From "The Alchemist" to "Thus Spake Zarathustra" and Achebe to Zola, "1001 Books" offers concise critical insights into the books and the writers that have excited the imagination of the world. It offers reviews, author biographies, plot and character assessments and historical information on those books considered the most important, compelling, or simply the best fiction ever written. Whether classics, novels, thrillers, science fictions, or romances, you will never again be stuck for what to read next or how to find the next great book from an author. In the style of the phenomenally successful "1001 Movies", this is an incisive guide to the books that have had a real impact - whether in the form of critical acclaim or as cult classics. It is an eclectic selection by a superb international team of writers and critics, a provides a new take on old classics and is a guide to what's hot in the huge contemporary fiction market. It is also an ideal reference for anyone who loves to read.

This is not a book you can slip into your hand luggage to while away the hours reading in an airport terminal. Don't try to read it in the bath either – at 960 pages, it's heavy. Despite its gimmicky title, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die is a beautifully produced reference book with glossy pages, 600 full-colour pictures of authors and book covers, and an eye-catching front cover reproduction of Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange (1972). It is organised chronologically in sections, from Pre-1700 to the 2000s. Half-page critiques of 1001 books ranging from Aesop's Fables to Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go have been shared between 107 novelists, poets, academics, journalists and full-time arts critics. Although by no means claiming to be a definitive or exhaustive list of the world's greatest works of fiction, this absorbing guide would make a splendid gift for bibliophiles and anyone interested in improving the quality and scope of their reading. Even well-grounded fiction lovers are sure to discover unfamiliar titles and authors to pique their curiosity.