Historical
Read Historical Classics in English
34 historical books at CEFR A2 to C2 — learn English by reading the stories worth reading. Select any word for an instant translation, listen to the narration read the page aloud, and save the vocabulary you meet. Pick your level and start with a free sample.
What are the best historical classics to read in English as a learner?
The best historical classics for English learners are the well-known titles you can read in the original — start with The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2), A Tale of Two Cities and Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Each one is labelled with a CEFR level, any word you do not know is one selection away from a translation, and the narration reads the page aloud while it highlights the words.
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Level C2PhilosophyThe Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2)The classic historical novel by George Gillespie.
Level C1–C2ClassicsA Tale of Two CitiesThe classic historical novel by Charles Dickens.
Level C1–C2HistoricalAutobiography of Benjamin FranklinThe classic historical novel by Benjamin Franklin.
Level C1–C2AdventureBidwell's Travels, from Wall Street to London Prison: Fifteen Years in SolitudeThe classic mystery novel by Austin Bidwell.
Level B2–C2AdventureCatrionaThe classic romance novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Level C1–C2ClassicsDavid CopperfieldThe classic classics novel by Charles Dickens.
Level C1–C2HistoricalEighty Years and More; Reminiscences 1815-1897The classic historical novel by Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Level C1–C2ClassicsGreat ExpectationsThe classic classics novel by Charles Dickens.
Level B2–C2AdventureKidnappedThe classic adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Level C2ClassicsLes MisérablesThe classic historical novel by Victor Hugo.
Level B2–C2HistoricalLife on the MississippiThe classic adventure novel by Mark Twain.
Level C1–C2RomanceLorna Doone: A Romance of ExmoorThe classic romance novel by R.
Level C2ClassicsMiddlemarchThe classic romance novel by George Eliot.
Level C1–C2HistoricalNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American SlaveThe classic historical novel by Frederick Douglass.
Level B2–C2AdventureRoughing ItThe classic adventure novel by Mark Twain.
Level B2–C2AdventureThe Count of Monte CristoBetrayed and imprisoned, Edmond Dantès escapes to engineer a decade-spanning revenge.
Level B2–C2ClassicsThe Great GatsbyJazz-Age longing on Long Island, and the green light across the bay.
Level C1–C2HistoricalThe Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By HimselfThe classic historical novel by Olaudah Equiano.
Level C2PoetryThe Lady of the LakeThe classic romance novel by Walter Scott.
Level C1–C2HistoricalThe Life of Charles Dickens, Vol. I-III, CompleteThe classic classics novel by John Forster.
Level C1–C2RomanceThe Love Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft to Gilbert ImlayThe classic romance novel by Mary Wollstonecraft.
Level C2PhilosophyThe PrinceThe classic historical novel by Niccolò Machiavelli.
Level C1–C2ClassicsThe Scarlet LetterThe classic historical novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Level B2–C2AdventureThe Yeoman AdventurerThe classic romance novel by George W.
Level C1–C2AdventureTravels in the Great Desert of Sahara, in the Years of 1845 and 1846The classic adventure novel by James Richardson.
Level B2–C2AdventureTwenty years afterThe classic adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas.
Level B2–C2RomanceUnder the Red Dragon: A NovelThe classic mystery novel by James Grant.
Level C2ClassicsWar and PeaceTolstoy's sweeping epic follows five aristocratic families through the Napoleonic Wars, weaving personal drama with grand historical events to create one of literature's greatest p…
Level C2PhilosophyThe City of God, Volume IThe classic work of philosophy and theology by Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Level C1–C2HistoricalThe IliadThe classic historical novel by Homer.
Level C1–C2HistoricalThe Diary of Samuel Pepys — CompleteThe classic historical diary by Samuel Pepys.
Level C2HistoricalThe Anabasis of Alexander : $b or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the GreatThe classic historical novel by Arrian.
Level C1–C2RomanceThat Which Hath Wings: A Novel of the DayThe classic romance novel by Richard Dehan.
Level C2PhilosophyHegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy: Volume 3 (of 3)The classic historical novel by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.