How Long Would It Take To Read The 100 Greatest Books Of All Time?

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, discover how long it really takes to read the 100 greatest books of all time—from a 31-hour epic marathon in Les Misérables to a 9-minute breeze through The Giving Tree.

A study by GameZinger analyzed the top 100 highest-rated books on Goodreads, calculating reading times based on word counts and an average speed of 300 words per minute. The total comes to 784 hours and 51 minutes—equivalent to about 32.7 days of nonstop reading.

While no one needs to tackle them all in one go, the data reveals fascinating insights into literary lengths, with 19th-century classics dominating the longest entries. Russian and French novels claim five of the top 10 spots, and eight of those 10 were published before 1950. Many older works were serialized or paid by the word, explaining their expansive nature. Modern readers can pace themselves—one hour a day would finish even the longest in roughly a month.

Below, the top 10 longest books each get a dedicated look, including publication details, word counts, estimated reading times, and a deeper dive into their plots and enduring appeal. (Credit: Data sourced from GameZinger. Methodology involved Goodreads ratings, word counts via HowLongToRead, and the 300 wpm average.)

The 10 Greatest Books Of All Time

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

This 1862 French classic leads the pack with 568,647 words, demanding 31 hours and 35 minutes of reading. Set against the backdrop of post-revolutionary France, it follows ex-convict Jean Valjean as he seeks redemption after serving 19 years for stealing bread. Pursued relentlessly by the rigid Inspector Javert, Valjean adopts a new identity, becomes a factory owner and mayor, and raises an orphaned girl named Cosette. The sprawling narrative weaves in historical events like the 1832 Paris uprising, explores themes of justice, morality, and social inequality, and introduces a vast cast including the street urchin Gavroche and the tragic Fantine. Its epic scope and emotional depth make it a cornerstone of world literature.

The Stand by Stephen King

Published in 1978, this post-apocalyptic epic contains 486,630 words and requires 27 hours and 2 minutes. A superflu virus engineered as a biological weapon escapes a lab, wiping out 99% of the world’s population in weeks. Survivors, immune to the plague, begin having vivid dreams pulling them toward two opposing figures: the saintly Mother Abagail in Boulder, Colorado, representing good, and the demonic Randall Flagg in Las Vegas, embodying evil. As both sides gather followers and build societies, tensions escalate into a final confrontation between light and darkness. The novel delves into human nature, faith, and civilization’s fragility, blending horror with profound character studies.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Released in 1957, this philosophical novel spans 469,075 words and takes 26 hours and 3 minutes to read. In a dystopian America where government overreach stifles innovation, railroad executive Dagny Taggart fights to keep her company running amid economic collapse. Mysterious disappearances of the nation’s most productive minds—scientists, inventors, and industrialists—coincide with the question “Who is John Galt?” becoming a symbol of despair. Dagny’s brother James embodies cronyism, while inventor Hank Rearden develops a revolutionary metal but faces seizure by the state. The story culminates in the creators retreating to a hidden valley to build a new society based on reason and individual rights, championing Rand’s Objectivist philosophy.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Published in 1936, this Civil War saga contains 440,478 words and demands 24 hours and 28 minutes. Spoiled Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara navigates love, loss, and survival in Georgia as the war destroys her privileged world. Obsessed with the refined Ashley Wilkes, who marries his cousin Melanie, Scarlett impulsively weds Melanie’s brother Charles before he dies in battle. Through multiple marriages—including to the roguish Rhett Butler—she rebuilds her family’s plantation Tara after Sherman’s march, only to face Reconstruction-era challenges. The novel explores themes of resilience, the fall of the Old South, and complex relationships amid historical upheaval.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

First published in two parts (1605 and 1615), this foundational modern novel has 430,279 words and requires 23 hours and 54 minutes. An aging gentleman from La Mancha, Alonso Quixano, becomes so enamored with chivalric romances that he renames himself Don Quixote, dons makeshift armor, and sets out as a knight-errant with his pragmatic squire Sancho Panza. Mistaking windmills for giants and inns for castles, he embarks on absurd quests to right wrongs and protect the innocent. The narrative alternates between comedy and pathos, examining reality versus illusion, the power of literature, and human idealism in a changing world.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Published in 1989, this historical epic about medieval cathedral construction spans 391,978 words and takes 21 hours and 46 minutes. In 12th-century England, prior Philip of Kingsbridge dreams of building a magnificent cathedral to revive his impoverished monastery. Tom Builder, a master mason left destitute after his wife’s death, joins the project with his family, including stepson Jack, a gifted artist. Their efforts face sabotage from ruthless bishop Waleran Bigod and nobleman William Hamleigh, whose family seeks to crush Kingsbridge. Spanning decades, the story intertwines personal ambitions, political intrigue, and the monumental challenges of Gothic architecture.

The Complete Stories and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe

This comprehensive collection, gathering works from Poe’s lifetime (1809–1849), totals 367,149 words and requires 20 hours and 23 minutes. It includes macabre tales like a murderer haunted by his victim’s heartbeat beneath the floorboards, a man walled up alive in catacombs, and premature burial horrors. Detective C. Auguste Dupin solves impossible crimes in stories pioneering the genre. Gothic poems explore loss, beauty, and the supernatural, with rhythmic verses about a talking raven, bells tolling doom, and conquest by a worm. Poe’s mastery of atmosphere and psychological depth defines American Romanticism’s darker side.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Published in 1880 as Dostoevsky’s final novel, this philosophical masterpiece has 353,881 words and takes 19 hours and 39 minutes. In a Russian provincial town, sensual patriarch Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov is murdered, with suspicion falling on his sons: intellectual Ivan, passionate Dmitri, and novice monk Alyosha. Amid a sensational trial, the narrative probes faith versus doubt through Ivan’s “Grand Inquisitor” parable, explores free will and suffering, and examines family dysfunction, jealousy over the beautiful Grushenka, and spiritual redemption. It grapples with profound questions of God, morality, and human responsibility.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

First published in 1878, this realist portrait of Russian aristocracy contains 352,800 words and requires 19 hours and 36 minutes. Married society woman Anna Karenina begins a scandalous affair with Count Vronsky, abandoning her husband Alexei and son for passion that leads to social ostracism and personal despair. Parallel to her tragedy runs the story of landowner Konstantin Levin, who courts Kitty Shcherbatskaya, wrestles with agricultural reforms, and seeks meaning in family and faith. The novel dissects love, hypocrisy, and societal norms with intricate psychological insight.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

This seven-book fantasy series, published between 1950 and 1956, totals 346,912 words and takes 19 hours and 16 minutes. Siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie discover a wardrobe portal to Narnia, a magical land of talking animals and mythical creatures under the White Witch’s eternal winter spell. Guided by the lion Aslan, they fulfill prophecies, battle evil, and grow through adventures across books—from a creation story to voyages on the Dawn Treader and a final apocalyptic battle. Christian allegories blend with imaginative world-building for a timeless children’s epic.

The 100 Greatest Books Of All Time

Rank	Book Title	Author	Reading Time	Word Count
1	Les Misérables	Victor Hugo	31:35:29	568,647
2	The Stand	Stephen King	27:02:06	486,630
3	Atlas Shrugged	Ayn Rand	26:03:35	469,075
4	Gone with the Wind	Margaret Mitchell	24:28:16	440,478
5	Don Quixote	Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra	23:54:16	430,279
6	The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)	Ken Follett	21:46:36	391,978
7	The Complete Stories and Poems	Edgar Allan Poe	20:23:50	367,149
8	The Brothers Karamazov	Fyodor Dostoevsky	19:39:36	353,881
9	Anna Karenina	Leo Tolstoy	19:36:00	352,800
10	The Chronicles of Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia, #1-7)	C.S. Lewis	19:16:22	346,912
11	A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)	George R.R. Martin	18:54:45	340,427
12	Outlander (Outlander, #1)	Diana Gabaldon	17:02:12	306,660
13	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)	J.K. Rowling	13:18:18	239,490
14	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)	J.K. Rowling	12:04:35	217,373
15	Crime and Punishment	Fyodor Dostoevsky	11:28:29	206,544
16	Rebecca	Daphne du Maurier	11:27:10	206,150
17	The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)	J.R.R. Tolkien	11:13:34	202,070
18	Little Women (Little Women, #1)	Louisa May Alcott	10:52:05	195,624
19	Memoirs of a Geisha	Arthur Golden	10:34:27	190,333
20	Catch-22	Joseph Heller	10:32:33	189,763
21	Great Expectations	Charles Dickens	10:25:02	187,510
22	Jane Eyre	Charlotte Brontë	10:24:54	187,472
23	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)	J.K. Rowling	10:24:08	187,239
24	The Help	Kathryn Stockett	09:41:22	174,412
25	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)	J.K. Rowling	09:22:47	168,833
26	The Shining (The Shining, #1)	Stephen King	09:32:45	168,823
27	The Poisonwood Bible	Barbara Kingsolver	09:13:34	166,071
28	Dracula	Bram Stoker	09:07:50	164,351
29	Dune (Dune, #1)	Frank Herbert	08:59:10	161,751
30	Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)	Richard Adams	08:42:42	156,809
31	The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)	Dan Brown	08:36:46	155,028
32	City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)	Cassandra Clare	08:31:19	153,395
33	Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt, #1)	Frank McCourt	08:24:18	151,291
34	A Tree Grows in Brooklyn	Betty Smith	08:19:42	149,908
35	The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)	Stieg Larsson	08:15:22	148,612
36	A Tale of Two Cities	Charles Dickens	07:43:06	138,929
37	One Hundred Years of Solitude	Gabriel García Márquez	07:40:19	138,095
38	The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1)	Philip Pullman	07:31:31	135,455
39	The Odyssey	Homer	07:22:01	132,604
40	Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)	Anne Rice	07:15:05	130,525
41	My Sister’s Keeper	Jodi Picoult	07:08:04	128,420
42	Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)	Stephenie Meyer	06:49:56	122,978
43	Pride and Prejudice	Jane Austen	06:48:54	122,668
44	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)	J.K. Rowling	06:43:50	121,149
45	The Book Thief	Markus Zusak	06:24:43	115,414
46	Wuthering Heights	Emily Brontë	06:24:39	115,394
47	A Thousand Splendid Suns	Khaled Hosseini	06:22:27	114,733
48	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn	Mark Twain	06:20:25	114,126
49	To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee	06:17:14	113,168
50	The Time Traveler’s Wife	Audrey Niffenegger	06:13:19	111,994
51	The Kite Runner	Khaled Hosseini	06:09:19	110,793
52	Divergent (Divergent, #1)	Veronica Roth	05:56:44	107,021
53	Lolita	Vladimir Nabokov	05:52:59	105,894
54	Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)	L.M. Montgomery	05:51:53	105,563
55	Life of Pi	Yann Martel	05:42:46	102,830
56	The Lovely Bones	Alice Sebold	05:39:12	101,758
57	The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #3)	Arthur Conan Doyle	05:36:58	101,090
58	1984	George Orwell	05:35:08	100,539
59	Ender’s Game (Ender’s Saga, #1)	Orson Scott Card	05:34:23	100,317
60	The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid’s Tale, #1)	Margaret Atwood	05:34:04	100,222
61	The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)	Suzanne Collins	05:29:03	98,716
62	One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest	Ken Kesey	05:25:16	97,582
63	Water for Elephants	Sara Gruen	05:15:06	94,531
64	The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)	Rick Riordan	05:10:26	93,128
65	Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1)	J.K. Rowling	05:00:09	90,043
66	The Secret Garden	Frances Hodgson Burnett	04:40:11	84,054
67	The Catcher in the Rye	J.D. Salinger	04:36:05	82,823
68	The Picture of Dorian Gray	Oscar Wilde	04:27:23	80,214
69	Frankenstein: The 1818 Text	Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley	04:15:54	76,769
70	The Color Purple	Alice Walker	04:08:00	74,401
71	The Bell Jar	Sylvia Plath	03:52:15	69,675
72	The Fault in Our Stars	John Green	03:45:49	67,745
73	A Clockwork Orange	Anthony Burgess	03:36:52	65,061
74	The Road	Cormac McCarthy	03:34:57	64,486
75	The Perks of Being a Wallflower	Stephen Chbosky	03:31:40	63,501
76	Lord of the Flies	William Golding	03:30:40	63,200
77	Brave New World	Aldous Huxley	03:19:02	59,712
78	The Notebook (The Notebook, #1)	Nicholas Sparks	03:19:01	59,706
79	And Then There Were None	Agatha Christie	03:17:45	59,325
80	Slaughterhouse-Five	Kurt Vonnegut Jr.	03:11:43	57,516
81	A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet, #1)	Madeleine L’Engle	03:02:11	54,654
82	The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, #1)	Douglas Adams	02:55:13	52,565
83	The Alchemist	Paulo Coelho	02:50:58	51,289
84	The Outsiders	S.E. Hinton	02:45:27	49,635
85	Fahrenheit 451	Ray Bradbury	02:42:50	48,849
86	The Giver (The Giver, #1)	Lois Lowry	02:38:41	47,605
87	Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1)	Richelle Mead	02:36:03	46,815
88	The Great Gatsby	F. Scott Fitzgerald	02:35:33	46,667
89	Matilda	Roald Dahl	02:22:46	42,828
90	Siddhartha	Hermann Hesse	02:20:37	42,186
91	Charlotte’s Web	E.B. White	02:11:40	39,501
92	Animal Farm	George Orwell	01:45:49	31,744
93	Of Mice and Men	John Steinbeck	01:41:29	30,445
94	Romeo and Juliet	William Shakespeare	01:39:39	29,893
95	Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass	Lewis Carroll	01:38:33	29,564
96	Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh, #1)	A.A. Milne	01:34:42	28,409
97	The Princess Bride	William Goldman	01:34:02	28,211
98	The Old Man and the Sea	Ernest Hemingway	01:29:21	26,805
99	The Little Prince	Antoine de Saint-Exupéry	00:54:11	16,255
100	The Giving Tree	Shel Silverstein	00:09:13	2,765