"Orlando Furioso" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Furioso As noted in the Wikipedia article, a number of both verse and prose translations are available Bob prefers the Harrington verse translation, but the recent Slavit verse translation, though abridged, is worth reading
"Jerusalem Delivered" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_Delivered Bob likes the Fairfax translation but recommends Esolen's
"The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer There are a plethora of translations, both verse and prose Bryant's verse translation is unduly neglected; however, Bob recommends Chapman's verse translation, particularly the 2-vol. PUP edition which also includes "The Lesser Homerica" http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B002L805WC/ref=dp_olp_collectible?ie=UTF8&qid=1285719384&sr=1-7&condition=collectible
Christopher Marlowe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Marlowe Bob likes all of Marlowe, plays and verse, particular his "Hero and Leander" and "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"
"The Pilgrim's Progress" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim's_Progress
John Milton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Milton Bob likes all of Milton's verse, particularly "Paradise Lost", but finds his prose heavy going
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow Bob thinks Longfellow underrated
Alfred, Lord Tennyson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred,LordTennyson Tennyson often wrote too much like Tennyson but Bob likes anyway If new to Tennyson, one might try “The Idylls of the King”
"Don Quixote" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote Bob's favorite single prose fiction (as it is of many others) There are numerous translations, many worth reading Bob's two favorites are the one by Samuel Putnam and the one by James H. Montgomery If you are coming new to the book, you might like to start with Montgomery
P. G. Wodehouse http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.G.Wodehouse Bob's favorite author Mainly known for his prose fiction, he also wrote numerous song lyrics for the musical theater (see http://www.amazon.com/Bolton-Wodehouse-Kern-Musical-Comedy/dp/0870081454/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285720662&sr=1-1 ) and unreliable prose non-fiction Bob prefers his short stories to his novels and lyrics, particularly the Mulliner stories and the golf stories
Philip Larkin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Larkin Bob's favorite modern poet Everybody should have a copy of his collected poems http://www.amazon.com/Collected-Poems-Philip-Larkin/dp/0374529205/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285721066&sr=1-1 Bob does not care for his prose fiction, but his non-fiction is worth reading
Rudyard Kipling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling Kipling is great, both prose and verse Bob particularly likes his short stories (he recommends the Everyman edition) and the T. S. Eliot edited collections of his verse http://www.amazon.com/CHOICE-KIPLINGS-VERSE-RUDYARD-KIPLING/dp/B000H7YIA4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285721825&sr=1-1
Stephen Foster http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Foster As the Wikipedia article says Foster is the "father of American music"
W. H. Hudson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Hudson Hudson published a lot All that Bob has read is worth reading Bob's favorites are "Far Away and Long Ago" , "Idle Days in Patagonia", and "The Purple Land"
William Shakespeare http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare Bob likes most of Shakespeare His favorites are the "Sonnets" and "Romeo and Juliette"
William Wordsworth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wordsworth Bob is a major Wordsworth fan even though a good bit of his poetry is not too good - best to read a selection such as the Penguin Classics "Selected Poems" Of all his poems, Bob likes best "The Prelude" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prelude Bob recommends the Norton Critical Edition: The Prelude: 1799, 1805, 1850 (Norton Critical Editions) by William Wordsworth, M. H. Abrams, Stephen Gill, and Jonathan Wordsworth
"The Anabasis" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabasis_(Xenophon) "The Anabasis" might be best approached by first reading "Xenophon's Retreat: Greece, Persia, and the End of the Golden Age" by Robin Waterfield
"The Education of Henry Adams: An Autobiography" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Education_of_Henry_Adams Bob recommends the Massachusetts Historical Society edition