This page provides lists of best-selling single-volume 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.

Religious books, especially the Bhagavad Gita

Bhagavad Gita

The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...

, the Bible

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

 and the Qur'an

Qur'an

The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...

, are probably the most-printed books, but it is nearly impossible to find reliable sales figures for them. Print figures are missing or unreliable since these books are produced by many different and unrelated publishers. Furthermore, many copies of the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible and the Qur'an are printed and given away free, instead of being sold. The same goes for some political books, such as the works of Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...

 or Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...

. Thus it is impossible to determine either the number printed, or the proportion of those printed that are sold. All such books have been excluded from this list for those reasons.

More than 100 million copies

Book	Author(s)	Genre	Original language	First published	Approximate sales
A Tale of Two Cities A Tale of Two Cities A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....	Charles Dickens Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...	Historical fiction Historical fiction Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...	English	1859	200 million
Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince The Little Prince The Little Prince , first published in 1943, is a novella and the most famous work of the French aristocrat writer, poet and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry .... )	Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine de Saint-Exupéry , officially Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint Exupéry , was a French writer, poet and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of France's highest literary awards, and in 1939 was the winner of the U.S. National Book Award...	Fantasy Fantasy literature Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, literature has composed the majority of fantasy works. Since the 1950s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other...	French French language French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...	1943	200 million
The Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...	J. R. R. Tolkien J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...	High fantasy High fantasy High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...	English	1954–1955	150 million
The Hobbit The Hobbit The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...	J. R. R. Tolkien J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...	Juvenile fantasy Juvenile fantasy Juvenile fantasy is children's literature with fantasy elements: fantasy intended for readers not yet adult.The protagonists are usually children or teens who have unique abilities, gifts, possessions or even allies that allow them to face powerful adversaries...	English	1937	100 million
紅樓夢/红楼梦 Hong lou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber Dream of the Red Chamber Dream of the Red Chamber , composed by Cao Xueqin, is one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. It was composed in the middle of the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty. It is considered to be a masterpiece of Chinese vernacular literature and is generally acknowledged to be a pinnacle of... )	Cao Xueqin Cao Xueqin Cao Xueqin was a Qing Dynasty Chinese writer, best known as the author of Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature...	Family saga Family saga The family saga is a genre of literature which chronicles the lives and doings of a family or a number of related or interconnected families over a period of time...	Chinese	1759-1791	100 million
And Then There Were None And Then There Were None And Then There Were None is a detective fiction novel by Agatha Christie, first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1939 under the title Ten Little Niggers which was changed by Dodd, Mead and Company in January 1940 because of the presence of a racial...	Agatha Christie Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...	Mystery Detective fiction Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...	English	1939	100 million

Between 50 million and 100 million copies

Book	Author(s)	Original language	First published	Approximate sales
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Published in 1950 and set circa 1940, it is the first-published book of The Chronicles of Narnia and is the best known book of the series. Although it was written and published first, it is second in the series'...	C. S. Lewis C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...	English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...	1950	85 million
She	H. Rider Haggard	English	1887	83 million
The Da Vinci Code The Da Vinci Code The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown. It follows symbologist Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as they investigate a murder in Paris's Louvre Museum and discover a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus having been married to...	Dan Brown Dan Brown Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...	English	2003	80 million
Think and Grow Rich Think and Grow Rich Think and Grow Rich is a motivational personal development and self-help book written by Napoleon Hill and inspired by a suggestion from Scottish-American businessman Andrew Carnegie...	Napoleon Hill Napoleon Hill Napoleon Hill was an American author who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. He is widely considered to be one of the great writers on success...	English	1937	70 million
The Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage confusion, angst, alienation, language, and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major...	J. D. Salinger J. D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....	English	1951	65 million
O Alquimista (The Alchemist)	Paulo Coelho Paulo Coelho Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist.-Biography:Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He attended a Jesuit school. As a teenager, Coelho wanted to become a writer. Upon telling his mother this, she responded with "My dear, your father is an engineer. He's a logical,...	Portuguese Portuguese language Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...	1988	65 million
Steps to Christ Steps to Christ Steps to Christ is an evangelistic book written by Ellen G. White, co-founder and prophetess of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It was first published in 1892 by Fleming H. Revell Company. The copyright was purchased by Seventh-day Adventist publisher Review and Herald Publishing Association in...	Ellen G. White Ellen G. White Ellen Gould White was a prolific author and an American Christian pioneer. She, along with other Sabbatarian Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, would form what is now known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.Ellen White reported to her fellow believers her...	English	1892	60 million
Lolita Lolita Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian...	Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...	English	1955	50 million
Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre (Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning Heidi Heidi is a Swiss work of fiction, published in two parts as Heidi's years of learning and travel and Heidi makes use of what she has learned.It is a novel about the events in the life of a young girl in her grandfather's care, in the Swiss Alps... )	Johanna Spyri Johanna Spyri Johanna Spyri was an author of children's stories, and is best known for her book Heidi. Born Johanna Louise Heusser in the rural area of Hirzel, Switzerland, as a child she spent several summers in the area around Chur in Graubünden, the setting she later would use in her novels.-Biography:In...	German German language German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....	1880	50 million
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care -External links:...	Dr. Benjamin Spock Benjamin Spock Benjamin McLane Spock was an American pediatrician whose book Baby and Child Care, published in 1946, is one of the biggest best-sellers of all time. Its message to mothers is that "you know more than you think you do."Spock was the first pediatrician to study psychoanalysis to try to understand...	English	1946	50 million
Anne of Green Gables Anne of Green Gables Anne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. Set in 1878, it was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book...	Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE , called "Maud" by family and friends and publicly known as L.M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908. Anne of Green Gables was an immediate success...	English	1908	50 million
Black Beauty Black Beauty Black Beauty is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she remained in her house as an invalid. The novel became an immediate bestseller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, long enough to see her first and only... : His Grooms and Companions: The autobiography of a horse	Anna Sewell Anna Sewell Anna Sewell was an English novelist, best known as the author of the classic novel Black Beauty.-Biography:Anna Mary Sewell was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England into a devoutly Quaker family...	English	1877	50 million
Il Nome della Rosa (The Name of the Rose The Name of the Rose The Name of the Rose is the first novel by Italian author Umberto Eco. It is a historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327, an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory... )	Umberto Eco Umberto Eco Umberto Eco Knight Grand Cross is an Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose , an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...	Italian Italian language Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...	1980	50 million

Between 30 million and 50 million copies

Book	Author(s)	Original language	First published	Approximate sales
The Hite Report	Shere Hite Shere Hite Shere Hite is an American-born German sex educator and feminist. Her sexological work has focused primarily on female sexuality. Hite builds upon biological studies of sex by Masters and Johnson and by Alfred Kinsey...	English	1976	48 million
Charlotte's Web Charlotte's Web Charlotte's Web is an award-winning children's novel by acclaimed American author E. B. White, about a pig named Wilbur who is saved from being slaughtered by an intelligent spider named Charlotte. The book was first published in 1952, with illustrations by Garth Williams.The novel tells the story...	E.B. White; illustrated by Garth Williams Garth Williams Garth Montgomery Williams was an American artist who came to prominence in the American postwar era as an illustrator of children's books...	English	1952	45 million
The Ginger Man The Ginger Man The Ginger Man is a 1955 novel by J. P. Donleavy.First published in Paris, the novel is set in Dublin, Ireland, in post war 1947. Upon its publication, it was banned in the Republic of Ireland and the United States of America for obscenity....	J. P. Donleavy J. P. Donleavy James Patrick Donleavy is an Irish American author, born to Irish immigrants. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II after which he moved to Ireland. In 1946 he began studies at Trinity College, Dublin, but left before taking a degree...	English	1955	45 million
The Tale of Peter Rabbit The Tale of Peter Rabbit The Tale of Peter Rabbit is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter that follows mischievous and disobedient young Peter Rabbit as he is chased about the garden of Mr. McGregor. He escapes and returns home to his mother who puts him to bed after dosing him with camomile tea...	Beatrix Potter Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...	English	1902	45 million
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows	J. K. Rowling J. K. Rowling Joanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE , better known as J. K. Rowling, is the British author of the Harry Potter fantasy series...	English	2007	44 million
Jonathan Livingston Seagull Jonathan Livingston Seagull Jonathan Livingston Seagull, written by Richard Bach, is a fable in novella form about a seagull learning about life and flight, and a homily about self-perfection...	Richard Bach Richard Bach Richard David Bach is an American writer. He is widely known as the author of the hugely popular 1970s best-sellers Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, and others. His books espouse his philosophy that our apparent physical limits and mortality are merely...	English	1970	40 million
A Message to Garcia A Message to Garcia A Message to Garcia is a best-selling inspirational essay written in 1899 by Elbert Hubbard that has been made into two motion pictures.Felix Shay, Hubbard's personal assistant, wrote:...	Elbert Hubbard Elbert Hubbard Elbert Green Hubbard was an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. Raised in Hudson, Illinois, he met early success as a traveling salesman with the Larkin soap company. Today Hubbard is mostly known as the founder of the Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora, New York, an...	English	1899	40 million
Angels and Demons Angels and Demons Angels & Demons is a 2000 bestselling mystery-thriller novel written by American author Dan Brown and published by Pocket Books. The novel introduces the character Robert Langdon, who is also the protagonist of Brown's subsequent 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code, and 2009 novel, The Lost Symbol...	Dan Brown Dan Brown Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...	English	2000	39 million
Как закалялась сталь (Kak zakalyalas' stal'; How the Steel Was Tempered How the Steel Was Tempered How the Steel Was Tempered is a socialist realist novel written by Nikolai Ostrovsky during Joseph Stalin's era. Pavel Korchagin is the central character.- Analysis :... )	Nikolai Ostrovsky Nikolai Ostrovsky Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky was a Soviet socialist realist writer, who published his works during the Stalin era...	Russian	1932	36.4 million copies in USSR
Война и мир (Voyna i mir; War and Peace War and Peace War and Peace is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1869. The work is epic in scale and is regarded as one of the most important works of world literature... )	Leo Tolstoy Leo Tolstoy Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...	Russian	1869	36.0 million copies in USSR
Le avventure di Pinocchio. Storia di un burattino (The Adventures of Pinocchio)	Carlo Collodi Carlo Collodi Carlo Lorenzini , better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi, was an Italian children's writer known for the world-renowned fairy tale novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio.-Biography:...	Italian	1881	35 million
You Can Heal Your Life	Louise Hay Louise Hay Louise Hay is an American motivational author, and the founder of Hay House, a publishing company. She has authored several New Thought self-help books, and is best known for her 1984 book, You Can Heal Your Life.-Biography:...	English	1984	35 million
Kane and Abel Kane and Abel (novel) Kane and Abel is a 1979 novel by British author Jeffrey Archer. The title and story is a play on the Biblical brothers, Cain and Abel.Released in the United Kingdom in 1979 and in the United States in February 1980, the book was an international success. It reached No...	Jeffrey Archer	English	1979	34 million
Het Achterhuis (The Diary of a Young Girl The Diary of a Young Girl The Diary of a Young Girl is a book of the writings from the Dutch language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The family was apprehended in 1944 and Anne Frank ultimately died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen... , The Diary of Anne Frank)	Anne Frank Anne Frank Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...	Dutch Dutch language Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...	1947	30 million
In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do? In His Steps In His Steps is a best-selling book written by Charles Monroe Sheldon. First published in 1897, the book has sold more than 30,000,000 copies, and ranks as the 9th best-selling book of all time, along with Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls...	Charles M. Sheldon	English	1896	30 million
To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature...	Harper Lee Harper Lee Nelle Harper Lee is an American author known for her 1960 Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which deals with the issues of racism that were observed by the author as a child in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama...	English	1960	30 million
Valley of the Dolls Valley of the Dolls Valley of the Dolls is a novel by American writer Jacqueline Susann, published in 1966. The "dolls" within the title is a slang term for downers, barbiturates used as sleep aids....	Jacqueline Susann Jacqueline Susann Jacqueline Susann was an American author known for her best-selling novels. Her most notable work was Valley of the Dolls, a book that broke sales records and spawned an Oscar-nominated 1967 film and a short-lived TV series.-Early years:Jacqueline Susann was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to...	English	1966	30 million
Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind The slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...	Margaret Mitchell Margaret Mitchell Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was an American author and journalist. Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937 for her epic American Civil War era novel, Gone with the Wind, which was the only novel by Mitchell published during her lifetime.-Family:Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta,...	English	1936	30 million
Cien Años de Soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude One Hundred Years of Solitude One Hundred Years of Solitude , by Gabriel García Márquez, is a novel which tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, founds the town of Macondo, the metaphoric Colombia... )	Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...	Spanish Spanish language Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...	1967	30 million
The Purpose Driven Life The Purpose Driven Life The Purpose Driven Life is a devotional book written by Christian author Rick Warren and published by Zondervan. The book has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for advice books for one of the longest periods in history, while also topping the Wall Street Journal best seller charts as...	Rick Warren Rick Warren Richard Duane "Rick" Warren is an American evangelical Christian minister and author. He is the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, currently the eighth-largest church in the United States...	English	2002	30 million
The Thorn Birds The Thorn Birds The Thorn Birds is a 1977 best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough, an Australian author.In 1983 it was adapted as a television mini-series that, during its television run 27–30 March, became the United States' second highest rated mini-series of all time behind Roots; both series were produced by...	Colleen McCullough Colleen McCullough Colleen McCullough-Robinson, , is an internationally acclaimed Australian author.-Life:McCullough was born in Wellington, in outback central west New South Wales, in 1937 to James and Laurie McCullough. Her mother was a New Zealander of part-Māori descent. During her childhood, her family moved...	English	1977	30 million
The Revolt of Mamie Stover The Revolt of Mamie Stover The Revolt of Mamie Stover is a 1951 novel by William Bradford Huie about a Mississippi prostitute, later a war profiteer in Honolulu. A movie version directed by Raoul Walsh was filmed in 1956 with Jane Russell in the title role....	William Bradford Huie William Bradford Huie William Bradford "Bill" Huie was an American journalist, editor, publisher, television interviewer, screenwriter, lecturer, and novelist.-Biography:...	English	1951	30 million
Män som hatar kvinnor (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an award-winning crime novel by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. It is the first book in the trilogy known as the "Millennium series".... )	Stieg Larsson Stieg Larsson Karl Stig-Erland Larsson , who wrote professionally as Stieg Larsson, was a Swedish journalist and writer, born in Skelleftehamn outside Skellefteå. He is best known for writing the "Millennium series" of crime novels, which were published posthumously...	Swedish	2005	30 million
The Very Hungry Caterpillar The Very Hungry Caterpillar The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a children's picture book designed, illustrated and written by Eric Carle, first published by the World Publishing Company in 1969, later published by Penguin Putnam. The book follows a caterpillar as it eats its way through a wide variety of foodstuffs before...	Eric Carle Eric Carle Eric Carle is a children's book author and illustrator who is most famous for his book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has been translated into over 50 languages...	English	1969	30 million
Sofies verden (Sophie's World Sophie's World Sophie's World is a novel by Jostein Gaarder, published in 1991. It was originally written in Norwegian, but has since been translated into English and many other languages. It sold more than 30 million copies and is one of the most successful Norwegian novels outside of Norway... )	Jostein Gaarder Jostein Gaarder Jostein Gaarder /ˈju:staɪn ˈgɔːrdər/ is a Norwegian intellectual and author of several novels, short stories and children's books. Gaarder often writes from the perspective of children, exploring their sense of wonder about the world. He often uses metafiction in his works, writing stories within...	Norwegian	1991	30 million

Between 20 million and 30 million copies

Book	Author(s)	Original language	First published	Approximate sales
The Late, Great Planet Earth The Late, Great Planet Earth The Late, Great Planet Earth is the title of a best-selling 1970 book co-authored by Hal Lindsey and Carole C. Carlson, and first published by Zondervan. The book was adapted in 1979 into a movie narrated by Orson Welles and released by Pacific International Enterprises. It was originally...	Hal Lindsey Hal Lindsey Harold Lee "Hal" Lindsey is an American evangelist and Christian writer. He is a Christian Zionist and dispensationalist author. He currently resides in Texas.-Biography:... , C. C. Carlson	English	1970	28 million
Who Moved My Cheese? Who Moved My Cheese? Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life, published in 1998, is a motivational book by Spencer Johnson written in the style of a parable or business fable. It describes change in one's work and life, and four typical reactions to said change by two mice...	Spencer Johnson Spencer Johnson (writer) Spencer Johnson is known for the ValueTales series of children's books, and for his 1998 motivational book Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life, which recurred on the New York Times Bestseller list, on the Publishers Weekly Hardcover nonfiction list...	English	1998	26 million
The Wind in the Willows The Wind in the Willows The Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters in a pastoral version of England...	Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame was a Scottish writer, most famous for The Wind in the Willows , one of the classics of children's literature. He also wrote The Reluctant Dragon; both books were later adapted into Disney films....	English	1908	25 million
Nineteen Eighty-Four Nineteen Eighty-Four Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...	George Orwell George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...	English	1949	25 million
The Celestine Prophecy The Celestine Prophecy The Celestine Prophecy is a 1993 novel by James Redfield that discusses various psychological and spiritual ideas which are rooted in many ancient Eastern Traditions and New Age spirituality. The main character of the novel undertakes a journey to find and understand a series of nine spiritual...	James Redfield James Redfield James Redfield is an American author, lecturer, screenwriter and film producer. He is notable for his novel The Celestine Prophecy .-Biography:...	English	1993	23 million
The Godfather The Godfather (novel) The Godfather is a crime novel written by Italian American author Mario Puzo, originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. It details the story of a fictitious Sicilian Mafia family based in New York City and headed by Don Vito Corleone, who became synonymous with the Italian Mafia...	Mario Puzo Mario Puzo Mario Gianluigi Puzo was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather , which he later co-adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola...	English	1969	21 million
Love Story Love Story (novel) Love Story is a 1970 romance novel by American writer Erich Segal. The book's origins were in that of a screenplay Segal wrote and was subsequently approved for production by Paramount Pictures. Paramount requested that Segal adapt the story into novel form as a preview of sorts for the film. The...	Erich Segal Erich Segal Erich Wolf Segal was an American author, screenwriter, and educator. He was best-known for writing the novel Love Story , a best-seller, and writing the motion picture of the same name, which was a major hit....	English	1970	21 million
狼图腾 (Wolf Totem Wolf Totem Wolf Totem is a semi-autobiographical novel about the experiences of a young student from Beijing who finds himself sent down to the countryside of Inner Mongolia in 1967, at the height of China's Cultural Revolution... )	Jiang Rong Lu Jiamin Lü Jiamin is a Chinese writer, most famous for his best-selling 2004 novel Wolf Totem, which he wrote under the pseudonym Jiang Rong. He is married to fellow novelist Zhang Kangkang.-Early life:...	Chinese Chinese language The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...	2004	20 million
The Happy Hooker: My Own Story	Xaviera Hollander	English	1971	20 million
Jaws Jaws (novel) Jaws is a 1974 novel by Peter Benchley. It tells the story of a great white shark that preys upon a small resort town, and the voyage of three men to kill it....	Peter Benchley Peter Benchley Peter Bradford Benchley was an American author, best known for his novel Jaws and its subsequent film adaptation, the latter co-written by Benchley and directed by Steven Spielberg...	English	1974	20 million
Love You Forever Love You Forever Love You Forever is a short book written by Robert Munsch and published in 1986. It tells the story of the evolving relationship between a boy and his mother. It was listed fourth on the 2001 Publishers Weekly All-Time Bestselling Children's Books list for paperbacks at 6,970,000 copies...	Robert Munsch Robert Munsch Robert Norman Munsch, CM is an American-born Canadian children's author.-Personal life and career:Robert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...	English	1986	20 million
The Women's Room The Women's Room The Women's Room is a novel by American feminist author Marilyn French first published in 1977.French was almost unknown among feminist circles before the publication of the book. It has been described as one of the most influential novels of the modern feminist movement...	Marilyn French	English	1977	20 million
What to Expect When You're Expecting What to Expect When You're Expecting What to Expect When You're Expecting is a pregnancy guide, now in its fourth edition, written by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel and published by Workman Publishing...	Arlene Eisenberg and Heidi Murkoff Heidi Murkoff Heidi Murkoff is the author of the world's best-selling pregnancy and parenting series, What to Expect, that began with What to Expect When You're Expecting. She is also the creator of WhatToExpect.com and founder of the What to Expect Foundation. Time magazine named Heidi one of the 100 Most...	English	1984	20 million

Between 10 million and 20 million copies

Book	Author(s)	Original language	First published	Approximate sales
Where the Wild Things Are Where The Wild Things Are Where the Wild Things Are is a 1963 children's picture book by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, originally published by Harper & Row. The book has been adapted into other media several times, including an animated short in 1973 , a 1980 opera, and, in 2009, a live-action feature film...	Maurice Sendak Maurice Sendak Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...	English	1963	19 million
The Secret The Secret (book) The Secret is a best-selling 2006 self-help book written by Rhonda Byrne. It is based on the earlier film of the same name that was released in DVD format in March 2006...	Rhonda Byrne Rhonda Byrne Rhonda Byrne is an Australian television writer and producer, best known for her New Thought works, The Secret—a book and a film by the same name. By the Spring of 2007 the book had sold almost 4 million copies, and the DVD had sold more than 2 million copies omt. She has also been a producer...	English	2006	19 million
Fear of Flying Fear of Flying (novel) Fear of Flying is a 1973 novel by Erica Jong, which became famously controversial for its attitudes towards female sexuality, and figured in the development of second-wave feminism....	Erica Jong Erica Jong Erica Jong is an American author and teacher best known for her fiction and poetry.-Career:A 1963 graduate of Barnard College, and with an M.A...	English	1973	18 million
Goodnight Moon Goodnight Moon Goodnight Moon is an American children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was first published in 1947, and is a highly acclaimed example of a bedtime story. It is about a child saying goodnight to everything around: "Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight...	Margaret Wise Brown Margaret Wise Brown Margaret Wise Brown was a prolific American author of children's literature, including the books Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, both illustrated by Clement Hurd.-Biography:...	English	1947	16 million
Guess How Much I Love You Guess How Much I Love You Guess How Much I Love You is a British children's book written by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram, published in 1994 in the UK by Walker Books and in 1995 in the US by its subsidiary Candlewick Press. The book was a 1996 ALA Notable Children's Book...	Sam McBratney	English	1994	15 million
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People	Stephen R. Covey	English	1989	15 million
Shōgun Shogun (novel) Shōgun is a 1975 novel by James Clavell. It is the first novel of the author's Asian Saga. A major bestseller, by 1990 the book had sold 15 million copies worldwide...	James Clavell James Clavell James Clavell, born Charles Edmund DuMaresq Clavell was an Australian-born, British novelist, screenwriter, director and World War II veteran and prisoner of war...	English	1975	15 million
The Poky Little Puppy The Poky Little Puppy The Poky Little Puppy is a children's book written by Texas author Janette Sebring Lowrey and illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. It was first published in 1942 as one of the first 12 books in the Simon and Schuster series Little Golden Books...	Janette Sebring Lowrey Janette Sebring Lowrey Janette Sebring Lowry was an American Writer best known for writing The Poky Little Puppy. She wrote dozens of books aimed at children and young adults from the 1930s to the 1970s, but "The Pokey Little Puppy" remains her best known...	English	1942	15 million
The Pillars of the Earth The Pillars of the Earth The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. It is set in the middle of the 12th century, primarily during the Anarchy, between the time of the sinking of the White Ship and the...	Ken Follett Ken Follett Ken Follett is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels. He has sold more than 100 million copies of his works. Four of his books have reached the number 1 ranking on the New York Times best-seller list: The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, Triple, and World Without End.-Early...	English	1989	15 million
How to Win Friends and Influence People How to Win Friends and Influence People How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the first bestselling self-help books ever published. Written by Dale Carnegie and first published in 1936, it has sold 15 million copies world-wide....	Dale Carnegie Dale Carnegie Dale Breckenridge Carnegie was an American writer, lecturer, and the developer of famous courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills...	English	1936	15 million
Das Parfum (Perfume)	Patrick Süskind Patrick Süskind Patrick Süskind is a German writer and screenwriter.- Life and work :The public knows little about Patrick Süskind. He has withdrawn from the literary scene in Germany and never grants interviews or allows photos. He was born in Ambach am Starnberger See, near Munich in Germany...	German	1985	15 million
The Grapes of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath is a novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962....	John Steinbeck John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...	English	1939	15 million
The Horse Whisperer The Horse Whisperer The Horse Whisperer is a 1998 American drama film directed by and starring Robert Redford, based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Nicholas Evans...	Nicholas Evans Nicholas Evans Nicholas Evans is an English journalist, screenwriter television and film producer and novelist. Evans was born at in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, and educated at Bromsgrove School but before studying at Oxford University, he served in Africa with the charity Voluntary Service Overseas...	English	1995	15 million
La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Wind The Shadow of the Wind The Shadow of the Wind is a 2001 novel by Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón, and a worldwide bestseller. The book was translated into English in 2004 by Lucia Graves and sold over a million copies in the UK after already achieving success on mainland Europe, topping the Spanish bestseller lists for... )	Carlos Ruiz Zafón Carlos Ruiz Zafón Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a Spanish novelist who has lived in Los Angeles since 1993, where he spent a few years writing scripts whilst developing his career as a writer....	Spanish	2001	15 million
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it was later adapted to other formats, and over several years it gradually became an international multi-media phenomenon...	Douglas Adams Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...	English	1979	14 million
Tuesdays with Morrie Tuesdays With Morrie Tuesdays with Morrie is a 1997 non-fiction novel by American writer Mitch Albom. The story was later adapted by Thomas Rickman into a TV movie of the same name directed by Mick Jackson, which aired on 5 December 1999 and starred Jack Lemmon and Hank Azaria...	Mitch Albom Mitch Albom Mitchell David "Mitch" Albom is an American best-selling author, journalist, screenwriter, dramatist, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have sold over 30 million copies worldwide...	English	1997	14 million
God's Little Acre God's Little Acre God's Little Acre is a 1933 novel by Erskine Caldwell, which was made into a film of the same name in 1958.The novel was so controversial that the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice attempted to censor it, leading to the author's arrest and trial for obscenity...	Erskine Caldwell Erskine Caldwell Erskine Preston Caldwell was an American author. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native South like the novels Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre won him critical acclaim, but they also made him controversial among fellow Southerners of the time who felt he was...	English	1933	14 million
Va' dove ti porta il cuore (Follow Your Heart)	Susanna Tamaro Susanna Tamaro Susanna Tamaro is an Italian novelist. She has also worked as a scientific documentarist and movie maker direction assistant.-Biography:Susanna Tamaro was born in a family of middle class...	Italian Italian language Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...	1994	14 million
The Outsiders The Outsiders (novel) The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel based in 1965 by S. E. Hinton, first published in 1967 by Viking Press. Hinton was 15 when she started writing the novel, but did most of the work when she was sixteen and a junior in high school. Hinton was 18 when the book was published...	S. E. Hinton S. E. Hinton Susan Eloise Hinton is an American author best known for her young adult novel The Outsiders.While still in her teens, Hinton became a household name as the author of The Outsiders, her first and most popular novel, set in Oklahoma in the 1960s. She began writing it in 1965...	English	1967	13 million
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's book by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of the eccentric chocolatier, Willy Wonka....	Roald Dahl Roald Dahl Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...	English	1964	13 million
ノルウェイの森, Noruwei no Mori (Norwegian Wood Norwegian Wood (novel) is a 1987 novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami.The novel is a nostalgic story of loss and sexuality. The story's protagonist and narrator is Toru Watanabe, who looks back on his days as a college student living in Tokyo... )	Haruki Murakami Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer and translator. His works of fiction and non-fiction have garnered him critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Franz Kafka Prize and Jerusalem Prize among others.He is considered an important figure in postmodern literature...	Japanese	1987	12 million
The Shack	William P. Young William P. Young William Paul Young is a Canadian author, best known for The Shack, a novel.- Biography :Young was the eldest of four, born May 11, 1955, in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, but the majority of his first decade was lived with his missionary parents in the highlands of Netherlands New Guinea , among...	English	2007	12 million
Peyton Place Peyton Place (novel) Peyton Place is a 1956 novel by Grace Metalious. It sold 60,000 copies within the first ten days of its release and remained on the New York Times best seller list for 59 weeks. It was adapted as both a 1957 film and a 1964–69 television series....	Grace Metalious	English	1956	12 million
Dune Dune (novel) Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert, published in 1965. It won the Hugo Award in 1966, and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel...	Frank Herbert Frank Herbert Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...	English	1965	12 million
La Peste (The Plague The Plague The Plague is a novel by Albert Camus, published in 1947, that tells the story of medical workers finding solidarity in their labour as the Algerian city of Oran is swept by a plague. It asks a number of questions relating to the nature of destiny and the human condition... )	Albert Camus Albert Camus Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...	French	1947	12 million
人間失格 (No Longer Human No Longer Human is a Japanese novel by Osamu Dazai. Published after Run Melos and The Setting Sun, No Longer Human is considered Dazai's masterpiece and ranks as the second-best selling novel in Japan, behind Kokoro.... )	Osamu Dazai Osamu Dazai was a Japanese author who is considered one of the foremost fiction writers of 20th-century Japan.-Biography:-Early life:Dazai was born , the eighth surviving child of a wealthy landowner in Kanagi, a remote corner of Japan at the northern tip of Tōhoku in Aomori Prefecture...	Japanese	1948	12 million
The Naked Ape The Naked Ape The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal is a 1967 book by zoologist and anthropologist Desmond Morris which looks at humans as a species and compares them to other animals...	Desmond Morris Desmond Morris Desmond John Morris, born 24 January 1928 in Purton, north Wiltshire, is a British zoologist and ethologist, as well as a popular anthropologist. He is also known as a painter, television presenter and popular author.-Life:...	English	1968	12 million
The Bridges of Madison County The Bridges of Madison County The Bridges of Madison County is a 1992 best-selling novel by Robert James Waller which tells the story of a married but lonely Italian woman, living in 1960s Madison County, Iowa, who engages in an affair with a National Geographic photographer from Bellingham, Washington who is visiting Madison...	Robert James Waller Robert James Waller Robert James Waller is an American author, also known for his work as a photographer and musician.-Life:Waller received his B.A. and M.A. from University of Northern Iowa . He received his Ph.D...	English	1992	12 million
Ein Psychologe erlebt das Konzentrationslager (Man's Search for Meaning Man's Search for Meaning Man's Search for Meaning is a 1946 book by Viktor Frankl chronicling his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and describing his psychotherapeutic method of finding a reason to live... )	Viktor Frankl Viktor Frankl Viktor Emil Frankl M.D., Ph.D. was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor. Frankl was the founder of logotherapy, which is a form of Existential Analysis, the "Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy"...	German	1946	12 million
Divina Commedia (Divine Comedy)	Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...	Italian	1304	11-12 million (during 20th century)
Things Fall Apart Things Fall Apart Things Fall Apartis a 1958 English language novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa and widely read and studied in English-speaking countries around the world. It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, and one of the first African...	Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe popularly known as Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic...	English	1958	11 million
The Prophet The Prophet (book) The Prophet is a book of 26 poetic essays written in English by the Lebanese artist, philosopher and writer Kahlil Gibran. It was originally published in 1923 by Alfred A. Knopf. It is Gibran's best known work...	Khalil Gibran Khalil Gibran Khalil Gibran Jubrān Khalīl Jubrān,Jibrān Khalīl Jibrān, or Jibrān Xalīl Jibrān; Arabic , January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931) also known as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese American artist, poet, and writer...	English	1923	11 million
The Exorcist The Exorcist The Exorcist is a novel of supernatural suspense by William Peter Blatty, published by Harper & Row in 1971. It was inspired by a 1949 case of demonic possession and exorcism that Blatty heard about while he was a student in the class of 1950 at Georgetown University, a Jesuit school...	William Peter Blatty William Peter Blatty William Peter Blatty is an American writer and filmmaker. The novel The Exorcist, written in 1971, is his magnum opus; he also penned the subsequent screenplay version of the film, for which he won an Academy Award....	English	1971	11 million
The Gruffalo The Gruffalo The Gruffalo is a children's book by writer and playwright Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler, that tells the story of a mouse's walk in the woods...	Julia Donaldson Julia Donaldson Julia Catherine Donaldson MBE is an English writer and playwright, best known as author of The Gruffalo and other children's books, many illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Of her 157 published works, 56 are widely available in bookshops...	English	1999	10.5 million
Catch-22 Catch-22 Catch-22 is a satirical, historical novel by the American author Joseph Heller. He began writing it in 1953, and the novel was first published in 1961. It is set during World War II in 1943 and is frequently cited as one of the great literary works of the twentieth century...	Joseph Heller Joseph Heller Joseph Heller was a US satirical novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His best known work is Catch-22, a novel about US servicemen during World War II...	English	1961	10 million
Eye of the Needle Eye of the Needle Eye of the Needle is a spy thriller novel written by British author Ken Follett. It was originally published in 1978 by the Penguin Group titled Storm Island. This novel was Follett's first successful, bestselling effort as a novelist, and it earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the...	Ken Follett Ken Follett Ken Follett is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels. He has sold more than 100 million copies of his works. Four of his books have reached the number 1 ranking on the New York Times best-seller list: The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, Triple, and World Without End.-Early...	English	1978	10 million
A Brief History of Time A Brief History of Time A Brief History of Time is a popular science book written by renown physicist Stephen Hawking and first published by the Bantam Dell Publishing Group in 1988. It became a best-seller and has sold more than 10 million copies...	Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...	English	1988	10 million
The Cat in the Hat The Cat in the Hat The Cat in the Hat is a children's book by Dr. Seuss and perhaps the most famous, featuring a tall, anthropomorphic, mischievous cat, wearing a tall, red and white-striped hat and a red bow tie. He also carries a pale blue umbrella...	Dr. Seuss Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....	English	1957	10 million
The Lovely Bones The Lovely Bones The Lovely Bones is a 2002 novel by Alice Sebold. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from her personal Heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives while she comes to terms with her own death. The novel received much critical...	Alice Sebold Alice Sebold Alice Sebold is an American novelist. She has published three books: Lucky , The Lovely Bones and The Almost Moon .-Early life:...	English	2002	10 million
Wild Swans Wild Swans Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China is a family history that spans a century, recounting the lives of three female generations in China, by Chinese writer Jung Chang. First published in 1991, Wild Swans contains the biographies of her grandmother and her mother, then finally her own autobiography...	Jung Chang Jung Chang Jung Chang is a Chinese-born British writer now living in London, best known for her family autobiography Wild Swans, selling over 10 million copies worldwide but banned in the People's Republic of China....	English	1992	10 million
Santa Evita	Tomás Eloy Martínez Tomás Eloy Martínez Tomás Eloy Martínez was an Argentine journalist and writer.-Life and work:Born in San Miguel de Tucumán, Martínez obtained a degree in Spanish and Latin American literature from the University of Tucumán, and an MA at the University of Paris...	Spanish	1995	10 million
Un di Velt Hot Geshvign (Night Night (book) Night is a work by Elie Wiesel about his experience with his father, Shlomo, in the Nazi German concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald in 1944–1945, at the height of the Holocaust and toward the end of the Second World War... )	Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...	Yiddish	1958	10 million
The Kite Runner The Kite Runner The Kite Runner is a novel by Khaled Hosseini. Published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, it is Hosseini's first novel, and was adapted into a film of the same name in 2007....	Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini , is an Afghan-born American novelist and physician of ethnic Tajik origin. He is a citizen of the United States where he has lived since he was fifteen years old. His 2003 debut novel, The Kite Runner, was an international bestseller, selling more than 12 million copies worldwide....	English	2003	10 million
于丹《论语》心得 (Confucius from the Heart)	Yu Dan Yu Dan Yu Dan is an associate professor at China's Beijing Normal University. She is also assistant to the Dean, Faculty of Arts & Media, as well as Head, Department of Film & Television Media. She receives a master degree in ancient Chinese literature and a doctoral degree in film & TV studies from...	Chinese	2006	10 million
The Total Woman	Marabel Morgan Marabel Morgan Marabel Morgan is an American author of self-help books for married women, including The Total Woman , Total Joy , The Total Woman Cookbook and The Electric Woman ....	English	1974	10 million
知価革命 (Knowledge-value Revolution)	Taichi Sakaiya	Japanese	1985	10 million
中国社会主义经济问题研究 (Problems in China's Socialist Economy)	Xue Muqiao Xue Muqiao Xue Muqiao was a Chinese economist. He was instrumental in introducing and implementing economic reforms that transformed China into a market economy....	Chinese	1979	10 million
What Color is Your Parachute? What Color is Your Parachute? What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles is a book for job-seekers that has been revised every year since 1970. Bolles initially self-published the book , but it has now been commercially published since November 1972, by Ten Speed Press, in Berkeley, California. Since 1975 it has...	Richard Nelson Bolles Richard Nelson Bolles Richard Nelson Bolles is a former Episcopal clergyman, and the author of the best-selling job-hunting book, What Color is Your Parachute?-Early life and career:...	English	1970	10 million
The Dukan Diet	Pierre Dukan Pierre Dukan Pierre Dukan is a French medical doctor and nutritionist, creator of the famous Dukan Diet.-History:In 1975, Pierre Dukan was a general practitioner in Paris when he was first confronted with a case of obesity. At the time, being overweight or obese was thought to be best treated by low calorie and...	French		10 million
The Joy of Sex The Joy of Sex The Joy of Sex is an illustrated sex manual by Alex Comfort, M.B., Ph.D., first published in 1972. An updated edition was released in September, 2008.-Overview:...	Alex Comfort Alex Comfort Alexander Comfort, MB BChir, PhD, DSc was a medical professional, gerontologist, anarchist, pacifist, conscientious objector and writer, best known for The Joy of Sex, which played a part in what is often called the sexual revolution...	English	1972	10 million

At least 100 million copies

Book series	Author	Original language	No. of installments	First published	Approximate sales
Harry Potter Harry Potter Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...	J. K. Rowling J. K. Rowling Joanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE , better known as J. K. Rowling, is the British author of the Harry Potter fantasy series...	English	7 + 3 companion books	1997–2007	450 million
Goosebumps Goosebumps Goosebumps is a series of children's horror fiction novels written by American author R. L. Stine and first published by Scholastic Publishing. It is a collection of stories that feature semi-homogenous plot structures, with fictional children being involved in scary situations...	R. L. Stine R. L. Stine Robert Lawrence Stine , known as R. L. Stine, and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American writer. Stine, who is called the "Stephen King of children's literature," is the author of hundreds of horror fiction novels, including the books in the Fear Street, Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, and The...	English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...	62 + spin off series	1992–1997-present	350 million
Perry Mason Perry Mason (novels) The following is a list of the 82 Perry Mason novels by Erle Stanley Gardner.Many Perry Mason novels were first published in serial format in The Saturday Evening Post, some with different titles. Sixteen appeared in the Toronto Star Weekly in condensed form. All books were first published by...	Erle Stanley Gardner Erle Stanley Gardner Erle Stanley Gardner was an American lawyer and author of detective stories, best known for the Perry Mason series, he also published under the pseudonyms A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J...	English	82	1933 — 1970	300 million
Berenstain Bears Berenstain Bears The Berenstain Bears is a series of children's books created by Stan and Jan Berenstain. The books feature a family of anthropomorphic bears who generally learn a moral or safety-related lesson in the course of each story...	Stan and Jan Berenstain Stan and Jan Berenstain Stan and Jan Berenstain were American writers and illustrators best known for creating the children's book series the Berenstain Bears....	English	over 300	1962 — present	260 million
Choose Your Own Adventure Choose Your Own Adventure Choose Your Own Adventure is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actions and the plot's outcome. The series was based on a...	various authors	English	185	1979 — 1998	250 million
Sweet Valley High Sweet Valley High Sweet Valley High is a novel series created by Francine Pascal, who presided over a team of ghostwriters for the duration of the series' creation. The series began in 1983 and ceased publication twenty years later with over 152 books to its name...	Francine Pascal Francine Pascal Francine Pascal is an author best known for creating the Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. Sweet Valley High was the backbone of the collection, and was made into a popular television series. There were also several spin-offs, including The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley University...  and ghostwriters	English	400	1983–2003	250 million
Noddy	Enid Blyton Enid Blyton Enid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...	English	24	1949–present	200 million
Nancy Drew Nancy Drew Nancy Drew is a fictional young amateur detective in various mystery series for all ages. She was created by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate book packaging firm. The character first appeared in 1930. The books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published...	various authors as Carolyn Keene Carolyn Keene Carolyn Keene is the pseudonym of the authors of the Nancy Drew mystery stories and The Dana Girls mystery stories, both produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate...	English	175	1930 — present	200 million
The Railway Series The Railway Series The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14... (spawned Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends)	Rev. W. Awdry, Christopher Awdry Christopher Awdry Christopher Awdry is an English author best known for his contributions to The Railway Series of books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, which was started by his father, the Rev. W. Awdry. He has also produced children's books based on a number of other railways, as well as non-fiction articles...	English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...	41	1945–2007	200 million
The Baby-sitters Club The Baby-Sitters Club The Baby-sitters Club is a series of novels written by Ann M. Martin and published by Scholastic between 1986 and 2000, that sold 17 milllon copies. Many of the novels were ghostwritten, including 43 by Peter Lerangis. However, Ann Martin wrote the first 35 novels.The series is about a group of...	Ann Martin	English	335	1986 — present	172 million
Star Wars	various authors	English	over 200	1977 — present	160 million
Peter Rabbit Peter Rabbit Peter Rabbit is a fictional anthropomorphic character in various children's stories by Beatrix Potter. He first appeared in The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902, and subsequently in five more books between 1904 and 1912. Spinoff merchandise includes dishes, wallpaper, and dolls...	Beatrix Potter Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...	English	6	1902–1930	150 million
Chicken Soup for the Soul Chicken Soup for the Soul Chicken Soup for the Soul is a series of books, usually featuring a collection of short and dense inspirational stories and motivational essays. The 101 stories in the first book of the series were compiled by motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.There have been over 200 titles...	Jack Canfield Jack Canfield Jack Canfield is an American motivational speaker and author. He is best known as the co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, which currently has nearly 200 titles and 112 million copies in print in over 40 languages... , Mark Victor Hansen Mark Victor Hansen Mark Victor Hansen is an American inspirational and motivational speaker, trainer and author. He is best known as the founder and co-creator of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series....	English	105	1997 — present	130 million
Frank Merriwell Frank Merriwell Frank Merriwell is a fictional character appearing in a series of novels and short stories by Gilbert Patten, who wrote under the pseudonym Burt L. Standish...	Gilbert Patten	English	209	1896 -	125 million
Dirk Pitt Dirk Pitt Dirk Pitt is a fictional character, the protagonist of a series of bestselling adventure novels written by Clive Cussler. The name Dirk Pitt is a registered trademark of Clive Cussler.-Character information and the supporting cast:...	Clive Cussler Clive Cussler Clive Eric Cussler is an American adventure novelist and marine archaeologist. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than seventeen times...	English	19	1973 — present	120 million
宮本武蔵 (Musashi Musashi (novel) is a Japanese novel written by Eiji Yoshikawa and serialized in 1935 in Asahi Shimbun.-Introduction:It is a fictionalized account of the life of Miyamoto Musashi, author of The Book of Five Rings and arguably the most renowned Japanese swordsman who ever lived.The novel has been translated into... )	Eiji Yoshikawa Eiji Yoshikawa was a Japanese historical novelist, probably one of the best and most famous authors in the genre. Among his most well-known novels, most are revisions of past works. He was mainly influenced by classics such as The Tale of the Heike, Tale of Genji, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Romance of the Three...	Japanese Japanese language is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...	7	1935–1939	120 million
American Girl American Girl (company) American Girl is an American line of 18-inch dolls released in 1986 by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray ten-year-old girls of a variety of ethnicities living in various times throughout American history. They are sold with accompanying books told from the viewpoint of the girls...	various authors	English		1986 — present	120 million
The Chronicles of Narnia The Chronicles of Narnia The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children by C. S. Lewis. It is considered a classic of children's literature and is the author's best-known work, having sold over 100 million copies in 47 languages...	C. S. Lewis C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...	English	7	1949–1954	120 million
Mr. Men Mr. Men Mr. Men is a series of 49 children's books by Roger Hargreaves commencing in 1971. Two of these books were not published in English. The series features characters with names such as Mr. Tickle and Mr. Happy who have personalities based on their names...	Roger Hargreaves Roger Hargreaves Charles Roger Hargreaves was an English author and illustrator of children's books, notably the Mr. Men and Little Miss series, intended for very young readers... , Adam Hargreaves Adam Hargreaves Adam Hargreaves is an English author and illustrator. The son of Roger Hargreaves, he continues his father's popular Mr. Men series of children's books. Hargreaves also served as inspiration for the series. When at the age of six he asked his father "What does a tickle look like?", Roger used...	English	43	1971 — present	120 million
Twilight	Stephenie Meyer Stephenie Meyer Stephenie Meyer is an American author known for her vampire romance series Twilight. The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition and sold over 100 million copies globally, with translations into 37 different languages...	English	4 + 1 Novella + 1 Graphic Novel + 1 Guide	2005–2011	116 million
Clifford the Big Red Dog Clifford the Big Red Dog Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series first published in 1963. Written by Norman Bridwell, the series helped establish Scholastic Books as a premier publishing company....	Norman Bridwell Norman Bridwell Norman Bridwell is an American author and cartoonist, best-known for the Clifford the Big Red Dog series of children's books. Bridwell attended John Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana and Cooper Union in New York City. He currently resides on Martha's Vineyard, MA, where he continues to...	English		1963 — present	110 million
James Bond James Bond James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...	Ian Fleming Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...	English	14	1953–1966	100 million
Martine	Gilbert Delahaye Gilbert Delahaye Gilbert Delahaye was a Belgian author. He is best known for the Martine books, a series of illustrated children's stories he prepared with artist Marcel Marlier.-In popular culture:... , Marcel Marlier Marcel Marlier Marcel Marlier was a Belgian artist and illustrator. He was born in Herseaux, Belgium. When he was 16, he enroled in decorative art at Saint-Luc de Tournai. He finished his studies in 1951 with the greatest distinction. He returned as a teacher two years later.The Belgian publisher La Procure à...	French	60	1954 — present	100 million

Between 50 million and 100 million copies

Book series	Author	Original language	No. of installments	First published	Approximate sales
Nijntje (Miffy Miffy Miffy is a small female rabbit in a series of picture books drawn and written by Dutch artist Dick Bruna. Miffy's original Dutch name is Nijntje which stems from a toddler's pronunciation of the word "konijntje" meaning "little rabbit".... )	Dick Bruna Dick Bruna Dick Bruna is a Dutch author, artist, illustrator and graphic designer.Bruna is best known for his children's books which he authored and illustrated, now numbering over 200. His best known creation is Miffy , a small rabbit drawn with heavy graphic lines, simple shapes and primary colors...	Dutch Dutch language Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...	119	1955 — present	85 million
Fear Street Fear Street Fear Street is a teenage horror fiction series written by American author R. L. Stine, starting in 1989. In 1995, a series of books inspired by the Fear Street series, called Ghosts of Fear Street, was created for younger readers, and were more like the Goosebumps books in that they featured...	R. L. Stine R. L. Stine Robert Lawrence Stine , known as R. L. Stine, and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American writer. Stine, who is called the "Stephen King of children's literature," is the author of hundreds of horror fiction novels, including the books in the Fear Street, Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, and The...	English	114	1989 — present	80 million
The Vampire Chronicles The Vampire Chronicles The Vampire Chronicles is a series of novels by Anne Rice that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman turned into a vampire in the 18th century....	Anne Rice Anne Rice Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...	English	12	1976-2003	80 million
OSS 117 OSS 117 OSS 117 is the codename for Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, a fictional secret agent initially from the pen of the prolific Jean Bruce. Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath is described as being an American Colonel from Louisiana of French descent...	Jean Bruce Jean Bruce Jean Bruce born Jean Brochet on 22 March 1921 was a prolific French popular writer who died in 26 March 1963 in a car accident. He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Jean Alexandre, Jean Alexandre Brochet, Jean-Martin Rouan, and Joyce Lindsay....	French French language French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...	265	1949–1992	75 million
Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...	A. A. Milne A. A. Milne Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.-Biography:A. A... ; illustrated by E. H. Shepard E. H. Shepard Ernest Howard Shepard was an English artist and book illustrator. He was known especially for his human-like animals in illustrations for The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne....	English	4	1926–1928	70 million
Magic Tree House series Magic Tree House series The Magic Tree House series is an award-winning series of children's books written by American author Mary Pope Osborne.In the first series, consisting of the first 28 books, Morgan le Fay sends Jack and Annie, two normal children from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, on numerous adventures and missions...	Mary Pope Osborne Mary Pope Osborne Mary Pope Osborne is an American children's book author. She is best known for her award-winning and bestselling Magic Tree House series, which has been translated into over 20 languages and sold over 53 million copies.-Background:...	English	43	1992–present	70 million
Left Behind Left Behind (series) Left Behind is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, dealing with Christian dispensationalist End Times: pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological viewpoint of the end of the world. The primary conflict of the series is the members of the Tribulation...	Tim LaHaye Tim LaHaye Timothy F. LaHaye is an American evangelical Christian minister, author, and speaker. He is best known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins. He has written over 50 books, both fiction and non-fiction.-Early life:LaHaye was born in Detroit,... , Jerry B. Jenkins Jerry B. Jenkins Jerry Bruce Jenkins is an American novelist and biographer. He is best known as co-author of the Left Behind series of books with Tim LaHaye, Jenkins has written over 150 books, including romance novels, mysteries, and children's adventures, as well as non-fiction...	English	16	1996 — 2007	65 million
A Series of Unfortunate Events A Series of Unfortunate Events A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of children's novels by Lemony Snicket which follows the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire after their parents' death in an arsonous house fire...	Lemony Snicket Lemony Snicket Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...  aka Daniel Handler Daniel Handler Daniel Handler is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.-Personal life:...	English	13	1999–2006	60 million
Little House on the Prairie Little House on the Prairie Little House is a series of children's books by Laura Ingalls Wilder that was published originally between 1932 and 1943, with four additional books published posthumously, in 1962, 1971, 1974 and 2006.-History:...	Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was an American author who wrote the Little House series of books based on her childhood in a pioneer family...	English	12	1932–2006	60 million
Arch Books (Lantern Books)	various authors	English		1958 — present	58 million
Discworld Discworld Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....	Terry Pratchett Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...	English	38	1983–present	55 million
Where's Wally? Where's Wally? Where's Wally?, published in the United States and Canada as Where's Waldo?, is a series of children's books created by British illustrator Martin Handford. The books consist of a series of detailed double-page spread illustrations depicting dozens or more people doing a variety of amusing things...	Martin Handford Martin Handford Martin Handford is an English children's author and illustrator who gained worldwide fame in the mid-1980s with his Where's Wally? creation ....	English	13	1987–present	55 million
Millennium Trilogy Millennium Trilogy The Millennium series is a series of bestselling novels originally written in Swedish by the late Stieg Larsson. The primary characters in the series are Lisbeth Salander, an intelligent, eccentric woman in her twenties with a photographic memory and poor social skills, and Mikael Blomkvist, an...	Stieg Larsson Stieg Larsson Karl Stig-Erland Larsson , who wrote professionally as Stieg Larsson, was a Swedish journalist and writer, born in Skelleftehamn outside Skellefteå. He is best known for writing the "Millennium series" of crime novels, which were published posthumously...	Swedish	3	2005–2007	53 million
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus is a book written by American author, and relationship counselor, John Gray.The book has sold more than 7 million copies and is reported to be one of the best selling self-help books of all time...	John Gray John Gray (U.S. author) John Gray is an American relationship counselor, lecturer and author who has several university degrees received under a variety of circumstances. In 1969, he began a nine year association with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi before beginning his career as an author and personal relationship counselor...	English	15	1992–present	50 million
The Hardy Boys The Hardy Boys The Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional teenage brothers and amateur detectives who appear in various mystery series for children and teens....	various authors as Franklin W. Dixon Franklin W. Dixon Franklin W. Dixon is the pen name used by a variety of different authors who wrote The Hardy Boys novels for the Stratemeyer Syndicate...	English	190	1927-present	50 million
The Bobbsey Twins	various authors as Laura Lee Hope Laura Lee Hope Laura Lee Hope is a pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate for the Bobbsey Twins and several other series of children's novels. Actual writers taking up the pen of Laura Lee Hope include Edward Stratemeyer, Howard and Lilian Garis, Elizabeth Ward, Harriet Adams, Andrew E. Svenson, June M...	English	72	1904-79	50 million
アンパンマン (Anpanman Anpanman is one of the most popular anime cartoon series for young children in Japan. , the titular Anpanman is the most popular fictional character among people age 0 to 12 years in Japan in 10 consective years, according to research by Bandai. The series is written by Takashi Yanase, a Japanese writer of... )	Takashi Yanase Takashi Yanase is the Japanese creator of the anime series Anpanman, illustrator, poet. This character, like many popular manga heroes, is extremely popular with young children and is found on numerous products in Japan....	Japanese Japanese language is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...	more than 678	1970 — present	50 million
Tarzan Tarzan Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...	Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...	English	26	1914–1995	50 million

Between 30 million and 50 million copies

Book series	Author	Original language	No. of installments	First published	Approximate sales
A Child's First Library Of Learning A Child's First Library Of Learning A Child's First Library of Learning is a series of books originally published by Gakken Co. Ltd.....	various authors	English		1980 -	45 million
Junie B. Jones Junie B. Jones Junie B. Jones is a children's book series written by Barbara Park and illustrated by Denise Brunkus. The story is written in Junie B.'s perspective.-Characters:Junie Beatrice "Junie B." Jones...	Barbara Park Barbara Park Barbara Lynne Park is an author of children's books.Barbara Park is the daughter of a merchant and a secretary, Doris and Brooke Tidswell. She grew up in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey. From 1965 to 1967, she attended Rider College, later finishing her B.S. in 1969 at the University of Alabama....	English		1992 -	44 million
The Wheel of Time The Wheel of Time The Wheel of Time is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under the pen name Robert Jordan. Originally planned as a six-book series, the length was increased by increments; at the time of Rigney's death, he expected it to be 12, but it will actually...	Robert Jordan Robert Jordan Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. , under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.-Biography:Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina...	English	Currently 13. 14 planned	1990 -	44 million
Harry Bosch	Michael Connelly Michael Connelly Michael Connelly is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. His books, which have been translated into 36 languages, have garnered him many awards...	English	15	1992 -	42 million
Jack Reacher Jack Reacher Jack Reacher is a fictional character created by British author Jim Grant who writes under the pen name of Lee Child.-Biographical information:...	Lee Child Lee Child Jim Grant , better known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British thriller writer. His wife Jane is a New Yorker, and they currently live in New York state. His first novel, Killing Floor, won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel....	English	15	1997–present	40 million
Harry Hole Harry Hole Harry Hole is the main character in a series of, so far, nine crime novels written by Jo Nesbø. Hole is a classic loose cannon in the police force, with few close friends and some unorthodox methods.-Character:...	Jo Nesbø Jo Nesbø Jo Nesbø is an Edgar Award nominated Norwegian author and musician. As of September 2008 more than one and a half million copies of his novels have been sold in Norway, and his work has been translated into over forty languages....	Norwegian	9	1997–present	40 million
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series) Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a series of fiction books written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The books are the journals of the main character, whose name is Greg Heffley. Befitting a child's diary, they are filled with hand written notes and simple drawings of his daily adventures...	Jeff Kinney Jeff Kinney Jeffrey Bruce "Jeff" Kinney is a former professional football player, a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills for five seasons in the NFL. At 6'2" and 215 lb., Kinney was selected by the Chiefs in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft with the 23rd overall pick...	English	5	2007–present	37 million
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
Paddington Bear Paddington Bear Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He appeared on 13 October 1958 and was subsequently featured in several books, most recently in 2008, written by Michael Bond and first illustrated by Peggy Fortnum....	Michael Bond Michael Bond Thomas Michael Bond, OBE is an English author, most celebrated for his Paddington Bear series of books.-Life:Bond was educated at Presentation College, a Catholic school in Reading...	English	70	1958–present	35 million
徳川家康 (Tokugawa Ieyasu)	Sohachi Yamaoka	Japanese Japanese language is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...	26	1950–1967	30 million
Ramona	Beverly Cleary Beverly Cleary Beverly Cleary is an American author. Educated at colleges in California and Washington, she worked as a librarian before writing children's books. Cleary has written more than 30 books for young adults and children. Some of her best-known characters are Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Beatrice Quimby, her...	English	8	1955–1999	30 million
The Dark Tower The Dark Tower (series) The Dark Tower is a series of books written by American author Stephen King, which incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. It describes a "Gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. King...	Stephen King Stephen King Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...	English	7	1982-2004	30 million

Between 20 million and 30 million copies

Book series	Author	Original language	No. of installments	First published	Approximate sales
ノンタン (Nontan Nontan is the protagonist of a Japanese series of children's picture books by the same name written by Sachiko Kiyono.In the series, Nontan is a mischievous boy kitten who likes to play and learn about the world around him. Other characters include Pig, Rabbit triplet, Raccoon, Bear, Bee, and Nontan's... )	Sachiko Kiyono	Japanese Japanese language is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...	25	1976–2006	28 million
Curious George Curious George Curious George is the protagonist of a series of popular children's books by the same name, written by Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey. The books feature a curious brown monkey named George, who is brought from his home in Africa by "The Man with The Yellow Hat" to live with him in a big city.When...	Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey Margret Rey Margret Elizabeth Rey , born Margarete Elisabeth Waldstein, was , the co-author and illustrator of children's books, the most famous of which are the Curious George series....	English	58	1941–present	27 million
グイン・サーガ (Guin Saga Guin Saga is the title of a best-selling heroic fantasy novel series by the Japanese author Kaoru Kurimoto, in continuous publication since 1979. A record 100 volumes were originally planned, but the final total stands at 130 volumes, the last four published posthumously, with 21 side-story novels... )	Kaoru Kurimoto Kaoru Kurimoto was the pen name of , an award-winning Japanese novelist. Imaoka also used the pen name to write criticism. She was known for her record-breaking 126-volume Guin Saga series, which has been translated into English, German, French, Italian and Russian...	Japanese	118	1979–2009	26 million
Captain Underpants Captain Underpants Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey is a series of American children's books about two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, and the aptly named superhero they accidentally create by hypnotizing their principal, Mr. Benny Krupp...	Dav Pilkey Dav Pilkey David "Dav" Pilkey was born on March 4, 1966, is a popular author and illustrator of children's literature. Dav Pilkey is best known as the author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants book series. He also uses the pen names, George Beard and Harold Hutchins...	English		1997–present	26 million
三毛猫ホームズシリーズ (Mike-neko Holmes series)	Jirō Akagawa Jiro Akagawa is a Japanese novelist born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.- Biography :Best known for his humorous mysteries, Akagawa's first novel, Ghost Train, was published in 1976 and went on to win the annually granted All Yomimono New Mystery Writers' Prize by Bungeishunjū, a Japanese literary...	Japanese	43	1978–present	26 million
Rich Dad, Poor Dad Rich Dad, Poor Dad Rich Dad Poor Dad is a book by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. It advocates financial independence through investing, real estate, owning businesses, and the use of finance protection tactics....	Robert Kiyosaki Robert Kiyosaki Robert Toru Kiyosaki, born April 8, 1947) is an American investor, businessman, self-help author and motivational speaker. Kiyosaki is best known for his Rich Dad Poor Dad series of motivational books and other material published under the Rich Dad brand. He has written 15 books which have combined...  Sharon Lechter Sharon Lechter Sharon L. Lechter is an American accountant, author, businesswoman, investor, international speaker, and philanthropist. Lechter is best known as the co-author of the international best-selling book Rich Dad, Poor Dad and the Rich Dad series of books as well as one of the founders of the Rich Dad...	English	18	1997-	26 million
Kurt Wallander Kurt Wallander Kurt Wallander is a fictional character created by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell. The protagonist of several mystery novels, set in and around the town of Ystad, 60 km south-east of the city of Malmö, in the southern province of Skåne...	Henning Mankell Henning Mankell Henning Mankell is a Swedish crime writer, children's author, leftist activist and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most famous creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander.-Life and career:...	Swedish Swedish language Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...	10	1991–2002	25 million
Sagaen om Isfolket (The Legend of the Ice People The Legend of the Ice People The Legend of the Ice People is a 47-volume story of a family bloodline. The author of the series is Margit Sandemo. The novels are based in historical facts, mostly occurring in Scandinavia, but the fantastic is never far off. The series first began as a feuilleton in the Norwegian magazine Hjemmet... )	Margit Sandemo Margit Sandemo Margit Sandemo is a Norwegian-Swedish historical fantasy author. She has been the best-selling author in the Nordic Countries since the 1980s, when her novel series of 47 books, The Legend of the Ice People, was published...	Norwegian Norwegian language Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...	47	1982–1989	25 million
The Inheritance Cycle	Christopher Paolini Christopher Paolini Christopher Paolini is an American author. He is best known as the author of the Inheritance Cycle, which consists of the books Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance...	English	4	2002–present	25 million
鬼平犯科帳 (Onihei Hankachō Onihei Hankacho is a popular series of stories and television jidaigeki in Japan. A story by Shōtarō Ikenami in the December 1967 issue of the magazine "All Yomimono" developed into a series, which Bungei Shunju published the following year. In all, 135 stories were published.... )	Shōtarō Ikenami Shotaro Ikenami was a Japanese author.-Major works:Ikenami created several works, including:*Kenkaku Shōbai *Onihei Hankachō*Ninja Justice: Six Tales of Murder and Revenge...	Japanese	24	1968–1990	24.4 million, only bunkobon Bunkobon In Japan, bunkobon are small-format paperback books, designed to be affordable and portable.The great majority of bunkobon are A6 in size...
Brain Quest series	various authors	English		1992–present	23.7 million
かいけつゾロリ (Kaiketsu Zorori Kaiketsu Zorori is a popular Japanese children's book series created by Yutaka Hara and published by Poplar Publishing. The original books were also made into an OVA, animated feature-length film, anime, and comic... )	Yutaka Hara Yutaka Hara is a Japanese manga artist. He was born in Kumamoto in 1953, and is the winner of the 1974 KFS Contest Kodansha Children's Literature Award ....	Japanese	41	1987–present	23 million
South Beach Diet South Beach Diet The South Beach Diet is a diet plan designed by cardiologist Arthur Agatston and dietician Marie Almon as an alternative to low-fat approaches such as the Ornish Diet and the Pritikin Diet advocated by the American Heart Association in the 1980s. Although the original purpose of the diet was to...	Arthur Agatston Arthur Agatston Arthur Agatston is an American cardiologist best known as the developer of the South Beach Diet, but also the author of many published scholarly papers in the field of noninvasive cardiac diagnostics...	English	6	2003–present	22 million
竜馬がゆく (Ryoma ga Yuku)	Ryōtarō Shiba Ryotaro Shiba , born in Osaka, Japan, was a Japanese author best known for his novels about historical events in Japan and on the Northeast Asian sub-continent, as well as his historical and cultural essays pertaining to Japan and its relationship to the rest of the world....	Japanese	5	1963–1966	21.5 million
ズッコケ三人組 (Zukkoke Sanningumi)	Masamoto Nasu	Japanese	50	1978–2004	21 million
Shannara Shannara Shannara is an epic fantasy series of novels written by Terry Brooks, beginning with The Sword of Shannara in 1977 and continuing through Bearers of the Black Staff which was released on August 24, 2010, as well as a prequel, First King of Shannara...	Terry Brooks Terry Brooks Terence Dean "Terry" Brooks is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy, and has also written two movie novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times bestsellers during his writing career, and has over 21 million copies of his books in print...	English	20	1977–present	21 million
Redwall Redwall Redwall, by Brian Jacques, is a series of fantasy novels. It is the title of the first book of the series, published in 1986, the name of the Abbey featured in the book, and the name of an animated TV series based on three of the novels , which first aired in 1999...	Brian Jacques Brian Jacques James Brian Jacques was an English author best known for his Redwall series of novels and Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series. He also completed two collections of short stories entitled The Ribbajack & Other Curious Yarns and Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales.-Biography:Brian Jacques was born...	English	22	1986–present	20 million
Maisy Maisy Mouse Maisy Mouse is a fictional mouse from the picture book series created by British illustrator Lucy Cousins.Maisy is also an animated series developed by Nickelodeon from 1999–2001 and aired on Noggin from April 1, 2002 to November 2007. As of November 3, 2008, the series airs during weekdays on...	Lucy Cousins Lucy Cousins Lucy Cousins , BA Honours in Graphic Design from The Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Brighton Polytechnic, postgraduate degree from Royal College of Art, is an author-illustrator of children's books...	English	23	1990–present	20 million
Dragonlance Dragonlance Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...	various authors	English	more than 150	1984 — present	20 million
幻魔大戦 (Genma Taisen)	Kazumasa Hirai Kazumasa Hirai (author) is a Japanese novelist from Yokosuka, Kanagawa. He graduated from Yokosuka Industrial High School and the law department of Chuo University. Hirai is well known for his SF-manga work...	Japanese	20	1979–1983	20 million
青春の門 (The Gate of Youth The Gate of Youth is a 1981 film directed by Kinji Fukasaku and Koreyoshi Kurahara.It is based on a story by Hiroyuki Itsuki that was originally serialized in the magazine Shukan Gendai in 1969-70... )	Hiroyuki Itsuki	Japanese		1970–present	20 million
The Foundation Trilogy	Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...	English	3	1950–1953	20 million
Horrible Histories Horrible Histories Horrible Histories is a series of illustrated history books published in the United Kingdom by Scholastic. They are designed to engage children in history by concentrating on the unusual, gory, or unpleasant. The series has proved exceptionally successful in commercial terms...	Terry Deary Terry Deary Terry Deary is a children's author now living in Burnhope, County Durham, England.A former actor, theatre-director and drama teacher, Deary says he began writing when he was 29...	English	24	1993–present	20 million
Artemis Fowl Artemis Fowl (series) Artemis Fowl is a series of fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer and all the books are best sellers, starring the teenage criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl II. The author summed up the series as: "Die Hard with fairies." There are seven novels in the series; the first was published in...	Eoin Colfer Eoin Colfer Eoin Colfer is an Irish author. He is most famous as the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but he has also written other successful books. His novels have been compared to the works of J. K. Rowling...	English	7	2001–present	20 million
Rainbow Magic Rainbow Magic Rainbow Magic is a children's fiction brand owned by Hit Entertainment and best known for the children's books published by Orchard Books. The books are ghostwritten by a number of authors under the collective pseudonym Daisy Meadows and illustrated by Georgie Ripper...	Daisy Meadows Daisy Meadows Daisy Meadows is a pseudonym for the various writers of the Rainbow Magic books for younger children, which star fairies, such as: The Rainbow Fairies, Weather, Party, Pet, Jewels, Fun Day, Petal, Dancing, Sporty, Music, Magical Animal, Green, Ocean, Twilight, Show Time, Princess, Pop Star, Video...	English	80+	2003–present	20 million
Morgan Kane Morgan Kane Morgan Kane is a fictional character created by Kjell Hallbing under the pseudonym Louis Masterson.The Morgan Kane series has become the biggest success in modern Norwegian leisure reading literature...	Louis Masterson	Norwegian	90	1966–	20 million

Between 15 million and 20 million copies

Book series	Author	Original language	No. of installments	First published	Approximate sales
科学のアルバム (Kagaku no album)	various authors	Japanese		1970–present	19 million
剣客商売 (Kenkaku Shobai)	Shotaro Ikenami Shotaro Ikenami was a Japanese author.-Major works:Ikenami created several works, including:*Kenkaku Shōbai *Onihei Hankachō*Ninja Justice: Six Tales of Murder and Revenge...	Japanese	18	1972–1989	18 million
Erast Fandorin Erast Fandorin Erast Petrovich Fandorin is a fictional 19th-century Russian detective and the hero of a series of Russian historical detective novels by Boris Akunin. The first novel was published in Russia in 1998, and the latest was published in December 2009...	Boris Akunin Boris Akunin Boris Akunin is the pen name of Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili , a Russian writer. He is an essayist, literary translator and writer of detective fiction.-Life and career:...	Russian	12	1998–present	18 million
吸血鬼ハンターD (Vampire Hunter D Vampire Hunter D is a series of Japanese novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano since 1983.To date, twenty-two novels have been published in the main series, with some novels comprising as many as four volumes... )	Hideyuki Kikuchi Hideyuki Kikuchi is a Japanese author famous for his horror novels. His most famous works including the Vampire Hunter D series, Darkside Blues and Wicked City. He has been compared to both Stephen King and H. P. Lovecraft.-Biography:...	Japanese	17	1983–present	17 million
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it was later adapted to other formats, and over several years it gradually became an international multi-media phenomenon...	Douglas Adams Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television... , plus a final book by Eoin Colfer Eoin Colfer Eoin Colfer is an Irish author. He is most famous as the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but he has also written other successful books. His novels have been compared to the works of J. K. Rowling...	English	6	1979–2008	16 million
Bridget Jones Bridget Jones Bridget Jones is a franchise based on the fictional character with the same name. English writer Helen Fielding started her Bridget Jones's Diary column in The Independent in 1995, chronicling the life of Bridget Jones as a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life...	Helen Fielding Helen Fielding Helen Fielding is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones, a sequence of novels and films that chronicle the life of a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life and love.Her novels Bridget Jones's...	English	2	1996–present	15 million
The Riftwar Cycle	Raymond E. Feist Raymond E. Feist Raymond Elias Feist is an American author who primarily writes fantasy fiction. He is best known for The Riftwar Cycle series of novels and short stories. His books have been translated into multiple languages and have sold over 15 million copies.- Biography :Raymond E...	English	25	1982–present	15 million
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency	Alexander McCall Smith Alexander McCall Smith Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, is a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In the late 20th century, McCall Smith became a respected expert on medical law and bioethics and served on British and international committees...	English	9	1999–present	15 million
ぼくらシリーズ(Bokura series)	Osamu Soda	Japanese	36	1985–present	15 million
His Dark Materials His Dark Materials His Dark Materials is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman comprising Northern Lights , The Subtle Knife , and The Amber Spyglass...	Philip Pullman Philip Pullman Philip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ...	English	3	1995–2000	15 million
銀河英雄伝説 (Legend of the Galactic Heroes Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a series of science fiction novels by Yoshiki Tanaka. An anime adaptation of the novels by Artland ran from 1988 to 2000 as well as a manga based on the novels, with art by Katsumi Michihara... )	Yoshiki Tanaka Yoshiki Tanaka Dr. Yoshiki Tanaka is a Japanese novelist. He was born in Kumamoto Prefecture and took his doctorate degree in Japanese Language and Literature in the Graduate School of Gakushūin University in Tokyo....	Japanese	14	1982–1989	15 million
Der Regenbogenfisch (Rainbow Fish Rainbow Fish The Rainbow Fish is an award-winning children's book drawn and written by Marcus Pfister, and translated into English by J. Alison James. The book is best known for its morals about the value of being an individual and for the distinctive shiny foil scales of the Rainbow Fish... )	Marcus Pfister Marcus Pfister Marcus Pfister is a Swiss author and illustrator of children's picture books.A worldwide success are his since 1992 published children's picture books about the Rainbow Fish. These books were translated in over 80 languages and have been sold with over 15 million copies...	German		1992–present	15 million
A Song of Ice and Fire A Song of Ice and Fire A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the series in 1991 and the first volume was published in 1996. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series now consists of five published volumes; a further two...	George R. R. Martin George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin , sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series Game of...	English	5	1996–present	15 million

More than 100 million copies

Book	Author(s)	Original language	First published	Approximate sales
新华字典 (Xinhua Zidian Xinhua Zidian The Xinhua Zidian is a Chinese language dictionary published by the Commercial Press. It is the best-selling Chinese dictionary and the world's most popular reference work. This pocket-sized dictionary of Chinese characters uses Simplified Chinese characters and pinyin romanization...  / Xinhua Dictionary)	Chief editor: Wei Jiangong	Chinese	1957	400 million
Scouting for Boys Scouting for Boys Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship is the first book on the Scout Movement, published in 1908. It was written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell, its founder...	Robert Baden-Powell Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....	English	1908	100-150 million
The McGuffey Readers	William Holmes McGuffey William Holmes McGuffey William Holmes McGuffey was an American professor and college president who is best known for writing the McGuffey Readers, one of the nation's first and most widely used series of textbooks...	English	1853	125 million
Guinness World Records Guinness World Records Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...  (published every year)	various authors	English	1955 — present	115 million
American Spelling Book (Webster's Dictionary Webster's Dictionary Webster's Dictionary refers to the line of dictionaries first developed by Noah Webster in the early 19th century, and also to numerous unrelated dictionaries that added Webster's name just to share his prestige. The term is a genericized trademark in the U.S.A... )	Noah Webster Noah Webster Noah Webster was an American educator, lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and prolific author...	English	1783	100 million

Between 50 million and 100 million copies

Book	Author(s)	Original language	First published	Approximate sales
World Almanac World Almanac In 1993 Scripps sold the Almanac to K-III .The World Almanac was sold to Ripplewood Holdings' WRC Media in 1999. Ripplewood bought Reader's Digest and the book was then produced by the World Almanac Education Group, which was owned by The Reader's Digest Association...  (published every year)	various authors	English	1868 — 1876; 1886–present	80 million
六星占術によるあなたの運命 (Rokusei Senjutsu Rokusei Senjutsu The is a kind of Chinese astrology and a handy approximation of the Four Pillars of Destiny.The Four Pillars of Destiny is too complicated and difficult for everyday use, consequently this approximation was introduced in Taiwan , Hong Kong....  (Six-Star Astrology) Tells Your Fortune)	Kazuko Hosoki Kazuko Hosoki is a Japanese fortune teller, as well as the author of over 100 books. Hosoki appeared frequently on the original Iron Chef, where she would serve as one of the four celebrity judges that would determine the outcome of each match.-Thinking:...	Japanese Japanese language is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...	1986 — Present	79 million
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Webster's Dictionary Webster's Dictionary refers to the line of dictionaries first developed by Noah Webster in the early 19th century, and also to numerous unrelated dictionaries that added Webster's name just to share his prestige. The term is a genericized trademark in the U.S.A...	Merriam-Webster Merriam-Webster Merriam–Webster, which was originally the G. & C. Merriam Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is an American company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries that are descendants of Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language .Merriam-Webster Inc. has been a...	English	1898	55 million

Between 30 million and 50 million copies

Book	Author(s)	Original language	First published	Approximate sales
Roget's Thesaurus Roget's Thesaurus Roget's Thesaurus is a widely-used English language thesaurus, created by Dr. Peter Mark Roget in 1805 and released to the public on 29 April 1852. The original edition had 15,000 words, and each new edition has been larger...	Peter Mark Roget	English	1852 -	40 million
できるシリーズ (Dekiru Series)	Impress Dekiru Series Editorial Desk	Japanese	1994–present	40 million
수학의 정석 (數學의 定石) (The principle of Mathematics - Mathematics reference book)	Hong Sung-dae	Korean Korean language Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...	1966–present (current edition since 1997)	40 million ~ 37 million
Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book	various authors	English	1930 -	38 million
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary The first Advanced learner's dictionary was the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, first published 60 years ago. It is the largest English language dictionary from Oxford University Press aimed at a non-native audience...	A. S. Hornby A. S. Hornby Albert Sidney ' Hornby, usually just A. S. Hornby, 1898–1978, was an English grammarian, lexicographer, and pioneer in the field of English language learning and teaching ....	English	1948	30 million
Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book The Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous) Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism is a 1939 self-help text on alcoholism, written by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill W. & Dr. Bob...	Bill Wilson Bill W. William Griffith Wilson , also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous , an international mutual aid fellowship with over two million members belonging to 100,800 groups of alcoholics helping other alcoholics achieve and maintain sobriety...	English	1939	30 million
Le guide Michelin France (The Michelin Guide Michelin Guide The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...  France) (published every year)	various authors	French	1900–present	30 million

Between 20 million and 30 million copies

Book	Author(s)	Original language	First published	Approximate sales
Betty Crocker Cookbook Betty Crocker Cookbook The Betty Crocker Cookbook is a general kitchen reference sponsored and written by staff at General Mills, the holders of the Betty Crocker trademark...	various authors as Betty Crocker Betty Crocker Betty Crocker AKA: batter witch is a cultural icon, as well as brand name and trademark of American Fortune 500 corporation General Mills. The name was first developed by the Washburn Crosby Company in 1921 as a way to give a personalized response to consumer product questions. The name Betty was...	English	1955-	27 million
超図解シリーズ (Cho-Zukai series)	X media	Japanese	1996–2007	25 million
自由自在 (Jiyu Jizai)	various authors	Japanese	1953–present	24 million
新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai kokugo jiten Shin Meikai kokugo jiten The , commonly called the Shinmeikai or affectionately the , is a popular Japanese dictionary published by Sanseido. They also publish the analogous Sanseido Kokugo Jiten dictionary, a lexicographical sister that shares several of the same editors.... )	Tadao Yamada	Japanese Japanese language is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...	1972	20.4 million
English Grammar	Lindley Murray Lindley Murray Lindley Murray , grammarian, was born in a house near his father's mill, just north of Harper Tavern in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, 18 miles northeast of Harrisburg. He was the eldest son of Robert Murray, the Quaker merchant, and Mary Lindley Murray, whose home was on a hill in Manhattan on what...	English	1795	20 million

Between 10 million and 20 million copies

Book	Author(s)	Original language	First published	Approximate sales
The Joy of Cooking The Joy of Cooking Joy of Cooking, often known as "The Joy of Cooking" is one of the United States' most-published cookbooks, and has been in print continuously since 1936 and with more than 18 million copies sold. It was privately published in 1931 by Irma S. Rombauer, a homemaker in St. Louis, Missouri, who was...	various authors	English	1936	18 million
スーパーマップル (Super Mapple)	various authors	Japanese	1991–present	18 million
チャート式 (Chart Shiki)	various authors	Japanese	1927–present	17.44 million, only for the first grade of high-school
英語基本単語集 (Eigo Kihon Tangoshu) "Compilation of basic English vocabulary"	Yoshio Akao	Japanese, English	1942	17.2 million
試験に出る英単語 (Siken Ni Deru Eitango) "English vocabulary in examinations"	Ichiro Mori	Japanese, English	1967	15 million
新英和中辞典 (Shin Eiwa Chu Jiten) "New English-Japanese-Chinese Dictionary"	Shigeru Takebayashi	Japanese, English	1967	12 million
広辞苑 (Kōjien Kojien The is a single-volume Japanese dictionary first published by Iwanami Shoten in 1955. Many native speakers of Japanese regard the Kōjien as the most authoritative dictionary, and newspaper editorials frequently cite its definitions... )	Izuru Shinmura	Japanese	1955	11 million
旺文社古語辞典 (Obunsha Kogo Jiten) "Obunsha Dictionary of Archaisms"	Akira Matsumura	Japanese	1960	11 million
三省堂国語辞典 (Sanseido Kokugo Jiten Sanseido Kokugo Jiten The , or the Sankoku for short, is a general-purpose Japanese dictionary. It is closely affiliated with another contemporary dictionary published by Sanseido, the Shin Meikai kokugo jiten.... ) "Sanseido Dictionary of the Japanese Language"	Kenbō Hidetoshi	Japanese	1960	10 million
家庭に於ける實際的看護の秘訣 (Katei Ni Okeru Jissaiteki Kango No Hiketsu) "Key to Practical Personal Care at Home"	Takichi Tsukuda	Japanese	1925	10 million
C程序设计 (C Program Design)	Tan, Haoqiang	Chinese	1991	10 million

See also

• The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written
• List of best-selling fiction authors
• List of bestselling novels in the United States
• List of literary works by number of languages translated into
• Lists of books
• Literature
  Literature
  Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
  
  
• Novel
  Novel
  A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
  
  

External links

• The Internet Public Library
• Frank Luther Mott Collection of American Best Sellers, 1662-1945 at the University of Missouri
  University of Missouri
  The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...