A reading guide
Classics made into films and series
These classics became familiar films and series, from romances to ghost stories. Start with Pride and Prejudice for love, family pressure and judgments that need a second look. Read or listen here: eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and paperback, hardcover or large print, printed at cost, free to start.
Updated
Where to start
Start herePride and PrejudiceJane AustenStart here if you want courtship with family pressure, following Elizabeth as she questions her judgments about love and rank.
Read free
Another way inThe Secret GardenFrances Hodgson BurnettChoose this for a story centred on a lonely girl's discovery, with a locked garden and new friendships to follow.
Read free
Or tryTreasure IslandRobert Louis StevensonTry this if you want a clear adventure to follow, from Jim's discovery of a map to danger among pirates.
Read free
The books
Free to start one of the free gifts when you start
| # | First published | Book | Kind | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1597 | Romeo and JulietWilliam Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet (1968) brings the lovers to film; read the play for love threatened by family hatred. | Play | Free to startRead free |
| 2 | 1623 | MacbethWilliam Shakespeare The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) adapts the play; read Shakespeare for prophecy, persuasion and a general pursuing kingship through murder. | Play | Free to startRead free |
| 3 | 1811 | Sense and SensibilityJane Austen Sense and Sensibility (1995) adapts the Dashwood sisters' story; the novel explores love and disappointment after losing their home. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 4 | 1813 | Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen Pride and Prejudice (1995) brings the courtship to television; read the novel for Elizabeth's questions about love and rank. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 5 | 1818 | FrankensteinMary Shelley Frankenstein (1931) adapts Shelley's story; read the novel for an abandoned creature's search for affection and acceptance. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 6 | 1837 | Oliver TwistCharles Dickens Oliver Twist (1948) brings the orphan's story to film; the novel follows hunger, cruelty and London's criminal world. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 7 | 1843 | A Christmas CarolCharles Dickens The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) adapts Scrooge's story; read the book for his loneliness and ghostly Christmas visions. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 8 | 1844 | The Count of Monte CristoAlexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) adapts Dantès's revenge; the novel follows wrongful imprisonment and a new identity. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 9 | 1847 | Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë Wuthering Heights (1939) adapts the romance; the novel follows love and revenge through a feud across two generations. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 10 | 1860 | Great ExpectationsCharles Dickens Great Expectations (1946) adapts Pip's story; read the novel for an orphan's longing to become a gentleman. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 11 | 1862 | Les MisérablesVictor Hugo Les Misérables (2012) presents the musical adaptation; the novel follows Valjean's struggle to build a life after prison. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 12 | 1865 | Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland (1951) draws on Carroll's adventures; read the book for changing sizes and rules that stop working. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 13 | 1868 | Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and AmyLouisa May Alcott Little Women (2019) adapts the March sisters' lives; read the novel for their different hopes as they grow up. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 14 | 1869 | War and PeaceLeo Tolstoy War and Peace (2016) brings Tolstoy's story to television; the novel follows families seeking love and purpose during war. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 15 | 1869 | Twenty Thousand Leagues under the SeaJules Verne 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) adapts Verne's adventure; read the novel for captivity aboard Captain Nemo's submarine. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 16 | 1875 | Anna KareninaLeo Tolstoy Anna Karenina (2012) adapts Anna's affair; the novel explores the risks to her family life and social standing. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 17 | 1881 | Treasure IslandRobert Louis Stevenson Treasure Island (1950) brings Jim Hawkins's voyage to film; the novel follows a treasure map into danger among pirates. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 18 | 1890 | The Picture of Dorian GrayOscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) adapts Wilde's story; the novel explores youthful beauty and a portrait recording sin. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 19 | 1894 | The Jungle BookRudyard Kipling The Jungle Book (1967) adapts Mowgli's adventures; the book offers his jungle duties alongside stories of other animals. | Stories | Free to startRead free |
| 20 | 1897 | DraculaBram Stoker Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) adapts the vampire story; read the novel for Harker's unsettling visit and the group's confrontation. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 21 | 1901 | The Hound of the BaskervillesArthur Conan Doyle The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) adapts Holmes's investigation; read the novel for a death shadowed by a family curse. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 22 | 1908 | Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery Anne of Green Gables (1985) adapts Anne's arrival; read the novel for an orphan finding an unexpected farm home. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 23 | 1911 | The Secret GardenFrances Hodgson Burnett The Secret Garden (1993) adapts Mary's discovery; read the novel for loneliness giving way to gardening and new friendships. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 24 | 1920 | The Age of InnocenceEdith Wharton The Age of Innocence (1993) adapts Wharton's story; the novel follows an engaged lawyer's love against his society's rules. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
| 25 | 1925 | The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby (2013) puts Gatsby's parties onscreen; read the novel for his hopes of winning Daisy back. | Novel | Free to startRead free |
Questions
Which classic books made into movies should I read first?
Start with Pride and Prejudice for courtship, The Secret Garden for discovery and friendship, or Treasure Island for adventure. Pick the situation that interests you: changing judgments about love, a lonely girl finding a garden, or a boy sailing for buried treasure.
Which classics have been made into TV series?
Pride and Prejudice, War and Peace and Anne of Green Gables have television adaptations. Their books offer different starting points: Elizabeth's judgments about love and rank, Russian families facing Napoleon's wars, or an orphan's unexpected arrival at an island farm.
Which classic books made into films are good for romance?
Try Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility or Anna Karenina for romance shaped by family and society. Wuthering Heights follows love and revenge across two generations, while The Age of Innocence centres on an engaged lawyer whose feelings conflict with his society's rules.
Which classics made into movies have scary stories?
Choose Dracula for a vampire confrontation, Frankenstein for an abandoned living creature, or The Picture of Dorian Gray for a portrait recording sin. For a mystery with a threatening legend, The Hound of the Baskervilles follows Holmes investigating a death blamed on a family curse.
Should I read the classic book before watching the adaptation?
Read first if you want to picture the characters for yourself, or watch first if a familiar story helps you begin. You could follow Elizabeth's changing judgments in Pride and Prejudice, or track Jim's voyage in Treasure Island, then compare your impressions with the screen version.
Updated
Read and hear all of them
Every book on this page, and 200,000+ more, as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, in 25 languages, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. 5 accounts for the price of one.
