Science Fiction classics

Apparently the Instapundit put out a call for lists of science fiction classics and the fellow who runs MarsBlog has his own list. Mine would be:

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
Dune by Frank Herbert
Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Forge of God and The Anvil of Stars by Greg Bear
The Star King and its 4 "sequels" (actually intended as a 5 book set) by Jack Vance
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

Geez, I could go on and on. Just about anything by Henlein or Jack Vance I love. Jack Vance is someone who doesn't typically come up in these types of lists I think, but he is simply an amazing writer. He doesn't write hard SF, it's more like adventure novels (and in many instances, social commentary) with SF trappings, but he has such a gift for prose that his novels are just an immense pleasure to read.