Roll out the extra-long twin sheets and dust off the shower caddy, because soon class bells will be ringing! Will you be prepared for the new school year? Get a head start by decorating your dorm (or office!) with the top ten Penguin Classics:

  • The Odyssey by Homer
  • The Crucible by Arthur Miller
  • The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
  • Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
  • On the Road by Jack Kerouac
  • Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • The Three Theban Plays by Sophocles
  • The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

These favorite Classics are being taught in first-year literature courses in universities all across the country. The University of Virginia is assigning The Grapes of Wrath in "American Literature Since 1865," as is Texas A&M University, in "Major American Authors: John Steinbeck." Steinbeck's other powerhouse novel, Of Mice and Men, is included in San Diego State University's "English 220: Introduction to Literature," while Miller's Death of a Salesman makes its debut at Purdue University's course "The Tragic Vision." Austen's beloved Pride and Prejudice is represented in the University of Pennsylvania's "Jane Austen and the Romantic Novel," and Bucknell University features The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in "English 291: Survey of the Novel."

Whether you're burning the midnight oil or unpacking your sons or daughters into their new spacially-challenged rooms, a Penguin Classic is a loyal companion throughout the academic year!