List of book titles taken from literature


Many authors will use quotations from literature as the title for their works. This may be done as a conscious allusion to the themes of the older work or simply because the phrase seems memorable. The following is a partial list of book titles taken from literature. It does not include phrases altered for parody.
WorkAuthorLiterary Reference
Absalom, Absalom!William Faulkner2 Samuel
A che punto è la notte
Carlo Fruttero and Franco LucentiniIsaiah
After Many a Summer Dies the SwanAldous HuxleyTithonus, Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Ah, Wilderness!Eugene O'NeillRubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, trans. Edward FitzGerald
Alien Corn Sidney HowardOde to a Nightingale, John Keats
The Alien Corn W. Somerset MaughamOde to a Nightingale, John Keats
All Passion SpentVita Sackville-WestSamson Agonistes, John Milton
All the King's MenRobert Penn WarrenHumpty Dumpty
Alone on a Wide, Wide SeaMichael MorpurgoThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
An Acceptable TimeMadeleine L'EnglePsalms
Antic HayAldous HuxleyEdward II, Christopher Marlowe
An Evil CradlingBrian KeenanQur'an 13:18, Arthur John Arberry translation
Arms and the ManGeorge Bernard ShawThe Aeneid, Virgil
As I Lay DyingWilliam FaulknerThe Odyssey, Homer
A Time to KillJohn GrishamEcclesiastes
Behold the ManMichael MoorcockJohn
Beneath the BleedingVal McDermidEast Coker, T. S. Eliot
Beyond the Mexique BayAldous HuxleyBermudas, Andrew Marvell
Blithe SpiritNoël CowardTo a Skylark, Percy Bysshe Shelley
Blood's a RoverJames EllroyReveille, A. E. Housman
Blue Remembered EarthAlastair ReynoldsA Shropshire Lad, Poem XL, A. E. Housman
Blue Remembered HillsRosemary SutcliffA Shropshire Lad, Poem XL, A. E. Housman
Bonjour TristesseFrançoise SaganÀ Peine Défigurée, Paul Éluard
Brandy of the DamnedColin WilsonMan and Superman, George Bernard Shaw
Bury My Heart at Wounded KneeDee BrownAmerican Names, Stephen Vincent Benét
Butter In a Lordly DishAgatha ChristieJudges
By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and WeptElizabeth SmartPsalms
Cabbages and KingsO. HenryThe Walrus and the Carpenter, Lewis Carroll
Carrion ComfortDan SimmonsCarrion Comfort, Gerard Manley Hopkins
A Catskill EagleRobert B. ParkerMoby-Dick, Herman Melville
The Children of MenP. D. JamesPsalm 90:3
Clouds of WitnessDorothy L. SayersHebrews
A Confederacy of DuncesJohn Kennedy TooleThoughts on Various Subjects, Moral and Diverting, Jonathan Swift
Consider PhlebasIain M. BanksThe Waste Land, T. S. Eliot
Consider the LiliesIain Crichton SmithMatthew
Cover Her FaceP. D. JamesThe Duchess of Malfi, John Webster
The Cricket on the HearthCharles DickensIl Penseroso, John Milton
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeMark HaddonThe Adventure of Silver Blaze, Arthur Conan Doyle
The Daffodil SkyH. E. BatesMaud, Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Dance Dance DanceHaruki MurakamiDeath's Echo, W.H. Auden
A Darkling PlainPhilip ReeveDover Beach, Matthew Arnold
Death Be Not ProudJohn GuntherHoly Sonnets X, John Donne
The Doors of PerceptionAldous HuxleyThe Marriage of Heaven and Hell, William Blake
Down to a Sunless SeaDavid GrahamKubla Khan, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Dulce et Decorum EstWilfred OwenOdes iii 2.13, Horace
Dying of the LightGeorge R. R. MartinDo Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, Dylan Thomas
East of EdenJohn SteinbeckGenesis
Ego Dominus TuusWilliam Butler YeatsLa Vita Nuova, Dante
Endless NightAgatha ChristieAuguries of Innocence, William Blake
Everything is IlluminatedJonathan Safran FoerThe Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
Eyeless in GazaAldous HuxleySamson Agonistes, John Milton
Fair Stood the Wind for FranceH. E. BatesBallad of Agincourt, Michael Drayton
Fame Is the SpurHoward SpringLycidas, John Milton
A Fanatic HeartEdna O'BrienRemorse for Intemperate Speech, William Butler Yeats
The Far-Distant OxusKatharine Hull and Pamela WhitlockSohrab and Rustum, Matthew Arnold
A Farewell to ArmsErnest HemingwayA Farewell to Arms , George Peele
Far From the Madding CrowdThomas HardyElegy Written in a Country Churchyard, Thomas Gray
Fear and TremblingSøren Kierkegaard'
For a Breath I TarryRoger ZelaznyA Shropshire Lad, A. E. Housman
For Whom the Bell TollsErnest HemingwayMeditation XVII, John Donne
Frequent HearsesEdmund CrispinElegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady, Alexander Pope
From Here to EternityJames JonesGentlemen-Rankers, Rudyard Kipling
A Glass of BlessingsBarbara PymThe Pulley, George Herbert
The Glory and the DreamWilliam ManchesterWilliam Wordsworth,
The Golden Apples of the SunRay BradburyThe Song of the Wandering Angus, W. B. Yeats
The Golden BowlHenry JamesEcclesiastes
Gone with the WindMargaret MitchellNon sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynarae, Ernest Dowson
The Grapes of WrathJohn SteinbeckThe Battle Hymn of the Republic, Julia Ward Howe
Great Work of TimeJohn CrowleyHoratian Ode upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland, Andrew Marvell
The Green Bay TreeLouis BromfieldPsalms
A Handful of DustEvelyn WaughThe Waste Land, T. S. Eliot
Have His CarcaseDorothy L. SayersThe Iliad, Homer
The Heart Is a Lonely HunterCarson McCullersThe Lonely Hunter, William Sharp
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All ThingsJT LeRoyJeremiah
His Dark MaterialsPhilip PullmanParadise Lost, John Milton
The House of MirthEdith WhartonEcclesiastes
How Sleep the BraveH. E. BatesHow Sleep the Brave, William Collins
How Sleep the BraveJames H. HunterHow Sleep the Brave, William Collins
How Sleep the BraveJohn BrileyHow Sleep the Brave, William Collins
I Know Why the Caged Bird SingsMaya AngelouSympathy, Paul Laurence Dunbar
I Sing the Body ElectricRay BradburyLeaves of Grass, Walt Whitman
I Will Fear No EvilRobert A. HeinleinPsalms
If I Forget Thee JerusalemWilliam FaulknerPsalms
If Not Now, When?Primo LeviPirkei Avot 1:13
In a Dry SeasonPeter RobinsonGerontion, by T. S. Eliot
In a Glass DarklySheridan Le FanuI Corinthians
In Death GroundDavid Weber & Steve WhiteThe Art of War, Sun Tzu
In Dubious BattleJohn SteinbeckParadise Lost, John Milton
An Instant in the WindAndré BrinkThe Broken Tower, Hart Crane
It's a BattlefieldGraham GreeneThe Invasion of the Crimea, Vol. 6, Alexander William Kinglake
Jacob Have I LovedKatherine PatersonRomans
O Jerusalem!Dominique Lapierre and Larry CollinsPsalms
Jesting PilateAldous HuxleyOf Truth, Francis Bacon
The Last EnemyRichard HillaryI Corinthians
The Last TemptationVal McDermidMurder in the Cathedral, T. S. Eliot
The Lathe of HeavenUrsula K. Le GuinZhuangzi, Book XXIII, paragraph 7
Let Us Now Praise Famous MenJames AgeeEcclesiasticus
Lilies of the FieldWilliam Edmund BarrettMatthew
This Lime Tree BowerConor McPhersonThis Lime-Tree Bower My Prison, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The Line of BeautyAlan HollinghurstThe Analysis of Beauty, William Hogarth
The Little FoxesLillian HellmanSong of Songs
Little Hands ClappingDan RhodesPied Piper of Hamelin, Robert Browning
Look Homeward, AngelThomas WolfeLycidas, John Milton
Look to WindwardIain M. BanksThe Waste Land, T. S. Eliot
The Man WithinGraham GreeneReligio Medici, Thomas Browne
Many WatersMadeleine L'EngleSong of Songs
A Many-Splendoured ThingHan SuyinThe Kingdom of God, Francis Thompson
The Mermaids SingingVal McDermidThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T. S. Eliot
The MillstoneMargaret DrabbleMatthew
The Mirror Crack'd from Side to SideAgatha ChristieThe Lady of Shalott, Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Moab Is My WashpotStephen FryPsalms
The Monkey's RaincoatRobert CraisThe Monkey's Raincoat, Matsuo Bashō
A Monstrous Regiment of WomenLaurie R. KingThe First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, John Knox
The Moon by NightMadeleine L'Engle'
Mother NightKurt VonnegutFaust Part One, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Moving FingerAgatha ChristieRubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, trans. Edward FitzGerald
The Moving ToyshopEdmund CrispinThe Rape of the Lock, Alexander Pope
Mr StandfastJohn BuchanPilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan
Nectar in a SieveKamala MarkandayaWork Without Hope, Samuel Coleridge
The Needle's EyeMargaret DrabbleMatthew
Nine Coaches WaitingMary StewartThe Revenger's Tragedy, Cyril Tourneur
No Country for Old MenCormac McCarthySailing to Byzantium, William Butler Yeats
No HighwayNevil ShuteThe Wanderer, John Masefield
Noli Me TangereJosé Rizal'
No Longer at EaseChinua AchebeThe Journey of the Magi, T. S. Eliot
Now Sleeps the Crimson PetalH. E. BatesNow Sleeps the Crimson Petal, Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Number the StarsLois LowryPsalms
Of Human BondageW. Somerset MaughamEthics, Baruch Spinoza
Of Mice and MenJohn SteinbeckTo a Mouse, Robert Burns
Oh! To be in EnglandH. E. BatesHome Thoughts From Abroad, Robert Browning
The Other Side of SilenceAndré BrinkMiddlemarch, George Eliot
The Painted VeilW. Somerset MaughamLift Not The Painted Veil Which Those Who Live, sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Pale Kings and PrincesRobert B. ParkerLa Belle Dame sans Merci, John Keats
The Parliament of ManPaul KennedyLocksley Hall, Alfred Lord Tennyson
Paths of GloryHumphrey CobbElegy Written in a Country Churchyard, Thomas Gray
A Passage to IndiaE. M. ForsterLeaves of Grass, Walt Whitman
O Pioneers!Willa CatherPioneers! O Pioneers!, Walt Whitman
Postern of FateAgatha ChristieGates of Damascus, James Elroy Flecker
Precious BaneMary WebbParadise Lost, John Milton
The Proper StudyIsaac AsimovAn Essay on Man, Alexander Pope
Quo VadisHenryk Sienkiewicz'
Recalled to LifeReginald HillA Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
Recalled to LifeRobert SilverbergA Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
Ring of Bright WaterGavin MaxwellThe Marriage of Psyche, Kathleen Raine
The Road Less TraveledM. Scott PeckThe Road Not Taken, Robert Frost
A Scanner DarklyPhilip K. DickI Corinthians
Shall not PerishWilliam FaulknerGettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln
The Skull Beneath the SkinP. D. JamesWhispers of Immortality, T. S. Eliot
The Soldier's ArtAnthony PowellChilde Roland to the Dark Tower Came, Robert Browning
Some Buried CaesarRex StoutRubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, trans. Edward FitzGerald
Specimen DaysMichael CunninghamWalt Whitmans prosework
The Stars' Tennis BallsStephen FryThe Duchess of Malfi, John Webster
Stranger in a Strange LandRobert A. Heinlein'
Such, Such Were the JoysGeorge OrwellThe Echoing Green, William Blake
A Summer Bird-CageMargaret DrabbleThe White Devil, John Webster
The Sun Also RisesErnest HemingwayEcclesiastes
Surprised by JoyC. S. LewisSurprised by Joy, William Wordsworth
A Swiftly Tilting PlanetMadeleine L'EngleMorning Song of Senlin, Conrad Aiken
Taming a Sea HorseRobert B. ParkerMy Last Duchess, Robert Browning
Tender Is the NightF. Scott FitzgeraldOde to a Nightingale, John Keats
Terrible Swift SwordBruce CattonThe Battle Hymn of the Republic, Julia Ward Howe
That Good NightNJ CrispDo not go gentle into that good night, Dylan Thomas
That Hideous StrengthC. S. LewisAne Dialog, David Lyndsay
Things Fall ApartChinua AchebeThe Second Coming, William Butler Yeats
This Side of ParadiseF. Scott FitzgeraldTiare Tahiti, Rupert Brooke
Those Barren LeavesAldous HuxleyThe Tables Turned, William Wordsworth
Thrones, DominationsDorothy L. SayersParadise Lost, John Milton
Tiger! Tiger! - alternative title of The Stars My DestinationAlfred BesterThe Tyger, William Blake
Tiger! Tiger!Rudyard Kipling short storyThe Tyger, William Blake
A Time of GiftsPatrick Leigh FermorTwelfth night, Louis MacNeice
Time of our DarknessStephen GrayFor the Fallen, Laurence Binyon
Time To Murder And CreateLawrence BlockThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T. S. Eliot
Tirra Lirra by the RiverJessica AndersonThe Lady of Shalott, Alfred, Lord Tennyson
To a God UnknownJohn SteinbeckRig Veda Book X
To Sail Beyond the SunsetRobert A. HeinleinUlysses, Alfred, Lord Tennyson
To Say Nothing of the DogConnie WillisThree Men in a Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
To Your Scattered Bodies GoPhilip José FarmerHoly Sonnets VIII, John Donne
The Torment of OthersVal McDermidThe Dry Salvages, T. S. Eliot
Unweaving the RainbowRichard DawkinsLamia, John Keats
Vanity FairWilliam Makepeace ThackerayThe Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan
Vile BodiesEvelyn Waugh'
The Violent Bear It AwayFlannery O'ConnorMatthew
Waiting for the BarbariansJ.M. CoetzeeWaiting for the Barbarians, Constantine P. Cavafy
Wandering Recollections of a Somewhat Busy LifeJohn NealRecollections of a Busy Life, Horace Greeley
The Waste LandT. S. EliotFrom Ritual to Romance, Jessie L. Weston
The Way of All FleshSamuel Butler'
The Way Through the WoodsColin DexterThe Way Through the Woods, Rudyard Kipling
The Wealth of NationsAdam Smith'
What's Become of WaringAnthony PowellWaring from Dramatic Lyrics, Robert Browning
When the Green Woods LaughH. E. BatesSongs of Innocence and of Experience, William Blake
Where Angels Fear to TreadE. M. ForsterEssay on Criticism, Alexander Pope
The Widening GyreRobert B. ParkerThe Second Coming, William Butler Yeats
Wildfire at MidnightMary StewartThe Revenger's Tragedy, Cyril Tourneur
The Wind's Twelve QuartersUrsula Le GuinA Shropshire Lad, A. E. Housman
The Wings of the DoveHenry James'
The Wives of BathSusan SwanThe Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale, Geoffrey Chaucer
The World, the Flesh and the DevilMary Elizabeth BraddonBook of Common Prayer
The Yellow Meads of AsphodelH. E. BatesOde on St. Cecilia's Day'', Alexander Pope