Conan
Author: Robert E. Howard
Synopsis: The first, orginal, and in many ways still the best set of sword and sorcery yarns around. Read only the Howard, not the many pastiches by other authors.

Gideon
Author: J. J. Marric
Synopsis: First class police procedural novels about George Gideon, a senior officer in London's Scotland Yard.

Hornblower
Author: C. S. Forester
Synopsis: A classic series about the British navy during and after the Napoleonic wars. Follow the adventures of Horatio Hornbower from midshipman to admiral in the days of wooden ships and iron men.

Kane
Author: Karl Edward Wagner
Synopsis: Fantasy swords and sorcery in a darker mode with Kane the main character (you can't really say hero). Deathless, cursed to wander the world until slain by violence, these tales have a dark edge to them unlike anything else. Here is a good web site on Kane. I don't completely agree with the chronology given, but it does represent a lot of work.

Modesty Blaise
Author: Peter O'Donnell
Synopsis: Classic modern adventure as Modesty and her sidekick Willie Garvin deal with various criminals in remarkably clever ways. From the first one, "Modesty Blaise", to the last one, "Cobra Trap", they are all excellent. Here is a good Modesty Blaise web site with a lot of information and links.

Nero Wolfe
Author: Rex Stout
Synopsis: Some of the best and most amusing detective novels ever written. Told first person by Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's chief employee, they sparkle with clever writing and interesting situations. Here is a good Nero Wolfe web site to look through.

Sten
Author: Chris Bunch and Alan Cole
Synopsis: First class science fiction in the grand space opera tradition. Lots of humor (especially in the various military schools the hero attends). A set of eight books that trace the career of Sten from his youth to loyal follower of the Eternal Emperor to leader of the rebellion and beyond. Great light reading.