In the traditional sense of the term, a classic book is one written in ancient Greece or ancient Rome (see classics). The word classic can also be applied to literature and other art that is widely considered a model of its form.
Some authors who have written classics are William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer, Miguel Cervantes, Niccolo Machiavelli, Lao Zi (Lao Tzu), and Confucius.
Classics in this sense make up what some call a canon of world literature.
The question of what belongs in the canon of Western literature and art is a matter of much dispute.
Most classics are many years old, but sometimes the word is pressed into into use to describe newer works. 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 online from sources such as Project Gutenberg or The Literature Network.
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