"The parameters: English language novels published anywhere in the world since 1923, the year that TIME Magazine began, which, before you ask, means that Ulysses (1922) doesn't make the cut.
[...]Lists like this one have two purposes. One is to instruct. The other of course is to enrage. We're bracing ourselves for the e-mails that start out: "You moron! You pathetic bourgeoise insect! How could you have left off...(insert title here)." We say Mrs. Dalloway. You say Mrs. Bridge. We say Naked Lunch. You say Breakfast at Tiffanys. Let's call the whole thing off? Just the opposite—bring it on. Sometimes judgment is best formed under fire. But please, no e-mails about Ulysses. Rules are rules."
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This page includes a list of the 25 best-selling books of all-time as well as the 25 best-selling book series of all-time. Best-selling books are ranked by number of copies sold, not my personal ratings.
Also, it is worth noting that some religious and political books such as The Bible, Quran, and Quotations from Chairman Mao are believed to have more than a billion copies each in existence. However, sales numbers for these books are nearly impossible to track because many are given away by churches or governments. Additionally, these books have often been printed by a wide range of publishers over centuries, many of them unreported. 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 all-time.1
25 Best-Selling Books of All-Time
#1 – Don Quixote (500 million copies sold) 2by Miguel de Cervantes
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#2 – A Tale of Two Cities (200 million copies sold)by Charles Dickens
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#3 – The Lord of the Rings (150 million copies sold)by J.R.R. Tolkien
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#4 – The Little Prince (142 million copies sold)by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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#5 – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (107 million copies sold)by J.K. Rowling
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#6 – And Then There Were None (100 million copies sold)by Agatha Christie
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#7 – The Dream of the Red Chamber (100 million copies sold)by Cao Xueqin
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#8 – The Hobbit (100 million copies sold)by J.R.R. Tolkien
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#9 – She: A History of Adventure (100 million copies sold)by H. Rider Haggard
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#10 – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (85 million copies sold)by C.S. Lewis
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#11 – The Da Vinci Code (80 million copies sold)by Dan Brown
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#12 – Think and Grow Rich (70 million copies sold)by Napoleon Hill
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#13 – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (65 million copies sold)by J.K. Rowling
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#14 – The Catcher in the Rye (65 million copies sold)by J.D. Salinger
#15 – The Alchemist (65 million copies sold)by Paulo Coelho
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#16 – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (60 million copies sold)by J.K. Rowling
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#17 – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (55 million copies sold)by J.K. Rowling
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#18 – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (55 million copies sold)by J.K. Rowling
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#19 – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (55 million copies sold)by J.K. Rowling
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#20 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (50 million copies sold)by J.K. Rowling
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#21 – One Hundred Years of Solitude (50 million copies sold)by Gabriel García Marquez
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#22 – Lolita (50 million copies sold)by Vladimir Nabokov
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#23 – Anne of Green Gables (50 million copies sold)by Lucy Maud Montgomery
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#24 – Charlotte’s Web (50 million copies sold)by E.B. White
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#25 – Black Beauty (50 million copies sold)by Anna Sewell
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25 Best-Selling Book Series of All-Time
#1 – Harry Potter series (450 million copies sold)by J.K. Rowling
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#2 – Goosebumps series (300 million copies sold)by R.L. Stein
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#3 – Perry Mason series (300 million copies sold)by Erle Stanley Gardner
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#4 – Berenstain Bears series (260 million copies sold)by Stan and Jan Berenstain
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#5 – Choose Your Own Adventure series (250 million copies sold)by various authors
#6 – Sweet Valley High (250 million copies sold)by Francine Pascal
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#7 – Noddy series (200 million copies sold)by Enid Blyton
#8 – Nancy Drew series (200 million copies sold)by Carolyn Keene
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#9 – Thomas the Tank Engine series (200 million copies sold)by W. Awdry
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#10 – San-Antonio series (200 million copies sold)by Frédéric Dard
#11 – Robert Langdon series (200 million copies sold)by Dan Brown
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#12 – The Baby-sitters Club (172 million copies sold)by Ann Martin
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#13 – Star Wars series (150 million copies sold)by various authors
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#14 – Little Critter series (150 million copies sold)by Mercer Mayer
#15 – Peter Rabbit (150 million copies sold)by Beatrix Potter
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#16 – Chicken Soup for the Soul series (130 million copies sold)by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
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#17 – American Girl series (120 million copies sold)by various authors
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#18 – The Chronicles of Narnia series (120 million copies sold)by C.S. Lewis
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#19 – Mr. Men (120 million copies sold)by Roger Hargreaves
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#20 – The Twilight Saga (120 million copies sold)by Stephenie Meyer
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#21 – Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (120 million copies sold)by Jeff Kinney
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#22 – Clifford the Big Red Dog series (110 million copies sold)by Norman Bridwell
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#23 – James Bond 007 series (100 million copies sold)by Ian Fleming
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#24 – Martine (100 million copies sold)by Gilbert Delahaye and Marcel Marlier
#25 – Fifty Shades trilogy (100 million copies sold)by E. L. James
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II. Best Nonfiction Books
These are the best nonfiction books to read, listed by category.
III. Best Fiction Books
These are the best fiction books to read, listed by category.
- Best Novels of All-Time
- Best Fantasy Books
- Best Mystery Books
Or, browse all book recommendations.
The Top 10 book chosen by 125 top writers from the book "The Top 10" edited by J. Peder Zane.