What is the first and second most read books in the world. The story of the worlds earliest dated printed book wood, frances, barnard, mark on. The book is considered one of the most influential pieces of spanish. In my version of the the list, the bible remained the top seller in the world, with sales figures ranging widely. World of books is one of the largest online sellers of secondhand books in the world. The number 200 million is controversial however, considering that the book is regularly on the required reading lists of students in the u. The holy bible, quotations from chairman mao tsetung, harry potter, the lord of the rings, the alchemist, the da vinci code, the night saga, gone with the wind, think and grow rich, and the diary of anne frank. The word sutra is the most common term for a buddhist scripture.
Charles haddon spurgeon believed to be the secondmost printed book of all time behind the bible museum of the bible. And where does the book alcoholics anonymous place on that list. The most commonly read book in the world is the bible. In fact, the very first book printed in english was a translation. Top 10 most read books in the world based on number of books printed and sold over the last 50 years.
Sep 27, 20 it will not be especially little, and the cover will be only partly red. According to guinness world records as of 1995, the bible is the bestselling book of. In my version of the the list, the bible remained the top seller in the world, with sales figures ranging. The image above is the oldest verifiable printed book in the world, the diamond sutra. Here are the top 10 most read books in the world 1 the bible 3. The earliest examples of woodblock printing are estimated to date as far back as 220 ce. It will not be especially little, and the cover will be only partly red. The second most read book in the world is quotations from chairman mao tsetung which has sold. Bibles are the most common book in the world, especially in the english language. Ancient wisdom from the second most translated book in the. Researchers have collated the figures for the number of editions, translations and copies sold of the worlds most. Made in 868 ad and written in chinese, the text contains a significant dialogue on perception, and is one of the most important sacred works of the buddhist faith. The top 10 most published books of all time les listes. The buddhist text known as the diamond sutra is believed to be the oldest surviving printed book in the world.
Apr 11, 2007 i noticed that your answer to the top ten most printed books of all time is pulled from wikipedias best selling books of all time. The 2010 edition of the catalogue is the worlds third most printed publication next to the bible and harry potter but martin roth wrote an article in 2002 where he was pretty sure that ikea was close to beating the bible in regard of worldwide distribution. For those of you who arent familiar with the tao te ching, this is the second most translated book in the world after the bible and it was written more than 2500 years ago by this wise chinese man called lao tzu. Writer james chapman created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each. He found that the bible far outsold any other book, with a whopping 3. Best selling refers to the estimated number of copies sold of each book, rather than the number of books printed or currently owned. As of june 2017, the series has been translated into 80 languages, placing harry potter among historys most translated literary works. What is the second best selling book of all time after. In the september the huffington post published an article by. Despite popular belief, the bible is not the most printed or translated book in the english language, reminded a library special collections expert. The holy bible, quotations from chairman mao tsetung, harry potter, the lord of the rings, the alchemist, the da vinci code, the night saga, gone with the wind, think and grow rich, and the diary of anne frank according to writer james chapman who created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each. A childrens fable certified by guinness world records as the smallest book ever reproduced in a colorful large print edition.
With the use of imagination, we transform simple words printed on pages into completely new worlds, people, and journeys. William caxton, who introduced the printing press to england, printed the recuyell of the historyes of troye in 1473, which he had translated from the french original of raoul lefevre. Harper lees new novel go set a watchman, the followup to to kill a mockingbird, is set to become one of the fastestselling books of all time. Because this book is in the public domain and has been published in numerous editions by hundreds of publishers over the last 150 years, its impossible to ascertain the exact number of copies sold. What quote is printed in the beginning of the book random hearts by warren adler one of the first pages before the story begins. The alltime most popular books in the world revealed posted by stylist team. Maos little red book to get revamp world news the guardian. It is common knowledge that don quixote has sold over 500 million copies, and in fact, that number is conservative. Whether its the latest book release, fiction or nonfiction.
Dec 20, 2008 the bible is the most printed book, right. Incorporated as a notforprofit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in geneva, switzerland, the forum is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. Second to the bible in total copies and translations, the story was written by john. Second installment of the harry potter series, 1999, over 60 million copies. Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the world s bestselling and most widely distributed book. Is fifty shades of grey really the uks bestselling book. List of literary works by number of translations wikipedia. According to the guinness book of world records, 2. What is the most published book in the world answers. It marked the start of the gutenberg revolution and the age of printed books in the west. There are more and more people becoming christians all over the world, especially in antichristian nations like iraq, iran, china, north korea, and afghanistan.
This page provides lists of bestselling individual books and book series to date and in any language. Today, the worlds most translated book is the bible. Rowlings harry potter series, which is the most successful movie franchise in the world, ranked third with 400 million copies sold worldwide. The book is valued and revered for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities as well as its historic significance. Dec 28, 2012 the most read book in the world is the bible. The bay psalm book is a simple thing, containing psalms translated from hebrew into english in massachusetts. For these reasons, major religious and political texts are not listed here, but we can all agree that they are among the top selling books of alltime. What is the second best selling book of all time after the bible. And in a 2005 update he estimated that ikea had actually overtaken the bible. The bible tops the list of the most read books in the world. Since the invention of the printing press in mid1400s, the holy bible has been the most printed book in all of world history, at an estimated 6 billion copies. Every church has hundreds upon hundreds, if not thousands of bibles.
Our massive collection of over 2 million cheap used books also comes with free delivery in the uk. Most scholars agree that the greatest works of world literature were written by homer. Mar 19, 2010 the most commonly read book in the world is the bible. Sep 17, 2016 if you are referring to a nonreligious book. Researchers have collated the figures for the number of editions, translations and copies sold of the worlds most popular books these are the most loved tomes. Because this book is in the public domain and has been published in numerous editions by hundreds of publishers over the.
Best selling refers to the estimated number of toys sold, rather than the number of bodies printed from russian women in. The four hundredth anniversary of the printing of the first english bible is an event of great significance. Christian books still dominate alltime bestsellers lists. Regardless of what you think of all the entries, if our want to understand the world around you and the people in it, reading these books cover to cover would be a good start. Jul 15, 2015 harper lees new novel go set a watchman, the followup to to kill a mockingbird, is set to become one of the fastestselling books of all time. The most popular novel on this list was spanish novel don quixote which came in at fourth place with 500m copies sold, followed by j. Last time it was like 33% christian the most popular but what is it now. The top 10 most read books in the world list challenges. Numbers indicate number of copies sold or printed 1.
Robert chaplin is raising funds for the worlds smallest book a large print edition on kickstarter. That would break records and make it the worlds most expensive printed book. The 20 most influential books in history world economic. According to writer james chapman who created a list of the most read books in the world. Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the worlds bestselling and most widely distributed book.
A survey by the bible society concluded that around 2. The huffington post article actually named 16 books that have sold the most copies worldwide, noting that the bible is the top seller in the world. Writer james chapman created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each book sold over the last 50 years he found. The answer is quite surprising at first, but not that unexpected when you think about it. These are the 12 most popular books of all time indy100. This page provides lists of bestselling individual masturbation, and vibrating series to date and in any language. The alltime most popular books in the world revealed stylist. With news this week of the discovery of what could be the earliest known siddur, a jewish prayer book dated at around 840 ad we have put together a list of 10 of the oldest known surviving books in the world today writing and literature are thought to have been first developed between the. Did you know the most widely circulated magazine in the world. First published in 1859, this novel by charles dickens examines the class struggles that lead to the french revolution, and the uncomfortable truth that sometimes the revolutionaries are worse than the establishment. Bible is the best book ever published and its the first book in the world to be printed and its the best book to read. The book alcoholics anonymous is not in the top ten books of all time.
Quotations from chairman mao zedong, mao zedong, 900 million. The world economic forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. I noticed that your answer to the top ten most printed. Additionally, these books have often been printed by a wide range of publishers over centuries, many of them unreported. The most widely printed book in history is the christian bible. Nov 19, 2012 for those of you who arent familiar with the tao te ching, this is the second most translated book in the world after the bible and it was written more than 2500 years ago by this wise chinese man called lao tzu. Some titles may have had more copies printed than some of these books, but a vast number of those books were not sold, so well assume that they did not get read. Quotations from the works of mao tsetung came in second with 820 million copies sold, and. The gutenberg bible also known as the 42line bible, the mazarin bible or the b42 was among the earliest major books printed using massproduced movable metal type in europe. What is the number one most printed book in the world. The 20 most translated texts in history ingco international. The books are listed according to the highest sales estimate as reported in reliable, independent sources. Nov 15, 20 researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 most read books in the world. See how it compares to the top 100 bestsellers of all time.
Sep 07, 2010 the huffington post article actually named 16 books that have sold the most copies worldwide, noting that the bible is the top seller in the world. The alltime most popular books in the world revealed. But a new version of the worlds second most published book is due to appear on chinese shelves, decades after it fell from. Based on john bunyans epic masterpiece, the pilgrims progress is one of the most popular books of all time, and one of the most important stories of our faith.
The 21 bestselling books of all time howstuffworks. The 10 most read books in the world infographic business. Did you know the most widely circulated magazine in the world is the monthly publication of jehovahs witnesses. Researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 mostread books in the world. The first novel in the series, harry potter and the philosophers stone, has sold in excess of 120 million copies, making it one of the bestselling books of all time. What was the first english language book to be printed.
It is often regarded as the second best selling book behind only the bible, and at least conceded as the greatest selling work of fiction of all time, without out a close second. Some titles may have had more copies printed than some of these books, but a vast number of those books were. The most widelyread magazine in the world is the handdistributed, brooklynbased monthly publication of. What is the second best selling book of all time after the. It was discovered along with 40,000 other documents in the cave of a thousand buddha complex in central china. Aug 02, 2018 which book is read the most in the world. Comics and textbooks are not included in this list. Rowlings harry potter series at fifth place with 450m copies. It was first published in 1605 and a second edition was released in 1615.
Next to the bible, the book i value most is john bunyans pilgrims progress. What are the top 10 most printed books of all time. Chapman created the list by examining how many individual copies of the books had been printed and sold over the last 50 years. With news this week of the discovery of what could be the earliest known siddur, a jewish prayer book dated at around 840 ad we have put together a list of 10 of the oldest known surviving books in the world today. Writer james chapman created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each book sold over the last 50 years. But a new version of the world s second most published book is due to appear on chinese shelves, decades after it fell from. Writing and literature are thought to have been first developed between the 7th and 4th millenium bc.
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