Best-Selling Fiction Books of All Time
Many of the all-time best-selling books are not fiction ones. The Bible has topped this list for years, and other religious books - such as the Qu’ran and the Book of Mormon - have also held a strong presence. Then there are some prevalent non-fiction guides including the Boy Scouts’ handbook and the dictionary.
But, being a fiction buff, I am looking past all of these to bring you a smattering of the best-selling fiction books ever.
A Tale of Two Cities (1859) by Charles Dickens has sold over 200 million copies, likely with the help of English teachers everywhere making it required reading. Reading lists also probably helped The Catcher in the Rye (1952) by J. D. Salinger sell over 65 million.
The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955) by J. R. R. Tolkien has sold over 150 million, thanks in large part to the movie franchise I’m sure. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (1937) is also up there with over 100 million sold.
Agatha Christie hit over 100 million copies sold with And Then There Were None (1939).
Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (2003) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007) by J. K. Rowling are two of the more recent bestsellers with over 57 and 44 million sold, respectively.
Some were not originally published in English such as The Alchemist (1988, Portugeuse) by Paulo Coehlo and The Little Prince (1943, French) by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, which sold over 65 and 80 million copies respectively.
Then there are a few classics for the young reader: Anne of Green Gables (1908) by Lucy Maud Montgomery and Black Beauty (1877) by Anna Sewell, both over 50 million. Charlotte’s Web (1952) by E. B. White and The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902) by Beatrix Potter, both with over 45 million each.
Check out the rest of the list.
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Hello!
I’m a big fan of Paulo Coelho! You will love this! He’s the first best-selling
author to be distributing for free his works on his blog:
http://www.paulocoelhoblog.com
Have a nice day!
Aart