A Book That Examines or Takes Place in a Time Before the 18th Century

Updated January 13, 2026
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Beowulf : a verse translation
Alexander, Michael
Paper Book
Beowulf is the greatest surviving work of literature in Old English, unparalleled in its epic grandeur and scope. It tells the story of the heroic Beowulf and of his battles, first with the monster Grendel, who has laid waste to the great hall of the Danish king Hrothgar, then with Grendel's...
The Odyssey
Homer
Paper Book
Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty, and power; about marriage and family; about travelers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative...
Shogun : a novel of Japan
Clavell, James
Paper Book
NOW A MAJOR GOLDEN GLOBE, BAFTA AND EMMY-WINNING TV SERIES 'Clavell never puts a foot wrong . . . Get it, read it, you'll enjoy it mightily' Daily Mirror This is James Clavell's tour-de-force; an epic saga of one Pilot-Major John Blackthorne, and his...
Hamnet : a novel of the plague
O'Farrell, Maggie
Paper Book
The three musketeers
Dumas, Alexandre
Paper Book
First published in 1844, Alexandre Dumas' adventure The Three Musketeers is one of the most popular novels ever written. Now this rollicking and witty story is available in a new translation by Richard Pevear, award-winning translator of Anna Karenina.
The name of the rose
Eco, Umberto
Paper Book
ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME * A spectacular best seller and now a classic, The Name of the Rose catapulted Umberto Eco, an Italian professor of semiotics turned novelist, to international prominence. An erudite murder mystery...
LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN
SEE, LISA
Paper Book
*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!* From "one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot" (The New York Times Book Review) an immersive historical novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China--perfect for fans of...

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