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Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
In this dystopian novel, Guy Montag lives in a universe where books are the enemy and nobody thinks for themselves - oh, and he's a fireman who burns books for a living. Over the course of the novel he comes to realise the emptiness of his formulaic and censored life -- and then does something about it. -
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Kerouac chronicles the journey of several friends across America - it's the defining novel of the Beat generation that addresses the search for meaning in post-World War II United States. -
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Great Expectations is your typical story about growing up - told in the first person by principal character Pip. The basic thesis of the work is that love and loyalty are more important than social advancement and class, which Pip learns along the way. -
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Maybe you saw the Will Smith version, but the movie only kind of incorporates pieces of one part of I, Robot. This nine-story collection by Asimov -- a master of science fiction -- is way more mind-blowing, and well worth the read. -
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
Pirsig's novel addresses the fundamental question of how to live life. Specifically, Pirsig suggests that no matter what a person is doing, he should do it with care, and without external distractions. -
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre
Reminiscences isn't just about Wall Street, or about one of the greatest traders of all time, Jesse Livermore. It's about collective thought and human behaviour. The playing field for all of that action just happens to be the stock market. If you work in finance and you haven't read this yet, drop everything and read it. Now. -
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald's debut novel is about the disillusionment associated with growing up. The main love story is a thinly veiled account of F. Scott and Zelda's romance pre-first break-up. (You'll be glad to know that she took him back following the success of this novel.) But the real kick is the last chapter -- you'll never complain about the 'disillusioned boredom' of your happy life again. -
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
'Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valient never taste of death but once,' declares the titular character in this historical-ish Shakespearean play. Caesar isn't the major character of the text, however -- he is assassinated after only five appearances. In the aftermath, the other characters deal with the complicated questions of free will and public versus private life. -
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu believes that war is a necessary evil, and if possible, it should be avoided. He writes: "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." Nevertheless, he also believes that if one is in a state of war, strategic positioning is critical, and he meticulously describes war tactics. -
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
'What is the true object of Don Quixote's quest? ... We cannot know the object of Don Quixote's quest unless we ourselves are Quixotic,' writes the eminent Yale professor Harry Bloom. This is arguably the greatest novel ever written. -
The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer
The Iliad and the Odyssey are the original adventure stories. Both epics center around characters who learn that true heroism is not determined by the number of enemies you kill. -
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Marquez's masterpiece blends realism and magic, emphasising the subjectivity of peoples' experiences - we each see reality in our own unique way. Additionally, the author writes about several generations of the same family in an effort to create the illusion of timelessness. -
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Remarque, a German World War I veteran, chronicles how soldiers truly feel in the war zone -- the incomparable stresses of combat and total detachment from civilian life. -
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway explores the value of human life and the atrocities of war with his mega-novel. Despite the pervasive cynicism, the author provides a note of hope with love. Romantic episodes periodically rejuvenate the characters, even as they await their doomed fates. -
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Malcolm X started out as a gangster known as 'Detroit Red' running the streets of Harlem and Boston. He went to jail. He found Islam. He evolved and evolved. The rest is the history of one of the greatest civil rights activists and misunderstood Americans of the 20th century. -
Animal Farm by George Orwell
This book will make you feel uncomfortable. And that's the point. Orwell's dystopian novel deals with the corruption and naivety found within a society, and is a critique of totalitarian communism. -
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Crime and Punishment is a murder mystery told from the point of view of the murder. The murderer initially justifies his actions by saying that it was a 'societal good' but eventually reevaluates what it means to be a good person. -
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
Harper Lee's only novel is a heavy hitter. The book explores the moral nature of human beings - how we all have good and bad within us - and addresses the prejudices associated with social classes. -
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
One day a 'Green Knight' shows up at King Arthur's court and declares that if anyone strikes him with an axe, then the Green Knight will strike that knight the same way in exactly 366 days. Sir Gawain beheads the Green Knight. The Green Knight picks up his decapitated head and tells Sir Gawain that he will see him in exactly one year and one day. Sir Gawain then spends the rest of the story debating whether he should show up. -
Night by Elie Wiesel
Wiesel chronicles his imprisonment at the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps. He struggles with maintaining his faith - especially when 'God is silent' during moments of absolute human brutality. -
The complete works of Chekhov
Chekhov is the undisputed short story master, but his plays are worth the read as well. The Lady with the Dog is the one you absolutely need to read, if for no other reason than the fact that's it's a passive aggressive takedown of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. -
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest surviving book out there - it dates back to as early as 2100 BC. In the text, the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, attempts to discover the secret to physical immortality, but ultimately fails. When he returns home, he realises that his kingdom will be his 'immortality' and that a part of his legacy will live on forever. -
Oedipus Trilogy by Sophocles
You know the story: hapless Oedipus unknowingly kills his good ol' dad, marries his mother, and then gouges out his eyes when he realises the truth. In other words, it's only when Oedipus is blind that he truly 'sees' the truth. However, you've probably never read the third part, Antigone. It's a masterpiece, too. -
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
Darwin's seminal work implied deeply controversial theological and political ideas and must be read as serious philosophical text. The idea of natural selection implies that people and other animals are not 'already perfectly created' -- which challenges the idea that there was a preordained natural hierarchy in nature and that humans. -
The Master and the Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The devil is on the loose in Soviet Russia, but no one believes he exists. Bulgakov's classic is part mad cap adventure, part bizarre nightmare, part philosophical mind-bender. -
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Faulkner's novel is told from the point of view of 15 characters via the stream of consciousness. What's particularly fascinating about the novel is the on-going tension between what the characters think and what they say. -
King Lear by William Shakespeare
This play will kick you in the stomach. Shakespeare addresses absolute human cruelty and meaningless pain, and asks whether or not 'true justice' can exist. The initially cruel Lear descends into madness over the course of the novel (he even literally attempts to battle a thunderstorm). Despite flickers of hope, the play ends on a bleak note. -
Why I Write by George Orwell
Orwell wrote this right on the eve of World War II. The book is a three-essay meditation on the character of English, European, and global society on the brink. It's an incredibly organised work, wherein Orwell lays out how he thinks social and political structures shape our collective understanding of ourselves. -
Beowulf
A terrible monster named Grendel goes on a merciless killing spree of the Danes, so their king calls in Beowulf for help. Uber-hero Beowulf takes on Grendel by himself and kills him with his bare hands. You don't get any more legendary than that. -
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace is filled with the never-ending drama of young adulthood. The story centres around three young adults trying to find the 'meaning in life'. They pursue adventure on the battlefield and aristocratic stardom, but ultimate discover that 'true meaning' lies somewhere else entirely. -
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
The leader of a Nigerian village, Okonkwo, is the central character of the text and he deals with the question of 'what it means to be a man' and a leader. Additionally, the work examines the effect of colonialism in Nigeria during the late 19th century, and the tension between tradition and cultural change. -
The Brother's Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
This is not a beach-read, to say the least. In this novel, Dostoevsky debates questions of morality, free will, faith versus reason, law versus truth, science versus spirituality -- and so much more. Just like with Crime and Punishment, the author centres this book around a murder mystery. Albert Einstein reportedly said The Brothers Karamazov was "the most wonderful book I ever laid my hands on". -
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Wharton examines the social constructs and scandals of New York City's 19th century society. What's especially impressive is that even the most minor characters are presented as multi-faceted individuals. Her wit and insightful writing style makes the book an eye-opening read. -
Palace Walk by Naguib Mafouz
Palace Walk is the first part of a trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz set in Egypt, which is brimming with tension before the 1919 revolution. The book chronicles the daily life of a family consisting of a tyrannical father and his docile wife, and their sons and daughters. The question of revolution is addressed within the context of the family structure, and within the larger context of Egyptian society. -
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Machiavelli boldly asserts that it is better to be feared than loved in his 16th century mini-text. Whether a leader should be feared or loved is a question that has yet to be solved -- which makes this work an extremely modern and relevant read for anyone holding (or looking to hold) a leadership position. -
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With the announcement that Tasmanian Richard Flanagan this week won the prestigious Man Booker Prize, it's a good time to reflect on our reading habits.
Flanagan's novel The Narrow Road To The Deep North was inspired by his own father, a Japanese prisoner-of-war who survived the Thai-Burma 'Death Railway', and is described by literary expert Morag Fraser as "a grand, paradoxical dance that is both macabre and life affirming".
It's a timely reminder that modern men need to know not only where to go and how to dress, but how to think.
The only way to do that — to learn how to make sense of the world with your mind — is to consider a lot of different thoughts. By and large, the best of those thoughts can be found in books that have stood the test of time.
For that reason, Business Insider compiled a list of 'classic' books (ie. pre-1980) that can teach you about politics, love, philosophy and bravery — everything a man should know in order to face the world.