How does a book become a classic? Basically it passes the test of time.
A classic is widely considered a model of its form. Most likely the work is quite old and are generally out of copyright and in the public domain, thus, a large number are freely available to publish. Some consider more modern works as classics and usually they are considered books that should be read by people worldwide-thus translated into multiple languages.
All the same, a book needs to have some age to it to prove that it is loved. A fifty-plus year old book like Tom Sawyer or To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic while a book like Harry Potter is not, but may be, if its fame goes on for fifty more years.
ISBN-13: 9780141441146 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Penguin Classics, 11/01/2006
Caroline says: Brontë’s best known work, Jane Eyre is the tale of a woman who takes a position as a governess in a large and lonely estate, and becomes tangled up in the secrets of those that live there. A haunting love story.
ISBN-13: 9780451528155 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Signet Classics, 10/01/2001
Caroline says: This classic was written in French many decades before Andrew Lloyd Webber composed the musical. The plot is well known – love, music, and murder behind the scenes of the Paris Opera House and a mysterious figure known only as The Phantom – but the novel gives much more depth and background to the characters (including some that didn’t make it into the show)
ISBN-13: 9780140449266 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Penguin Classics, 05/01/2003
Caroline says: This classic has it all – true love, hidden treasure, jealousy, betrayal, and calculated revenge. After being wrongly imprisoned and separated from his love, Edmond Dantes plans and executes an escape so he can get back at all the people who betrayed him. Despite being a translation, I found the language so beautiful that after I set it down I wanted to pick it up and reread it right away. There is a movie version of it that is quite good, although it does change some of the details.
ISBN-13: 9780743484947 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Simon & Schuster, 07/01/2005
Caroline says: This is definitely my favorite by Shakespeare – a comedy that showcases a battle-of-the-sexes verbal sparring match between the headstrong Beatrice and the stubborn Benedick. When their friends decide to trick them into falling in love with each other, we find that opposites really do attract! Make sure to also check out the movie version – the all-star cast includes Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves and Kate Beckinsale.
ISBN-13: 9780141439686 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Penguin Classics, 04/01/2003
Caroline says: Although not as widely known as Austen's Pride and Prejudice, I actually liked Persuasion better! Anne Elliot, a sensible figure in a vain and selfish family, had acted on the advice of a trusted friend when she turned down a marriage proposal in her youth. Years later, Captain Wentworth has re-entered her life and her love for him has not diminished. Has she lost her chance forever? If you enjoy this book, there is also a wonderful movie adaptation starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds.
ISBN-13: 9780142437230 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Penguin Classics, 02/01/2003
Rich says: A 400-year-old farce, but its revelation of the results of self-delusion apply today. A gentleman of La Mancha read too many chivalric romances, lost his marbles, fancied himself a knight. He outfitted himself with armor, hired a squire (the woeful Sancho Panza), and set out on a rickety horse in search of derring-do adventures to honor an imagined great lady. In its most famous episode he "tilted at windmills", thinking them monsters to be slain. A wonderful read, full of delicious deceptions, seductions, and surprise outcomes; yet, one of the greatest books ever written.
ISBN-13: 9780140434088 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Penguin Classics, 06/01/1999
Hunter says: Wilkie Collins was a contemporary author and personal friend of Charles Dickens. He writes with much of them same dash, that is cloaked in subtle humor. The Moonstone is a wonderful mystery filled with the intrigue of an old-fashioned "whodunnit". The center piece is the gemstone that has found it's way into a genteel family of privilege and leisure. The huge stone disappears suddenly one night in a house full of family and guests. We are lead through the twists and turns of a touching plot, a well developed cast of characters, and a picturesque countryside. The Moonstone is must for all Anglophiles.
ISBN-13: 9780451191144 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Signet, 09/01/1996
Diane says: Can you believe that in 1991, this book was considered the second most influential book-after the bible. Part political thriller and part philosophical treatise, the hefty volume pitts capitalist heroes against collectivist villains, deadbeats and bleeding-heart do-gooders corrupted by benefits and unearned income against entrepreneurs who want to be rewarded for their efforts. Fifty years ago Ayn Rand wrote this tome and the battle continues between those who want to redistribute the wealth by taking away from the rich to give to the poor.
ISBN-13: 9780743253970 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Scribner, 09/01/2003
Teresa says: This is a wonderful story of youth at a private school in New England during World War II. At times they don’t want to believe there’s a war on and at other times they just can’t ignore it. Follow their lives through this tough time and see how they handle them.
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