We said: When a scientist and inventor creates a time machine, he travels to the distant future to see what’s in store for humanity. H. G. Wells' novel is the book that popularised time travel, but read deeper and it’s also a metaphor for the fractured society that we still live in today.

You said: A story of knowledge, education, and imagining a future. 

 

We said: Sun-Tzu, author of the world’s oldest guide to military strategy, recognised that we live in a conflicted world. The layperson might not be involved in warfare but the advice within is just as useful for navigating the workplace or daily life.

You said: This should be called the little book of common sense. It makes everything easier to understand. 

 

We said: Nobel-Prize winning author John Galsworthy wrote this multi-generational saga which chronicles the Forsyte family’s fortunes and downfalls as they live through dramatic social change, from the straight-laced Victorian era to the roaring 20s.

You said: This book gives you a wonderful impression of life in the 19th and early 20th century. It’s both enthralling and touching. 

 

We said: Almost 60 years later Travels with Charley still proves an eye-opening insight into a country that’s so easy to view as a monolith. Steinbeck and his French Poodle encounter everyone from migrant farmers to KKK members in this reminder of a complicated political landscape that’s no less disparate today.

You said: One of the true first ‘road’ books – a search for the spirit of the ordinary American people. 

 

We said: It was banned in the US and the UK for 30 years for being too ‘pornographic,’ and undoubtedly there are smutty moments, but Henry Miller uses this to comment on the human condition. Told from a variety of first-person characters in 1930s Paris – including Miller’s own experiences as a struggling writer – the common thread between each character is their sexual encounters. 

You said: Loud, funny, sexual Paris in the 1930s. I read it when I was 20, and it changed the way I look at the world. 

 

We said: Inspired by romantic novels, a young man and his squire set off on bold adventures to prove that chivalry isn’t dead. Often labelled as the first modern novel, Don Quixote is one of the best-selling novels of all time.

You said: The comedy, insight, versatility, inspiration for other writers and more. The fact that a 17th-century work can feel so fresh. Such a light read if you want it to be, but filled with details if you want to research historical background, and literary traditions. 

 

We said: Paul Scott passed away at the peak of his writing career and his last novel, Staying On – which won the Booker Prize in 1977 – gives us a unique insight into life just after the end of the British rule in India.

You said: A funny, tragic, beautifully written study of an English colonial married couple left behind as an independent India moves ahead. 

 

We said: What began as a series of letters to Kenneth Grahame’s sickly son evolved into one of England’s most beloved children’s books. A whimsical foray through the Berkshire countryside, the camaraderie between Ratty, Badger, Mole and Mr Toad embodies traditional British eccentricities to a tee. 

You said: You can enjoy this book at any age – and it’s beautifully written. 

 

We said: Drawing on Graham Greene’s own experiences as a war correspondent, the novel explores the political landscape of 1950s Vietnam through the lens of a British journalist as the tensions of the French war and the increasing interest of the Americans builds.  

You said: Everything that is brilliant about Graham Greene can be found in this book, the opening two paragraphs are a perfect example of the difference between fiction and literature. 

 

We said: Controversial at the time of publication, Emily Brontë’s classic love story between Catherine and Heathcliff still resonates with readers today.  Widely considered a staple of Gothic fiction and the English literary canon, this book has gone on to inspire many generations of writers – and will continue to do so.

You said: Beautiful, atmospheric, poignant, gripping, and with one of the most beautifully written last two paragraphs I have ever read. 

 

We said: In 18th-century France, one man’s greatest passion and gift leads him down a path of sensual depravity. After discovering he has no scent of his own – despite having a remarkable sense of smell – Jean-Baptiste Grenouille trains in the art of perfume-making so he can create the ultimate scent – one that is made from 25 young virgin girls.

You said: A story of suspense and love, with beautiful narration.