Discover The 10 Best-selling Books Of All Time
Do you care to know the best-selling books of all time? You must have thought “The Bible” is the best-selling book right?. It is, but the truth is that many of the books considered to be the most sold by common sense do not have reliable numbers, especially in the case of religious or ideological books.
For this reason, in this list, we are only considering literary books with confirmed sales estimates. Therefore, the Bible remains the best-selling book according to the Guinness Book, but it is not included on our list.
10 Best-selling Books Of All Time
Below are the top 10 best-selling books of all time:
10. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
Author: CS Lewis
Original language: English
Estimated sales: 85 million
The first book in the series The Chronicles of Narnia features the brothers Pedro, Susana, Edmundo, and Lúcia Pevensie. The four find in a Wardrobe the secret passage to an enchanted world where they live incredible adventures.
9. She (1887)
Author: H. Rider Haggard
Original language: English
Estimated sales: 100 million
From the same author of King Solomon’s Mines, She, the Sorceress recounts the trip of university professor Horace Holly and his pupil to Africa. There, the two are faced with a lost civilization controlled by Ela, the witch of the title.
8. Dream of the Red Chamber (1754-1791)
Author: Cao Xueqin
Original language: Chinese
Estimated sales: 100 million
Considered the highlight of classic Chinese novels and also one of the best selling novels of all time, this book is part of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature. Therefore, a masterpiece of the highest quality.
7. Ten Little N!ggers (1939)
Author: Agatha Christie
Original language: English
Estimated sales: 100 million
Agatha Christie’s best-selling book is one of the author’s most controversial books due to the original title. Thus, the book can also be found under the title AND there is none left. The story revolves around 10 strangers who were attracted to a desert island by a mysterious couple, The Ten Little N!ggers has over 100 million sales and this placed it on the list of the top ten best-selling books of all time.
6. The Hobbit (1937)
Author: JRR Tolkien
Original language: English
Estimated sales: 100 million
Forget the movies, focus on the book! The Hobbit was critically acclaimed and received the Carnegie Medal for the quality of the work. The story that precedes The Lord of the Rings would at first be an independent story. However, with the success achieved at the time of the release, the publisher asked JRR Tolkien to continue, who took the opportunity to make some changes to the two books to link Bilbo’s journey with that of Frodo.
5. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)
Author: JK Rowling
Original language: English
Estimated sales: 107 million
The book that started the great world phenomenon. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher‘s Stone, Harry and all the fantastic world to which he belongs are presented, as well as the dangers to which the boy is subject. The beginning of a great saga.
4. The Little Prince (1943)
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Original language: French
Estimated sales: 140 million
One of the greatest children’s classics was written and illustrated by author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry when he was in exile in North America during World War II. Much of the author’s life as an aviator can be identified in the book.
3. The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955)
Author: JRR Tolkien
Original language: English
Estimated sales: 160 million
Despite being created by the author to be a unique book, The Lord of the Rings is marketed as a trilogy and this is how it became so popular and one of the best-selling books of all time. One of the main fantasy classics in the world and, to this day, it serves as inspiration for other famous authors such as JK Rowling and George RR Martin.
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2. A Tale of Two Cities (1859)
Author: Charles Dickens
Original language: English
Estimated sales: 200 million
Charles Dickens’ main novel takes place in the mid-18th century during the period from American Independence to the French Revolution. The book uses the correspondence between the characters as the main way to advance the story.
1. Don Quixote (1612)
Author: Miguel de Cervantes
Original language: Spanish
Estimated sales: 500 million
The greatest novel in Spanish Literature is a satirical classic of high critical quality. Written at a time when cavalry novels were in decline, Miguel de Cervantes was inspired by this to create the adventures of a crazy man who believed he lived in this fantastic world. Without a doubt, a masterpiece and is rated as the best selling book of all time.
