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The Big American 100

A subjective list of what are, in my view, the 100 best American novels, short stories, poetry, and plays. No Faulkner because I haven't read him. No Hawthorne because I have. Some here are widely famous, others barely known at all, but all are worth your time.
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A Confederacy of Dunces (John Kennedy Toole)
A Confederacy of Dunces
1
John Kennedy Toole
BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY (Jay McInerney)
BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY
2
Jay McInerney
In Cold Blood (Truman Capote)
In Cold Blood
3
Truman Capote
Selected Poems of Langston Hughes
Selected Poems of Langston Hughes
4
Sister Carrie (Theodore Dreiser)
Sister Carrie
5
Theodore Dreiser
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
6
J.D. Salinger
The Day of the Locust, Nathanael West
The Day of the Locust, Nathanael West
7
The Gift of the Magi (O. Henry)
The Gift of the Magi
8
O. Henry
The Glass Menagerie (Tennessee Williams)
The Glass Menagerie
9
Tennessee Williams
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
The Grapes of Wrath
10
John Steinbeck
The Magic Christian
The Magic Christian
11
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
12
Leaves of Grass (Walt Whitman)
Leaves of Grass
13
Walt Whitman
The Easter Parade (Richard Yates)
The Easter Parade
14
Richard Yates
Mom Kills Kids and Self (Alan Saperstein)
Mom Kills Kids and Self
15
Alan Saperstein
Howl (Allen Ginsberg)
Howl
16
Allen Ginsberg
Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce (Ambrose Bierce)
Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce
17
Ambrose Bierce
Maryland: The Accidental Tourist (Anne Tyler)
Maryland: The Accidental Tourist
18
Anne Tyler
My Antonia (Antonia Shimerda)
My Antonia
19
Antonia Shimerda
Death of a Salesman (Arthur Miller)
Death of a Salesman
20
Arthur Miller
The Natural (Bernard Malamud)
The Natural
21
Bernard Malamud
The Magnificent Ambersons (Booth Tarkington)
The Magnificent Ambersons
22
Booth Tarkington
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers)
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
23
Carson McCullers
Johnny Got His Gun (Dalton Trumbo)
Johnny Got His Gun
24
Dalton Trumbo
Forty Stories (Donald Barthelme)
Forty Stories
25
Donald Barthelme
The Cat in the Hat (Dr. Seuss)
The Cat in the Hat
26
Dr. Seuss
Ragtime (E.L. Doctorow)
Ragtime
27
E.L. Doctorow
Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Edgar Allan Poe)
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
28
Edgar Allan Poe
Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson (Emily Dickinson)
Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson
29
Emily Dickinson
The Girls (Emma Cline)
The Girls
30
Emma Cline
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place (Ernest Hemingway)
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
31
Ernest Hemingway
The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber (Ernest Hemingway)
The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber
32
Ernest Hemingway
The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway)
The Sun Also Rises
33
Ernest Hemingway
A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway - 1929)
A Farewell to Arms
34
Ernest Hemingway - 1929
The Iceman Cometh (Eugene O'Neill)
The Iceman Cometh
35
Eugene O'Neill
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
36
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (Fannie Flagg)
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
37
Fannie Flagg
The Black Stallion (Farley, Walter)
The Black Stallion
38
Farley, Walter
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
39
George Orwell
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
40
Harper Lee
Page 1 of 3
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