Why you should read it: Smith’s book has been described as “the foundation of economics, the origin of econometrics and the intellectual cradle of capitalism”, all of which are as relevant today as they were when he wrote it. Why you should read it: At a time when revolutionaries were demanding equal rights for all men, Wollstonecraft demanded those rights be extended to women: “The book laid out the tenets of what today we call ‘equality’ or ‘liberal’ feminist theory,” says Anne Mellor, a professor of women’s studies. Grayling thinks the effort more than pays off: “Kant’s book requires a degree of concentration to be understood and appreciated, but it richly repays close study both for its own sake and because of the far-reaching nature of what it suggests.” Why you should read it: It’s not an easy read. “Plato did not write philosophy like a dry textbook – he wrote it like a living conversation,” says Robin Waterfield, a classics scholar. Why you should read it: Not only is it an important piece of work from one of the most influential philosophers, it’s also very readable. Centuries later, Shakespeare’s plays are still by far the most studied and performed in the English-speaking world and beyond. Why you should read it: Elizabethan poet Ben Jonson said that Shakespeare was “not of an age but for all time”. Published: The plays were first published between 15 Why you should read it: As Marxist historian Ellen Meiksins Wood says, this is more than just a manifesto: “It’s not just a uniquely influential document in the theory and practice of revolutionary movements throughout the world it’s also a work of history, of economic, political and cultural analysis, and of prophecy.” Why you should read it: It’s simple: “No work has so fundamentally changed the way we think about our very being and the world around us,” says Alan Staton, head of marketing at the Booksellers Association. How many of these classics have you read? Many of the books that make up the final 20 are hundreds – in one case thousands – of years old, proving that the best works really do stand the test of time.
An expert panel of academic book-sellers, librarians and publishers nominated 200 titles, and members of the public were asked to vote online for their top 20. But that was the question put to the public ahead of Academic Book Week. What’s the most influential book you’ve ever read? For most of us, that’s a tough call to make.
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