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 second book printed was his bible project in two testaments. 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. What was the second book printed in english answers. The second major book printed in europe by movable type was the mainz psalter of 1457 according to wikipedia.
This chineselanguage dictionary was first published in 1953. Aug 02, 2018 which book is read the most in the world. Next to the bible, the book i value most is john bunyans pilgrims progress. See how it compares to the top 100 bestsellers of all time. A list of the best selling books of all time, fiction and nonfiction best sellers. We all know the bible is the most printed off the press since the invention of the printing press i know, the chinese preceded gutenberg. Til euclids elements was likely the second most printed. The second most read book in the world is quotations from chairman mao tsetung which has sold approximately 820 million copies. 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.
Here are the top 10 most read books in the world 1 the bible 3. Aug 09, 2017 smart news keeping you current this obscure fishing book is one of the most reprinted english books ever the compleat angler is much more than an instruction manual on fishing. It became the standard dictionary among chinese schoolchildren. Homers epic odyssey has been translated the most amount of time into 250 languages, followed by french childrens classic le petit prince. The quran is also widely reported to be one of the most printed and distributed books worldwide, with billions of copies believed to be in. 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. Quotations from chairman mao zedong, mao zedong, 900 million. According to guinness world records as of 1995, the bible is the bestselling book of all time, with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed.
The 21 bestselling books of all time howstuffworks. Today, the worlds most translated book is the bible. Thank you vey much for accepting the material i located as the answer to your question. With this in mind, the amazon books editors set out to compile a list of 100 books to read in a lifetime. And then it is only a vague guess, probably inflated by the xtains. Whether it was a scandalous story of sex or simply taking issue with a talking pig, many people have found reasons to ban some of the worlds best and most famous books. 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. According to writer james chapman who created a list of the most read books in the world. Also, does anyone have an update of the percentage of the religions in the world. Jul 15, 2015 its not exactly a ripping yarn, but the koran is the most popular book of all time. Discover the fascinating histories of 12 famous books that have been banned in countries.
Researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 mostread books in the world. With the use of imagination, we transform simple words printed on pages into completely new worlds, people, and journeys. 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. Sure, the bestselling book of all time is, of course, the bible. 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 second most valuable book on the list is a first edition of the hobbit by j. Since religious and political books, such as the holy bible, are often given away for free, they have not been included on this list. Here are some sources that cite the pilgrims progress as the second most widely read book, after the bible.
But there is so much more to the second sex, which asks the most fundamental. What are the top 10 most printed books of all time. Apr 29, 2018 if someone asks you to name the alltime bestselling book, youd most likely answer the bible. Sep 17, 2016 if you are referring to a nonreligious book. These are the 12 most popular books of all time indy100. To make for easy reading weve ranked the most popular novels below. Scholars can debate endlessly over which book is the best of all time, but finding out which ones have enjoyed the most commercial success should be a more concrete endeavor.
The 20 most valuable books you might have at home daily. We wanted the list to cover all stages of a life which is why youll find childrens books in here, and we didnt want the list to. 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. Mobydick, by herman melville perhaps the most notorious eat your vegetables novel of all time, mobydick looms on many peoples literary bucket lists like a shadowtoo long, too flowery, and much too concerned with 19th century whaling tactics. 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 20 most influential books in history world economic. Due to its very limited numbers, in our time is considered one of the rare books for book collectors around the world. As of june 2017, the series has been translated into 80 languages, placing harry potter among historys most translated literary works. Ten books that changed the world books the guardian. Despite popular belief, the bible is not the most printed or translated book in the english language, reminded a library special collections expert.
Inspired by the huffington posts attempt to list the top 15 bestselling books of all time, we offer a humble revision, expanding the list to 25 total. Elements is the most important maths book of all time not because of the. May 22, 2007 weve discussed the top rated tv shows, most popular video games, bestselling albums, and the albums that topped the charts the longest. Second to the bible in total copies and translations, the story was written by john bunyan a pastor, imprisoned for sharing his faith. Its one of those big victorian pictorial family ones and seems to have all kinds of features besides just the old and new testaments. Americans are shocked about how this new site can reveal so much more. The second part of the pilgrims progress was published in 1684, with a second edition in 1686. To kill a mockingbird voted greatest novel of all time. The books that created a huge commotion from their first publication and still continue to be a fundamental part of new libraries and. The bible is easily one of the bestselling books of all time, but exact sales numbers are hard to nail down.
What is the second best selling book of all time after the bible. Characterized as the most famous textbook ever published, euclids elements was one of the most widely printed and studied texts for the next 500 years. Eventually, the english text comprised some 108,260 words. 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 top 10 most read books in the world list challenges. Please help improve this article by checking for citation inaccuracies. The bible tops the list of the most read books in the world. Its widespread use in the most populous nation in the world 1. Last time it was like 33% christian the most popular but what is it now.
Dec 20, 2008 the bible is the most printed book, right. October 10, 2016 the second bestselling book of all time kevin t. 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. But to get you started, here, in all its glory, is the alltime, ultimate top top 10 list, derived from the top 10 lists of 125 of the worlds most celebrated writers combined. Today, lets talk about the alltime bestselling books. All the pictures in this book are actual photographs pasted into the book as if it were a first print before they copied it. Chapman created the list by examining how many individual copies of the books had been printed and sold over the last 50 years. What is the second best selling book of all time after. And for more classic reading content, check out these 40 books every women over 40 should have on her bookshelf. Incorporated as a notforprofit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in geneva, switzerland, the forum is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. For the record, the excluded books have sold an estimated hundreds of millions of copies each several billion, in the bibles case and would have taken most of the top positions on the list.
The bible and quotations from chairman mao still vie for the top spot, with more than 6 billion published copies each. This is a list of literary works including novels, plays, series, collections of poems or short stories, and essays and other forms of literary nonfiction sorted by the number of languages they have been translated into. In the september the huffington post published an article by. But it must read for the simple reason that understanding much of the literature that followed novel requires it, so profound was its influence. Jan 15, 2007 an 85page appendix providing enlightened summaries of all the works mentioned is worth the price of admission all on its own. Last year i purchased an old bible at a church festival. Search christian books still dominate all time bestsellers lists.
Quotations from the works of mao tsetung came in second with 820 million. Numbers indicate number of copies sold or printed 1. The second bestselling book of all time crisis magazine. What is the first and second most read books 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. To kill a mockingbird has been voted the greatest novel of all time according to a new poll. Oct 10, 2016 sure, the bestselling book of alltime is, of course, the bible. The most popular book of all time is the koran, not jk. Euclids elements, the most famous textbook ever published. The mainz psalter was the second major book printed with movable type in the west. May 30, 2018 the most prolific and popular novel of all time, don quixote, is a testament to how great storytelling has no expiration date.
An 85page appendix providing enlightened summaries of all the works mentioned is worth the price of admission all on its own. It is common knowledge that don quixote has sold over 500 million copies, and in fact, that number is conservative. Stockbyte getty images scholars can debate endlessly over which book is the best of all time, but finding out which ones have enjoyed the most commercial success should be. But to get you started, here, in all its glory, is the all time, ultimate top top 10 list, derived from the top 10 lists of 125 of the worlds most celebrated writers combined. Additionally, these books have often been printed by a wide range of.
And where does the book alcoholics anonymous place on that list. Til euclids elements was likely the second most printed book. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. Researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 most read books in the world.
The alltime most popular books in the world revealed. Today, lets talk about the all time bestselling books. Second installment of the harry potter series, 1999, over 60 million copies. Its not exactly a ripping yarn, but the koran is the most popular book of all time. So some estimates say that quran is the most read book of all time with a whopping 3 billion copies and the king james bible comes to the second spot with 2.
This reading list shares the bestselling books of alltime and breaks down the top selling. A survey by the bible society concluded that around 2. The top 10 most published books of all time les listes. Jamess fifty shades of grey, you might think thats the most popular book in the world. With thousands of translations, over forty original authors, and a two millennium history, lets take a look at the trails, tribulations, changes, and status of the worlds most popular book. Unsurprisingly, the most popular book of all time has an interesting history. Harper lee s new novel go set a watchman, the followup to to kill a mockingbird, is set to. 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. This article possibly contains inappropriate or misinterpreted citations that do not verify the. However, pace dicamillo, though its safe to say that the imitation is one of the bestselling books of all time, and second only to the bible in terms of its influence among christians, its almost impossible to accurately determine if its the second most sold and translated work ever. Nov 15, 20 researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 most read books in the world. It is also the most widely and given some of the liberties taken, wildly translated book of all time, too.
The 20 most influential books in history world economic forum. May 09, 2012 most read books in the world as of may 2012 published by statista research department, may 9, 2012. The most popular book of all time christian universities. List of literary works by number of translations wikipedia. It is also considered the most widely printed text after the bible, with more than editions issued. 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 all time most popular books in the world revealed posted by stylist team. The second most read book in the world is quotations from chairman mao tsetung which has sold. The answer is quite surprising at first, but not that unexpected when you think about it. The religious text has been translated into 50 different languages, has nearly 400. With all those caveats in mind and not including e book sales, here are the 21 bestselling books of all time, as far as we can tell. Christian books still dominate alltime bestsellers lists. Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the worlds bestselling and most widely distributed book. It is true that the pilgrims progress has been the most published book in the world, second only to the bible, however, john bunyan wrote much more.
Sep 22, 2006 to make the bible the most printed book you have to add up all its flavors. We can just look at the sales numbers and rank them. Most read books in the world as of may 2012 published by statista research department, may 9, 2012. Is fifty shades of grey really the uks bestselling book. Court cases have been fought, books have been burned, and fatwas have been issued. This is the site i will always come to when i need a second opinion. Sep 07, 2010 inspired by the huffington posts attempt to list the top 15 bestselling books of all time, we offer a humble revision, expanding the list to 25 total. Every church has hundreds upon hundreds, if not thousands of bibles. Second installment of the harry potter series, 1999, over 60 million.
Jamess fifty shades of grey, you might think thats. What does that mean anyway if it was produced in the biggest number. What is the second best selling book of all time after the. Oct 19, 2015 in fact, the very first book printed in english was a translation. The most commonly read book in the world is the bible. The alltime most popular books in the world revealed stylist. At one time mein kampf was the number one produced book in germany. A best guess of the top 25 bestselling books of all time. Weve discussed the top rated tv shows, most popular video games, bestselling albums, and the albums that topped the charts the longest. Til euclids elements was likely the second most printed book of all time, apart from the bible. Similarly, many notable book series that sold very widely are poorly documented or consist of multiple subseries. The huffington post article actually named 16 books that have sold the most copies worldwide. The four hundredth anniversary of the printing of the first english bible is an event of great significance.
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