Recs if you like On the Nature of Things...

This isn't MY list. These are the foundational texts of the Western Canon. Up until the early 1900s, these were unquestionably part of any educated person's background. Austen, Lewis, Twain, James, Sayers, Tolkien....what do you think they grew up reading that informed the genius works they created? Their masterpieces didn't materialize out of thin air. This list is by no means comprehensive, but you'll be off to a solid start.

Works written in Latin I would consider to be classics, ranging from prose to poetry to plays.

Reed College HUM 110 Syllabus Books