Flannery Good Man is Hard to Find, A 1955
L-091 M-066 2 145 095 Maugham, W. Somerset Of Human Bondage 1915
K-085 R-073 2 144 096 Burroughs, William S. Naked Lunch 1959
L-142 M-017 2 143 097 McCullers, Carson Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, The 1940
K-048 L-115 2 139 098 Herbert, Frank Dune 1965
M-012 1 139 099 Butler, Samuel Way of All Flesh, The 1903
K-015 1 136 100 Toole, John K. Confederacy of Dunces, A 1980
L-016 1 135 101 McMurtry, Larry Lonesome Dove 1986
L-079 R-090 2 133 102 Graham, Kenneth Wind in the Willows, The 1908
M-085 R-086 2 131 103 Conrad, Joseph Lord Jim 1900
M-021 1 130 104 Bellow, Saul Henderson the Rain King 1959
M-078 R-095 2 129 105 Kipling, Rudyard Kim 1901
M-022 1 129 106 O'Hara, John Appointment at Samarra 1934
L-089 M-086 2 127 107 Doctorow, E. L. Ragtime 1975
L-150 M-029 2 123 108 Farrell, James T. Studs Lonigan: A Trilogy 1932/35
L-029 1 122 109 Uris, Leon Exodus 1957
L-032 1 119 110 Wilder, Laura Ingalls Little House on the Prairie 1935
L-118 R-066 2 118 111 Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Cat's Cradle 1963
K-033 1 118 112 Allison, Dorothy Bastard Out of Carolina 1992
L-148 M-037 2 117 113 Wilder, Thornton Bridge of San Luis Rey, The 1927
M-034 1 117 114 Waugh, Evelyn Handful of Dust, A 1934
L-093 R-094 2 115 115 Lewis, Sinclair Babbit 1922
K-081 L-106 2 115 116 Plath, Sylvia Bell Jar, The 1963
K-064 L-123 2 115 117 Smiley, Jane Thousand Acres, A 1991
K-036 1 115 118 Shaara, Michael Killer Angels, The 1974
K-037 1 114 119 Proulx, E. Annie Shipping News, The 1993
M-090 R-100 2 112 120 Rushdie, Salman Midnight's Children 1981
M-040 1 111 121 Greene, Graham Heart of the Matter, The 1948
R-041 1 110 122 Keneally, Thomas Schindler's List 1982
L-130 M-063 2 109 123 Cheever, John Wapshot Chronicle, The 1957
M-042 1 109 124 Dickey, James Deliverance 1970
K-043 1 108 125 Guterson, David Snow Falling on Cedars 1994
M-043 1 108 126 Powell, Anthony Dance to the Music of Time, A (series) 1951/75
K-044 1 107 127 Adams, Richard Watership Down 1972
M-044 1 107 128 Huxley, Aldous Point Counter Point 1928
L-136 M-060 2 106 129 Percy, Walker Moviegoer, The 1961
M-046 1 105 130 Conrad, Joseph Secret Agent, The 1907
R-046 1 105 131 Woolf, Virginia Mrs. Dalloway 1925
M-047 1 104 132 Conrad, Joseph Nostromo 1904
M-048 1 103 133 Lawrence, D. H. Rainbow, The 1915
L-049 1 102 134 Shields, Carol Stone Diaries 1994
K-050 1 101 135 Irving, John Prayer for Owen Meany, A 1989
K-073 L-129 2 100 136 Sendak, Maurice Where the Wild Things Are 1963
L-133 R-070 2 099 137 Achebe, Chinua Things Fall Apart 1959
L-052 1 099 138 Haley, Alex Roots 1976
M-053 1 098 139 Nabokov, Vladimir Pale Fire 1962
L-113 M-092 2 097 140 Kennedy, William Ironweed 1983
R-054 1 097 141 Salinger, J. D. Franny and Zooey 1961
L-055 1 096 142 Porter, Katherine Anne Pale Horse, Pale Rider 1939
R-055 1 096 143 Rushdie, Salman Satanic Verses, The 1988
R-056 1 095 144 Morrison, Toni Jazz 1992
M-057 1 094 145 Ford, Ford Madox Parade's End 1924/28
R-058 1 093 146 Faulkner, William Absalom, Absalom! 1936
K-059 1 092 147 Archer, Jeffrey Kane and Abel 1980
M-059 1 092 148 Beerbohm, Max Zuleika Dobson 1911
L-063 1 088 149 Lewis, C. S. Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The 1950
R-063 1 088 150 Woolf, Virginia Orlando 1928
L-064 1 087 151 Doyle, Arthur Conan Hound of the Baskervilles, The 1902
K-075 L-141 2 086 152 Roth, Henry Call It Sleep 1934
R-065 1 086 153 Wolfe, Tom Bonfire of the Vanities 1987
L-066 1 085 154 Gordimer, Nadine Burger's Daughter, The 1979
R-067 1 084 155 Knowles, John Separate Peace, A 1959
L-069 1 082 156 Bradley, Marion Zimmer Mists of Avalon, The 1983
K-069 1 082 157 Gibbons, Kaye Ellen Foster 1987
K-070 1 081 158 Burns, Olive-Ann Cold Sassy Tree 1984
M-070 1 081 159 Durrell, Lawrence Alexandria Quartet, The 1957/60
M-071 1 080 160 Hughes, Richard High Wind in Jamaica, A 1929
K-071 1 080 161 Ishiguro, Kazuo Remains of the Day, The 1989
R-072 1 079 162 Adams, Douglas Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The 1979
M-072 1 079 163 Naipaul, V. S. House for Mr. Biswas, A 1961
L-072 1 079 164 Steinbeck, John East of Eden 1952
K-072 1 079 165 Wouk, Herman War and Remembrance 1978
L-073 1 078 166 Paton, Alan Cry, the Beloved Country 1948
M-073 1 078 167 West, Nathanael Day of the Locust, The 1939
L-074 1 077 168 Drury, Allen Advise and Consent 1959
K-074 1 077 169 Michener, James A. Centennial 1974
K-083 L-143 2 076 170 Puzo, Mario Godfather, The 1969
M-075 1 076 171 Waugh, Evelyn Scoop 1938
R-077 1 074 172 Hemingway, Ernest In Our Time 1925
K-078 1 073 173 Morrison, Toni Sula 1973
K-079 1 072 174 King, Stephen Stand, The 1978
K-080 1 071 175 Finney, Jack Time and Again 1970
M-081 1 070 176 Bellow, Saul Adventures of Augie March, The 1953
R-083 1 068 177 Cather, Willa O Pioneers! 1913
L-083 1 068 178 Morrison, Toni Bluest Eye, The 1969
M-083 1 068 179 Naipaul, V. S. Bend in the River, A 1979
M-084 1 067 180 Bowen, Elizabeth Death of the Heart, The 1938
L-085 1 066 181 Burroughs, Edgar Rice Tarzan of the Apes 1914
K-086 1 065 182 McCullough, Colleen Thorn Birds, The 1977
M-087 1 064 183 Bennett, Arnold Old Wives' Tale, The 1908
K-088 1 063 184 Carr, Caleb Alienist, The 1994
K-089 1 062 185 Berg, Elizabeth Talk Before Sleep 1994
M-089 1 062 186 Green, Henry Loving 1945
L-090 1 061 187 Guest, Judith Ordinary People 1976
K-090 1 061 188 Pilcher, Rosamunde Shell Seekers, The 1987
K-091 1 060 189 Brown, Rita Mae Rubyfruit Jungle 1973
M-091 1 060 190 Caldwell, Erskine Tobacco Road 1932
R-091 1 060 191 Fitzgerald, F. Scott This Side of Paradise 1920
K-093 1 058 192 Conroy, Pat Prince of Tides, The 1986
R-093 1 058 193 Fowles, John French Lieutenant's Woman, The 1969
M-093 1 058 194 Fowles, John Magus, The 1966
M-095 1 056 195 Murdoch, Iris Under the Net 1954
R-096 1 055 196 Fitzgerald, F. Scott Beautiful and Damned, The 1922
L-096 1 055 197 Price, Reynolds Kate Vaiden 1986
M-097 1 054 198 Bowles, Paul Sheltering Sky, The 1949
M-098 1 053 199 Cain, James M. Postman Always Rings Twice, The 1934
K-098 1 053 200 de Bernieres, Louis Corelli's Mandolin 1994
R-098 1 053 201 Forster, E. M. Where Angels Fear to Tread 1905
L-099 1 052 202 Agee, James Death in the Family, A 1957
M-099 1 052 203 Donleavy, J. P. Ginger Man, The 1955
K-099 1 052 204 Michener, James A. Hawaii 1959
M-100 1 051 205 Tarkington, Booth Magnificent Ambersons, The 1918
L-100 1 051 206 White, T. H. Once and Future King, The 1953
L-104 1 047 207 Galsworthy, John Forsyte Saga, The 1922
L-105 1 046 208 Chandler, Raymond Big Sleep, The 1939
L-112 1 039 209 Trumbo, Dalton Johnny Got His Gun 1939
L-114 1 037 210 Oates, Joyce Carol Them 1969
L-120 1 031 211 Tyler, Anne Breathing Lessons 1988
L-121 1 030 212 Blume, Judy Are You There God, It's Me Margaret 1970
L-122 1 029 213 Tyler, Anne Accidental Tourist, The 1985
L-125 1 026 214 O'Connor, Flannery Wise Blood 1952
L-134 1 017 215 Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan Yearling, The 1948
L-135 1 016 216 Wouk, Herman Winds of War, The 1971
L-137 1 014 217 Maugham, W. Somerset Razor's Edge, The 1944
L-139 1 012 218 Steinbeck, John Pearl, The 1947
L-140 1 011 219 Wilson, Colin Outsider, The 1956
L-144 1 007 220 Welty, Eudora Curtain of Green, A 1941
L-145 1 006 221 Greene, Graham End of the Affair, The 1951
L-147 1 004 222 Wouk, Herman Caine Mutiny, The 1951
L-149 1 002 223 Stone, Irving Agony and the Ecstasy, The 1961

1st web edition posted 2/26/99 (last updated 5/25/04).
2nd web edition posted 6/24/05 (last updated 11/18/09).
Please report any errors to the compiler.
Published by Fleabonnet Press.
The source list data is public domain.
Additional material © 1999-2009 by Brian Kunde.