On the Road by Jack Kerouac
This novel follows the story of a young man and his friend as they embark on a series of cross-country road trips across America during the late 1940s and early 1950s. The protagonist, driven by a desire for freedom and a quest for identity, encounters a series of eccentric characters and experiences the highs and lows of the Beat Generation. The narrative is a testament to the restlessness of youth and the allure of adventure, underscored by themes of jazz, poetry, and drug use.
The 40th greatest book of all time
Ranking Details:
Our ranking system awards points to books based on their appearance and position on curated lists. Here's how it works:
Unranked Lists: For lists without specific rankings, each book receives points equivalent to the list's weight. This approach recognizes the book's inclusion on prestigious lists.
Ranked Lists: Books on ranked lists receive points in two ways:
- Base Points: Initially, every book is awarded points equal to the list's weight, acknowledging its significance.
- Bonus Points: Additionally, books earn bonus points based on their ranking. The total bonus pool, equal to 100% of the list's weight, is distributed among the books, with higher-ranked books receiving more points.
Exponential Distribution: The distribution of bonus points follows an exponential model. This means the top-ranked book (#1) receives significantly more bonus points than those further down the list (e.g., #100). Our algorithm ensures that higher placements are rewarded more generously, reflecting the achievement of a top rank on any given list.
This scoring system ensures that each book's ranking reflects both its presence on multiple lists and its positions within those lists, providing a comprehensive measure of its acclaim and popularity.
Total Points: 3573
Since this book was first published in 1957, there is a penalty of 0%. The age adjusted score is 3573.0.
This is to prevent newer books from reaching super high on the ranked list of the greatest books of all time. The greatest books should also stand the test of time.
- score: 144 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (Weight: 144)
- score: 134 -- The Ideal Library (Weight: 129)
- score: 126 -- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature (Weight: 126)
- score: 126 -- Best Foreign Work of Fiction Chosen by Francophone Writers (Weight: 126)
- score: 120 -- Daily Telegraph's 100 Books of the Century, 1900-1999 (Weight: 120)
- score: 111 -- Big Read (Bulgarian) (Weight: 111)
- score: 108 -- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century (Weight: 108)
- score: 106 -- Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century (Weight: 105)
- score: 97 -- The Greatest Books of All Time (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- 100 Most Influential Books of the Century (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Weight: 96)
- score: 94 -- Quintessential American Fiction, According to the Rest of the World (Weight: 90)
- score: 93 -- Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century (Weight: 90)
- score: 90 -- Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (Weight: 90)
- score: 90 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Weight: 90)
- score: 86 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels (Weight: 84)
- score: 85 -- The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- The Big Read (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- The Great American Novels (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- Select 100 (Weight: 84)
- score: 81 -- Waterstone's Books of the Century (Weight: 78)
- score: 81 -- 100 Essential Books (Weight: 81)
- score: 78 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Weight: 78)
- score: 78 -- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels (Weight: 78)
- score: 70 -- 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction (Weight: 69)
- score: 68 -- 100 Best Novels in English Since 1900 (Weight: 66)
- score: 66 -- The Complete 500: OCLC (Weight: 66)
- score: 66 -- 50 Best Cult Books (Weight: 66)
- score: 66 -- The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950 (Weight: 66)
- score: 66 -- Books That Shaped America (Weight: 66)
- score: 63 -- A Century of Reading (Weight: 63)
- score: 63 -- The Best Classics (Weight: 63)
- score: 63 -- The Graphic Canon (Weight: 63)
- score: 57 -- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Weight: 57)
- score: 57 -- 100 Best Novels Written in English (Weight: 57)
- score: 51 -- The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List (Weight: 51)
- score: 51 -- The 100 Greatest Novels (Weight: 51)
- score: 51 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (Weight: 51)
- score: 51 -- The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Weight: 51)
- score: 45 -- 50 Books to Read Before You Die (Weight: 45)
- score: 33 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (Weight: 33)
- score: 27 -- The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1893 – 1993 (Weight: 27)