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. Incorporated as a notforprofit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in geneva, switzerland, the forum is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. Here are the top 10 most read books in the world 1 the bible 3. In my version of the the list, the bible remained the top seller in the world, with sales figures ranging widely. 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. The 20 most translated texts in history ingco international. According to guinness world records as of 1995, the bible is the bestselling book of. Quotations from the works of mao tsetung came in second with 820 million copies sold, and. Writing and literature are thought to have been first developed between the 7th and 4th millenium bc. Ancient wisdom from the second most translated book in the. 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. Additionally, these books have often been printed by a wide range of publishers over centuries, many of them unreported. The bay psalm book is a simple thing, containing psalms translated from hebrew into english in massachusetts.
The books are listed according to the highest sales estimate as reported in reliable, independent sources. 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. Best selling refers to the estimated number of toys sold, rather than the number of bodies printed from russian women in. The most commonly read book in the world is the bible.
The book alcoholics anonymous is not in the top ten books of all time. Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the worlds bestselling and most widely distributed book. Top 10 most read books in the world based on number of books printed and sold over the last 50 years. And in a 2005 update he estimated that ikea had actually overtaken the bible.
List of literary works by number of translations wikipedia. Today, the worlds most translated book is the 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. In fact, the very first book printed in english was a translation. What is the second best selling book of all time after. The 20 most influential books in history world economic.
The buddhist text known as the diamond sutra is believed to be the oldest surviving printed book in the world. 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. World of books is one of the largest online sellers of secondhand books in the world. In my version of the the list, the bible remained the top seller in the world, with sales figures ranging. What is the most published book in the world answers. 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. And where does the book alcoholics anonymous place on that list. The answer is quite surprising at first, but not that unexpected when you think about it. 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. It marked the start of the gutenberg revolution and the age of printed books in the west. But a new version of the worlds second most published book is due to appear on chinese shelves, decades after it fell from. I noticed that your answer to the top ten most printed.
Also, does anyone have an update of the percentage of the religions in the world. 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. Our massive collection of over 2 million cheap used books also comes with free delivery in the uk. The book is considered one of the most influential pieces of spanish. There are more and more people becoming christians all over the world, especially in antichristian nations like iraq, iran, china, north korea, and afghanistan. 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. Quotations from chairman mao zedong, mao zedong, 900 million. According to writer james chapman who created a list of the most read books in the world. The alltime most popular books in the world revealed stylist. Despite popular belief, the bible is not the most printed or translated book in the english language, reminded a library special collections expert. But a new version of the world s second most published book is due to appear on chinese shelves, decades after it fell from. Some titles may have had more copies printed than some of these books, but a vast number of those books were. 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.
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. These are the 12 most popular books of all time indy100. This page provides lists of bestselling individual books and book series to date and in any language. The second most read book in the world is quotations from chairman mao tsetung which has sold. Whether its the latest book release, fiction or nonfiction. 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 story of the worlds earliest dated printed book wood, frances, barnard, mark on. Christian books still dominate alltime bestsellers lists.
It will not be especially little, and the cover will be only partly red. Most scholars agree that the greatest works of world literature were written by homer. Because this book is in the public domain and has been published in numerous editions by hundreds of publishers over the. It is common knowledge that don quixote has sold over 500 million copies, and in fact, that number is conservative. The word sutra is the most common term for a buddhist scripture. Mar 19, 2010 the most commonly read book in the world is the bible. Dec 28, 2012 the most read book in the world is the bible. 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.
Every church has hundreds upon hundreds, if not thousands of bibles. What was the first english language book to be printed. With the use of imagination, we transform simple words printed on pages into completely new worlds, people, and journeys. The image above is the oldest verifiable printed book in the world, the diamond sutra. The alltime most popular books in the world revealed. The top 10 most read books in the world list challenges. A survey by the bible society concluded that around 2. 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. Comics and textbooks are not included in this list. What is the number one most printed book in the world. Researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 mostread books in the world. What are the top 10 most printed books of all time. What is the first and second most read books in the world. See how it compares to the top 100 bestsellers of all time.
A childrens fable certified by guinness world records as the smallest book ever reproduced in a colorful large print edition. The top 10 most published books of all time les listes. 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. In the september the huffington post published an article by. 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. Rowlings harry potter series, which is the most successful movie franchise in the world, ranked third with 400 million copies sold worldwide. 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. Did you know the most widely circulated magazine in the world. Last time it was like 33% christian the most popular but what is it now. 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.
Chapman created the list by examining how many individual copies of the books had been printed and sold over the last 50 years. The 21 bestselling books of all time howstuffworks. Sep 27, 20 it will not be especially little, and the cover will be only partly red. The 10 most read books in the world infographic business. Bibles are the most common book in the world, especially in the english language. 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. 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 book is valued and revered for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities as well as its historic significance. 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. The bible tops the list of the most read books in the world. Did you know the most widely circulated magazine in the world is the monthly publication of jehovahs witnesses.
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. 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. Charles haddon spurgeon believed to be the secondmost printed book of all time behind the bible museum of the bible. Next to the bible, the book i value most is john bunyans pilgrims progress. Researchers have collated the figures for the number of editions, translations and copies sold of the worlds most. Second installment of the harry potter series, 1999, over 60 million copies. Robert chaplin is raising funds for the worlds smallest book a large print edition on kickstarter. Numbers indicate number of copies sold or printed 1. Maos little red book to get revamp world news the guardian. This page provides lists of bestselling individual masturbation, and vibrating series to date and in any language. Sep 17, 2016 if you are referring to a nonreligious book. Second to the bible in total copies and translations, the story was written by john. 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 the. The four hundredth anniversary of the printing of the first english bible is an event of great significance. Dec 20, 2008 the bible is the most printed book, right. 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. 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. It was discovered along with 40,000 other documents in the cave of a thousand buddha complex in central china. 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 last 150 years, its impossible to ascertain the exact number of copies sold. Top 10 facts about pilgrims progress the second most. Aug 02, 2018 which book is read the most in the world. What is the second best selling book of all time after the bible. 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 number 200 million is controversial however, considering that the book is regularly on the required reading lists of students in the u.
The most widelyread magazine in the world is the handdistributed, brooklynbased monthly publication of. The most widely printed book in history is the christian bible. The alltime most popular books in the world revealed posted by stylist team. 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. 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. Nov 15, 20 researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 most read books in the world. He found that the bible far outsold any other book, with a whopping 3.
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