Harvard Classics: Five-Foot Shelf of Books Known as The Harvard Classics, this honored collection encompasses more than 2,000 years of the world's greatest poetry, drama, history, philosophy, scripture, and more. These are the books that have shaped our thoughts, our language...our very lives. The full 50-volume set brings together more than 1,850 works by over 300 masters of thought and letters, and includes Dr. Eliot's Reader's Guide and a General Index containing upwards of 18,000 entries.