18 Maha Puranas :

Of these, six are  Sattvic  Puranas glorifying Vishnu; six are  Rajasic,  glorifying Brahma; six
are  Tamasic,  glorifying Siva.

Vyasa, the son of Rishi Parasara, is said to be the author of them all.

1. Agni Purana: Includes geography of Mithila (Bihar and neighboring

states), cultural history, politics, education system, iconography, taxation
theories, organization of army, theories on proper causes for war, diplomacy,
local laws, building public projects, water distribution methods, trees and
plants, medicine, Vastu Shastra (architecture), gemology, grammar, metrics,
poetry, food, rituals , martial arts and numerous other topics
2. Bhagavata Purana: The most studied and popular of the Puranas. telling of
Vishnu's Avatars, and of Vaishnavism. It contains a controversial genealogical
details of various dynasties. Numerous inconsistent versions of this text and
historical manuscripts exist, in many Indian languages. Influential and elaborated
during Bhakti movement.
3. Brahma/Aadi Purana : Includes mythology, theory of war, art work in temples,
and other cultural topics.
4. Brahmananda Purana: it contains a controversial genealogical details of
various dynasties. Includes Lalita Sahasranamam, law codes, system of
governance, administration, diplomacy, trade, ethics. Old manuscripts of
Brahmanda Purana have been found in the Hindu literature collections of Bali,
Indonesia.
5. Brahmavaivarta Purana :Discusses Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha, Devis, Vishnu,
Krishna and Radha. Primarily mythology, love and seduction stories of gods and
goddesses. Mentions geography and rivers such as Ganga to Kaveri.
6. Garuda Purana : Cosmology, relationship between gods. Discusses
ethics, what are crimes, good verses evil, various schools of Hindu philosophies,
the theory of Yoga, the theory of "heaven and hell" with "karma and rebirth",
includes Upanishadic discussion of self-knowledge as a means
of moksha. Includes chapters on rivers, geography of Bharat (India) and other
nations on earth, types of minerals and stones, testing methods for stones for
 their quality, various diseases and their symptoms, various medicines,
aphrodisiacs, prophylactics, Hindu calendar and its basis, astronomy, moon,
planets, astrology, architecture, building home, essential features of a
temple, rites of passage, virtues such as compassion, charity and gift
making, economy, thrift, duties of a king, politics, state officials and their
roles and how to appointment them, genre of literature, rules of grammar,
and other topics. The final chapters discuss how to practice Yoga (Samkhya and
Advaita types), personal development and the benefits of self-knowlede.
7. Kurma Purana: explains vishnu’s 2nd avatara.
8. Linga Purana : Discusses Lingam, symbol of Shiva, and origin of the universe.
9. Markandeya Puana : Contains chapters on dharma and on Hindu epic
Mahabharata. The Purana includes Devi Mahatmyam of Shaktism.
10. Matsya Putana : Includes legends about Brahma and Saraswati. It also contains
a controversial genealogical details of various dynasties.
11. Narada Purana: Lists major rivers of India and places of pilgrimage, and a short
tour guide for each. Includes discussion of various philosophies, soteriology,
planets, astronomy, myths and characteristics of major deities including Vishnu,
Shiva, Devi, Krishna, Rama, Lakshmi and others.
12. Padma Purana: Describes cosmology, the world and nature of life from the
perspective of Vishnu. Discusses festivals, numerous legends, geography of
rivers and regions from northwest India to Bengal to the kingdom
of Tripura, major sages of India, various Avatars of Vishnu and his cooperation
with Shiva, Places of pilgrimage.
13. ShivaPurana : Stories about Shiva.
14. Skanda Purana : Describes the birth of Skanda (or Karthikeya), son of Shiva. The
longest Purana, it is an extraordinarily meticulous pilgrimage guide, containing
geographical locations of pilgrimage centers in India, with related legends,
parables, hymns and stories. Many untraced quotes are attributed to this text.
15. Vamana Purana: Describes North India, particularly Himalayan
foothills region.
16. Varaha Purana : Primarily Vishnu-related worship manual, with
large Mahatmya sections or travel guide to Mathura and Nepal.
17. Vayu Purana : Discusses rituals, family life, and life stages of a human being.
18. Vishnu Purana: A Vaishnavism text, focused on Vishnu.

Again these Puranas have been classified on the basis of certain deities. It is as follows-

Brahma - Brahma Purana, Padma Purana.

Agni - Agni Purana.

Surya - Brahmavaivarta Purana.

Shiva - Shiva Purana, Linga Purana, Skanda Purana, Varaha Purana, Vamana Purana,
Kurma Purana, Matsya Purana, Markandeya Purana and Brahmanda Purana.

Vishnu - Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Narada Purana, Garuda Purana, Varaha
Purana and Vayu Purana.

Padma Purana has again classified the Puranas according to three qualities namely, truth,
emotion, and ignorance. They are as follows-

Truth - Shiva Purana, Linga Purana, Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Narada Purana,
Garuda Purana, Padma Purana, Varaha Purana.

Passion - Brahmanda Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Markandeya Purana, Bhavishya

Purana, Vamana Purana, Brahma Purana.

Ignorance - Matsya Purana, Kurma purana, Skanda Purana, Agni Purana.