The Best Classic Books
recommended by critics, novelists and historians
Last updated: May 26, 2025
Classic Historical Fiction Set in Ancient Rome
Ever since the ruins of an ancient civilization started to be discovered around Italy, ancient Rome has captured the imagination and inspired writers. Here we’ve collected together all the novels about ancient Rome and its empire that have been recommended on Five Books, from an 18th-century bestseller to the last novel by one of the great fantasy authors of our time.
Science Fiction Classics, recommended by Adam Roberts
The best sci-fi explores humanity’s anxieties and concerns and is in some sense about the future. But it doesn’t try to predict what’s to come. The literature professor and sci-fi writer recommends five classics of the genre.
Five Classic European Spy Novels, recommended by Patrick Worrall
From a noir novel by Eric Ambler set in 1930s Europe to some of the great spy thrillers of the post-World War II era, British novelist Patrick Worrall, author of The Exile, talks us through five of his favourite espionage novels.
The Greats of Classical Literature, recommended by Charlotte Higgins
The Guardian’s chief arts writer, Charlotte Higgins, believes that the contemporary value of the Classics is incalculable – here, she tells us why, via her selection of the great and good of classical literature.
The Best Classic Crime Fiction, recommended by Sophie Roell
Since the early stories of the 18th and 19th centuries, crime fiction has been an incredibly popular and enduring genre, the investigation of murder somehow capturing the imagination of millions of readers around the globe. Here, Sophie Roell, editor of Five Books, uses strict but simple criteria to pick out the best classic crime fiction, from the Victorian age through to the 1950s.
Classic Horror Books
Do you love scary stories? We put together a list of horror novels that have been recommended on Five Books over the years—books we think every horror fan should read before they die. How many have you read?
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1
The Tale of Genji
by Murasaki Shikibu & translated by Edward G. Seidensticker -
2
Monkey King: Journey to the West
Wu Cheng'en, translated by Julia Lovell -
3
The Plum in the Golden Vase (Volume One of five)
by Anonymous & translated by David Tod Roy -
4
The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong
by Lady Hyegyong & translated by JaHyun Kim Haboush -
5
The Shadow Book of Ji Yun
by Ji Yun & translated by Yi Izzy Yu and John Yu Branscum
Five East Asian Classic Books Worth Reading, recommended by Tuva Kahrs
Five East Asian Classic Books Worth Reading, recommended by Tuva Kahrs
Want to read something that won’t feel out of date next year? Something from a different time and place, but with universal resonance? Five Books contributing editor Tuva Kahrs picks five classic books from China, Japan and Korea that have stood the test of time, from a blockbuster adventure novel to a murderous memoir.
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Three Kingdoms: A Historical Novel
by Luo Guanzhong & Moss Roberts (translator) -
The Water Margin
by Shi Naian & translated by J M Jackson -
The Water Outlaws
by S L Huang -
Monkey King: Journey to the West
Wu Cheng'en, translated by Julia Lovell -
The Story of the Stone (also called Dream of the Red Chamber)
by Cao Xueqin
Classic Chinese Novels
Classic Chinese Novels
During China’s Ming and Qing dynasties, a number of novels were written which are regarded as classics of Chinese literature. Several of them have been recommended on Five Books, including one modern retelling.
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1
Recollections of Things to Come
by Elena Garro, translated by Ruth L.C. Simms, illustrated by Alberto Beltrán -
2
Cartucho
by Nellie Campobello, translated by Doris Meyer -
3
Balún Canán
by Castellanos Rosario -
4
Pedro Páramo
by Juan Rulfo, translated by Margaret Sayers Peden -
5
Aura
by Carlos Fuentes, translated by Lysander Kemp
Five of the Best Classic Mexican Novels, recommended by Ave Barrera
Five of the Best Classic Mexican Novels, recommended by Ave Barrera
We asked the award-winning Mexican novelist Ave Barrera—whose latest book, The Forgery, has recently been translated into English—to recommend five classic Mexican novels. Here she discusses her choices, which include books by Juan Rulfo, Elena Garro and Nellie Campobello.
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1
Beast in the Shadows
by Edogawa Rampo & Ian Hughes (translator) -
2
The Inugami Curse
by Seishi Yokomizo & Yumiko Yamazaki (translator) -
3
Points and Lines
by Paul C. Blum and Makiko Yamamoto (translators) & Seicho Matsumoto -
4
The Tokyo Zodiac Murders
by Ross and Shika Mackenzie (translators) & Soji Shimada -
5
All She Was Worth
by Alfred Birnbaum (translator) & Miyuki Miyabe
Best Classic Japanese Mysteries, recommended by On Nomoto
Best Classic Japanese Mysteries, recommended by On Nomoto
Crime novels are hugely popular in Japan, but English translations of Japanese mysteries not always easy to come by. As Pushkin Vertigo publishes translations of two novels by Seishi Yokomizo, one of Japan’s most famous mystery writers, his grandson, On Nomoto, talks us through the best classic Japanese mysteries of the last century.
