Marginal Revolution Book Rankings

Tyler and Alex's favorites from Marginal Revolution

How it works: I scraped every post categorized under 'books'. Then extracted book titles and relevant review context from each post. I then submitted a couple million pairs of reviews to an LLM to compare and determine which book review had more positive sentiment. I used these comparisons to fit a Bradley-Terry model which produces these rankings. I racked up a gemini bill so stopped shy of exhaustive 16 million comparisons, so it's not perfect, but roughly accurate.

Genre: Classic Literature ×
Showing 76 books in Classic Literature
T
1. The Well-Beloved
BT: 6.20 121 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction novella +1
MR Post
V
2. Vita Nuova
BT: 4.86 155 comparisons
classic literature italian literature literature medieval literature +1
MR Post
I
3. Ivanhoe
BT: 4.50 154 comparisons
classic literature fiction historical fiction
MR Post
T
4. The Age of Innocence
BT: 4.28 235 comparisons
american literature classic literature fiction historical fiction +1
MR Post
E
5. Ethan Frome
BT: 4.18 216 comparisons
american literature classic literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post
B
6. Boswell’s Life of [Samuel] Johnson
BT: 2.98 421 comparisons
biography british history classic literature history +2
MR Post MR Post
B
7. Beowulf
BT: 2.33 280 comparisons
classic literature epic poetry fiction medieval literature +3
MR Post
R
8. Return of the Native
BT: 1.83 317 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post
K
9. Kalevala
BT: 1.72 299 comparisons
classic literature epic poetry fiction finnish literature +2
MR Post
A
10. A Hero of Our Time
BT: 1.34 334 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction russian literature
MR Post
H
11. Huckleberry Finn
BT: 1.31 576 comparisons
american literature classic literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post MR Post
H
12. Homer’s Iliad
BT: 1.11 605 comparisons
ancient greek literature classic literature epic poetry fiction +1
MR Post MR Post
T
13. The Golden Bowl
BT: 1.01 527 comparisons
american literature classic literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post MR Post
P
14. Pickwick Papers
BT: 0.53 337 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction novel
MR Post
A
15. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
BT: 0.37 340 comparisons
classic literature drama english literature fiction +1
MR Post
A
16. Aladdin
BT: 0.24 606 comparisons
classic literature fairy tale fiction folk tale +2
MR Post MR Post
T
17. Turn of the Screw
BT: 0.19 359 comparisons
classic literature fiction gothic fiction horror fiction +2
MR Post
H
18. Huck Finn
BT: -0.03 329 comparisons
american literature classic literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post
T
19. Their Eyes Were Watching God
BT: -0.13 332 comparisons
american literature classic literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post
B
20. Bouvard and Pecuchet
BT: -0.21 323 comparisons
classic literature fiction humor literary fiction +1
MR Post
A
21. As You Like It
BT: -0.46 372 comparisons
classic literature drama english literature fiction +1
MR Post
T
22. Tale of Genji
BT: -0.48 984 comparisons
classic literature fiction historical fiction japanese literature +1
MR Post MR Post +1 more
J
23. Jude the Obscure
BT: -0.54 357 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction novel +1
MR Post
T
24. To the Lighthouse
BT: -0.55 330 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post
T
25. Twelfth Night
BT: -0.62 350 comparisons
classic literature comedy english literature fiction +2
MR Post
K
26. King Lear
BT: -0.65 1202 comparisons
classic literature drama english literature fiction +3
MR Post MR Post +2 more
M
27. Middlemarch
BT: -0.68 678 comparisons
19th-century literature classic literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post MR Post
J
28. Jane Eyre
BT: -0.74 789 comparisons
19th-century literature classic literature fiction gothic fiction +3
MR Post MR Post +1 more
D
29. Don Quixote
BT: -0.78 1123 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction philosophy +1
MR Post MR Post +2 more
L
30. Light in August
BT: -0.78 1062 comparisons
american fiction classic literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post MR Post +1 more
I
31. Inferno
BT: -0.79 708 comparisons
christian literature classic literature epic poem fiction +4
MR Post MR Post +1 more
H
32. Hamlet
BT: -0.83 1498 comparisons
classic literature drama english literature fiction +2
MR Post MR Post +4 more
T
33. The Gold-Bug
BT: -0.83 975 comparisons
adventure classic literature fiction mystery +1
MR Post MR Post +2 more
M
34. Measure for Measure
BT: -0.85 788 comparisons
classic literature drama english literature fiction +1
MR Post MR Post +1 more
N
35. Nostromo
BT: -0.85 891 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction political fiction
MR Post MR Post +1 more
P
36. Persian Letters
BT: -0.95 539 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction philosophy +2
MR Post MR Post
T
37. Troilus and Cressida
BT: -0.97 813 comparisons
classic literature drama english literature play
MR Post MR Post
G
38. Gulliver’s Travels
BT: -1.11 4433 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction moral philosophy +4
MR Post MR Post +12 more
P
39. Paradise Lost
BT: -1.15 614 comparisons
classic literature epic poetry fiction philosophy +2
MR Post MR Post
T
40. The Merchant of Venice
BT: -1.16 1802 comparisons
classic literature drama english literature fiction +1
MR Post MR Post +4 more
T
41. The Hebrew Bible
BT: -1.17 608 comparisons
ancient history classic literature history literature +3
MR Post MR Post +1 more
M
42. Mrs. Dalloway
BT: -1.19 390 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post
A
43. Anthony and Cleopatra
BT: -1.35 387 comparisons
classic literature drama fiction historical drama +3
MR Post
A
44. Anna Karenina
BT: -1.36 882 comparisons
classic literature european literature fiction literary fiction +1
MR Post MR Post +1 more
J
45. Jane Austen
BT: -1.36 339 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction romance
MR Post
P
46. Pride and Prejudice
BT: -1.42 1202 comparisons
classic literature english literature fiction literary fiction +2
MR Post MR Post +3 more
T
47. The Divine Comedy
BT: -1.44 363 comparisons
classic literature epic poetry literary fiction poetry +1
MR Post
A
48. Alice in Wonderland
BT: -1.46 695 comparisons
classic literature fantasy fiction literary fiction
MR Post MR Post
I
49. Iliad
BT: -1.57 1075 comparisons
ancient greek literature classic literature epic poetry fiction +1
MR Post MR Post +1 more
M
50. Moby Dick
BT: -1.57 5066 comparisons
american literature classic literature fiction literary fiction +1
MR Post MR Post +15 more
S
51. Swann’s Way
BT: -1.73 702 comparisons
classic literature fiction french literature literary fiction
MR Post MR Post
W
52. Wuthering Heights
BT: -1.76 1114 comparisons
classic literature english literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post MR Post +2 more
M
53. Madame Bovary
BT: -1.81 1247 comparisons
classic literature fiction french literature literary fiction
MR Post MR Post +3 more
C
54. Clarissa
BT: -2.12 350 comparisons
18th-century literature classic literature epistolary novel fiction +1
MR Post
S
55. Shakespeare
BT: -2.26 733 comparisons
classic literature drama english literature literature +1
MR Post MR Post
J
56. Journey to the Center of the Earth
BT: -2.30 364 comparisons
adventure fiction classic literature fiction science fiction
MR Post
T
57. The Tempest
BT: -2.37 716 comparisons
classic literature drama english literature fiction +2
MR Post MR Post
P
58. Persuasion
BT: -2.62 454 comparisons
classic literature english literature fiction literary fiction +2
MR Post MR Post
D
59. Dangerous Liaasons
BT: -2.74 357 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post
C
60. Chronicles of Narnia
BT: -2.85 330 comparisons
children's literature classic literature fantasy fiction
MR Post
T
61. Taming of the Shrew
BT: -3.22 345 comparisons
classic literature comedy drama english literature +3
MR Post
J
62. John Aubrey’s Brief Lives
BT: -3.29 318 comparisons
biography classic literature english history history
MR Post
I
63. Italienische Reise
BT: -3.32 284 comparisons
classic literature german literature memoir travel
MR Post
D
64. Dream of the Red Chamber
BT: -3.56 627 comparisons
chinese literature classic literature family saga fiction +1
MR Post MR Post
O
65. Othello
BT: -3.78 569 comparisons
classic literature drama fiction tragedy
MR Post MR Post
M
66. Mayor of Casterbridge
BT: -4.18 247 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction victorian literature
MR Post
M
67. Manzoni
BT: -4.27 224 comparisons
classic literature fiction italian literature literary fiction
MR Post
T
68. The Scarlet Letter
BT: -4.78 116 comparisons
american literature classic literature fiction historical fiction +1
MR Post
A
69. Animal Farm
BT: -4.81 101 comparisons
allegory classic literature dystopian fiction fable +3
MR Post
T
70. The Hobbit
BT: -4.84 121 comparisons
children's literature classic literature fantasy fiction
MR Post
T
71. Two Gentleman of Verona
BT: -5.13 186 comparisons
classic literature drama english literature literary fiction +1
MR Post
M
72. Martin Fierro
BT: -5.32 192 comparisons
argentine literature classic literature latin american literature poetry
MR Post
T
73. The Idiot
BT: -5.41 107 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction russian literature
MR Post
T
74. Tom Jones
BT: -5.66 96 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction
MR Post
N
75. Notes from Underground
BT: -6.91 68 comparisons
classic literature fiction literary fiction philosophical fiction +1
MR Post
T
76. The Three Musketeers
BT: -7.09 89 comparisons
adventure fiction classic literature fiction historical fiction
MR Post