The Books canon

Sourced and shelved.

Every book chosen by hand and annotated for why it matters.
Browse all 1,178 books or filter by subject, era, place, and author.

Atlas Shrugged

1957 · 1200 pages

The people who keep the world running go on strike. Dagny Taggart holds her railroad together as the competent vanish, and Rand's case that selfishness is a virtue still powers American libertarianism.

★ 5.5

Rabbit, Run

1960 · 325 pages

Harry Angstrom peaked at eighteen on a basketball court and now demonstrates kitchen gadgets. He leaves his pregnant wife and drives south. Updike gave the American suburb prose nobody thought it deserved.

★ 6.8