In the traditional sense, a Classic Book is one written in ancient Greek or latin (ie. classical civilization era) (see classics). The word Classic may, however, also be applied to literature and other art that is widely considered a model of its form.
In this sense, classics comprise what some call a canon of world literature. A matter of little dispute is what belongs in the canon of Western literature and art.
Most classics are many many years old, usualy at least 50, but the word is sometimes pressed into use to describe newer works. Classics also share very good reviews from magazines,and critics. Many classic books are, because of their age, now out of copyright and in the public domain, and of these a large number are freely available on-line from sources such as Project Gutenberg, many university websites or commercial sites such as Literature Junction and The Literature Network. At the same time, a classic book can refer to a published work that (in most people's opinions) should be read or at least known by people worldwide-thus translated into multiple languages. All the same, a book needs to have some age to it to prove that it is loved. A fifty-plus year old book like Tom Sawyer or To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic while a newer book like Harry Potter is not, but it will be, once it's famous for fifty or more years.
The phrase 'classic book' or 'classic literature' has taken on new meaning - many view any pre-1900 book still in print as a classic, or titles that is hundred years or older and still in print, and many books are classed as modern classics because of their contemporary significance or perceived future significance...
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