1901 Books
From bestselling novels to critically acclaimed works, 1901 was filled with captivating stories that have stood the test of time. In this list, we highlight the most popular books of 1901, celebrating the titles that topped the charts and won the hearts of book lovers everywhere.
Kim
Written by: Rudyard Kipling
Outline: The novel "Kim" by Rudyard Kipling, set in the period between the Second and Third Afghan Wars, offers a vivid portrayal of India's diverse people, cultures, and religions, centered around the intertwining journeys of a young white boy and an …
Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family
Written by: Thomas Mann
Outline: Buddenbrooks is a classic of modern literature that chronicles the decline of a wealthy German family over four generations, as they grapple with the advent of modernity and the disintegration of their bonds and traditions. This superb translation by John …
The Will to Power
Written by: Friedrich Nietzsche
Outline: Nietzsche's notebooks, which offer a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a great thinker, have been compiled into a critical edition that provides valuable insights into his work, including information on the development of his ideas and their relation to …
The First Men in the Moon
Written by: H.G. Wells
Outline: When a struggling businessman and a brilliant scientist collaborate on a gravity-defying invention, they embark on a perilous journey to the moon, only to encounter a hostile alien world that may trap them forever. Driven by financial gain and scientific …
The Psychopathology of Everyday Life
Written by: Sigmund Freud
Outline: Freud's fascination with everyday errors, such as slips of the tongue and forgetting names, led him to extend his discoveries from neuroses to normal mental life. This comprehensive analysis of such errors provides a penetrating insight into complex human behavior, …
My Brilliant Career
Written by: Miles Franklin
Outline: Sybylla, a strong-willed young woman in early 20th century Australia, refuses to marry a wealthy suitor to preserve her independence, and instead takes a job as a governess to pay off her father's debt, in this early romantic novel by …
The Life of Abraham Lincoln
Written by: Henry Ketcham
Outline: Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, played a pivotal role in preserving the nation and abolishing slavery during his tenure from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. As a staunch opponent of slavery, Lincoln won the Republican …
Wesele
Written by: Stanisław Wyspiański
Outline: Wesele, a play inspired by the real-life wedding of poet Lucjan Rydel and peasant Jadwiga Mikołajczykówna, is a profound national drama that interweaves realistic scenes with visionary elements, serving as a bitter reckoning with the present and the past, as …
The Octopus: A Story of California
Written by: Frank Norris
Outline: The novel depicts the conflict between wheat farmers and the powerful Southern Pacific Railroad in the waning days of the frontier West, where both sides resorted to ruthless tactics to gain control over the land. The author, Frank Norris, presents …
The Marrow of Tradition
Written by: Charles W. Chesnutt
Outline: This acclaimed African-American writer's novel is a passionate portrayal of the betrayal of black culture in America, based on a historically accurate account of the 1898 "race riot" in Wilmington, North Carolina. Penguin Classics, with over 1,700 titles, is a …
A Dream Play
Written by: August Strindberg
Outline: Strindberg's 1901 play features a dreamlike, disjointed narrative, with characters merging and locations changing rapidly. Caryl Churchill's recent adaptation of the work was well-received, and she is a renowned and prolific playwright known for plays like "Top Girls" and "Cloud …
On Dreams
Written by: Sigmund Freud
Outline: Sigmund Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams," published in 1900, is considered his greatest work and a concise and accessible version of his ideas on dream interpretation. This volume provides an authoritative and coherent account of Freud's theory of dreams as …
Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula
Written by: Valdimar Ásmundsson
Outline: In 1901, Icelandic publisher Valdimar Ásmundsson published an Icelandic edition of Bram Stoker's "Dracula," titled "Makt Myrkranna," which included an original preface by Stoker himself. Discovered in 1986, this edition remained largely unknown until 2014, when literary researcher Hans de …
The Making of a Marchioness
Written by: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Outline: Emily, a humble and content individual living in a small apartment on a modest income, is the one everyone relies on but no one goes out of their way to assist. This Cinderella-like tale, first published in 1901, remains a …
What happened in 1901?
Discover what the world looked like in 1901: