A progressive exploration of the great books

The Era of Reformation and Renaissance 1418 - 1750

1. Thomas a Kempis, Germany, 1418. The Imitation of Christ.
2. Niccolo Macchiavelli, Italy, 1513. The Prince.
3. Thomas More, England, 1516. Utopia.
4. Francois Rabelais. France, 1532. Gargantua and Pantagruel.
5. Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, France, 1580. Essays.
6. Christopher Marlow, England, 1587. Tamburlaine.
7. Wu Cheng-en, China, 1590. The Journey to the West.
8. Francis Bacon, England, 1597. Essays.
9. Miguel de Cervantes, Spain, 1605. Don Quixote.
10. William Shakespeare, England, 1601-1613. Richard III, Hamlet, The Tempest.
11. John Donne, England, 1633. Poems.
12. Rene Descartes, France, 1637. Discourse on Method.
13. Pedro Calderon de la Barca, Spain, 1636. Life is a Dream.
14. Thomas Hobbes, England, 1651. Leviathan.
15. John Milton, England, 1667. Paradise Lost.
16. Moliere, France, 1666. Tartuffe, Misanthrope.
17. Racine, France, 1667, Andromache.
18. John Bunyan, England, 1678. Pilgrim’s Progress.
19. Matsuo Basho, Japan, 1694. The Narrow Road to the Deep North.
20. Blaise Pascal, France, 1623-1662. Pensees.
21. John Locke, England, 1632-1688. Second Treatise on Government.
22. Giovanni Batisto Vico, Italy, 1668-1744. The New Science.
23. Daniel Defoe, England, 1660-1731. Robinson Crusoe.
24. Bishop Berkley, Ireland, 1710. Principles of Human Knowledge.
25. Alexander Pope, England, 1714. The Rape of the Lock
26. Jonathan Swift, Ireland, 1735. Gulliver’s Travels.
27. Voltaire, France, 1759 Candide.
28. David Hume, Scotland, 1740. Concerning Human Understanding.
29. Henry Fielding, England, 1749. Tom Jones.
30. Ts’ao Hsueh-Chin, China, 1750. The Dream of the Red Chamber.