Great Novels: The World’s Most Remarkable Fiction Explored and Explained

A beautifully illustrated guide to the greatest novels ever written

Discover everything you ever wanted to know about the world’s greatest novels.

From medieval romances and tales of chivalry through the realist novels of the 19th century to experimental modernist works and today’s explorations of the self, Great Novels explores the finest novels from around the world and through time.

Tilt at windmills with Don Quixote, experience heartbreak with Tolstoy, discover the society in which Jane Austen lived, and delve into the complex rites of passage experienced by characters in modern novels. Find out what inspired writers to create their masterpieces, what their aims were, and how they set about writing them.

Organised chronologically and covering the whole range of literary styles, Great Novels takes you into the pages of the world’s seminal novels, ranging from the entertaining adventures of Cervantes’ errant knight through classics such as Great Expectations and Madame Bovary, to modern novels such as To the Lighthouse, The Outsider, Beloved, and Wolf Hall. Stunning images of the original manuscripts, first editions, and authors are complemented by extracts and quotations, while illustrated features set the novels in their literary and historical context.

Essential for everyone who loves books, Great Novels provides a fascinating overview of how the genre has developed through the ages and celebrates the perennial, life-affirming pleasures of reading.