Metacanon

Metacanon ranks tens of thousands of written works using data pulled from Wikipedia, the New York Times archive, and user ratings—all using customizable weights and filters. Create your own version of the canon by adjusting the settings.

1. The Canterbury Tales (1387) · Geoffrey Chaucer

7.27 | collection, collection_of_poetry

2. Leaves of Grass (1855) · Walt Whitman

7.15 | collection_of_poetry

3. When We Were Very Young (1924) · A. A. Milne

5.48 | collection_of_poetry

4. Now We Are Six (1927) · A. A. Milne

5.29 | collection_of_poetry

5. Shakespeare's Sonnets (1609) · William Shakespeare

4.89 | collection_of_poetry

6. Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794) · William Blake

4.78 | collection_of_poetry

7. Poems and Problems (1969) · Vladimir Nabokov

4.75 | other, collection_of_poetry

8. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (1939) · T. S. Eliot

4.53 | collection_of_poetry

9. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book (1962) · J. R. R. Tolkien

4.41 | collection_of_poetry

10. Revolting Rhymes (1982) · Roald Dahl

4.39 | collection_of_poetry

11. Poems (1842) · Alfred Tennyson

4.39 | collection_of_poetry

12. A Light in the Attic (1981) · Shel Silverstein

4.37 | collection_of_poetry

13. The Wild Iris (1992) · Louise Glück

4.35 | collection_of_poetry

14. Les Fleurs du mal (1857) · Charles Baudelaire

4.34 | collection_of_poetry

15. The Tradition (2019) · Jericho Brown

4.18 | collection_of_poetry

16. Lyrical Ballads (1798) · Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth

4.16 | collection_of_poetry

17. Men and Women (1855) · Robert Browning

4.14 | collection_of_poetry

18. The Seven Seas (1896) · Rudyard Kipling

4.13 | collection_of_poetry

19. The "Bab" Ballads (1868) · W. S. Gilbert

4.13 | collection_of_poetry

20. The Tower (1928) · William Butler Yeats

4.08 | collection_of_poetry

21. Duino Elegies (1923) · Rainer Maria Rilke

3.98 | collection_of_poetry

22. Horse Latitudes (2006) · Paul Muldoon

3.98 | collection_of_poetry

23. Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827) · Edgar Allan Poe

3.98 | collection_of_poetry

24. Sonnets to Orpheus (1923) · Rainer Maria Rilke

3.92 | collection_of_poetry

25. Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850) · Elizabeth Barrett Browning

3.84 | collection_of_poetry

26. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices (1988) · Paul Fleischman

3.83 | collection_of_poetry

27. Dirty Beasts (1984) · Roald Dahl

3.78 | collection_of_poetry

28. La Légende des siècles · Victor Hugo

3.77 | collection_of_poetry

29. Gitanjali, Song Offerings (1910) · Rabindranath Tagore

3.69 | collection_of_poetry

30. True Stories (1981) · Margaret Atwood

3.69 | collection_of_poetry

31. Dreamtigers (1960) · Jorge Luis Borges

3.63 | collection, collection_of_poetry

32. Calamus (1860) · Walt Whitman

3.63 | collection_of_poetry

33. Song Offerings (1912) · Rabindranath Tagore

3.62 | collection_of_poetry

34. Your Shadow (1984) · Kevin Hart

3.60 | collection_of_poetry

35. Cathay (1915) · Ezra Pound

3.57 | collection_of_poetry

36. Dramatis Personæ (1864) · Robert Browning

3.55 | collection_of_poetry

37. Triumphs (1351) · Petrarch

3.55 | collection_of_poetry

38. Les Orientales (1829) · Victor Hugo

3.45 | collection_of_poetry

39. Canto General (1950) · Pablo Neruda

3.43 | collection_of_poetry

40. Passage to India (1871) · Walt Whitman

3.43 | collection_of_poetry

41. Astrophel and Stella (1591) · Philip Sidney

3.39 | collection_of_poetry

42. Chicago Poems (1916) · Carl Sandburg

3.35 | collection_of_poetry

43. A Lume Spento (1908) · Ezra Pound

3.34 | collection_of_poetry

44. Seventh Heaven (1972) · Patti Smith

3.31 | collection_of_poetry

45. Les Contemplations (1856) · Victor Hugo

3.30 | collection_of_poetry

46. L'Art d'être grand-père (1877) · Victor Hugo

3.29 | collection_of_poetry

47. Poems, Chiefly Lyrical (1830) · Alfred Tennyson

3.28 | collection_of_poetry

48. The Hawk in the Rain (1957) · Ted Hughes

3.25 | collection_of_poetry

49. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (1924) · Pablo Neruda

3.23 | collection_of_poetry

50. The Blythes Are Quoted (2009) · Lucy Maud Montgomery

3.22 | collection, collection_of_poetry

1. The Canterbury Tales (1387) · Geoffrey Chaucer

7.27 | collection, collection_of_poetry

2. Leaves of Grass (1855) · Walt Whitman

7.15 | collection_of_poetry

3. When We Were Very Young (1924) · A. A. Milne

5.48 | collection_of_poetry

4. Now We Are Six (1927) · A. A. Milne

5.29 | collection_of_poetry

5. Shakespeare's Sonnets (1609) · William Shakespeare

4.89 | collection_of_poetry

6. Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794) · William Blake

4.78 | collection_of_poetry

7. Poems and Problems (1969) · Vladimir Nabokov

4.75 | other, collection_of_poetry

8. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (1939) · T. S. Eliot

4.53 | collection_of_poetry

9. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book (1962) · J. R. R. Tolkien

4.41 | collection_of_poetry

10. Revolting Rhymes (1982) · Roald Dahl

4.39 | collection_of_poetry

11. Poems (1842) · Alfred Tennyson

4.39 | collection_of_poetry

12. A Light in the Attic (1981) · Shel Silverstein

4.37 | collection_of_poetry

13. The Wild Iris (1992) · Louise Glück

4.35 | collection_of_poetry

14. Les Fleurs du mal (1857) · Charles Baudelaire

4.34 | collection_of_poetry

15. The Tradition (2019) · Jericho Brown

4.18 | collection_of_poetry

16. Lyrical Ballads (1798) · Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth

4.16 | collection_of_poetry

17. Men and Women (1855) · Robert Browning

4.14 | collection_of_poetry

18. The Seven Seas (1896) · Rudyard Kipling

4.13 | collection_of_poetry

19. The "Bab" Ballads (1868) · W. S. Gilbert

4.13 | collection_of_poetry

20. The Tower (1928) · William Butler Yeats

4.08 | collection_of_poetry

21. Duino Elegies (1923) · Rainer Maria Rilke

3.98 | collection_of_poetry

22. Horse Latitudes (2006) · Paul Muldoon

3.98 | collection_of_poetry

23. Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827) · Edgar Allan Poe

3.98 | collection_of_poetry

24. Sonnets to Orpheus (1923) · Rainer Maria Rilke

3.92 | collection_of_poetry

25. Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850) · Elizabeth Barrett Browning

3.84 | collection_of_poetry

26. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices (1988) · Paul Fleischman

3.83 | collection_of_poetry

27. Dirty Beasts (1984) · Roald Dahl

3.78 | collection_of_poetry

28. La Légende des siècles · Victor Hugo

3.77 | collection_of_poetry

29. Gitanjali, Song Offerings (1910) · Rabindranath Tagore

3.69 | collection_of_poetry

30. True Stories (1981) · Margaret Atwood

3.69 | collection_of_poetry

31. Dreamtigers (1960) · Jorge Luis Borges

3.63 | collection, collection_of_poetry

32. Calamus (1860) · Walt Whitman

3.63 | collection_of_poetry

33. Song Offerings (1912) · Rabindranath Tagore

3.62 | collection_of_poetry

34. Your Shadow (1984) · Kevin Hart

3.60 | collection_of_poetry

35. Cathay (1915) · Ezra Pound

3.57 | collection_of_poetry

36. Dramatis Personæ (1864) · Robert Browning

3.55 | collection_of_poetry

37. Triumphs (1351) · Petrarch

3.55 | collection_of_poetry

38. Les Orientales (1829) · Victor Hugo

3.45 | collection_of_poetry

39. Canto General (1950) · Pablo Neruda

3.43 | collection_of_poetry

40. Passage to India (1871) · Walt Whitman

3.43 | collection_of_poetry

41. Astrophel and Stella (1591) · Philip Sidney

3.39 | collection_of_poetry

42. Chicago Poems (1916) · Carl Sandburg

3.35 | collection_of_poetry

43. A Lume Spento (1908) · Ezra Pound

3.34 | collection_of_poetry

44. Seventh Heaven (1972) · Patti Smith

3.31 | collection_of_poetry

45. Les Contemplations (1856) · Victor Hugo

3.30 | collection_of_poetry

46. L'Art d'être grand-père (1877) · Victor Hugo

3.29 | collection_of_poetry

47. Poems, Chiefly Lyrical (1830) · Alfred Tennyson

3.28 | collection_of_poetry

48. The Hawk in the Rain (1957) · Ted Hughes

3.25 | collection_of_poetry

49. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (1924) · Pablo Neruda

3.23 | collection_of_poetry

50. The Blythes Are Quoted (2009) · Lucy Maud Montgomery

3.22 | collection, collection_of_poetry

Literary Works

Filters

1. The Canterbury Tales (1387) · Geoffrey Chaucer

2. Leaves of Grass (1855) · Walt Whitman

3. When We Were Very Young (1924) · A. A. Milne

4. Now We Are Six (1927) · A. A. Milne

5. Shakespeare's Sonnets (1609) · William Shakespeare

6. Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794) · William Blake

7. Poems and Problems (1969) · Vladimir Nabokov

8. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (1939) · T. S. Eliot

9. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book (1962) · J. R. R. Tolkien

10. Revolting Rhymes (1982) · Roald Dahl

11. Poems (1842) · Alfred Tennyson

12. A Light in the Attic (1981) · Shel Silverstein

13. The Wild Iris (1992) · Louise Glück

14. Les Fleurs du mal (1857) · Charles Baudelaire

15. The Tradition (2019) · Jericho Brown

16. Lyrical Ballads (1798) · Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth

17. Men and Women (1855) · Robert Browning

18. The Seven Seas (1896) · Rudyard Kipling

19. The "Bab" Ballads (1868) · W. S. Gilbert

20. The Tower (1928) · William Butler Yeats

21. Duino Elegies (1923) · Rainer Maria Rilke

22. Horse Latitudes (2006) · Paul Muldoon

23. Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827) · Edgar Allan Poe

24. Sonnets to Orpheus (1923) · Rainer Maria Rilke

25. Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850) · Elizabeth Barrett Browning

26. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices (1988) · Paul Fleischman

27. Dirty Beasts (1984) · Roald Dahl

28. La Légende des siècles · Victor Hugo

29. Gitanjali, Song Offerings (1910) · Rabindranath Tagore

30. True Stories (1981) · Margaret Atwood

31. Dreamtigers (1960) · Jorge Luis Borges

32. Calamus (1860) · Walt Whitman

33. Song Offerings (1912) · Rabindranath Tagore

34. Your Shadow (1984) · Kevin Hart

35. Cathay (1915) · Ezra Pound

36. Dramatis Personæ (1864) · Robert Browning

37. Triumphs (1351) · Petrarch

38. Les Orientales (1829) · Victor Hugo

39. Canto General (1950) · Pablo Neruda

40. Passage to India (1871) · Walt Whitman

41. Astrophel and Stella (1591) · Philip Sidney

42. Chicago Poems (1916) · Carl Sandburg

43. A Lume Spento (1908) · Ezra Pound

44. Seventh Heaven (1972) · Patti Smith

45. Les Contemplations (1856) · Victor Hugo

46. L'Art d'être grand-père (1877) · Victor Hugo

47. Poems, Chiefly Lyrical (1830) · Alfred Tennyson

48. The Hawk in the Rain (1957) · Ted Hughes

49. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (1924) · Pablo Neruda

50. The Blythes Are Quoted (2009) · Lucy Maud Montgomery

Literary Works

Filters

1. The Canterbury Tales (1387) · Geoffrey Chaucer

2. Leaves of Grass (1855) · Walt Whitman

3. When We Were Very Young (1924) · A. A. Milne

4. Now We Are Six (1927) · A. A. Milne

5. Shakespeare's Sonnets (1609) · William Shakespeare

6. Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794) · William Blake

7. Poems and Problems (1969) · Vladimir Nabokov

8. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (1939) · T. S. Eliot

9. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book (1962) · J. R. R. Tolkien

10. Revolting Rhymes (1982) · Roald Dahl

11. Poems (1842) · Alfred Tennyson

12. A Light in the Attic (1981) · Shel Silverstein

13. The Wild Iris (1992) · Louise Glück

14. Les Fleurs du mal (1857) · Charles Baudelaire

15. The Tradition (2019) · Jericho Brown

16. Lyrical Ballads (1798) · Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth

17. Men and Women (1855) · Robert Browning

18. The Seven Seas (1896) · Rudyard Kipling

19. The "Bab" Ballads (1868) · W. S. Gilbert

20. The Tower (1928) · William Butler Yeats

21. Duino Elegies (1923) · Rainer Maria Rilke

22. Horse Latitudes (2006) · Paul Muldoon

23. Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827) · Edgar Allan Poe

24. Sonnets to Orpheus (1923) · Rainer Maria Rilke

25. Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850) · Elizabeth Barrett Browning

26. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices (1988) · Paul Fleischman