Set texts and reading lists
The books people are set to read, from GCSE and A-level set texts, the Leaving Cert and AP Literature to the Great Books, book club picks and banned lists. Each list links every title to its first edition, how to identify it and what it is worth.
24 lists so far. Your school or study copy of any of these books is a reprint worth a few pounds; the first printing of the first edition is the one worth money, and each list shows which of its books we have identified and valued.
Exam set texts
- England · 2026 to 2027
AQA GCSE English Literature set texts
- England · 2026 to 2027
Edexcel GCSE English Literature set texts
- England · 2026 to 2027
OCR GCSE English Literature set texts
- England · 2026 to 2027
Eduqas GCSE English Literature set texts
- England · 2026 to 2027
AQA A Level English Literature A set texts
- England · 2026 to 2027
AQA A Level English Literature B set texts
- England · 2026 to 2027
Edexcel A Level English Literature set texts
- England · 2026 to 2027
OCR A Level English Literature set texts
- Scotland · 2026 to 2027
SQA Scottish set texts for National 5 and Higher English
- Ireland · 2026
Leaving Certificate English prescribed texts
- Ireland · 2027
Leaving Certificate English prescribed texts
- Ireland · 2024 to 2027
Junior Cycle English prescribed texts
- United States · 1970 to 2026
AP English Literature: the most cited books
- Australia · 2027
VCE English and EAL text list
- Australia · 2027 to 2028
HSC English prescriptions 2027 to 2028
School curriculum
University reading
Canon and great books
Book club
Banned and challenged
Frequently asked questions
Is my old school copy of a set text worth anything?
Almost never: school editions are printed in the hundreds of thousands and sell for a few pounds. The valuable copy is the first printing of the first edition, which each list here links to, with the points that identify it and its recorded value where we have one.
Where do the lists come from?
From the exam boards, education departments and organisations that publish them, linked on each page with the date we last read the official list. We add the first edition and collecting facts from our catalogue.