-
672
The Ecclesiastical History of the English People
Bede, a Benedictine Monk and teacher from Northumbria (672) writes his work "The Ecclesiastical History of the English People" around AD 731 where he poses his views on politics and religion and events at the time. -
950
The Icelandic Eddas
A collection of literary works that include the Prose Edda, and a collection of poems known as the Poetic Edda written in Iceland and containing writings dating back to the Viking Age. -
975
Beowulf, The Old English Epic Poem
Consider one of the best works of Old English literature, Beowulf tells the story of a hero, who fights to protect king Hrothgar's mead hall against a monster called Grendel. -
1240
Occam's Razor
The Occam's Razor is a principle stating "We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances" Isaac Newton. Name after William of Ockham, (a Franciscan friar, theologian and philosopher) because of his frequent use of the principle -
1367
William Langland's Piers Plowman
An alliterative verse poem divided in "Visions" and "Passus" presumed to be written by William Langland of whom little is know, it is considered one of the best literary works of the middle ages. -
1375
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
This is a romantic prose of Arthurian stories from the middle ages. It is written in alliterative verses. It tells the story of Sir Gawain, one of King Arthur's round table knights and his adventures involving the Green Knight -
1387
The Canterbury Tales
A collection of 24 stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer around the 14th century, all styled in verse and prose. It tells the story of a group of pilgrims traveling from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. -
1469
Le Morte d'Arthur
It is a prose first published by William Caxton, and whose writer is been a subject of debate.It tells the story of the rise of King Arthur, son of King Uther Pendragon and raised by a different family than his own, up to his tragic end. -
1526
William Tyndell's Translation of the Bible
in 1526, the first complete English translation of the New Testament was completed by William Tyndale using the Greek and Hebrew texts. He was the first to use the printing press. -
Tamburlaine the Great
A play written by Christopher Marlowe in Elizabethan times where language is more vivid, fresh and interesting. It tells the story of Tamburlaine and Bajazeth, emperor of the Turks. -
The Faerie Queene
Written by the English poet Edmund Spenser, it is inspired by the then queen Elizabeth I. -
William Shakespeare's Richard III
It narrates the raise of King Richard III and the short reign of his machiavellian rule. -
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
This is the most famous and celebrated of Shakespeare's play and his most performed. It was since inspired writers such as Charles Dickens and James Joyce. -
The kings James Bible is Published
By the instructions of King James VI the bible was revisited and translated in what is known until today as the King James Version of the Bible. At this stage the English Language was in its early modern shape. -
Volpone
Ben Jonson produces Volpone, a comedy play with elements of city comedy and beasts fable -
Lycidas
John Milton's Lycidas is published in memory of a Cambridge friend, Edward King -
The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up In America
The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America is the title of the work containing the poems of Massachusetts author Anne Bradstreet published in London. -
Oroonoko
Aphra Behn's novel Oroonoko makes an early protest against the inhumanity of the African
slave trade -
Human Understanding
John Locke publishes his Essay concerning Human Understanding, arguing that all
knowledge is based on experience -
Rape of the Lock
Alexander Pope writes this type of narrative, satiric poem in a new genre called Mock-Heroic which mocks the stereotypical heroes of literature. -
Robinson Crusoe
This novel tells the story of a castaway who has to live for 28 years on a desert island with men who are in captivity, mutineers and cannibals. Written by Daniel Defoe and based on the life of a Scottish man named Alexander Selkirk while on an island near Chile. -
Gilliver's Travels
Written by the Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift, Gulliber's Travels is a satire of the typical traveler novels. Considered a satirical masterpiece. -
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Poem written by Thomas Gray and published in 1751. It is a elegy on death. -
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
A novel by Laurence Sterne pulbished in 1759. -
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Printed for the first time in 1768 in Edinburgh, Scotland, with just three volumes, The Encyclopaedia Britannica is still being published, although after 2011 it's available just online. -
The decline of the Roman Empire
The first volume of the book is published in 1776 by English historian Edward Gibbon -
Age of Reason
Thomas Paine publishes his completed Age of Reason, an attack on conventional
Christianity -
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' is published in Lyrical
Ballads -
Frankenstein
Frankenstein, or the modern Prometheus written by Mary Shelley is published. It's a Gothic tale about an artificial man who is giving life. -
Ozymandias
Percy Bysshe Shelley publishes probably his best-known poem, the sonnet Ozymandias -
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens' second novel is published, which centers on the live of an orphan named Oliver Twist. It exposes the cruel life of orphans at the time. -
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
It tells the story of a young girl called Alice and her entrance to a world of fantasy through a rabbit hole. -
The Hunting of the Snark
The poem by Lewis Caroll is published. It centers around a quest searching for a mythical creature -
The New English Dictionary
Oxford University Press publishes the A volume of its New English Dictionary, which will
take 37 years to reach Z -
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, center around a legal practitioner from London. -
The Importance of Being Earnest
Oscar Wilde writes this comedy which was performed at the St James's Theatre in London -
The War of the Worlds
Published in 1897 by author H. G. Wells, and it follows a conflict between mankind and an extraterrestrial race. -
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
One of the best selling books of all time, The Tale of Peter Rabbit is a children's book written by Beatrix Potter for her governess' son, rejected many times until it was printed by Frederic Warne & co in 1902. -
Just So Stories for Little Children
Published in 1902 by Rudyard Kipling. -
A High wind in Jamaica
Richard Hughes publishes his first novel, A High Wind in Jamaica -
Goodbye to All of That
in his autobiography, Robert Graves, an English writer talks about his dislike for England at the time. -
The Waves by Virginia Woolf
The book is experimental and consists of soliloquies spoken by the book's six characters. -
The Shape of Things to Come
H.G. Wells publishes The Shape of Things to Come, a novel in which he accurately predicts a
renewal of world war -
I, Claudius by Robert Graves
In I, Claudius the autobiography of the Roman emperor is ghost-written by Robert Graves -
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
The first installment of seven novels known as The Chronicles of Narnia, written by C. S. Lewis and published in 1950 by Geoffrey Bless -
Lord of the Flies
William Golding writes this novel which focuses on a group of boys stranded on an uninhabited island. -
The Hostage
Irish dramatist Brendan Behan's play The Hostage is produced in Dublin -
Billy Liar
A novel by Keith Waterhouse, it tells the story of a William Fisher and his live with his parents in the fictional town of Stradhoughton in Yorkshire. -
A Clockwork Orange
A satirical black comedy novel by Anthony Burgess, it centers on juvenile violence and behaviorism. -
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl publishes a fantasy treat for a starving child, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -
Midnight's Children
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie is a novel of the magic realism genre and is centered around India's Independence -
A Brief History Of Time
Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time: from the Big Bang to Black Holes is published in 1988. Written for common readers with no prior knowledge of physics or scientific theories. -
The Satanic Verses
Inspired by the life the prophet of Islam Muhammad, the Satanic Verses is a controversial novel using magical realism and based on real events of the time. The author
Ayatollah Khomeini declares a fatwa against Salman Rushdie for his Satanic Verses -
A Game Of Thrones
A Game of Thrones is the first novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of fantasy novels by the American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on August 1, 1996 -
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
In 1997, the first book by author J. K. Rowling is published. It is about a young wizard called Harry potter and his adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An international hit translated into more than 70 languages.
