Reading the 100 greatest books of all time back-to-back would take an astonishing 784 hours and 51 minutes, or roughly 32.7 days of continuous reading, according to a new study released ahead of World Book Day.
The analysis, conducted by Tuttle Twins, calculated reading times for the highest-rated books on Goodreads by combining each book’s word count with an average reading speed of 300 words per minute. The findings highlight just how ambitious some of the world’s most celebrated literary works truly are.
Topping the list is Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, the longest of the top classics. First published in 1862, the novel contains 568,647 words and takes about 31 hours and 35 minutes to read. The sweeping French epic follows the life of Jean Valjean while exploring themes of justice, redemption, and social inequality.
Second place goes to The Stand by Stephen King, a post-apocalyptic novel first published in 1978. With 486,630 words, the book would take about 27 hours to read. Despite being a relatively modern novel compared with other titles near the top, it still ranks among the longest literary works widely regarded as a classic.
In third place is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, which contains 469,075 words and requires just over 26 hours of reading. Published in 1957, the philosophical novel is one of only a few 20th-century works to appear among the longest reads in the top rankings.
Fourth place belongs to Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, a sweeping historical drama set during the American Civil War. First released in 1936, the novel spans 440,478 words, translating to approximately 24 hours and 28 minutes of reading time.
Rounding out the top five is Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, widely regarded as one of the earliest modern novels. First published in the early 17th century, the Spanish literary classic contains 430,279 words and takes nearly 24 hours to read.
The study also highlights the dominance of 19th-century literature among the longest classics. Russian and French authors are particularly prominent, with several works from those traditions appearing near the top of the rankings. Notable examples include The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, both of which require nearly 20 hours of reading.
Other lengthy titles in the top ten include The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, a historical novel about the construction of a medieval cathedral, and The Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, a large collection of the author’s gothic tales and poetry.
At number ten is The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, a fantasy series made up of seven books. While lighter in tone than many of the other lengthy classics, the series still totals nearly 347,000 words, taking more than 19 hours to read from beginning to end.
Connor Boyack, author of the Tuttle Twins series, said the findings illustrate both the scale of classic literature and the benefits of reading regularly.
“From reducing stress to improving sleep and boosting brain function, reading offers countless benefits for people of all ages,” Boyack said. “While Les Misérables may take over 31 hours to complete, readers could finish it in just over two months by reading for 30 minutes before bed.”
Although tackling all 100 books consecutively would require more than a month of uninterrupted reading, the study suggests that breaking these literary giants into small daily sessions makes even the longest classics far more manageable.