Historical
Read Historical Classics in English
4,982 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 Zigzag Journeys in Northern Lands;: The Rhine to the Arctic; A Summer Trip of the Zigzag Club Through Holland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Yule-Tide Yarns and Youth. 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 C1Historical"1914"As tensions simmer in Europe, an import-export merchant senses an ominous shift disrupting his business and the fragile peace.
Level C1Adventure!Tention: A Story of Boy-Life during the Peninsular WarAmidst the rugged Pyrenees during the Peninsular War, a young rifleman and his comrades navigate deadly skirmishes as they retreat from pursuing French forces, testing loyalty and…
Level C1ClassicsA Tale of Two CitiesThe classic historical novel by Charles Dickens.
Level C1HistoricalAutobiography of Benjamin FranklinThe classic historical novel by Benjamin Franklin.
Level C1AdventureBidwell's Travels, from Wall Street to London Prison: Fifteen Years in SolitudeThe classic mystery novel by Austin Bidwell.
Level B2AdventureCatrionaThe classic romance novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Level C1ClassicsDavid CopperfieldThe classic classics novel by Charles Dickens.
Level C1HistoricalEighty Years and More; Reminiscences 1815-1897The classic historical novel by Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Level C1ClassicsGreat ExpectationsThe classic classics novel by Charles Dickens.
Level B2AdventureKidnappedThe classic adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Level C2ClassicsLes MisérablesThe classic historical novel by Victor Hugo.
Level B2HistoricalLife on the MississippiThe classic adventure novel by Mark Twain.
Level C1RomanceLorna Doone: A Romance of ExmoorThe classic romance novel by R.
Level C2ClassicsMiddlemarchThe classic romance novel by George Eliot.
Level C1HistoricalNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American SlaveThe classic historical novel by Frederick Douglass.
Level C1ClassicsOliver Twist, Vol. 2 (of 3)The classic mystery novel by Charles Dickens.
Level B2AdventureRoughing ItThe classic adventure novel by Mark Twain.
Level B2AdventureThe Count of Monte CristoBetrayed and imprisoned, Edmond Dantès escapes to engineer a decade-spanning revenge.
Level B2ClassicsThe Great GatsbyJazz-Age longing on Long Island, and the green light across the bay.
Level C1HistoricalThe 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 C1HistoricalThe Life of Charles Dickens, Vol. I-III, CompleteThe classic classics novel by John Forster.
Level C1RomanceThe Love Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft to Gilbert ImlayThe classic romance novel by Mary Wollstonecraft.
Level C2PhilosophyThe PrinceThe classic historical novel by Niccolò Machiavelli.
Level B2HistoricalThe Prince and the PauperThe classic historical novel by Mark Twain.
Level C1ClassicsThe Scarlet LetterThe classic historical novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Level C2PhilosophyThe Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2)The classic historical novel by George Gillespie.
Level B2AdventureThe Yeoman AdventurerThe classic romance novel by George W.
Level C1AdventureTravels in the Great Desert of Sahara, in the Years of 1845 and 1846The classic adventure novel by James Richardson.
Level B2AdventureTwenty years afterThe classic adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas.
Level B2RomanceUnder 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.
HistoricalThe IliadThe classic historical novel by Homer.
Level C1HistoricalThe 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 C1RomanceThat Which Hath Wings: A Novel of the DayThe classic romance novel by Richard Dehan.
HistoricalHegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy: Volume 3 (of 3)The classic historical novel by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.