Historical
Read Historical Classics in English
2,812 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 Mesmerist's Victim, The Merry Men, and Other Tales and Fables and The Mercy of the Lord. 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.
- 2,812
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Level C1HistoricalMargaret Smith's Journal, and Tales and Sketches, Complete: Volume V of The Works of John Greenleaf WhittierA young woman chronicles her journey from England to the challenging yet hopeful New England colony of 1678, revealing vivid portraits of early settlers and the harsh realities of…
Level C1RomanceMargaret Capel: A Novel, vol. 3 of 3In the quiet seclusion of Ashdale, Margaret Capel seeks solace from her sorrows, enduring unwanted attentions while finding healing in the wild beauty of the autumn shore.
Level C1HistoricalMargaret Capel: A Novel, vol. 1 of 3When seventeen-year-old Margaret Capel arrives under the guardianship of her distant relative, tensions simmer over her future and inheritance.
Level C1HistoricalManuel Pereira; Or, The Sovereign Rule of South CarolinaIn the tense waters off South Carolina, a shipwrecked sailor faces unjust imprisonment under harsh laws designed to uphold a fragile, oppressive social order.
Level C1HistoricalManners: A Novel, Vol 3In a stately Irish household marked by pride and parsimony, Miss Fitzcarril manages a strict estate while secretly indulging in forbidden fortune-telling.
Level C1AdventureManco, the Peruvian Chief: Or, An Englishman's Adventures in the Country of the IncasAn English family settles in the rugged Peruvian Andes, where a compassionate father aids oppressed indigenous villagers amid the shadows of the ancient Inca empire.
Level C1HistoricalMalaeska: The Indian Wife of the White HunterIn a remote clearing by the Hudson River, settlers and Native Americans live cautiously side by side amid the dense wilderness.
Level C1HistoricalMaitre CorneliusIn the shadowed cathedral of 1479 Tours, faith and passion intertwine as nobles and commoners alike seek solace and secret rendezvous beneath flickering candlelight.
Level C1HistoricalMain currents in American thoughtExplore the evolution of American ideas from Puritan New England through Jeffersonian agrarianism, tracing how European intellectual traditions intertwined with native aspirations…
Level C1HistoricalMain Street: (From: "The Snow Image and Other Twice-Told Tales")Step back through time on a mysterious Main Street, where ancient forests and indigenous rulers meet the dawn of a new civilization, revealing the layered history beneath a seeming…
Level C1HistoricalMain Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature - 6. Young GermanyPolitical idealism clashes with reactionary forces in post-Napoleonic Germany, where hopes for unification and freedom are dashed by conservative powers determined to restore old o…
Level C1HistoricalMain Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature - 5. The Romantic School in FranceExplore the vibrant literary and political upheavals in France from 1824 to 1828, where the rise of the bourgeoisie and the clash between tradition and modernity shape a generation…
Level C1HistoricalMain Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature - 4. Naturalism in EnglandExplore the rise of Naturalism in early 19th-century English literature as it challenges classical conventions, ignites patriotic spirit, and champions the voices of common people…
Level C1HistoricalMain Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature - 3. The Reaction in FranceExplore the clash between tradition and reason as France grapples with restoring authority after the Revolution, revealing how religion, politics, and society intertwine in a drama…
Level C1HistoricalMain Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature - 2. The Romantic School in GermanyDive into the intricate world of the German Romantic School, where literature intertwines with life’s deepest emotions and cultural currents.
Level C1HistoricalMain Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature - 1. The Emigrant LiteratureExplore the turbulent literary landscape of early nineteenth-century Europe, where revolutionary ideals clash with fading Enlightenment values, tracing the rise and fall of key mov…
Level C1RomanceMaid MarianIn a forest abbey, a wedding is violently interrupted when the bride’s noble lover is accused of treason and drawn into a desperate fight for love and honor.
Level C1RomanceMaid Margaret of GallowayBound to a harsh convent against her will, a spirited young noblewoman wrestles with the stifling life imposed upon her and dreams of reclaiming the freedom and love she was denied…
Level C1HistoricalMademoiselle FifiIn occupied France, a defiant Prussian major disrupts the uneasy calm of a country estate, stirring tensions that reveal the complex interplay of power, pride, and resistance durin…
Level C1HistoricalMadame MidasA battered boat drifts toward a wild, blood-red coastline where two men seek freedom amid the savage cliffs and crashing waves.
Level C1RomanceMadame Flirt: A Romance of 'The Beggar's Opera'In the gritty streets of St.
Level C1RomanceMadam ConstantiaAmid the turbulent backdrop of the American War of Independence, a British officer recounts his harrowing and unexpected experiences in the Carolinas, revealing the personal and po…
Level C1HistoricalMad BarbaraA young girl discovers her father’s mysterious murder in a quiet autumn garden, clutching a cryptic golden chain that may unlock dark secrets.
Level C1HistoricalMackinac and Lake StoriesAmidst the dawn assault on Mackinac Island in 1812, a young Canadian voyageur deserts his British captors and seeks refuge in a mysterious cave where a sleeping woman waits, igniti…
Level C1RomanceMacariaA young man shoulders the burden of supporting his ailing cousin and mother amid financial hardship, driven by unyielding ambition and love.
Level C1HistoricalLà-basIn a sharp debate on naturalism's limits and the soul's mysteries, a troubled thinker wrestles with art's purpose and the search for meaning beyond mere materialism, setting the st…
Level C1HistoricalLysbeth, a Tale of the DutchAmid the winter festivities of 16th-century Leyden, Lysbeth van Hout, a wealthy and admired young heiress, navigates the perils of a tyrannical era, where faith and freedom hang in…
Level C1HistoricalLuxury--Gluttony: Two of the Seven Cardinal SinsAmid the luxurious halls of the Élysée-Bourbon, young Count Frantz navigates the intrigues and temptations of Parisian high society, where bravery and innocence clash with the sedu…
Level C1AdventureLuck at the Diamond FieldsA tense journey to the Diamond Fields brings together a diverse, uneasy group of passengers, including a determined English governess facing hardship and a notorious local with a s…
Level C1RomanceLovers' Saint Ruth's, and Three Other TalesIn a quiet English village, a chance reunion sparks a journey into the past, where ancient ruins and whispered legends of Lovers' Saint Ruth's reveal secrets of love, loss, and his…
Level C1HistoricalLoveday's historyAmid the upheaval of religious reforms, a young orphan girl’s life is upended when her destined convent is dissolved, forcing her into a world of new guardians and uncertain future…
Level C1RomanceLove-at-armsIn a tense mountain hideout, six nobles await a secret visitor whose arrival is shadowed by danger and betrayal.
Level C1RomanceLove's labor wonAt a grand reception in the new American Republic, the captivating Marguerite De Lancie commands attention with her striking beauty and fierce independence, navigating a world of p…
Level C1RomanceLove under FireCaught behind enemy lines with crucial intelligence to deliver, a lone soldier risks everything amid whispers of danger and duty.
Level C1RomanceLove and Life: An Old Story in Eighteenth Century CostumeIn eighteenth-century England, a maiden named Psyche is whisked away to a mysterious palace by a secretive husband whose love and identity remain hidden—until curiosity and jealous…
Level C1HistoricalLove Among the RuinsIn a forest ablaze with betrayal and violence, a young woman kneels amid the ruins of her fallen family, caught in the deadly feud that has shattered her world.
Level C1HistoricalLouisa of Prussia and Her Times: A Historical NovelAmid the terror of Napoleon’s relentless advance on Vienna, the city reels under news of defeat and betrayal as imperial coffins roll through the streets.
Level C1AdventureLords of the NorthIn the early 19th century, fur traders and voyageurs of the North-West Company navigate fierce rivalries and untamed wilderness, shaping a vast empire from the Atlantic to the Paci…
Level C1AdventureLord Tony's Wife: An Adventure of the Scarlet PimpernelPassion ignites in pre-revolutionary Nantes as Pierre rallies villagers to revolt against aristocratic tyranny, fueled by injustice and the burning desire for equality.
Level C1RomanceLord Montagu's Page: An Historical RomanceIn the turbulent seventeenth century, loyalty, love, and ambition intertwine as a young page navigates the intrigues and passions surrounding Lord Montagu’s world.
Level C1AdventureLone Pine: The Story of a Lost MineUnder the silver moon of a New Mexican pueblo, young lovers Felipe and Josefa face a desperate countdown as Josefa's father arranges a forced marriage.
Level C1HistoricalLondon Pride, Or, When the World Was YoungerAmid the bitter turmoil of England’s civil war, a weary cavalier and his young daughter flee to exile, carrying the weight of lost honor, shattered loyalty, and a kingdom in mourni…
Level C1AdventureLolóma, or two years in cannibal-land: A story of old FijiJourney into the heart of old Fiji, where ancient customs thrive and cannibal tribes rule the land, as one man chronicles a vanishing world untouched by civilization and filled wit…
Level C1RomanceLochinvar: A NovelAmid the wild lands of Galloway in 1685, a strong-willed widow stirs unrest at Balmaghie House, where a silent gardener resists the charms of a determined handmaiden, setting the s…
Level C1AdventureLoaves and fishesAmid the brutal siege of Saragossa, a resourceful young captain embarks alone on a perilous mission to find salt in the Pyrenees' rugged hills, where danger and unexpected encounte…
Level C1HistoricalLives of the Poets, Volume 1Explore the lives and works of England’s greatest poets through candid biographies that reveal their characters, controversies, and the moral lessons behind their art, all delivere…
Level C1HistoricalLives of the English Poets: Gay, Thomson, Young, Gray, &c.Explore the lives and works of English poets from the late 17th and early 18th centuries, revealing their literary contributions, personal struggles, and the cultural backdrop of t…
Level C1AdventureLittle Oskaloo; or, The White WhirlwindAmid the looming clash between Native tribes and advancing American forces in 1794, two warriors navigate a perilous frontier where alliances, revenge, and survival intertwine.