The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge makes for a nice, albeit very short, book. Something a more lengthy but still uber-cool would be Paradise Lost, although you might be so sick of Milton’s endless supply of pretentiousness that you’ll stop after book one.

How about...Bartleby, the Scrivener?

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

I love the Rime suggestion. Another idea would be to compile a book of related shorter poems.

Poetry would be a different kind of challenge, you could look at Beowulf or a bit of Chaucer if you wanted to make things really tricky.
Ða wæs on burgum Beowulf Scyldinga,
leof leodcyning, longe þrage
folcum gefræge (fæder ellor hwearf,
aldor of earde), oþþæt him eft onwoc
heah Healfdene; heold þenden lifde,
gamol ond guðreouw, glæde Scyldingas.

Thus swyved was this carpenter’s wyf,
For al his kepyng and his jalousye;
And Absolon hath kist hir nether ye;
And Nicholas is scalded in the towte.
This tale is doon, and God save al the rowte!

Tim

Let's starting writing it now:

It was a dark and stormy night...

…and the doctor had been called…

Her dress lay in tatters on the floor.

For the raven crowed, never more....

«El futuro es una línea tan fina que apenas nos damos cuenta de pintarla nosotros mismos». (La Luz Oscura, por Javier Guerrero)

Thanks a lot for the suggestions -- they're all very welcome.

I think perhaps Gulliver's Travels wouldn't be different enough in the sense that it's also a romance for about the same demographic (originally, anyway). Poetry might be an interesting challenge; if anyone has other suggestions to make, now is the time. Beowulf and Chaucer are way out of my league, though.

As for the story you've started to write, make it 25,000 words long and I'll consider it.