Over 1000 readers at www.JohnFMurray.com took part in a survey in October and November, 2007 to identify the best books ever written.

Here are the results:

Top 20 Books of All Time As revealed in a JohnFMurray.com survey in 2007 plus 20 honorable mention and another 58 recommended reading, bringing you a total of 98 of the best books ever … and recommended by JohnFMurray.com readers.

In October & November, 2007, people on Dr. John F. Murray‘s list were asked to select their 3 favorite books of all time. There were over 1000 responses in the initial round which remained open for two weeks and involved a series of four waves of emails. Then another survey was sent around for the final round of selections over a three day period. Readers were asked to review the initial list of top 78 books and to choose 3 books from that list, but to only retain one of their previous three choices. Out of this response we arrived at the Top 20 Books of All Time, ranked in order of popularity. Since 20 is a very small number, and many top books were close behind that did not make the final list, and even a few write-in choices kept occurring frequently even though they were not part of the original 78, it was decided to list an additional Top 20 in a category called Honorable Mention. It is believed that this list of 40 books is highly valuable, representing some of the greatest literary achievements ever. The sample of responses was substantial, well over 1000 readers, adding to the statistical validity that this represents a much larger population of readers. However, it should also be kept in mind that there are many natural limitations to this kind of data collection. For one, this sample represents willing readers who regularly tune in to the high performance psychology work of Dr. John F. Murray, a clinical and sports psychologist communicating in English to other English language readers. As in any research, there is a bias in that these readers are likely interested in or involved in some way with challenges in sports, psychology, health, business, or media. This sample also probably represents a more educated population than the general population. Participants also had to have access to computers and the internet. Finally, a list this small will always miss hundreds of classic books that could just as easily have made the list. We also included a few series of books when it seemed inappropriate to only list one in the series. By some accounts this is unfair as multiple works contributed to the ranking. On the other hand, the author in our view should be credited even more for the prolific task of producing a series of great books.

Despite all these limitations, we at www.JohnFMurray.com strongly believe that this was a valuable exercise that identified some of the most superb literary accomplishments in history. These are the books most enjoyed by people who have high performance and well being on their minds! So in some way this is an elite population of readers whose voice should be heard loud and clear! These books can be enjoyed for centuries, and they should be immediately downloaded into our iPods for those healthy walks or other fitness exercises we choose. These are the cream of the crop selected by you readers, and they will hopefully enrich the lives of everyone who reads them.

Here are Your Top 20 Books of All Time in Rank Order

1. The Bible 2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 3. The Godfather by Mario Puzo 4. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 5. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare 6. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 7. 1984 by George Orwell 8. Harry Potter Books by J.K. Rowling 9. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie 10. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo 11. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom 12. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 13. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway 14. Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien 15. It’s Not about the Bike by Lance Armstrong 16. Oh the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss 17. The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin 18. The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov 19. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

20. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy