Miguel de Cervantes' "Don Quixote," published in two parts (1605, 1615), is a monumental tragicomedy. It follows the delusional Don Quixote, who imagines himself a knight-errant on a quest with his loyal squire, Sancho Panza, engaging in memorable adventures like battling windmills he mistakes for giants.
Charles Dickens' 1859 novel, "A Tale of Two Cities," opens with the iconic line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…" Set during the French Revolution, it contrasts the lives of two cities and explores themes of class struggle, sacrifice, and redemption.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's 1943 masterpiece, "The Little Prince," tells the story of a young prince who travels from his asteroid home to other planets, offering profound insights into childhood, adulthood, war, and existentialism through its whimsical narrative.
J.K. Rowling's debut novel in 1997 introduces "The Boy Who Lived," Harry Potter. It captures the wonder of his first year in the wizarding world, setting the stage for a magical series that redefined children's literature with its blend of fantasy and coming-of-age themes.
Agatha Christie's 1939 masterpiece, "And Then There Were None," unfolds on an island where ten strangers are trapped. As they are killed off one by one following a nursery rhyme, survivors scramble to uncover the murderer among them in this gripping murder mystery.
Written by Cao Xueqin during China's Qing Dynasty (1791), "Dream of the Red Chamber" portrays the rise and fall of a noble family with a focus on nuanced female characters, making it a celebrated pre-modern Chinese novel.
J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," published in 1937 from the United Kingdom, precedes "The Lord of the Rings" and introduces the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Accompanied by a wizard and 13 dwarves, Bilbo embarks on a quest to reclaim a dragon-guarded ancestral home. Originally standalone, it later integrated into Middle-earth lore.