1. The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (1678) A story of a man in search of truth told with the simple clarity and beauty of Bunyan’s prose make this the ultimate English classic. 2. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719) By the end of the 19th century, no book in English literary history had enjoyed more editions, spin-offs and translations. Crusoe’s world-famous novel is a complex literary confection, and it’s irresistible. 3. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726) A satirical masterpiece that’s never been out of print, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels comes third in our list of the best novels written in English. 4. Clarissa by Samuel Richardson (1748) Clarissa is a tragic heroine, pressured by her unscrupulous nouveau-riche family to marry a wealthy man she detests, in the book that Samuel Johnson described as “the first book in the world for the knowledge it displays of the human heart.” 5. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding (1749) Tom Jones is a classic English novel that captures the spirit of its age and whose famous characters have come to represent Augustan society in all its loquacious, turbulent, comic variety. 6. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne (1759) Laurence Sterne’s vivid novel caused delight and consternation when it first appeared and has lost little of its original bite. 7. Emma by Jane Austen (1816) Jane Austen’s Emma is her masterpiece, mixing the sparkle of her early books with a deep sensibility. 8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818) Mary Shelley’s first novel has been hailed as a masterpiece of horror and the macabre. 9. Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock (1818) The great pleasure of Nightmare Abbey, which was inspired by Thomas Love Peacock’s friendship with Shelley, lies in the delight the author takes in poking fun at the romantic movement. 10. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe (1838) Edgar Allan Poe’s only novel – a classic adventure story with supernatural elements – has fascinated and influenced generations of writers. 11. Sybil by Benjamin Disraeli (1845) The future prime minister displayed flashes of brilliance that equalled the greatest Victorian novelists. A whirlwind success … Jane Eyre. 12. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) Charlotte Brontë’s erotic, gothic masterpiece became the sensation of Victorian England. Its great breakthrough was its intimate dialogue with the reader. 13. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1847) Emily Brontë’s windswept masterpiece is notable not just for its wild beauty but for its daring reinvention of the novel form itself. 14. Vanity Fair by William Thackeray (1848) William Thackeray’s masterpiece, set in Regency England, is a bravura performance by a writer at the top of his game.
