The first edition of the world book encyclopedia was printed in 1917. 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. At the peak of its popularity from the mid1960s to the mid1970s, it was the most printed book in the world. 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 world s most celebrated writers combined. The holy texts of christianity and islam, respectively, these books have been printed billions of times. The four hundredth anniversary of the printing of the first english bible is an event of great significance. Best selling refers to the estimated number of copies sold of each book, rather than the number of books printed or currently owned.
Today, the worlds most translated book is the bible. The world s most widely distributed book the bible is the most widely read book in history. More copies have been distributed of the bible than of any other book. Nov 25, 20 today, sothebys will auction a copy of the first englishlanguage book printed in america. 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. The second and third books, fifty shades darker and fifty shades freed, are also selling fast, with uk sales of 3. The book has remained in the top slot in the uk bestseller lists for the 16th week running. What is the most printed book in the world answers.
For instance, adults with a high school diploma or less are far more likely than those with a bachelors or advanced degree to report not reading books in any format in the 12 months before the survey 44% vs. A childrens fable certified by guinness world records as the smallest book ever reproduced in a colorful large print edition. In fact, the very first book printed in english was a translation. The word bible comes from the greek word biblia meaning books. Found in a walled up cave in china along with other printed materials, the book is made up of chinese characters printed on a scroll of grey printed paper, wrapped along a wooden pole. Harper lee s new novel go set a watchman, the followup to to kill a mockingbird, is. According to the guinness book of world records, 2. The alltime most popular books in the world revealed posted by stylist team. Bible is the best book ever published and its the first book in the world to be printed and its the best book to read. Read about the most popular books in history at howstuffworks. The bible tops the list of the most read books in the world. Writer james chapman created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each book.
List of most expensive books and manuscripts wikipedia. Nov 27, 20 media caption a close look at the world s most expensive printed book. Researchers have collated the figures for the number of editions, translations and copies sold of the world s most popular books these are the most loved tomes. The bible has also been translated more times, and into more languages, than any other book. The bay psalm book dates from the year 1640, and is the first book ever printed in british north america. Quotations from chairman mao zedong, mao zedong, 900 million. 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. Here, we look at some of the worlds most expensive printed books. I was frontpage news of many newspapers around the world.
An 85page appendix providing enlightened summaries of all the works mentioned is worth the price of admission all on its own. First book printed in british north america is now worlds. 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. Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the world s bestselling and most widely distributed book. Think of what would happen if all the trees were cut down to print the bible. Researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 mostread books in the world. May 09, 2012 most read books in the world as of may 2012 published by statista research department, may 9, 2012. The bible is the worlds bestselling book, having sold more than five. Top 10 most read books in the world based on number of books printed and sold over the last 50 years.
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. Jan 14, 2009 the bible is the most printed and read book in the world. The 10 most expensive books in the world flavorwire. Imagine knowing what will happen with a relationship before you get involved. By the time the red guard publication appeared, maos little red book had been published in numbers sufficient to supply a copy to every chinese citizen in a population of more than 740 million. 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. Comics and textbooks are not included in this list. 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. Mar 11, 2020 a copy of this book in the british library dates to the year 868 ce.
He found that the bible far outsold any other book, with a whopping 3. Truth and beauty are here brought together with all the visual beauty and power of a major literary work lire magazine. 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. The 20 most influential books in history world economic. What was the first english language book to be printed. The most widely printed book in history is the christian bible. The diamond sutra, a buddhist book from dunhuang, china from around 868 a. What is the number one most printed book in the world. What are the top 10 most printed books of all time. The 2010 edition of the catalogue is the world s third most printed publication next to the bible and harry potter but martin roth wrote an article in 2002 where he was pretty sure that ikea was close to beating the bible in regard of worldwide distribution. Despite the rise of digital platforms and the rising popularity of ereading devices such as kindle, kobo and others, printed books still remain the most popular book format in the u. The gutenberg bible, also known as the 42line bible, is listed by the guinness book of world records as the worlds oldest mechanically printed book the first copies of which were printed in 14541455 ad.
What is the most published book in the world answers. However, there are a couple of books that most experts agree are probably two of the most popular books of all time. The third highest selling print is quotations from chairman mao tsetung, a book of. The top 10 most published books of all time les listes. What quote is printed in the beginning of the book random hearts by warren adler one of the first pages before the story begins. Asked in books and literature when was the world book published.
A survey by the bible society concluded that around 2. Some titles may have had more copies printed than some of these books, but a vast number of those books were not sold, so well assume that they did not get read. 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. Dec 28, 2012 the most read book in the world is the bible. Nov 15, 20 researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 most read books in the world. The book is considered one of the most influential pieces of spanish. The earliest sale on the list is of the gospels of henry the lion, in 1983.
The 2010 edition of the catalogue is the worlds third most printed publication next to the bible and harry potter. Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the worlds bestselling and most widely distributed book. Robert chaplin is raising funds for the world s smallest book a large print edition on kickstarter. The oracle the most powerful book in the world among many other things it has been called the most powerful book in the world because it gives you the power to look into the future before you make a decision.
The earliest printed book in the list is a southern song annotated woodblock edition of the book of tang printed c. Quotations from chairman mao tsetung 1964 by mao zendong 800. There are more and more people becoming christians all over the world, especially in antichristian nations like iraq, iran, china, north korea, and afghanistan. Nov 30, 20 a nondescript battered book filled with spelling errors just became the worlds most expensive printed book. A buddhist holy text, the diamond sutra is considered to be the oldest surviving dated printed book in the world. Do you know how many species would lose their habitats.
Audobon is a noted illustrator who pioneered much of early wildlife research, and the books dimensions reflect his attention to detail. The buddhist text known as the diamond sutra is believed to be the oldest surviving printed book in the world. The alltime most popular books in the world revealed stylist. Books the alltime most popular books in the world revealed.
Incorporated as a notforprofit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in geneva, switzerland, the forum is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. The 10 most read books in the world infographic business. The top 10 most read books in the world list challenges. Additionally, these books have often been printed by a wide range of publishers over centuries, many of them unreported. The bay psalm book was the first book printed in what became the united states and this copy was owned by the old south church in boston. The precision with which one can date the creation of this book is purely down to the fact that it gives us its publication datethe only such case on this list it is, according to the british library, where it now resides, the earliest example of a dated, printed book in the world. But martin roth wrote an article in 2002 where he was pretty sure that ikea was close to beating the bible in regard of worldwide distribution. One of the most consistent findings from our research is that, for some tasks, medium doesnt seem to matter. Bible is the worlds bestselling and most widely distributed book. 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.
A journey into the milky way galaxy the most interesting galaxy in the universe documentary touch your heart 529 watching live now. The gutenberg bible is probably the most valuable book or type of book in the world. Although printed books remain the most popular means of reading, over the past decade e. To make for easy reading weve ranked the most popular novels below. The top 100 books of all time take a look at a list of the top 100 books of all time, nominated by writers from around the world, from things fall. Every church has hundreds upon hundreds, if not thousands of bibles. Most scholars agree that the greatest works of world literature were. Several demographic traits correlate with non book reading, pew research center surveys have found. With the use of imagination, we transform simple words printed on pages into completely new worlds, people, and journeys. The worlds most widely distributed book watchtower.
The enduring power of print for learning in a digital world. Equally incorrect are websites whose claims are based on the premise that a book is a printed object. Thus the oldest book in the world must surely be the gutenberg bible oldest printed book in the west, from c. This page provides lists of bestselling individual books and book series to date and in any language. 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. Here are some of the oldest surviving books in the world. Chapman created the list by examining how many individual copies of the books had been printed and sold over the last 50 years. How the west embraced chairman maos little red book. The 21 bestselling books of all time howstuffworks.
Made in 868 ad and written in chinese, the text contains a significant dialogue on perception, and is one of the most important sacred works of the buddhist faith. The books are listed according to the highest sales estimate as reported in reliable, independent sources. The alltime most popular books in the world revealed. As of june 2017, the series has been translated into 80 languages, placing harry potter among historys most translated literary works. And in a 2005 update he estimated that ikea had actually overtaken the bible. Jan 28, 2016 the gutenberg bible is probably the most valuable book or type of book in the world. Numbers indicate number of copies sold or printed 1. According to guinness world records as of 1995, the bible is the bestselling book of all time.
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