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We considered a list of the best American books -- but we'd need a whole issue to do them justice. Here are 16 that helped define the national character. Most from a century or so ago, they still entertain, teach, and inspire:
Fiction
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The story of a teenage misfit who finds himself floating on a raft down the Mississippi River with an escaping slave, Jim. Huck and Jim meet adventure, danger, and a motley cast of characters. Underlying Twain's good humor is a dark subcurrent of antebellum cruelty and injustice that makes the novel a frequently funny book with a serious message.
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
This Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, set in 19th-century upper-class New York, is a tragic love story and a powerful homily about the perils of a perfect marriage.
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
First published in 1851, the saga of Captain Ahab and his monomaniacal pursuit of the white whale draws us into a universe full of fascinating characters and stories, from the noble cannibal Queequeg to the natural history of whales.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
A stark and allegorical tale of adultery, guilt, and social repression in 17th-century Puritan New England. Hester Prynne discovers strength in the face of ostracism and emerges as a heroine ahead of her time.
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Deep in the forests of upstate New York the brave woodsman Hawkeye and his Mohican friends Chingachgook and Uncas become embroiled in the battles of the French and Indian War (1754-60).
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Set during the Civil War, this novel follows the adventures of the four March sisters -- Meg, Beth, Amy, and most of all, the tomboy Jo -- as they experience the joys and disappointments, tragedies and triumphs, of growing up.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Kidnapped from his safe California home during the 19th-century gold rush, thrown into a life-and-death struggle in the Arctic wilderness, Buck learns many hard lessons as a sled dog. Finally, from his last owner, he learns the power of love and loyalty.
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
An international bestseller that sold more than 300,000 copies in 1852, the novel has been called "the most powerful and most enduring work of art ever written about American slavery." Although "Uncle Tom" has become a pejorative term for a subservient African American, Uncle Tom in the book is a man who, under the most inhumane of circumstances, never loses his human dignity.
The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
Set in early 20th-century London, this is a classic example of Henry James's morality tales that play off the naiveté of an American protagonist abroad.
Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque by Edgar Allan Poe
American poet, a master of the horror tale, Poe is credited with practically inventing the detective story. His first collection of stories, Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, which appeared in 1840, contained one of his most famous works, "The Fall of the House of Usher."
Nonfiction
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Originally published in 1854, this is Thoreau's classic autobiographical account of his experiment in solitary living, his refusal to play by the rules of hard work and the accumulation of wealth, and above all the freedom it gave him to adapt his life to the natural world around him.
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington
In rags-to-riches fashion, 19th-century African American businessman Washington recounts his ascendance from early life as a mulatto slave in Virginia to a 34-year term as president of the influential, agriculturally based Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams
Awarded the Pulitzer Prize in autobiography in 1918. Descended from one of America's most famous political dynasties, Adams provides insight into his family, including his experience as private secretary to his father, minister to England during the American Civil War.
Poetry
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
When Whitman published Leaves of Grass in 1855, he wanted to define the American experience -- sing of the new country in a new voice, reflecting the tremendous changes in the American literary world that had taken place during his lifetime.
Poems by Emily Dickinson
A lyrical poet whose works have had considerable influence on modern poetry, Dickinson's frequent use of dashes, sporadic capitalization of nouns, off-rhymes, broken meter, and unconventional metaphors have contributed to her reputation as one of the most innovative poets of 19th-century American literature.
The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
First published in 1855, this is Longfellow's most popular and most recognized poem, the epic life and death of a magic American Indian, sent by the Great Spirit to guide the nations in the ways of peace.
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