This page provides lists of best-selling books and book series to date and in any language. "Best-selling" refers to the estimated number of copies sold of each book, rather than the number of books printed or currently owned. Comics and textbooks are not included in this list. The books are listed according to the highest sales estimate as reported in reliable, independent sources.
According to Guinness World Records as of 1995, the Bible is the best selling book of all time with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed.[1] Sales estimates for other printed religious texts include at least 800 million copies for the Qur'an and 190 million copies for the Book of Mormon.[2] Also, a single publisher has produced more than 140 million copies of the Bhagavad Gita. The total number could be much higher.[3] Among non-religious texts, the Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung, also known as the Little Red Book, has produced a wide array of sales and distribution figures—with estimates ranging from 800 million[1] to over 6.5 billion printed volumes.[4] Some claim the distribution ran into the "billions"[5] and some cite "over a billion" official volumes between 1966 and 1969 alone as well as "untold numbers of unofficial local reprints and unofficial translations".[6][7] Exact print figures for these and other books may also be missing or unreliable since these kinds of books may be produced by many different and unrelated publishers, in some cases over many centuries. All books of a religious, ideological, philosophical or political nature have thus been excluded from the lists of best-selling books below for these reasons.
Many books lack comprehensive sales figures as book selling and reselling figures prior to the introduction of point of sale equipment was based on the estimates of book sellers, publishers or the authors themselves. For example, The Lord of the Rings as one text was recorded to have sold only 967,466 copies in the UK by 2009, but at the same time the author's estate claimed global sales figures of in excess of 150 million.[8] As such accurate figures are only available from the 1990s and in western nations such as US, UK and Australia. Further, e-books have not been included as out of copyright texts are often available freely in this format. Examples of books with reported high sales include The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas,[9] Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes,[10] Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en[11] and The Lord of the Rings[12] (which has been sold as both a three volume series, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, and as a single combined volume) by J. R. R. Tolkien. Hence, in cases where there is too much uncertainty, they are excluded from the list.
Having sold more than 600 million copies worldwide,[13] Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling is the best-selling book series in history. The first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, has sold in excess of 120 million copies,[14] making it one of the best-selling books of all time. As of June 2017, the series has been translated into 85 languages,[15] placing Harry Potter among history's most translated literary works. The last four books in the series consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books of all time, and the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, sold roughly fifteen million copies worldwide within twenty-four hours of its release.[16][17] With twelve million books printed in the first US run, it also holds the record for the highest initial print run for any book in history.[18][19]
Nonfiction
| Book | Author(s) | Original language | First published | Approximate sales | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Tale of Two Cities | Charles Dickens | English | 1859 | >200 million[20] | Historical fiction |
| The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) | Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | French | 1943 | 200 million[21][22] | Fantasy, Children's fiction |
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | J. K. Rowling | English | 1997 | 120 million[23][24] | Fantasy, Children's fiction |
| And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie | English | 1939 | 100 million[25] | Mystery |
| Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓夢) | Cao Xueqin | Chinese | 1791 | 100 million[26][27] | Family saga |
| The Hobbit | J. R. R. Tolkien | English | 1937 | 100 million[28][29][30] | Fantasy, Children's fiction |
|
See also: List of best-selling comic series and List of best-selling manga |
| Book series | Author(s) | Original language | No. of installments | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Potter | J. K. Rowling | English | 7 + 3 companion books + 4 scripts | 1997–2007 | 600 million[13] |
| Goosebumps | R. L. Stine | English | 62 + spin-off series | 1992–present | 400 million[187] |
| Perry Mason | Erle Stanley Gardner | English | 82 + 4 short stories | 1933–1973 | 300 million[188] |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid | Jeff Kinney | English | 18 + 5 spin-offs | 2007–present | 275 million[189] |
| Berenstain Bears | Stan and Jan Berenstain | English | 428 | 1962–present | 260 million[190] |
| Choose Your Own Adventure | Various authors | English | 185+ | 1979–present | 250 million[191] |
| Sweet Valley High | Francine Pascal and ghostwriters | English | 400 | 1983–2003 | 250 million[192] |
| The Railway Series | Rev. W. Awdry, Christopher Awdry | English | 42 | 1945–2011 | 201 million[193] |
| Noddy | Enid Blyton | English | 24 | 1949–present | 200 million[194] |
| Nancy Drew | Various authors as Carolyn Keene | English | 175 | 1930–present | 200 million[195] |
| San-Antonio | Frédéric Dard | French | 173 | 1949–2001 | 200 million[196] |
| Robert Langdon | Dan Brown | English | 5 | 2000–present | 200 million[197] |
| Geronimo Stilton | Elisabetta Dami | Italian | 200+ | 1997–present | 180 million[198] |
| Percy Jackson & the Olympians | Rick Riordan | English | 6 + 4 companion books | 2005–present | 180 million[199] |
| The Baby-sitters Club | Ann Martin | English | 335 | 1986–present | 172 million[200] |
| Twilight | Stephenie Meyer | English | 4 + 2 companion books + 1 novella | 2005–2020 | 160 million[201] |
| Star Wars | Various authors | English | over 300 | 1977–present | 160 million[202] |
| Little Critter | Mercer Mayer | English | over 200 | 1975–present | 150 million[203] |
| Peter Rabbit | Beatrix Potter | English | 6 | 1902–1930 | 150 million[204] |
| Fifty Shades | E. L. James | English | 3 | 2011–2015 | 150 million[205] |
| American Girl | Various authors | English | 141 + spin-off series | 1986–present | 160 million[206] |
| Chicken Soup for the Soul | Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen | English | 105 | 1997–present | 130 million[207] |
| Clifford the Big Red Dog | Norman Bridwell | English | over 80[208] | 1963–2014 | 129 million[209] |
| Frank Merriwell | Gilbert Patten | English | 209 | 1896–1936 | 125 million[210] |
| Dirk Pitt | Clive Cussler | English | 24 | 1973–present | 120 million[211] |
| 宮本武蔵 (Musashi) | Eiji Yoshikawa | Japanese | 7 | 1935–1939 | 120 million[212] |
| The Chronicles of Narnia | C. S. Lewis | English | 7 | 1950–1956 | 120 million[213] |
| Mr. Men | Roger Hargreaves, Adam Hargreaves | English | 43 | 1971–present | 120 million[214] |
| SAS | Gérard de Villiers | French | 200 | 1965–2013 | 120 million[215][216] |
| The Hunger Games | Suzanne Collins | English | 4 | 2008–2020 | 100 million[217] |
| James Bond | Ian Fleming | English | 14 | 1953–1966 | 100 million[218] |
| Martine | Gilbert Delahaye, Marcel Marlier | French | 60 | 1954–2014 | 100 million[219] |
| Millennium | Stieg Larsson, David Lagercrantz | Swedish | 6 | 2005–present | 100 million[220] |
| Book series | Author(s) | Original language | No. of installments | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Song of Ice and Fire | George R. R. Martin | English | 5 + 3 novellas + 1 guide | 1996–present | 90 million[221] |
| The Wheel of Time | Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson | English | 15 | 1990–2013 | 100 million[222] |
| Discworld | Terry Pratchett | English | 42 | 1983–2015 | 90 million[223] |
| Nijntje (Miffy) | Dick Bruna | Dutch | 119 | 1955–present | 85 million[224] |
| Alex Cross | James Patterson | English | 21 | 1993–present | 81 million[225] |
| Anpanman (アンパンマン) | Takashi Yanase | Japanese | 150 picture books | 1973–2013 | 80 million[226] |
| Captain Underpants | Dav Pilkey | English | 12 plus spinoffs | 1997–2015 | 80 million[227] |
| Fear Street | R. L. Stine | English | 114 | 1989–present | 80 million[228] |
| Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstocking) | Astrid Lindgren | Swedish | 3 + 3 picture books | 1945–2001 | 80 million[229] |
| The Vampire Chronicles | Anne Rice | English | 13 | 1976–2021 | 80 million[230] |
| OSS 117 | Jean Bruce | French | 265 | 1949–1992 | 75 million[231] |
| Winnie-the-Pooh | A. A. Milne; illustrated by E. H. Shepard | English | 2 | 1926–1928 | 70 million[232] |
| Magic Tree House series | Mary Pope Osborne | English | 56[233] | 1992–present | 70 million[234] |
| Left Behind | Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins | English | 16 | 1996–2007 | 65 million[235] |
| A Series of Unfortunate Events | Lemony Snicket aka Daniel Handler | English | 13 | 1999–2006 | 65 million[236] |
| Little House on the Prairie | Laura Ingalls Wilder | English | 12 | 1932–2006 | 60 million[237] |
| All Creatures Great and Small | Alf Wight, as James Herriot | English | 8 | 1970–1992 | 60 million[238] |
| Jack Reacher | Lee Child | English | 22 Novels + 11 Short Stories | 1997–present | 60 million[239] |
| The Magic School Bus | Joanna Cole, illustrated by Bruce Degen | English | 131 | 1986–2010 | 58 million[240] |
| Where's Wally?[241] | Martin Handford | English | 13 | 1987–present | 55 million[242] |
| Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus | John Gray | English | 15 | 1992–present | 50 million[243] |
| The Hardy Boys | Various authors as Franklin W. Dixon | English | 190 | 1927–present | 50 million[244] |
| The Bobbsey Twins | Various authors as Laura Lee Hope | English | 72 | 1904–1979 | 50 million[245] |
| Tarzan | Edgar Rice Burroughs | English | 26 | 1914–1995 | 50 million[246] |
| Book series | Author(s) | Original language | No. of installments | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earth's Children | Jean M. Auel | English | 6 | 1980–2011 | 45 million[247] |
| A Child's First Library Of Learning | Various authors | English | 29 | 1980– | 45 million[248] |
| Junie B. Jones | Barbara Park | English | 30 | 1992–2013 | 44 million[249] |
| Harry Bosch | Michael Connelly | English | 15 | 1992– | 42 million[250] |
| Harry Hole | Jo Nesbø | Norwegian | 9 | 1997–present | 40 million[251] |
| Warriors | Erin Hunter | English | 78 | 2003–present | 40 million[252] |
| 连环画 铁道游击队 (Picture-and-story book Railway Guerilla) | original author: Liu Zhixia | Chinese | 10 | 1955–1962 | 36.52 million[253] |
| The Shadowhunter Chronicles | Cassandra Clare | English | 14 + 8 companion books | 2007–present | 50 million[254] |
| かいけつゾロリ (Kaiketsu Zorori) | Yutaka Hara | Japanese | 60 | 1987–present | 35 million[255] |
| Paddington Bear | Michael Bond | English | 70 | 1958–present | 35 million[256] |
| Divergent trilogy | Veronica Roth | English | 3 + 1 companion book | 2011–2013 | 35 million[257] |
| ノンタン (Nontan) | Sachiko Kiyono | Japanese | 40 | 1976–2016 | 33.6 million[258] |
| The Inheritance Cycle | Christopher Paolini | English | 4 | 2002–2011 | 33 million[259] |
| Rich Dad, Poor Dad | Robert Kiyosaki, Sharon Lechter | English | 18 | 1997– | 32 million[260] |
| とある魔術の禁書目録 (Toaru Majutsu no Index) | Kazuma Kamachi | Japanese | 46 | 2004– | 30 million[261] |
| グイン・サーガ (Guin Saga) | Kaoru Kurimoto | Japanese | 147 | 1979–2009 | 30 million[262] |
| 徳川家康 (Tokugawa Ieyasu) | Sōhachi Yamaoka | Japanese | 26 | 1950–1967 | 30 million[263] |
| Ramona | Beverly Cleary | English | 8 | 1955–1999 | 30 million[264] |
| The Dark Tower | Stephen King | English | 8 | 1982–2012 | 30 million[265] |
| Dork Diaries | Rachel Renée Russell | English | 15 | 2009–present | 30 million[266] |
| The Destroyer | Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir, various authors | English | 150 | 1971–present | 30 million[267] |
| Book series | Author(s) | Original language | No. of installments | First published | Approximate sales | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 地球往事 (Remembrance of Earth's Past) | Liu Cixin | Chinese | 3 | 2008–2010 | 29 million[268] | science fiction |
| 三毛猫ホームズシリーズ (Calico Cat Holmes series) | Jirō Akagawa | Japanese | 43 | 1978–present | 28 million[269] | detective, mystery |
| Curious George | Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey | English | 58 | 1941–present | 27 million[270] | Children's Literature |
| Shannara | Terry Brooks | English | 20 | 1977–present | 26 million[271] | |
| Kurt Wallander | Henning Mankell | Swedish | 10 | 1991–2002 | 25 million[272] | |
| Sagan om Isfolket (The Legend of the Ice People) | Margit Sandemo | Swedish | 47 | 1982–1989 | 25 million[273] | |
| The Sword of Truth | Terry Goodkind | English | 21 | 1998–present | 25 million[274] | |
| Outlander | Diana Gabaldon | English | 8 | 1991–present | 25 million[275] | |
| ズッコケ三人組 (Zukkoke Sanningumi) | Masamoto Nasu | Japanese | 50 | 1978–2004 | 25 million[276] | Children's Literature |
| 鬼平犯科帳 (Onihei Hankachō) | Shōtarō Ikenami | Japanese | 24 | 1968–1990 | 24.4 million, only bunkobon[277] | jidaigeki |
| Brain Quest | Various authors | English | 1992–present | 23.7 million[278] | ||
| South Beach Diet | Arthur Agatston | English | 6 | 2003–present | 22 million[279] | |
| ソードアート・オンライン (Sword Art Online) | Reki Kawahara | Japanese | 27 | 2009–present | 30 million[280] | |
| 竜馬がゆく (Ryoma ga Yuku) | Ryōtarō Shiba | Japanese | 5 | 1963–1966 | 21.5 million[281] | jidaigeki |
| Artemis Fowl | Eoin Colfer | English | 8 + 1 companion book | 2001–2012 | 21 million[282] | |
| The Cosmere | Brandon Sanderson | English | 30+[283] | 2005–present | 21 Million [284] | |
| I Survived | Lauren Tarshis | English | 25 | 2010–2020 | more than 20 million[285][286] | |
| Découvertes Gallimard | Various authors | French | more than 700 | 1986–present | more than 20 million[287][288] | |
| Redwall | Brian Jacques | English | 22 | 1986–2011 | 20 million[289] | |
| Maisy | Lucy Cousins | English | 23 | 1990–present | 20 million[129] | |
| Dragonlance | Various authors | English | more than 150 | 1984–present | 20 million[290] | |
| 幻魔大戦 (Genma Taisen) | Kazumasa Hirai | Japanese | 20 | 1979–1983 | 20 million[291] | |
| 青春の門 (The Gate of Youth) | Hiroyuki Itsuki | Japanese | 1970–present | 20 million[292] | ||
| スレイヤーズ (Slayers) | Hajime Kanzaka | Japanese | 50 | 1989–present | 20 million[293] | |
| The Foundation Trilogy | Isaac Asimov | English | 3[294] | 1950–1953 | 20 million[295] | |
| Horrible Histories | Terry Deary | English | 24 | 1993–present | 20 million[296] | |
| Rainbow Magic | Daisy Meadows | English | 80+ | 2003–present | 20 million[297] | |
| Morgan Kane | Louis Masterson | Norwegian | 90 | 1966– | 20 million[298] | |
| The Southern Vampire Mysteries | Charlaine Harris | English | 13 | 2001–2013 | 20 million[299] |
| Book series | Author(s) | Original language | No. of instalments | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doc Savage | Lester Dent, various authors | English | 203 | 1933–present | 20 million[300] |
| 涼宮ハルヒシリーズ (Haruhi Suzumiya Series) | Nagaru Tanigawa | Japanese | 11 | 2003–present | 20 million[301] |
| 科学のアルバム (Kagaku no album) | Various authors | Japanese | 1970–present | 19 million[302] | |
| 剣客商売 (Kenkaku Shobai) | Shotaro Ikenami | Japanese | 18 | 1972–1989 | 18 million[303] |
| Erast Fandorin series | Boris Akunin | Russian | 12 | 1998–present | 18 million[304] |
| Dragonriders of Pern | Anne McCaffrey | English | 23 | 1967–present | 18 million[305] |
| 吸血鬼ハンターD (Vampire Hunter D) | Hideyuki Kikuchi | Japanese | 39 | 1983–present | 17 million[306] |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Douglas Adams, plus a final book by Eoin Colfer | English | 6 | 1979–2008 | 16 million[307][308] |
| ぼくらシリーズ (Bokura series) | Osamu Soda | Japanese | 36 | 1985–present | 15 million[309] |
| Bridget Jones | Helen Fielding | English | 3 | 1996–present | 15 million[310] |
| His Dark Materials | Philip Pullman | English | 3 | 1995–2000 | 15 million[311] |
| 銀河英雄伝説 (Legend of the Galactic Heroes) | Yoshiki Tanaka | Japanese | 14 | 1982–1989 | 15 million[312] |
| The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency | Alexander McCall Smith | English | 23 | 1999–present | 15 million[313] |
| Der Regenbogenfisch (Rainbow Fish) | Marcus Pfister | German | 1992–present | 15 million[314] | |
| The Riftwar Cycle | Raymond E. Feist | English | 25 | 1982–present | 15 million[315] |
| The Thrawn trilogy | Timothy Zahn | English | 3 | 1991–93 | 15 million[316] |
| Wiedźmin (The Witcher) | Andrzej Sapkowski | Polish | 9 | 1990–2013 | 15 million[317] |
The Perry Rhodan series has sold more than 1 billion copies,[318] but is not listed because that figure includes magazine sales, not novels alone.[citation needed] Similarly, the Jerry Cotton series has sold over 300 million copies, but most of these were in magazine format.[319]
The figures given for some books are for the number printed instead of confirmed sales.[which?]
| Book | Author(s) | Original language | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 新华字典 (Xinhua Zidian / Xinhua Dictionary) | Chief editor: Wei Jiangong | Chinese | 1957 | 567 million[320] |
| Scouting for Boys | Robert Baden-Powell | English | 1908 | 100–150 million[321] |
| The McGuffey Readers | William Holmes McGuffey | English | 1853 | 125 million[322] |
| Guinness World Records (published every year) | Various authors | English | 1955 | 115 million[323] |
| 六星占術によるあなたの運命 (Rokusei Senjutsu (Six-Star Astrology) Tells Your Fortune) | Kazuko Hosoki Kaori Hosoki |
Japanese | 1986 | 101.2 million[324] |
| American Spelling Book (Webster's Dictionary) | Noah Webster | English | 1783 | 100 million[44] |
| Book | Author(s) | Original language | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Almanac (published every year) | Various authors | English | 1868–76; 1886–present | 82 million[325][326] |
| Betty Crocker Cookbook | General Mills staff | English | 1950–2016 (12th edition) | 75 million[327] |
| Tung Shing (Chinese: 通勝) | Choi Park Lai's family, among others | Chinese | 1891(Only counting versions published by Choi's family) | >70 million (Only counting version published by Choi)[328] |
| Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary | Merriam-Webster | English | 1898 | 55 million[329] |
| Book | Author(s) | Original language | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roget's Thesaurus | Peter Mark Roget | English | 1852– | 40 million[330] |
| できるシリーズ (Dekiru Series) | Impress Dekiru Series Editorial Desk | Japanese | 1994–present | 40 million[331] |
| Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book | Various authors | English | 1930– | 38 million[332] |
| 수학의 정석 (The Art of Mathematics) |
Hong Sung-dae | Korean | 1966–present | 37 million[333] ~ 40 million[334] |
| Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary | A. S. Hornby | English | 1948 | 30 million[335] |
| Le guide Michelin France (The Michelin Guide France) (published every year) | Various authors | French | 1900–present | 30 million[336] |
| Book | Author(s) | Original language | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 超図解シリーズ (Cho-Zukai series) | X media | Japanese | 1996–2007 | 25 million[337] |
| 自由自在 (Jiyu Jizai) | Various authors | Japanese | 1953–present | 24 million[338] |
| 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai kokugo jiten) | Tadao Yamada | Japanese | 1972 | 20.4 million[339] |
| English Grammar | Lindley Murray | English | 1795 | 20 million[340] |
| Book | Author(s) | Original language | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Joy of Cooking | Various authors | English | 1936 | 18 million[341] |
| スーパーマップル (Super Mapple) | Various authors | Japanese | 1991–present | 18 million[342] |
| チャート式 (Chart Shiki) | Various authors | Japanese | 1927–present | 17.44 million, only for the first grade of high-school[343] |
| 英語基本単語集 (Eigo Kihon Tangoshu) "Compilation of basic English vocabulary" | Yoshio Akao | Japanese, English | 1942 | 17.2 million[343] |
| Merriam-Webster Pocket Dictionary | English | (Up to 1965) | 15.11 million[344] | |
| 試験に出る英単語 (Siken Ni Deru Eitango) "English vocabulary in examinations" | Ichiro Mori | Japanese, English | 1967 | 15 million[345] |
| 新英和中辞典 (Shin Eiwa Chu Jiten) "New English-Japanese Dictionary" | Shigeru Takebayashi | Japanese, English | 1967 | 12 million[346] |
| 広辞苑 (Kōjien) | Izuru Shinmura | Japanese | 1955 | 11.9 million[347] |
| 旺文社古語辞典 (Obunsha Kogo Jiten) "Obunsha Dictionary of Archaisms" | Akira Matsumura | Japanese | 1960 | 11 million[348] |
| Hammond's Pocket Atlas | English | (Up to 1965) | 11 million[349] | |
| 三省堂国語辞典 (Sanseido Kokugo Jiten) "Sanseido Dictionary of the Japanese Language" | Kenbō Hidetoshi | Japanese | 1960 | 10 million[350] |
| 家庭に於ける実際的看護の秘訣 (Katei Ni Okeru Jissaiteki Kango No Hiketsu) "Key to Practical Personal Care at Home" | Takichi Tsukuda | Japanese | 1925 | 10 million[351] |
| C程序设计 (C Program Design) | Tan, Haoqiang | Chinese | 1991 | 10 million[352] |
