The 7 Most Influential Books of All Time

This book fundamentally changed the way we think about our very being and the world around us.

1. On the Origins of Species by Charles Darwin (1859)

This is more than just a manifesto - it's a work of history, economic, political, and cultural analysis, and of prophecy.

2. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (1888)

Shakespeare's plays are still the most studied and performed in the English-speaking world and beyond, centuries after they were first published.

3. The Complete Works by William Shakespeare (1594-1634)

This important piece of work from one of the most influential philosophers is not only influential but also very readable.

4. The Republic by Plato (380 BC)

Although it's not an easy read, it richly repays close study both for its own sake and because of the far-reaching nature of what it suggests.

5. Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant (1781)

This book laid out the tenets of what today we call 'equality' or 'liberal' feminist theory.

6. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft (1792)

This book is a foundational work of economics that still influences economic thought today.

7. The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith (1776)