Top 10 Most Published Books of All Time
Les Listes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Humanity has spent millennia mastering the art of writing. In the first place, from the dawn of time, cavemen drew figures about their hunting skills on cave walls. Even then, it had the same principles of writing, to share a story about someone’s accomplishments to other people. Additionally, as time has passed and the symbols on the wall have transformed to words, homo sapiens have drawn on stones or walls with different signs. Afterwards, as technology has progressed, writing became much easier to produce and to distribute among the masses. As a result, we learned to share our thoughts with other people and to master the meanings of the words. While writers have come and gone, some have had the honor to be “immortalized” with their wonderful works producing some of the most published books of all time.
With the use of imagination, we transform simple words printed on pages into completely new worlds, people, and journeys. In this list for most published books, we dig into millions of published books around the World to find the most “Popular” among them. The books that created a huge commotion from their first publication and still continue to be a fundamental part of new libraries and bookstores worldwide.
Lastly, before we start with the list of most published books, it’s crucial to explain that some of the books couldn’t meet all the requirements to be included on this list. In fact, many of these books appear of Goodreads 100 best books every written. However, some pieces of literature, even though they sold millions of copies, can not be estimated. Consequently, all books about religion (the Bible for example) are not included.[1]Stylist – The all-time most popular books in the world revealed
#10: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis
Genre: Fantasy
First Published: 1950
Estimated number of copies sold: 85 million
In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, we follow the misfortune of four siblings (Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy). They flee their house in London to escape to the countryside during World War II. While playing around and exploring different parts of the house, Lucy enters into the titular wardrobe. Through this doorway, she instantly steps into the land of Narnia. After sharing this secret with her siblings, they decide to explore the uncharted lands. As a result, they meet many great characters such as Aslan, the Great Lion.[2]GoodReads – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
#9: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
Genre: Fantasy
First Published: 1865
Estimated number of copies sold: 100 million
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a great workout for the imagination. In fact, this fantastic book by Lewis Carroll is one of the best selling novels due to its randomness and description of peculiar creatures that live in Wonderland.[3]GoodReads – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland In this book, we all follow the “White Rabbit” and Alice as they discover each part of this wonderful place.
#8: The Dream of the Red Chamber, by Cao Xueqin
Genre: Historical Fiction
First Published: 1971
Estimated number of copies sold: 100 million
The Dream of the Red Chamber is one of the best pieces of Chinese literature. As a matter of fact, it perfectly captures the essence of the country during the Qing Dynasty. The book starts with the description of two wealthy families, the Rongguo and the Jia. However, its main focus is the story of Jia Bayou and the love triangle between two of his cousins.[4]GoodReads – The Dream of the Red Chamber It is considered one of the best selling novels in China. However, it still manages to captivate people in the West as well.
#7: And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
First Published: 1939
Estimated number of copies sold: 100 million
The plot of And Then There Were None starts when 10 different strangers arrive on a private island off the coast of Devon. They find one big mansion. However, the new guest can not find the host anywhere. In addition, inside the house, they find a “weird” piece of art which contains 10 different little sculptures. When the guests start to interact with each other, they soon realize that everyone has a dark past that none of them is willing to reveal.
As the narrative progresses, one by one, an unknown killer murders each person. At the same time, a sculptures start to disappear each time a person dies. It will be hard to put this book down, as you will want to know who is the killer and who will survive.[5]GoodReads – And There Were None The mystery around this narrative made this one of the most published books almost instantly.
#6: The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Fantasy
First Published: 1937
Estimated number of copies sold: 100 million
Originally Tolkien wrote The Hobbit for own children. Little did he know that it would become one of the most published books of all time. However, it soon became a classic shortly after the first publication. In this book, the reader meets the hobbit Bilbo Baggins and learns about his relationship with a Wizard named Gandalf the Grey. The first pages of the book describe different guests that appear unannounced in the house of the hobbit. These people are dwarfs that gathered inside the house to create a plan for recapture a former “home” that was taken from them. This mountain home is filled with gold and artifacts. However, there is one “big” hurdle in their path. A dragon, named Smaug, resides in the mountain and won’t give up its treasure so easily. Bilbo joins this quest and travels across Middle Earth with his new companions.[6]GoodReads – The Hobbit
#5: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fantasy
First Published: 1997
Estimated number of copies sold: 120 million
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J. K. Rowling managed to create an appealing lead character and strong interactions between him and his companions, that resonated the around the whole world. In this book, we follow the peculiar life of Harry Potter. his aunt and uncle adopted him, but didn’t treat him nicely. However, a letter notifying him that he is a wizard and is invited to attend Hogwarts, turns his life upside down. In this school, Harry discovers new friends that help him overcome both personal and life threatening difficulties present in Hogwarts, the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[7]GoodReads – Harry Potter and the Scorer’s Stone
#4: The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Genre: Fantasy
First Published: 1943
Estimated number of copies sold: 140 million
Due to its timeless charm, this book never misses the reading lists on any school around the world. Between the pages, the author introduces the Little Prince, who lives safely in a tiny planet but is intrigued to find what is “out there”. However, he was determined to journey across the universe. With every new planet that he visits, he encounters different peculiar people that mold his thinking about human behavior.[8]GoodReads – The Little Prince
#3: The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Fantasy
First Published: 1955
Estimated number of copies sold: 150 million
Tolkien, with the aid of some Nordic mythology, crafted The Lord of the Rings, one of the most published books of all time. In fact, they have inspired millions of different works within the genre. In this book, we learn about the different rings leaders from each of the different races (humans, elves, and dwarfs) acquire. At the same time, we find out about another ring, “one to rule them all”. The owner of this ring, Sauron, with the help of Elven-smiths, created the most powerful weapon in the land of the “Middle Earth”. But he lost the one ring.
By the occurrence of random,unfortunate events, it lands in the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. When Bilbo celebrated his hundred and eleventh birthday, he disappeared from his homeland, the Shire, and left the powerful ring to his cousin, Frodo Baggins without knowing the complications that arrived with this exchange. As the story progresses, we follow the quest of Frodo and his companions, the “Fellowship of the Ring”, across different areas of the Middle Earth as they attempt to reach Mount Doom (the place that forged the One Ring), to destroy the ring and defeat Sauron once and for all.[9]GoodReads – The Lord of the Rings
#2: A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
Genre: Historical Fiction; Political Commentary
First Published: 1859
Estimated number of copies sold: 200 million
It is little surprise that this book appears on a list of the most published books of all time. A Tale of Two Cities is a work of fiction by the author Charles Dickens is one of the greatest novels ever written.[10]GoodReads – A Tale of Two Cities Most noteworthy though, Dickens was inspired by the events in history between England and France during the time of the French Revolution and used them to craft his story. The story follows the life of the aging Doctor Manette, whom after being imprisoned for eighteen years, reunites (and meets for the first time) his daughter in England. At the same time, the narrative changes perspective and we follow the aforementioned daughter Lucie Manette, her marriage and the collision between her dear spouse and the people responsible for her father’s imprisonment.
#1: Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes
Genre: Fiction, Poetry, Romance Novel
First Published: 1615
Estimated number of copies sold: 500 million
Don Quixote is at the top of the most published books of all time list. First, in the story, the titular character read too many books about chivalry and romances. As a result, he decides to become a knight-errant and explore the outside world. Joined by his trusted companion, Sancho Panza, he encounters different obstacles like “giants” (or windmills) among other dangers that occasionally have the misfortune of crossing their path for glory.[11]GoodReads – Don Quixote
References
