Wuthering Heights (1847), authored by Charlotte Brontë, is an early Gothic novel recognized by Forster as one of the four truly prophetic works. The story delves into themes of inheritance and legitimacy among the English upper class and incorporates supernatural elements.

Moby Dick (1851), written by Herman Melville, is hailed as one of the greatest novels ever penned. It tells the tale of a man's obsessive quest to hunt down Moby Dick, a massive white whale he is determined to kill. Forster considers this novel to be one of the truly prophetic works ever written.

The Brothers Karamazov (1879–1880) is a masterpiece by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, whom Forster regards as one of the four truly prophetic novelists. The novel revolves around a man accused of murdering his own father.

Howard’s End (1910), a novel by Forster and his first major literary success, explores the social divisions between the upper and lower classes in Edwardian England, illustrated through the interactions of two different families.

Women in Love (1920) is a significant work by D. H. Lawrence, whom Forster identified as the only truly prophetic writer alive during his 1927 lecture series. The novel focuses on the romantic relationships of two modern, independent, free-spirited sisters in post-World War I England. It continues the narrative from Lawrence's earlier novel, The Rainbow, which chronicles three generations of a family from the 1860s to the years leading up to World War I.

A Passage to India (1924) is Forster’s masterpiece, depicting the cultural clash between the British and Indians in colonial India through the experiences of a young girl.

Abinger Harvest (1936) is a collection of about fifty essays by Forster, originally published between 1919 and 1935. Similar to the later collection Two Cheers for Democracy, it features biographical sketches of other writers, literary criticism, and expressions of his political views as a liberal humanist. This collection includes “Notes on the English Character,” one of his most renowned essays.

Two Cheers for Democracy (1951) is another collection of essays by Forster, much like Abinger Harvest, including biographical sketches, literary criticism, reviews, and his liberal humanist political stance. It features “What I Believe,” one of his most famous essays.

Maurice (1971), a novel completed by Forster in 1914 but published posthumously, explores a young man's journey to understanding his homosexuality. It is widely believed to be autobiographical.

E. M. Forster: A Biography (1994) by Nicola Beauman is one of several recent biographies chronicling the life of Forster.