100 Best GRE Prep Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best gre prep books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

Featuring recommendations from Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, and 143 other experts.
1

Brave New World

Now reissued in a gorgeous hardcover edition: "one of the most prophetic dystopian works of the 20th century" (Wall Street Journal) must be read and understood by anyone concerned with preserving the human spirit in the face of our "brave new world." Huxley's masterpiece has become a bestseller once again after the American election.

Aldous Huxley's profoundly important classic of world literature, Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically...
more

Yuval Noah HarariThe most prophetic book of the 20th century. Today many people would easily mistake it for a utopia. (Source)

Ellen Wayland-SmithIt is a hilarious, and also very prescient, parody of utopias. Huxley goes back to the idea that coming together and forming a community of common interests is a great idea – it’s the basis of civil society. At the same time, when communities of common interests are taken to utopian degrees the self starts to dissolve into the larger community, you lose privacy and interiority; that becomes... (Source)

John QuigginThe lesson I draw from this is that the purpose of utopia is not so much as an achieved state, as to give people the freedom to pursue their own projects. That freedom requires that people are free of the fear of unemployment, or of financial disaster through poor healthcare. They should be free to have access to the kind of resources they need for their education and we should maintain and... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

2
Publisher's Note: Products purchased from third-party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online assets included with the product.

Manhattan Prep's best-selling 5 lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems has been updated to include an online companion of lessons from Interact® for GRE, our revolutionary interactive, on-demand learning platform. In addition, the book now includes new mixed timed sets, a cheat sheet of key math rules, and micro drills to test individual skills. The heart of the book is over 1,800 practice...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

3

How to Read a Book

The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

With more than half a million paperback copies in print and now in this stunning hardcover keepsake edition, How to Read a Book is the classic and definitive guide to reading comprehension and retention for students of literature, scholars across disciplines, and anyone who just loves to read.

Originally written in 1940 and first published by Simon & Schuster in 1972, How to Read a Book introduces and elucidates the various levels of reading and how to achieve them in order to gain the most understanding and insight from any book. From elementary reading, through systematic...
more

Sergey Brinhad “How to Read a Book” by Mortimer J. Adler as one of his most recommended books. (Source)

Ben ChestnutI also love How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. I’m teaching its tips to my children while they’re young, so they can consume books much faster and have more fun reading. (Source)

Kevin Systrom[The author's] thesis is that the most important part of reading a book is to actually read the table of contents and familiarize yourself with the major structure of the book. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

4

Moby-Dick

Journey to the heart of the sea with this larger-than-life classic.

Regarded as a Great American Novel, "Moby Dick" is the ultimate tale of seeking vengeance.

Narrated by the crew member Ishmael, this epic whaling adventure follows the crew of the "Pequod," as its captain, Ahab, descends deeper and deeper into madness on his quest to find and kill the white whale that maimed him. Beyond the surface--of ship life, whaling, and the hunt for the elusive Moby Dick--are allegorical references to life--and even the universe--in this masterpiece by Herman Melville.
more

Steve JobsJobs told me that "Moby-Dick" was among his favorite books and he reread it a lot when he was a teen. (Source)

Barack ObamaAccording to the president’s Facebook page and a 2008 interview with the New York Times, this title is among his most influential forever favorites. (Source)

Rebecca GoldsteinI actually have quite an idiosyncratic reading of this great metaphysical masterpiece. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

5
This lyrical, evocative, thought-provoking journal of a man's quest for truth - and for himself - has touched and changed an entire generation, and is ready to reach out to a new one. At its heart, the story is all too simple: a man and his son take a motorcycle trip across America. But this is not a simple trip at all, for around every corner, through mountain and desert, wind and rain, and searing heat and biting cold, their pilgrimage leads them to new vistas of self-discovery and renewal.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an elemental work that has helped to...
more

Brad FeldI think every entrepreneur or aspiring entrepreneur should read the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It was written in the 1970s by a guy named Robert Pirsig. It was his first book, it's kind of a hippie philosophy treatised journey. The word that sort of came out of it was Chautauqua, he's like having a conversation with his son as they do a motorcycle trip across the country, and... (Source)

Drew Houston[There are] engineers who [dismiss] all these things that can’t be fit into an algorithm, or that don’t have some kind of mathematical rigor underpinning them, [this book] is about that question. (Source)

Tyler CowenHonorable mentions: Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and The Joy of Sex, all given to me by my mother. I believe they helped inculcate some of the 1960s-70s ethos of individual freedom into my thinking. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

6

Lolita

When it was published in 1955, Lolita immediately became a cause célèbre because of the freedom and sophistication with which it handled the unusual erotic predilections of its protagonist. But Vladimir Nabokov's wise, ironic, elegant masterpiece owes its stature as one of the twentieth century's novels of record not to the controversy its material aroused but to its author's use of that material to tell a love story almost shocking in its beauty and tenderness.

Awe and exhilaration–along with heartbreak and mordant wit–abound in this account of the aging Humbert Humbert's...
more

Richard CohenIt’s more imbued with references to the sun and using the sun as symbol or metaphor – almost a kind of character in the novel – than any other work in literature. (Source)

Bryan CallenSo here are my three must read books. I've been reading a lot of great books like: Outsmart Your Instincts, The Culture Code, and Antonio Damasio’s The Strange Order, and sometimes when you read a lot of nonfiction it’s very enriching, sometimes you need a novel. I really believe you should take a minute and read something beautiful. Listen, listen to Lolita by Nabokov. But also listen to Blood... (Source)

Steven AmsterdamWhat’s spectacular for me is the triumph of the humour over his loathsomeness. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

7
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute... more

Esther PerelYou can reread the Russians. They are timeless. (Source)

Irvine WelshIt is not a crime book in the way that we understand crime fiction today. Instead it is like an existential psychological thriller. (Source)

Ben Domenech@SohrabAhmari @li88yinc @jgcrum @BlueBoxDave @InezFeltscher @JarrettStepman Maybe the best book ever written. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

8

Dracula

“Welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring.” less

Becky Cloonan@Noise_Raptor Oh, thank you so much! This book was such a delight, and such a challenge! Dracula is one of my favorites- funny enough I'd jump at the chance to do this again XD (Source)

Douglas StarrWhen you read the physical description of Count Dracula, he does not resemble the handsome vampires we see on television; rather, he looks like a thug. He has one continuous eyebrow across his forehead, thick hands, pointy teeth and pointy ears. (Source)

Andrei CodrescuVampirism is a growth industry. Dracula is bigger than Jesus now. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

9

War And Peace

War and Peace broadly focuses on Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the most well-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves his family behind to fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman who intrigues both men.

As Napoleon's army invades, Tolstoy brilliantly follows characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants and nobility, civilians and...
more

Vanora BennettAlthough it was published in 1869, War and Peace deals with events half a century earlier. This makes it one of the first historical novels – and, all these years later, it’s still the greatest. (Source)

Tendai HuchuTolstoy does something which is very unusual in War and Peace and which, for his time, was pretty profound: he sees the conditions of the ordinary soldier on the battlefield. (Source)

Niall FergusonAs a middle aged man, I react differently to Tolstoy than I did when I first read War and Peace at about 15. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

10

The Fountainhead

The revolutionary literary vision that sowed the seeds of Objectivism, Ayn Rand's groundbreaking philosophy, and brought her immediate worldwide acclaim.

This modern classic is the story of intransigent young architect Howard Roark, whose integrity was as unyielding as granite...of Dominique Francon, the exquisitely beautiful woman who loved Roark passionately, but married his worst enemy...and of the fanatic denunciation unleashed by an enraged society against a great creator. As fresh today as it was then, Rand's provocative novel presents one of the most challenging ideas...
more

Travis KalanickIt’s one of my favorite books. (Source)

Noah KaganA few months ago, I was drinking a Noah’s Mill whiskey (cute) with my good buddy Brian Balfour and talking about life... During the conversation, we got on the topic of books that changed our lives. I want to share them with you. I judge a book's success if a year later I'm still using at least 1 thing from the book. (Source)

Tim UrbanI absolutely loved the book. Sure, the characters are extreme and one-dimensional - but to me, that was the point. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top GRE Prep books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
11

Jane Eyre

Orphaned as a child, Jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Her courage is tested once again when she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard.

But there is a terrifying secret inside the gloomy, forbidding Thornfield Hall. Is Rochester hiding from Jane? Will Jane be left heartbroken and exiled once again?

less

John SutherlandThere is an interesting debate … that the real heroine of Jane Eyre is not the plain little governess but the mad woman in the attic, Bertha Mason (Source)

Tracy ChevalierThe idea of marriage is that two people are going to become one, but here you know—because of the mad woman in the attic—that it’s one thing about to be split in two. (Source)

Audrey PennMy next one is Jane Eyre. She was orphaned and sent to a very rich aunt, who had her own very selfish children. Jane Eyre was not the perfect child and she was sent to live in a girls’ school. She made one friend, but unfortunately the little girl died, so she had to toughen up. She grew up there and learned everything she needed to know about teaching. She was a very good artist, she played a... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

12

The Color Purple

The Color Purple is a classic. With over a million copies sold in the UK alone, it is hailed as one of the all-time 'greats' of literature, inspiring generations of readers.

Set in the deep American South between the wars, it is the tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation. Raped repeatedly by the man she calls 'father', she has two children taken away from her, is separated from her beloved sister Nettie and is trapped into an ugly marriage. But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic-maker - a woman who has taken charge of her...
more
Recommended by Emma Watson, and 1 others.

See more recommendations for this book...

13
Kaplan's GRE Prep Plus 2020 guides you through the GRE step-by-step, with expert strategies, essential content review, and 6 practice tests (1 in the book and 5 online). Get an advantage on test day with our proven test-taking strategies, math skills review, and one-year access to online practice and lessons.

We’re so certain that GRE Prep Plus 2020 offers all the knowledge you need to excel at the GRE that we guarantee it: After studying with the online resources and book, you'll score higher on the GRE—or you'll get your money back.
The Best...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

14

Pride and Prejudice

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780679783268

Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and...
more
Recommended by Meg Rosoff, and 1 others.

Meg RosoffIt’s a coming-of-age story, because she throws aside her prejudices but also sees the house and realises that she could be quite comfortable and maybe realises how important that is. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

15

And Then There Were None

The World's Bestselling Mystery

"Ten . . ."
Ten strangers are lured to an isolated island mansion off the Devon coast by a mysterious "U.N. Owen."

"Nine . . ."
At dinner a recorded message accuses each of them in turn of having a guilty secret, and by the end of the night one of the guests is dead.

"Eight . . ."
Stranded by a violent storm, and haunted by a nursery rhyme counting down one by one . . . one by one they begin to die.

"Seven . . ."
Who among them is the killer and will any of them survive?

less
Recommended by Rian Johnson, and 1 others.

Rian Johnson@AdamLanceGarcia I think And Then There Were None is her best book, but The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd and Curtain are probably tied for my personal favorite. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

16
Do You Always Use the Right Word Can You Pronounce It -- and Spell It -- Correctly Do You Know How to Avoid Illiterate Expressions Do You Speak Grammatically, Without Embarrassing Mistakes If the answer to any of these questions is NO, you ought to read Word Power Made Easy. Now thoroughly revised to eliminate outmoded references and to to reflect current idioms, it remains the best and quickest means to a better vocabulary in the English language. Each chapter ends with review. Each section ends with a progressive check. Numerous tests will help you increase and retain the knowledge you... more

See more recommendations for this book...

17

Walden

At Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau reflected on simpler living in the natural world. By removing himself from the distractions of materialism, Thoreau hoped to not only improve his spiritual life but also gain a better understanding of society through solitary introspection.

In Walden, Thoreau condenses his two-year, two-month, two-day stay into a single year, using the four seasons to symbolize human development—a cycle of life shared by both nature and man. A celebration of personal renewal through self-reliance, independence, and simplicity, composed for all of us living...
more

Laura Dassow WallsThe book that we love as Walden began in the journal entries that he wrote starting with his first day at the pond. (Source)

Roman KrznaricIn 1845 the American naturalist went out to live in the woods of Western Massachusetts. Thoreau was one of the great masters of the art of simple living. (Source)

John KaagThere’s this idea that philosophy can blend into memoir and that, ideally, philosophy, at its best, is to help us through the business of living with people, within communities. This is a point that Thoreau’s Walden gave to me, as a writer, and why I consider it so valuable for today. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

18

The Picture of Dorian Gray

On its first publication The Picture of Dorian Gray was regarded as dangerously modern in its depiction of fin-de-siècle decadence. In this updated version of the Faust story, the tempter is Lord Henry Wotton, who lives selfishly for amoral pleasure; Dorian's good angel is the portrait painter Basil Hallward, whom Dorian murders. The book highlights the tension between the polished surface of high society and the life of secret vice. Although sin is punished in the end the book has a flavour of the elegantly perverse.

With an Afterword by Peter Harness.

Designed...
more

Eric BerkowitzThe Picture of Dorian Gray is now a part of the canon that no one would admit to not having read. Most of us have read it and delighted in its witticisms. It’s hard to imagine, but when Dorian Gray was first published, the book was not well received at all. It was totally panned. It was held against him as being an example of an effete character. It was being serialised by Lippincott’s Magazine,... (Source)

Marc MontagneMy favorite fiction book is the The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I'm a huge Oscar Wilde fan, he has one of the brightest minds and the Picture is a masterpiece and his unique novel. I consider that you should only read books that you would consider reading again at some point while still enjoying the same pleasure. The Picture is definitely one of those. (Source)

Andra ZahariaA copy from 1903 of this book is my most prized possession. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

19

Labyrinths

Selected Stories and Other Writings

Although his work has been restricted to the short story, the essay, and poetry, Jorge Luis Borges of Argentina is recognized all over the world as one of the most original and significant figures in modern literature. In his preface, Andre Maurois writes: "Borges is a great writer who has composed only little essays or short narratives. Yet they suffice for us to call him great because of their wonderful intelligence, their wealth of invention, and their tight, almost mathematical style."

Labyrinths is a representative selection of Borges' writing, some forty pieces drawn...
more

John KingIf you are going to think about Latin American literature, Borges is always a good place to start. (Source)

Nicholas ShakespeareNo writer embodied libraries more than the immobile, blind Argentine, Jorge Luis Borges. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

20

Wuthering Heights

You can find the redesigned cover of this edition HERE.

This best-selling Norton Critical Edition is based on the 1847 first edition of the novel. For the Fourth Edition, the editor has collated the 1847 text with several modern editions and has corrected a number of variants, including accidentals. The text is accompanied by entirely new explanatory annotations.

New to the fourth Edition are twelve of Emily Bronte's letters regarding the publication of the 1847 edition of...
more

John SutherlandThe Brontës had this idea of a Samson figure. Rochester, like Samson, has to be mutilated before he can be domesticated. What is interesting about Heathcliff, in Wuthering Heights, is that he isn’t. He remains this superman. He is greater than a human being. He is named after two elemental things, the heath and the cliff. We never know what his first name is. (Source)

Robert McCrumCathy—and all of Emily Brontë’s characters—are more or less feral. That’s why we love them. It’s a different world, it’s a mad world. In some ways, Emily Brontë is more of a poet. But she has inspired many subsequent writers of fiction. You couldn’t imagine Lawrence without her, for example. You couldn’t imagine some of Hardy. (Source)

Riz KhanAgain it’s about love turning into obsessions and being all-consuming and how even future generations are manipulated by this love. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top GRE Prep books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
21

Don Quixote

Edith Grossman's definitive English translation of the Spanish masterpiece, in an expanded P.S. edition

Widely regarded as one of the funniest and most tragic books ever written, Don Quixote chronicles the adventures of the self-created knight-errant Don Quixote of La Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel through sixteenth-century Spain. You haven't experienced Don Quixote in English until you've read this masterful translation.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including...
more
Recommended by Leo Babauta, Dr. Gabor Maté, and 2 others.

Dr. Gabor MatéI read [this book] as a child and then, reread many times as an adult. And he’s my favorite character. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

22
The newest deluxe edition in the bestselling Capstone Classics Series This ancient classic has had a make-over. In recent years these Capstone Classic deluxe editions have caught the book buying public's imagination. The volumes of international bestsellers such as Think and Grow Rich and The Art of War have quickly become the market leaders. Now Plato's best known work, one of the most intellectually and historically influential works of philosophy and political theory, has been brought to life in this luxury, hardback, keep-sake edition.

This edition includes:
more

Maria PopovaTim Ferriss: "If you could guarantee that every public official or leader read one book, what would it be?": "The book would be, rather obviously, Plato's The Republic. I'm actually gobsmacked that this isn't required in order to be sworn into office, like the Constitution is required for us American immigrants when it comes time to gain American citizenship." (Source)

Rebecca GoldsteinLiving today in Trump’s America, I am constantly reminded of specific passages in the Republic, most saliently his warnings of how a demagogue might arise in the midst of a democracy by fanning up resentments and fears. (Source)

David Heinemeier HanssonI’m about a third through this and still can’t tell whether Plato is making a mockery of Socrates ideas for the idyllic society or not. So many of the arguments presented as Socrates’ are so tortured and with so disconnected leaps of logic that it’s hard to take it at face value. Yet still, it’s good fun to follow the dialogue. It reads more like a play than a book, and again, immensely... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

23
Get the only official guide to the GRE(R) General Test that comes straight from the test makers!

If you're looking for the best, most authoritative guide to the GRE General Test, you've found it! The Official Guide to the GRE General Test, Third Edition is the only GRE guide specially created by ETS--the people who actually make the test. It's packed with everything you need to do your best on the test--and move toward your graduate or business school degree.

Only ETS can show you exactly what to expect on the test, tell you precisely...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

24

Great Expectations

“Bütün ingilis dünyası Dikkensi sevir; 19-cu əsrdə dünyanın heç bir yerində yazıçı ilə onun xalqı arasında bu dərəcədə dərin qəlbi bağlılıq olmayıb. Bu məşhurluq bir fişəng kimi qəfil partlamış, ancaq heç vaxt sönməmişdir. Dikkens günəş kimi daim dünyaya öz şəfəqlərini saçacaq”. Ştefan Svayq
Dikkens uşaq yaşlarında səfil həyat tərzi sürüb. Bu iztirablı tale onun bütün yaradıcılığında əks olunub. Onun qəhrəmanlarının əksəriyyəti kasıb, köməksiz, yetim uşaqlardır. Ancaq o bu sadə uşaqların içindəki burjuaziya tərəfindən aşağılanan təmiz hisslərini ədəbiyyata çevirməyi bacararaq üstündəki...
more

Richard BransonToday is World Book Day, a wonderful opportunity to address this #ChallengeRichard sent in by Mike Gonzalez of New Jersey: Make a list of your top 65 books to read in a lifetime. (Source)

Marvin LiaoMy list would be (besides the ones I mentioned in answer to the previous question) both business & Fiction/Sci-Fi and ones I personally found helpful to myself. The business books explain just exactly how business, work & investing are in reality & how to think properly & differentiate yourself. On the non-business side, a mix of History & classic fiction to understand people, philosophy to make... (Source)

Robert Douglas-FairhurstWhat the rest of Great Expectations shows is that having Christmas lasting all the way through your life might not be a good thing. Having a Santa Claus figure who keeps throwing gifts and money at you when they’re not necessarily wanted or deserved might be a handicap. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

25

Official GRE Super Power Pack 2/E

Save money and get total official GRE(R) test preparation with this 3-book bundle from the test maker!

This Power Pack includes three Official Guides:

- The Official Guide to the GRE, 3rd edition

- Official GRE Quantitative Reasoning Questions, Volume 1, Second Edition

- Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Questions, Volume 1, Second Edition

This Official GRE(R) Super Power Pack 2017 Edition provides key information and the practice you need to do your best on the GRE General Test. For less...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

26
Kaplan's GRE Prep 2020 guides you through your GRE prep step by step—study Kaplan's proven strategies, boost your math skills, practice your pacing, and become an expert in the exam's computerized format with an online practice test.

Kaplan is so certain that GRE Prep 2020 offers all the knowledge you need to excel at the GRE, that we guarantee it: After studying with the online resources and book, you'll score higher on the GRE—or you'll get your money back.
The Best Practice
One full-length online practice test helps you practice in...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

27
Always study with the most up-to-date prep! Look for  GED Test Prep Plus 2020​, ISBN 9781506258669, on sale December 3, 2019.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from third-party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitles included with the product.
less

See more recommendations for this book...

28

Paradise Lost

In Paradise, God’s favored new creations—Adam and Eve—live in bliss, untainted by sin. In another realm, Satan and his banished rebel angels collude to destroy God’s tranquil new design. Into this idyll called Earth, and the confidence of Adam and Eve, Satan will instigate the fall of man.

At the heart of this complex, audacious epic poem is a drama driven by the most recognizable human flaws. More than a story from Genesis, it is the extraordinary expression of Milton’s search for personal truth and the meaning of existence, written to “justify the ways of God to men.”
more
Recommended by Stephen Greenblatt, Emily Wilson, and 2 others.

Stephen GreenblattMilton’s astonishing intervention in the Adam and Eve story includes thinking how it was possible—not for ignorant children, but knowing, thoughtful, complex human beings in a relationship with one another—to do what they did. (Source)

Emily WilsonParadise Lost is a homecoming story of marital breakup and martial reunion, just as the Odyssey is. They’re also both epics about redefining a community in the wake of a devastating war, and about whether there will ever be an end to war. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

29

Sparrow

Troy Brennan

Every southie in Boston knows that name. The son of a dead mobster. The heart throb with steel blue eyes. "The Fixer" who can make or break you in this city.

Oh, and my new husband.

Sparrow Raynes

That's me. No one seemed to remember my name up until he barged into my life.
But then he caged me.
Kidnapped me.
And killed every chance I had to runaway from the place where we grew up.
Put simply, Troy Brennan clipped my wings.

I have dreams, big ones, but I doubt he'd ever let me chase them....
more
Recommended by Ellah Allfrey, and 1 others.

Ellah AllfreyI am a big science fiction junkie. Ekow Eshun wrote a sci-fi book called Black Gold of the Sun and he says that a lot of immigrant children love science fiction because it is about travel to new worlds even further away than the world they have come from. I found that made sense to me. Russell is a feminist academic and this book is about a Jesuit priest on a Catholic mission, not to Peru, but to... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

30

Sister Carrie

When a girl leaves her home at eighteen, she does one of two things. Either she falls into saving hands and becomes better, or she rapidly assumes the cosmopolitan standard of virtue and becomes worse.'

The tale of Carrie Meeber's rise to stardom in the theatre and George Hurstwood's slow decline captures the twin poles of exuberance and exhaustion in modern city life as never before. The premier example of American naturalism, Dreiser's remarkable first novel has deeply influenced such key writers as William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Saul Bellow, and Joyce Carol Oates. This...
more
Recommended by Simon Winchester, and 1 others.

Simon WinchesterThis is an urban story which is gritty and shows real life . . . now it is regarded as a classic of early American modernist literature. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top GRE Prep books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
31

Barron's GRE

This newly revised and updated manual presents a test overview, test-taking advice, and a timetable for a typical computer-based GRE test. Added features include:
A diagnostic test with an answer key and answer explanations
A verbal reasoning review with practice questions in sentence completion and reading comprehension
An analytical writing review with scoring guidelines and practice exercises
A quantitative reasoning review that includes general math strategies, discrete quantitative questions, quantitative comparison questions, and data interpretation...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

32

The Jungle

For nearly a century, the original version of Upton Sinclair's classic novel has remained almost entirely unknown.

When it was published in serial form in 1905, it was a full third longer than the censored, commercial edition published in book form the following year. That expurgated commercial edition edited out much of the ethnic flavor of the original, as well as some of the goriest descriptions of the meat-packing industry and much of Sinclair's most pointed social and political commentary.

The text of this new edition is as it appeared in the original uncensored...
more
Recommended by Louise Gray, and 1 others.

Louise GrayWhen we discuss meat-eating, we talk about the suffering of the animals, we talk about the environment, but we often forget to talk about the people (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

33

Ariel

Sylvia Plath's celebrated collection.

When Sylvia Plath died, she not only left behind a prolific life but also her unpublished literary masterpiece, Ariel. Her husband, Ted Hughes, brought the collection to life in 1966, and its publication garnered worldwide acclaim. This collection showcases the beloved poet’s brilliant, provoking, and always moving poems, including "Ariel" and once again shows why readers have fallen in love with her work throughout the generations.
less
Recommended by Tim Kendall, and 1 others.

Tim KendallThe restored Ariel is a volume of rebirth and hope: it begins with the word love and ends with spring. We sometimes caricature Plath as some kind of doom-laden depressive. That’s absolutely not what the trajectory of Ariel conveys. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

34
First time in book form! A successful program for teaching 3,500 vocabulary words that successful people need to know, based on America's #1 bestselling audio vocabulary series.

"People judge you by the words you use." Millions of Americans know this phrase from radio and print advertising for the Verbal Advantage audio series, which has sold over 100,000 copies. Now this bestselling information is available for the first time in book form, in an easy-to-follow, graduated vocabulary building program that teaches an outstanding vocabulary in just ten steps.
more

See more recommendations for this book...

35

GRE Big Book of Questions

Manhattan Prep’s GRE Big Book of Questions is an essential resource for students of any level who are preparing for the Revised GRE General Exam. With 12 chapters and 1,244 practice problems, students can build fundamental skills in math and verbal through targeted practice. Plus, through easy-to-follow explanations and step-by-step applications, each question will help students cement their understanding of those concepts tested on the GRE. Purchase of this book includes access to additional online resources. less

See more recommendations for this book...

36
Robert McKee's screenwriting workshops have earned him an international reputation for inspiring novices, refining works in progress and putting major screenwriting careers back on track. Quincy Jones, Diane Keaton, Gloria Steinem, Julia Roberts, John Cleese and David Bowie are just a few of his celebrity alumni. Writers, producers, development executives and agents all flock to his lecture series, praising it as a mesmerizing and intense learning experience. In Story, McKee expands on the concepts he teaches in his $450 seminars (considered a must by industry insiders), providing... more
Recommended by Bill Liao, and 1 others.

Bill LiaoThe human world occurs in language so best get good at it! (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

37

Metamorphoses

Prized through the ages for its splendor and its savage, sophisticated wit, The Metamorphoses is a masterpiece of Western culture--the first attempt to link all the Greek myths, before and after Homer, in a cohesive whole, to the Roman myths of Ovid's day. Horace Gregory, in this modern translation, turns his poetic gifts toward a deft reconstruction of Ovid's ancient themes, using contemporary idiom to bring today's reader all the ageless drama and psychological truths vividly intact.

--From the book jacket
less

See more recommendations for this book...

38

Shakespeare's Sonnets

The secret of their identities has fueled debate for hundreds of years: Who are the nameless nobleman and the dark-haired mistress? And what did they do to inspire the creation of more than 150 deeply intimate poems?

Whether William Shakespeare’s sonnets are pure fiction or the lingering echo of an autobiographical account, this exquisitely written collection defied traditional love poem conventions to explore the many layers of romance, the dangers of lust, and the nuances of beauty. Since their publication, Shakespeare’s poems have served as touchstones, providing readers from...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

39

The Canterbury Tales

The procession that crosses Chaucer's pages is as full of life and as richly textured as a medieval tapestry. The Knight, the Miller, the Friar, the Squire, the Prioress, the Wife of Bath, and others who make up the cast of characters -- including Chaucer himself -- are real people, with human emotions and weaknesses. When it is remembered that Chaucer wrote in English at a time when Latin was the standard literary language across western Europe, the magnitude of his achievement is even more remarkable. But Chaucer's genius needs no historical introduction; it bursts forth from every page...

more
Recommended by Marion Turner, and 1 others.

Marion TurnerEach individual tale can be interpreted in so many ways—Chaucer really opens up possibilities of multiple interpretations. Even when he seems to give you a clear moral, that moral is never effective or convincing. He’s always saying: ‘Find your own moral; find your own meaning.’ (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

40

Ulysses

Loosely based on the Odyssey, this landmark of modern literature follows ordinary Dubliners in 1904. Capturing a single day in the life of Dubliner Leopold Bloom, his friends Buck Mulligan and Stephen Dedalus, his wife Molly, and a scintillating cast of supporting characters, Joyce pushes Celtic lyricism and vulgarity to splendid extremes. Captivating experimental techniques range from interior monologues to exuberant wordplay and earthy humor. A major achievement in 20th century literature. less

Debbie MillmanI also really love a line from [this book], which is 'The longest way around is the shortest way home.' (Source)

Robin RobertsonThere is more going on in one sentence in Ulysses than there is in most contemporary novels. (Source)

Robin RobertsonThere is more going on in one sentence in Ulysses than there is in most contemporary novels. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top GRE Prep books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
41

GRE Prep by Magoosh

Hi! We're Magoosh--a leading online test-prep company based in Berkeley, California. Magoosh gives students everything they need to make studying from their computers or mobile devices a breeze. Our online GRE prep offers over a thousand practice questions and video explanations, full-length tests, and hundreds of helpful lessons prepared by our dedicated tutors.

This book provides a sample of the best practice questions from our online GRE program and includes brand new test-taking advice from our seasoned experts. Maybe you're just starting your GRE prep, or maybe you...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

42
Kaplan's GRE Complete 2020 is your comprehensive guide to acing the GRE—get an advantage on test day with our three best-selling prep books, one-year access to online practice, and expert test-taking strategies. Content review helps you boost your math skills, while five online tests help you practice your pacing so you can face the GRE with confidence.

We’re so certain that GRE Complete 2020 offers all the knowledge you need to excel at the GRE that we guarantee it: After studying with the online resources and books, you'll score higher on the GRE—or you'll...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

44

Poetics

‘The plot is the source and the soul of tragedy’

In his near-contemporary account of Greek tragedy, Aristotle examines the dramatic elements of plot, character, language and spectacle that combine to produce pity and fear in the audience, and asks why we derive pleasure from this apparently painful process. Taking examples from the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, The Poetics introduces into literary criticism such central concepts as mimesis (‘imitation’), hamartia (‘error’), and katharsis (‘purification’). Aristotle explains how the most...
more
Recommended by Bill Liao, Richard Walter, and 2 others.

Bill LiaoThe Book "Made to Stick" combined with "The Poetics" by Aristotle really helped me to see the power of telling great stories with surprises in them and every time I meet a start-up I can always make a contribution to their pitch. (Source)

Richard WalterAristotle’s Poetics is the user’s guide to dramatic narrative and dramatic structure. It’s just a ragged little pamphlet really. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

46
The Merriam-Webster Vocabulary Builder allows you to enjoy informative and entertaining discussions of English words derived from Greek and Latin roots--and expand your working vocabulary at the same time. Words that share the same root are grouped for easy study. Quizzes let you test how much you ve learned. Authors: Mary W. Cornog, Merriam-Webster Format: Paperback, 712 pages Publisher: Merriam-Webster ISBN: 9780877798552 less

See more recommendations for this book...

47

The Corrections

Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction
Nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award
An American Library Association Notable Book

Jonathan Franzen's third novel, The Corrections, is a great work of art and a grandly entertaining overture to our new century: a bold, comic, tragic, deeply moving family drama that stretches from the Midwest at mid-century to Wall Street and Eastern Europe in the age of greed and globalism. Franzen brings an old-time America of freight trains and civic duty, of Cub Scouts and Christmas cookies...
more
Recommended by Oprah Winfrey, Ev Williams, and 2 others.

Oprah WinfreyThe Correctionsis a grandly entertaining novel for the new century —a comic, tragic masterpiece about a family breaking down in an age of easy fixes. Richly realistic, darkly hilarious and deeply humane, it confirms that Jonathan Franzen is one of our most brilliant interpreters of American society and American soul (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

48

Medea

One of the most powerful and enduring of Greek tragedies, Medea centers on the myth of Jason, leader of the Argonauts, who has won the dragon-guarded treasure of the Golden Fleece with the help of the sorceress Medea. Having married Medea and fathered her two children, Jason abandons her for a more favorable match, never suspecting the terrible revenge she will take.

Euripides' masterly portrayal of the motives fiercely driving Medea's pursuit of vengeance for her husband's insult and betrayal has held theater audiences spellbound for more than twenty centuries. Rex Warner's...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

49

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

An alternate cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

'How could I be expected to know? I was a child when I left this house four months ago. Why didn't you tell me there was danger in men-folk? Why didn't you warn me? '

When Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D'Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting her 'cousin' Alec proves to be her downfall. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer her love...
more
Recommended by Meg Rosoff, and 1 others.

Meg RosoffIt’s very much about trying to find a place of happiness for yourself in a world full of obstacles, in a terrible maze of social change and convention at the end of the industrial revolution. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

50

Anatomy of Criticism

Striking out at the conception of criticism as restricted to mere opinion or ritual gesture, Northrop Frye wrote this magisterial work proceeding on the assumption that criticism is a structure of thought and knowledge in its own right. Employing examples of world literature from ancient times to the present, he provides a conceptual framework for the examination of literature. In four brilliant essays on historical, ethical, archetypical, and rhetorical criticism, he applies "scientific" method in an effort to change the character of criticism from the casual to the causal, from the...

more

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top GRE Prep books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
51

Who is Geronimo Stilton?


That's me! I run a newspaper, but my true passion is writing adventure stories. Here in New Mouse City, the capital of Mouse Island, my books are all bestsellers! My stories are funny, fa-mouse-ly funny. They are whisker-licking-good tales, and that's a promise!


GERONIMO STILTON, SECRET AGENT


My sister, Thea, is the mystery-loving rodent, not me! But somehow I found myself going underground to find an important missing document. Slimy Swiss cheese I hardly knew where to start! Geronimo Stilton, Secret Agent...

more

See more recommendations for this book...

52

Pale Fire

The American poet John Shade is dead. His last poem, 'Pale Fire', is put into a book, together with a preface, a lengthy commentary and notes by Shade's editor, Charles Kinbote. Known on campus as the 'Great Beaver', Kinbote is haughty, inquisitive, intolerant, but is he also mad, bad - and even dangerous? As his wildly eccentric annotations slide into the personal and the fantastical, Kinbote reveals perhaps more than he should be.

Nabokov's darkly witty, richly inventive masterpiece is a suspenseful whodunit, a story of one-upmanship and dubious penmanship, and a glorious...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

53
Your guide to a higher math score on standardized tests

*SAT

ACT(R)

ASVAB

GMAT(R)

GRE(R)

CBEST(R)

PRAXIS I(R)

GED(R) And More!

Why CliffsNotes?

Go with the name you know and trust

Get the information you need-fast!

About the Contents:

Introduction

How to use this book

Overview of the exams

Part I: Basic Skills Review

Arithmetic and Data Analysis

Algebra

Part II: Strategies and...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

54
The ASA Question Types Guide provides a comprehensive approach to the vocabulary-based questions on the GRE: Antonyms, Sentence Completions, and Analogies. Learn core principles and useful techniques for attacking these questions and for developing vocabulary mastery. The Guide delves deeply into each of the three ASA question types, providing straightforward step-by-step processes, detailed examples, and built-in exercises to hone particular skills. Antonyms, Sentence Completions, and Analogies do NOT simply test whether you know the words. You also need to follow effective procedures and... more

See more recommendations for this book...

55
Teachers, students, and reviewers all agree: The LSAT Trainer is the most indispensable LSAT prep product available today. Whether you are new to the LSAT or have been studying for a while, you will find invaluable benefit in the Trainer's teachings, strategies, drills, and solutions.The LSAT Trainer includes: over 200 official LSAT questions and real-time solutions, simple and battle-tested strategies for every type of Logical Reasoning question, Reading Comprehension question, and Logic Gameover 30 original and unique drills designed to help develop LSAT-specific skills and habits, access... more

See more recommendations for this book...

56
Updated for the revised GRE, these strategy guides contain detailed lessons and strategies for question formats that will appear on the revised GRE. Included in this all-in-one set are books devoted to each of the test’s major content areas, including Algebra; Fractions, Decimals, and Percents; Geometry; Number Properties; and Word Problems. The Quantitative Comparisons and Data Interpretation guide provides students the understanding necessary to attack each of these unique question types. For the verbal section, the Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence guide provides a... more

See more recommendations for this book...

57

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Paperback dictionary contains more than 75,000 entries, including words from science, technology, business and medicine. Reference tool offers more than 5,000 usage examples, synonym lists, special sections and tables, pronunciations, etymologies and grammatical information. Special sections and tables have been updated to reflect Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh edition. Dictionary contains 960 pages. less

See more recommendations for this book...

58

Beowulf

Beowulf is a major epic of Anglo-Saxon literature, probably composed between the first half of the seventh century and the end of the first millennium. The poem was inspired by the oral tradition Anglo-Saxon and Germanic transcribed a verse epic, recounting the exploits of Beowulf hero who gave his name to the poem, on which are grafted chretiens additions. less

See more recommendations for this book...

59

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man / Dubliners

Widely regarded as the greatest stylist of twentieth-century English literature, James Joyce deserves the term “revolutionary.” His literary experiments in form and structure, language and content, signaled the modernist movement and continue to influence writers today. His two earliest, and perhaps most accessible, successes—A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners—are here brought together in one volume. Both works reflect Joyce’s lifelong love-hate relationship with Dublin and the Irish culture that formed him.

In the semi-autobiographical Portrait, young Stephen...
more
Recommended by Richard Bourke, and 1 others.

Richard BourkeJoyce’s depiction is one of Ireland in the aftermath of the fall of Charles Stewart Parnell. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

60
Agatha Christie’s debut novel was the first to feature Hercule Poirot, her famously eccentric Belgian detective. A refugee of the Great War, Poirot is settling in England near Styles Court, the country estate of his wealthy benefactress, the elderly Emily Inglethorp. When Emily is poisoned and the authorities are baffled, Poirot puts his prodigious sleuthing skills to work. Suspects are plentiful, including the victim’s much younger husband, her resentful stepsons, her longtime hired companion, a young family friend working as a nurse, and a London specialist on poisons who just happens to be... more

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top GRE Prep books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
61
Manhattan Prep’s 4th Edition GRE Strategy Guides have been redesigned with the student in mind. With updated content and new practice problems, they are the richest, most content-driven GRE materials on the market.

Written by Manhattan Prep’s high-caliber GRE instructors, these strategy guides contain detailed lessons and strategies for all of the question formats that appear on the GRE.

Included in this all-in-one set are books devoted to each of the test’s major content areas, including Algebra; Fractions, Decimals, & Percents;...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

62
Kaplan’s GRE Math Workbook includes more than 1,000 realistic practice questions to help you get comfortable and confident with the Quantitative section of the test.

We’re so confident that GRE Math Workbook offers all the practice you need to excel on the GRE that we guarantee it: After studying with our book, you'll score higher on the GRE—or you'll get your money back.

The Best Practice

More than 1,000 practice questions and drills, including new questions for this edition
6 full-length Quantitative Reasoning practice...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

63

Middlemarch

Taking place in the years leading up to the First Reform Bill of 1832, Middlemarch explores nearly every subject of concern to modern life: art, religion, science, politics, self, society, human relationships. Among her characters are some of the most remarkable portraits in English literature: Dorothea Brooke, the heroine, idealistic but naive; Rosamond Vincy, beautiful and egoistic: Edward Casaubon, the dry-as-dust scholar: Tertius Lydgate, the brilliant but morally-flawed physician: the passionate artist Will Ladislaw: and Fred Vincey and Mary Garth, childhood sweethearts whose... more

See more recommendations for this book...

64

Jude the Obscure

'Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul?'

Jude Fawley, poor and working-class, longs to study at the University of Christminster, but he is rebuffed, and trapped in a loveless marriage. He falls in love with his unconventional cousin Sue Bridehead, and their refusal to marry when free to do so confirms their rejection of and by the world around them. The shocking fate that overtakes them is an indictment of a rigid and uncaring society.

Hardy's last and most controversial novel, Jude the Obscure caused outrage when it...
more
Recommended by Anthony Julius, and 1 others.

Anthony JuliusMy first three books are each about censorship, as well as being the objects of censorship themselves: Jude the Obscure, Lady Chatterley’s Lover and The Satanic Verses. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

65

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Written by an anonymous 14th-century poet, this epic poem is recognized as an equal of Chaucer's masterworks and of the great Old English poems, including "Beowulf." This edition includes a Preface by Raffel and a new Introduction. Revised reissue. less

See more recommendations for this book...

66

The Anatomy of Melancholy

One of the major documents of modern European civilization, Robert Burton's astounding compendium, a survey of melancholy in all its myriad forms, has invited nothing but superlatives since its publication in the seventeenth century. Lewellyn Powys called it "the greatest work of prose of the greatest period of English prose-writing," while the celebrated surgeon William Osler declared it the greatest of medical treatises. And Dr. Johnson, Boswell reports, said it was the only book that he rose early in the morning to read with pleasure. In this surprisingly compact and elegant new edition,... more

See more recommendations for this book...

67

Written by Manhattan Prep’s 99th percentile GRE instructors, the Algebra Guide covers algebra in all its various forms (and disguises) on the GRE so that you can master fundamental techniques and nuanced strategies to solve for unknown variables of every type.

Each chapter builds comprehensive content understanding by providing rules, strategies and in-depth examples of how the revised GRE tests a given topic and how you can respond accurately and quickly. The Guide contains both “Check Your Skills” questions in the chapters that test your understanding as you go and “In-Action”...

more

See more recommendations for this book...

68

The Pythagorean Sourcebook and Library

This anthology, the largest collection of Pythagorean writings ever to appear in English, contains the four ancient biographies of Pythagoras and over 25 Pythagorean and Neopythagorean writings from the Classical and Hellenistic periods. The material of this book is indispensable for anyone who wishes to understand the real spiritual roots of Western civilization. less

See more recommendations for this book...

69

Despair

Extensively revised by Nabokov in 1965 - thirty years after its original publication -Despair is the wickedly inventive and richly derisive story of Hermann Karlovich, a man who undertakes the perfect crime - his own murder. less

See more recommendations for this book...

70

Cracking the GRE Psychology Subject Test

THE PRINCETON REVIEW GETS RESULTS. Getting a high score on the GRE Psychology Subject Test isn't about memorizing everything there is to know about psychology--it's about targeting your test preparation. We teach you only the information you'll need along with the best strategies for the test day. Within this book, you'll find practical information on the what, when, where, and how of the exam, as well as subject review for all potential topics.

Techniques That Actually Work.
- Effective strategies to help you beat the test and hit your top score
-...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top GRE Prep books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
71
“Writing the Romantic Comedy is so much fun to read it could pop a champagne cork.”—Alexa Junge, writer and producer of Friends

Revised and expanded to celebrate a new generation of romantic comedies, Billy Mernit’s insightful look into the mechanics of writing Hollywood’s most enduring genre features case studies that reveal the screenwriting secrets behind classics new and old.

Whether you’re a first-time screenwriter, an intermediate marooned in the rewriting process, or a professional...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

72

Word Smart for the GRE

Word Smart for the GRE will help you build your vocabulary and boost your GRE verbal scores. It provides you with successful strategies for learning new words as well as proven techniques for scoring higher on the GRE Verbal exam. It also includes

·The GRE Hit Parade: the words most frequently tested on the exam
·Quick quizzes and a final exam
·Secondary definitions to help you avoid tricks and traps on the GRE
less

See more recommendations for this book...

73

The Sound and the Fury

This is an alternate cover ed. for ISBN 0679732241.

The Sound and the Fury is the tragedy of the Compson family, featuring some of the most memorable characters in literature: beautiful, rebellious Caddy; the manchild Benjy; haunted, neurotic Quentin; Jason, the brutal cynic; and Dilsey, their black servant. Their lives fragmented and harrowed by history and legacy, the character’s voices and actions mesh to create what is arguably Faulkner’s masterpiece and one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century.
less

See more recommendations for this book...

74
The Official Guide to the GRE Revised General Test with CD-ROM, 2nd Edition is a book that comes directly from the very same people who set the test, making it ideal for just about anyone who's preparing for the GRE revised General Test. This official guide has practically everything that you could ever need when you're preparing for this exam. Whether you're preparing for this exam to earn your business school degree or for your graduation degree, this guide offers you all the much-sought-after information that you need to crack such an exam. Only ETS can present you with all that you need... more

See more recommendations for this book...

75
Trollope's comic masterpiece of plotting and backstabbing opens as the Bishop of Barchester lies on his deathbed. Soon a pitched battle breaks out over who will take power, involving, among others, the zealous reformer Dr Proudie, his fiendish wife and the unctuous schemer Obadiah Slope.

Barchester Towers is one of the best-loved novels in Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire series, which captured nineteenth-century provincial England with wit, worldly wisdom and an unparalleled gift for characterization. It is the second book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire.
less

See more recommendations for this book...

76

Cracking the GRE

Cracking the GRE brings you proven techniques from the test prep experts! The 2007 edition includes over 300 practice questions and exclusive free access to practice exams and further review online. In Cracking the GRE, we'll teach you how to think like the test writers and

·Solve analogies even when you don't know the meanings of all the words in the problem
·Crack even the most complex algebra problems by plugging in numbers in place of variables
·Understand the nature of computer-adaptive tests and use that knowledge to your advantage
·Master...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

77

A Passage to India

When Adela Quested and her elderly companion Mrs Moore arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, they quickly feel trapped by its insular and prejudiced 'Anglo-Indian' community. Determined to escape the parochial English enclave and explore the 'real India', they seek the guidance of the charming and mercurial Dr Aziz, a cultivated Indian Muslim. But a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar caves with Aziz, and the well-respected doctor soon finds himself at the centre of a scandal that rouses violent passions among both the British and their Indian subjects. A... more
Recommended by Ian Buruma, and 1 others.

Ian BurumaOne of the novel’s strengths is that it’s not polemical. It’s very clear that Forster disapproved of colonial rule, but he doesn’t paint a caricature of brutal Brits and Indian victims. It’s much more subtle than that. The character of Cyril Fielding, the young Englishman full of goodwill, is true to life in that a lot of British people in India at the time did a lot of good – but in the end it... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

78
Updated for the revised GRE, the Word Problems Guide analyzes the GRE’s complex math word problems and provides structured frameworks for attacking each question type so that you can master the art of translating challenging word problems into organized data. Each chapter builds comprehensive content understanding by providing rules, strategies and in-depth examples of how the GRE tests a given topic and how you can respond accurately and quickly. The Guide contains both “Check Your Skills” questions in the chapters that test your understanding as you go and “In-Action” problems of... more

See more recommendations for this book...

79

The Mill on the Floss

When the miller Mr Tulliver becomes entangled in lawsuits, he sets off a chain of events that will profoundly affect the lives of his family and bring into conflict his passionate daughter Maggie with her inflexible but adored brother Tom. As she grows older, Maggie's discovery of romantic love draws her once more into a struggle to reconcile familial and moral claims with her own desires. Strong-willed, compassionate, and intensely loyal, Maggie seeks personal happiness and inner peace but risks rejection and ostracism in her close-knit community.

Opening with one of the most...
more
Recommended by Philip Davis, and 1 others.

Philip DavisWhat does George Eliot do in The Mill on the Floss? She creates a situation that’s not autobiographical in the sense that it actually happened, but it’s autobiographical in the sense that it’s the sort of thing that George Eliot and Marian Evans are most interested in. It’s a humiliating middle-ground. That’s to say, Maggie begins to elope with Stephen, but half-way through on board ship, she... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

80

The Warden

The first of Trollope’s popular Barsetshire novels, set in the fictional cathedral town of Barchester, The Warden centers on the honorable cleric Septimus Harding, one of Trollope’s most memorable characters. When Harding is accused of mismanaging church funds, his predicament lays bare the complexities of the Victorian world and of nineteenth-century provincial life. And, as Louis Auchincloss observes in his Introduction, “The theme of The Warden presents the kind of social problem that always fascinated Trollope: the inevitable clash of ancient privilege with modern social... more
Recommended by Peter Stothard, Kathleen Taylor, and 2 others.

Peter StothardIt is a nuanced book and a good one for any editor to read. (Source)

Kathleen TaylorThe Warden is interesting because, again, you don’t get that many books…that have an old man as the protagonist. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top GRE Prep books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
81
The Physics GRE plays a significant role in deciding admissions to nearly all US physics Ph.D. programs, yet few exam-prep books focus on the test's actual content and unique structure. Recognized as one of the best student resources available, this tailored guide has been thoroughly updated for the current Physics GRE. It contains carefully selected review material matched to all of the topics covered, as well as tips and tricks to help solve problems under time pressure. It features three full-length practice exams, revised to accurately reflect the difficulty of the current test, with... more

See more recommendations for this book...

82

Far From the Madding Crowd

Far from the Madding Crowd was Thomas Hardy's first major literary success, and it edited with an introduction and notes by Rosemarie Morgan and Shannon Russell in Penguin Classics.

Independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues,...
more
Recommended by Denise Morris Kipnis, and 1 others.

Denise Morris KipnisMy undergraduate studies focused was on English literature and Communication. I developed an affinity for 18th Century literature, can’t really say why…This book struck me because of the strong female lead. In an era where there were few options for women, the lead character puts her independence above all else, uncompromisingly. I reread it when I need reminding that feminism means being able to... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

83

Freedom

Patty and Walter Berglund were the new pioneers of old St. Paul—the gentrifiers, the hands-on parents, the avant-garde of the Whole Foods generation. Patty was the ideal sort of neighbor, who could tell you where to recycle your batteries and how to get the local cops to actually do their job. She was an enviably perfect mother and the wife of Walter's dreams. Together with Walter—environmental lawyer, commuter cyclist, total family man—she was doing her small part to build a better world.

But now, in the new millennium, the Berglunds have become a mystery. Why has their teenage...
more

Oprah WinfreyYou don’t hear me say this word often, but this book is a masterpiece ... It’s an epic family saga—it’s got everything—sex and love, even rock n’ roll, and everything you want in a book. (Source)

Ken PowellCEO of General Mills, , is into a different genre of books, the novel kind with great life lessons. “Freedom” is one of those books. (Source)

Ellen de BruinI had a theory about that, but I looked it up and it turned out to be wrong. Jonathan Franzen said in an interview why he called it Freedom, that he gave the title to the publisher because he really, really wanted to be free. My theory was rather different. In the book, some people explore their own freedom in relationships with others – there is the boy Joey, Patty’s son, who behaves very badly.... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

84
In Superopolis everyone has a superpower! Well…almost everyone. Meet Ordinary Boy.

In a town where everyone is a superhero, what if you were the only person with no superpowers at all?

Welcome to the life of Ordinary Boy. He’s...well, he’s pretty much exactly as his name suggests. But things are not so super in Superopolis these days, with the evil Professor Brain-Drain on the loose. To make matters worse, Ordinary Boy and his friends are thrown into the middle of a baffling mystery. Forget superheroes. In a city where everyone is extraordinary, this...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

85
THE PRINCETON REVIEW GETS RESULTS. Get extra prep for an excellent GRE score with over a thousand practice questions and answers.

Practice makes perfect--and The Princeton Review's 1,027 GRE Practice Questions gives you everything you need to work your way to the top. Inside, you'll find tips & strategies for tackling the GRE, tons of material to show you what to expect on the exam, and all the practice you need to get the score you want.

Practice Your Way to Excellence.
- 1 diagnostic test in the book to help assess your current level of...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

86

Moll Flanders

The Fortunes & Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders (aka Moll Flanders) is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1722. It purports to be the true account of the life of the eponymous Moll, detailing her exploits from birth until old age.

By 1721, Defoe had become a recognised novelist, with the success of Robinson Crusoe in 1719. His political work was tapering off at this point, due to the fall of both Whig and Tory party leaders with whom he had been associated (Robert Walpole was beginning his rise). Defoe was never fully at home with the...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

87
A comprehensive math review for the GRE, GMAT, and SAT. This math refresher workbook is designed to clearly and concisely state the basic math rules and principles of arithmetic, algebra, and geometry which a student needs to master. This is accomplished through a series of carefully sequenced practice sets designed to build a student's math skills step-by-step. The workbook emphasizes basic concepts and problem solving skills. Strategies for specific question types on the GRE, GMAT, and SAT are the focus of the Lighthouse Review self study programs. less

See more recommendations for this book...

88
Manhattan Prep’s GRE Vocabulary Flash Cards go above and beyond other GRE flash cards on the market. Designed help the student develop a lasting understanding of the word in a GRE-relevant context, the backs of all cards contain a word “network†with definitions, usage, synonyms, and more!500 Advanced Words is the second in a 2-volume set of GRE flash cards - start with essential words and graduate to advanced vocabulary. Together, the sets comprise the most comprehensive vocabulary study tool on the market. less

See more recommendations for this book...

89

My Man Jeeves (Jeeves, #1)

Who can forget our beloved gentleman's personal gentleman, Jeeves, who ever comes to the rescue when the hapless Bertie Wooster falls into trouble. My Man Jeeves is sure to please anyone with a taste for pithy buffoonery, moronic misunderstandings, gaffes, and aristocratic slapstick.

Contents:
"Leave It to Jeeves"
"Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest"
"Jeeves and the Hard-boiled Egg"
"Absent Treatment"
"Helping Freddie"
"Rallying Round Old George"
"Doing Clarence a Bit of Good"
"The Aunt and the Sluggard"
less

See more recommendations for this book...

90

Gulliver's Travels

For the last 250 years people everywhere have enjoyed reading about Lemuel Gulliver's travels in the strange countries of Lilliput and Brobdingnag. The people of these countries, with all their curiously human failings, come to life in Martin Aitchison's vivid illustrations. Here is a story to make you laugh - but to make you think, too. less
Recommended by Neil deGrasse Tyson, P J O’Rourke, and 2 others.

Neil deGrasse TysonWhich books should be read by every single intelligent person on planet? [...] Gulliver's Travels (Swift) [to learn, among other satirical lessons, that most of the time humans are Yahoos]. If you read all of the above works you will glean profound insight into most of what has driven the history of the western world. (Source)

P J O’RourkeIn the first place, it is very funny. We read it first as an adventure story, when we were kids, without understanding the political context in Europe or the philosophical context. Then when we read it again as adults we realise that Swift is having a good deal of fun here. Just the religious allegory with the Big-enders and the Little-enders and the idea of people who live for ever. And don’t... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top GRE Prep books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
91

Advice for a Young Investigator

An anecdotal guide for the perplexed new investigator as well as a refreshing resource for the old pro, covering everything from valuable personality traits for an investigator to social factors conducive to scientific work.

Santiago Ramón y Cajal was a mythic figure in science. Hailed as the father of modern anatomy and neurobiology, he was largely responsible for the modern conception of the brain. His groundbreaking works were New Ideas on the Structure of the Nervous System and Histology of the Nervous System in Man and Vertebrates. In addition to leaving a...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

93

The Best American Short Stories 2010

Edited by the award-winning, best-selling author Richard Russo, this year’s collection boasts a satisfying “chorus of twenty stories that are by turns playful, ironic, somber, and meditative” (Wall Street Journal). With the masterful Russo picking the best of the best, America’s oldest and best-selling story anthology is sure to be of “enduring quality” (Chicago Tribune) this year. less

See more recommendations for this book...

95

Estudios sobre el amor

Эссеистика Хосе Ортеги-и-Гассета (1883-1955), собранная в настоящей книге, знакомит со взглядами испанского философа на феномен любви. Это не только философия, но и история, психология, наконец, социология любви. В то же время значительная часть работ Ортеги, посвященных природе любви, напоминает разрозненные страницы всемирной Истории женщин. Произведения, включенные в эту книгу, кроме составленного самим философом сборника "Этюды о любви" и эссе "Увертюра к Дон Жуану", публикуются на русском языке впервые.

Содержание
Хосе Ортега-и-Гассет: философия как наука о любви...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

97

Hard Times

"My satire is against those who see figures and averages, and nothing else," proclaimed Charles Dickens in explaining the theme of this classic novel. Published in 1854, the story concerns one Thomas Gradgrind, a "fanatic of the demonstrable fact," who raises his children, Tom and Louisa, in a stifling and arid atmosphere of grim practicality.

Without a moral compass to guide them, the children sink into lives of desperation and despair, played out against the grim background of Coketown, a wretched community shadowed by an industrial behemoth. Louisa falls into a loveless marriage...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

98

The Faerie Queene

The Faerie Queene was the first epic in English and one of the most influential poems in the language for later poets from Milton to Tennyson. Dedicating his work to Elizabeth I, Spenser brilliantly united medieval romance and renaissance epic to expound the glory of the Virgin Queen. The poem recounts the quests of knights including Sir Guyon, Knight of Constance, who resists temptation, and Artegall, Knight of Justice, whose story alludes to the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.
Composed as an overt moral and political allegory, The Faerie Queene, with its dramatic...
more
Recommended by Helen Hackett, and 1 others.

Helen HackettI wanted to include an example of literature from Elizabeth’s reign because she inspired a fantastic richness and breadth of poetry, with lots of writers competing with each other to praise her in ever more elaborate ways. Probably the most powerful example of that is Spenser’s Faerie Queene which is a huge epic romance published in two parts in the 1590s. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

99

No Exit

Jean-Paul Sartre, the great French existentialist, displays his mastery of drama in NO EXIT, an unforgettable portrayal of hell.
The play is a depiction of the afterlife in which three deceased characters are punished by being locked into a room together for all eternity. It is the source of Sartre's especially famous and often misinterpreted quotation "L'enfer, c'est les autres" or "Hell is other people", a reference to Sartre's ideas about the Look and the perpetual ontological struggle of being caused to see oneself as an object in the world of another consciousness.
less

See more recommendations for this book...

100
THE PRINCETON REVIEW GETS RESULTS. The Princeton Review's Math Workout for the GRE is your one-stop guide to conquering the quantitative portions of the GRE exam--even if your math knowledge is a bit rusty. Inside, you'll find useful reviews of key test topics, strategies for tackling tough questions, and all the practice you need to get the score you want.

Inside the Book: All the Practice & Strategies You Need
- 275+ practice questions with detailed answers and explanations
- Strategies for mastering tricky Quantitative Comparison,...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top GRE Prep books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.