20 Books from 1900 to 1909 That Are Still Worth Reading

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The 19th century had come to a close, and it was the first decade of the twentieth century.  Slavery was outlawed, but racism was far from over. The Wright Brothers took flight for the first time, the Model T was created by Ford, construction of the Panama Canal began, and San Francisco was decimated by an earthquake. And these are the books they were reading that readers still love today.

I have a confession. I used to be a classics snob. In other words, I used to only ever read books that would fall under the category of classic literature, and I would rarely read a book by an author who was still alive.

Several years ago I started to see the error of my ways and realize all of the great contemporary books I was missing out on.

That being said, now when I do read a book that would be considered a classic, I’m often reminded why. Many of the books that are published today will not be read even 10 years from another let alone 50 or a 100 years from now.

But some books do manage to stand the test of time and leave a lasting impression.

While I now love modern contemporary literature, I also want to make sure that I don’t forget to read the great books of the past, which is why I created the Reading Through the Decades Reading Challenge.

In this challenge, each month (or however often you want) you choose a book from one decade to read.

To help with choosing a good book to read, I am putting together a list of books from each decade that are still popular today.

I chose the books on this list based on a variety of factors including the following:

• It’s a book or author that is still sold in bookstores today.
• It’s a book that is still loved.
• It’s a book that is still talked about (even if it’s controversial).

For this first list, we are diving into some of the best books that were published from 1900 to 1909.

If you haven’t already joined the challenge, simply fill out the form below and the challenge will be sent directly to your email inbox!

Books From 1900 to 1909 That Have Stood the Test of Time

One of my observations after putting together this list of books from the early 1900s is that it includes a lot of children’s classics. If you never read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Anne of Green Gables or another children’s classsic you see on the list, this might be the year to give one of these books a try. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Here are some honorable mentions from this decade:

• Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (1900)
• Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad (1900)
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (1901)
• My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin (1901) Note: Miles Franklin is a female author by the name of Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin.
• The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov (1903)

Which one of these books do you plan to read for this decade for the Reading Through the Decades Reading Challenge?? Is it something on this list or something else? I would love to hear all about it! Please share in the comments below.