Step into the dystopian USA and follow the saga of Dagny Taggart and Hank Rearden as they attempt to bring their Transcontinental railroad into existence, and uncover the secrets of a shadowy figure called John Galt along the way.

When a scientist and inventor creates a time machine, he travels to the distant future to see what’s in store for humanity. H. G. Wells' novel is the book that popularised time travel, but read deeper and it’s also a metaphor for the fractured society that we still live in today.

Sun-Tzu, author of the world’s oldest guide to military strategy, recognised that we live in a conflicted world. The layperson might not be involved in warfare but the advice within is just as useful for navigating the workplace or daily life.

Nobel-Prize winning author John Galsworthy wrote this multi-generational saga which chronicles the Forsyte family’s fortunes and downfalls as they live through dramatic social change, from the straight-laced Victorian era to the roaring 20s.

Almost 60 years later Travels with Charley still proves an eye-opening insight into a country that’s so easy to view as a monolith. Steinbeck and his French Poodle encounter everyone from migrant farmers to KKK members in this reminder of a complicated political landscape that’s no less disparate today.

It was banned in the US and the UK for 30 years for being too ‘pornographic,’ and undoubtedly there are smutty moments, but Henry Miller uses this to comment on the human condition. Told from a variety of first-person characters in 1930s Paris – including Miller’s own experiences as a struggling writer – the common thread between each character is their sexual encounters. 

Inspired by romantic novels, a young man and his squire set off on bold adventures to prove that chivalry isn’t dead. Often labelled as the first modern novel, Don Quixote is one of the best-selling novels of all time.

Paul Scott passed away at the peak of his writing career and his last novel, Staying On – which won the Booker Prize in 1977 – gives us a unique insight into life just after the end of the British rule in India.

What began as a series of letters to Kenneth Grahame’s sickly son evolved into one of England’s most beloved children’s books. A whimsical foray through the Berkshire countryside, the camaraderie between Ratty, Badger, Mole and Mr Toad embodies traditional British eccentricities to a tee. 

Drawing on Graham Greene’s own experiences as a war correspondent, the novel explores the political landscape of 1950s Vietnam through the lens of a British journalist as the tensions of the French war and the increasing interest of the Americans builds.  

Controversial at the time of publication, Emily Brontë’s classic love story between Catherine and Heathcliff still resonates with readers today.  Widely considered a staple of Gothic fiction and the English literary canon, this book has gone on to inspire many generations of writers – and will continue to do so.

In 18th-century France, one man’s greatest passion and gift leads him down a path of sensual depravity. After discovering he has no scent of his own – despite having a remarkable sense of smell – Jean-Baptiste Grenouille trains in the art of perfume-making so he can create the ultimate scent – one that is made from 25 young virgin girls.