Published before 1800
Utopia
This book is all about the fictional country called Utopia. It is a country with an ‘ideal’ form of communism, in which everything really do…
The Tale of Genji
The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the …
The Vicar of Wakefield
Published in 1766, 'The Vicar of Wakefield' was Oliver Goldsmith's only novel. It was thought to have been sold to the publisher for £…
The Wisdom of the Ancients
"Now I suppose most people will think I am but entertaining myself with a toy, and using much the same kind of licence in expounding th…
The Blazing World
The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish is, all at once, a satire, a treatise on natural philosophy, a work of proto-science fiction, and a …
The Fortunate Foundlings
A story of love and adventure, following the fortunes of a young man and woman each trying to make their way in the wide world. Horatio and …
The Adventures of Roderick Random
I am Roderick Random. This is the contemporary story of my struggle against the adversity of orphan-hood, poverty, press gangs, bloody duels…
The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle
The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle follows the life of its titular character, an egotistical dandy navigating the complexities of 18th-centu…
Manon Lescaut
Published in 1731, Manon Lescaut (on which the Puccini opera is based) takes as its themes passionate, tragic love, and redemption through s…
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman is a groundbreaking novel by Laurence Sterne that defies conventional storytelling. Thro…
The Female Quixote
The Female Quixote is a witty and insightful novel that turns the conventions of romance on their head. In this clever inversion of Cervante…
The Coquette
The classic early American epistolary novel about the seduction and ruin of a passionate young woman. Based on the true story of Elizabeth W…
Erec and Enide
Erec and Enide is a captivating medieval romance that explores the themes of love, loyalty, and the trials of chivalry. The story follows Er…
The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom
You can call me Dr. Fathom. Or Count Fathom. But I'm not who I say I am. And can you blame me? My mother was a soldiers' harlot who pocketed…
Arthur Mervyn
Arthur Mervyn is the story of a young man from the country who arrives in a city stricken with Yellow Fever. He soon comes down with the ill…
Mary: A Fiction
Mary: A Fiction, published in 1788, is a tragic story that decries marriages not based on love. It can be considered an example of feminist …
Mary
Eliza, Mary's mother, is obsessed with novels, rarely considers anyone but herself, and favours Mary's brother. She neglects her daughter, w…
The Canterbury Tales
Generally considered to be the first book written in English (rather than Latin, French or Italian), Chaucer's magnum opus is a collection o…
The Barnaby's in America
I scruple not to confess that with all her faults, and she has some, I love her dearly : I owe her many mirthful moments, and the deeper ple…
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