It is a well-documented fact that humans love superlatives. We love assigning accolades to anything and everything—the best restaurants, the top models, the most beautiful buildings, the worst failures. The designations we give things are endless, and the disagreements over the assignations are almost as plentiful. It sometimes seems like that’s what the internet was invented to do—give people a place to argue about each other’s opinions on everything. And lists seem to be the internet's favorite way to share likes and dislikes.

One such opinion that is constantly thrown around is the best American author. How does one decide who earns that accolade? Is it by reviews or book sales or the number of awards an author receives? I personally don't believe it is possible to label just one American author as the best.

So, to curate a list of famous American writers who are also considered among the best American authors, I looked at a few things—current ratings for their works, their particular time periods in history, critical reception, their prevalence in the 21st century, and yes, the awards they won. Many of these authors are taught in school today, and hopefully, several more of them will be taught in school in the near future.

19th Century

20th Century

21st Century

Liberty Hardy is a Book Riot senior contributing editor and velocireader in the great state of Maine, where she reads 500-600 books a year and lives with her three cats, who hate to read.