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1.

PoMarx and Engels: Even if you don’t agree with the tenets of socialism you can’t argue
about the importance of this work that’s essential to understanding political and
philosophical thought in the 19th and 20th centuries.
2. Common Sense by Thomas Paine: Those looking to learn more about American history will
appreciate this work that encouraged colonists to pursue freedom from British rule.
3. The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith: Scottish economist Adam Smith’s well-known work
explores the intricacies of the economics at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
4. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli: While today Machiavelli’s name bring negative
connotations, this Italian work is essential reading for those interested in politics and the
maintenance of political entities.
5. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: The burgeoning industries of the U.S. brought about many
positive changes but some pretty negative ones as well, and this novel was one of the first to
expose the seamy underbelly of turn of the century factory work.

Plays and Poems

While novels are a great source of learning, plays and poems shouldn’t be neglected if
you want to be well-rounded in your knowledge of literature. These free selections
can be a great place to start.

1. Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson: Get a good background in the works of a great American
poet though this free collection.
2. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: With this complete collection of works, you’ll
be able to pick and choose the plays and poems you find most interesting.
3. The Complete Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley: Learn more about the works of this Romantic
poet through this large collection of his works.
4. Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw: While many people may have seen the film adaptation
of this play in My Fair Lady, the written version is just as full of wit and charm.
5. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri: Explore the depths of hell through this highly
important work of Italian literature.
6. Paradise Lost by John Milton: This epic poem follows the fall of Lucifer and his subsequent
seduction into sin of the human race.
7. The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe: One of the most well-known poems ever written, this work by
Poe is essential to any reading list.
8. Hedda Gabler by Heinrich Ibsen: In this play, a bored housewife dabbles in the lives of others
with disastrous results.
9. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde: With plot twists and turns about mistaken
identities, love triangles and romantic affairs this play is an entertaining way to spend an
afternoon.

From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne


I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, as it is a very entertaining fictionalization of what
people in the late 19th century believed that travel to the moon would actually be like.
Mostly, this novel is a “space race” of sorts, with an individual overcoming all kinds
of obstacles to develop and build a device to launch a man to the moon. The sequel
Around the Moon is also entertaining, but more fanciful.

The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells


What’s the line between science fiction and horror? This novel rides that fine line.
Doctor Moreau lives on a strange island where he creates sentient beings by
combining the parts of various animals. The novel dwells quite a lot on the issues of
pain in the name of progress and animal cruelty, while telling a strong story.

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray


I found Vanity Fair to be incredibly funny. It makes fun of society as a whole,
particularly the hypocrisy of people and how they’ll willingly step on someone’s neck
to reach a few inches higher. It ends up with an intriguing murder mystery, one that I
used to frequently argue about with an old friend.

Roughing It by Mark Twain


On a rather different note, Roughing It is Mark Twain’s memoirs of his years spent in
the wild West. Twain’s humor is evident here, but it’s also a great adventure story that
reveals quite a lot about the nature of the old West.

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott


If you’re interested in knights, chivalry, and Robin Hood, you’ll enjoy Ivanhoe. It’s as
simple as that. It’s a very fun adventure story, vibrant and yet realistic, though the
language is just a touch dated in places.

Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche


This is a very powerful look at what morality is and how we can internally and
externally determine right and wrong based on objective truth, not on the ideas of the
society around us. More often than not, they overlap, but a sense of what’s right based
on what we objectively know to be true is a much more powerful guide than just
following what others tell us.

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper


This is a wonderful adventure story set during the French-Indian War of the 1750s. Be
careful when reading Cooper, though; if you’ve read one book by him, you’ll get a
feeling that you’re just re-reading the same book if you read more. One is very well
worth reading, though, and I suggest this one.

Accelerando by Charles Stross


Accelerando is a 2005 science fiction novel that Stross has released as a free e-book
for anyone to read. It’s actually a series of nine somewhat interconnected short stories
telling the story of a family before, during, and after a technological singularity – in
other words, a merging of man and machine for a level of superintelligence that
neither could achieve on their own. It’s a very enjoyable read with lots of thought-
provoking ideas.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow


Little Brother is a 2007 novel by Cory Doctorow that describes how four teenagers
respond to a terrorist attack in San Francisco. During the aftermath of that attack, the
Department of Homeland Security tries to crack down on civil rights in the area, and
the main characters fight back against it in various ways, often utilizing technology in
a clever way. Much like Accelerando, this one is a great new novel that’s free for
anyone to read.
Hopefully, you now have plenty to read without exploding your pocketbook.

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