
Library of Congress 88 Books That Shaped America
88 influential American books selected by the Library of Congress for a 2012 exhibition. The initial list was made by curators and experts from the Library, and limited by the physical restrictions of the exhibition space. A further intention was to spark a national conversation on books written by Americans that have influenced our lives, whether they appear on this initial list or not.
1987
Beloved
Beloved
1980
Cosmos
Cosmos
1968
The Double Helix
The Double Helix
1965
In Cold Blood
In Cold Blood
1965
Unsafe at Any Speed
Unsafe at Any Speed
1963
The Fire Next Time
The Fire Next Time
1962
The Snowy Day
The Snowy Day
1962
Silent Spring
Silent Spring
1961-10-10
Catch-22
Catch-22
1960-07-11
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird
1957-10-10
Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged
1957
Cat in the Hat
Cat in the Hat
1957-09-05
On the Road
On the Road
1956-11-01
Howl
Howl
1953-10-19
Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451
1952
Invisible Man
Invisible Man
1952-10-15
Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web
1951-07-16
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye
1947-12-22
A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire
1947
Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Moon
1946
Baby and Child Care
Baby and Child Care
1946
The Iceman Cometh
The Iceman Cometh
1940-10-21
For Whom the Bell Tolls
For Whom the Bell Tolls
1940
Native Son
Native Son
1939
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
1939-04-14
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath
1938
Our Town
Our Town
1936-06-30
Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind
1931
Joy of Cooking
Joy of Cooking
1929-10-07
The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury
1929
Red Harvest
Red Harvest
1926
The Weary Blues
The Weary Blues
1925-04-10
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
1923
Spring and All
Spring and All
1923
New Hampshire
New Hampshire
1914
Family Limitation
Family Limitation
1914
Tarzan of the Apes
Tarzan of the Apes
1907
Pragmatism
Pragmatism
1906-02-28
The Jungle
The Jungle
1903
The Call of the Wild
The Call of the Wild
1903-04-18
The Souls of Black Folk
The Souls of Black Folk
1890
Poems
Poems
1884-12-10
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1871
Little Women
Little Women
1869
Mark, the Match Boy
Mark, the Match Boy
1855-05-15
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
1854
Walden
Walden
1852-03-20
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
1851-10-18
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
1850
The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter
1687
New England Primer
New England Primer
1796
American Cookery
American Cookery
1776
Common Sense
Common Sense