I hope the below estimations show that the quran is in fact the most read book. Or, you know, today plus 35 business days for shipping. The king james version is the best selling version of all the bible translations and is the most widely read in. Additionally, since the bible is sold worldwide, calculating exact numbers becomes tricky. As you can see from the graphic below created by designer jared fanning, the bible leads the countdown by a large margin, with nearly 4 billion copies printed and sold globally in the last five decades. For the purposes of this post, least popular leastread book of the bible on. This page includes a list of the 25 bestselling books of alltime as well as the 25 bestselling book series of alltime. Sep 05, 2018 i recently wrote about why obadiah is the least popular book of the bible, but you guys deserve more than that.
If you dont count that harry potter books then you cant count the bible either, because they are counting it as all the versions, new and old, king james, picture, gideon etc. Which is in fact the most bought book in the world after the bible. Researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 mostread books in the world. Dec 17, 2010 beside the bible is an attempt to identify the 100 most important books that christians should read, other than the bible. And then it is only a vague guess, probably inflated by the xtains. The bible is easily one of the best selling books of all time, but exact sales numbers are hard to nail down. Number of bibles sold per year a knowledge archive. Also, it is worth noting that some religious and political books such as the bible, quran, and quotations from chairman mao are believed to.
Spocks 1946 manual became the bible of infant care for subsequent generations of parents. Because religious texts are often translated into many foreign languages and distributed widely by churches, however, precise figures are hard to come by. Researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 most read books in the world. It is almost impossible to provide exact figures about them. Jan 18, 2011 and they are most decidedly not, heck even christians cant get together to agree on doctrine thats why there is so many sects, and its all due to the fact that the bible is vague and contradictory oh and just because the bible is the world s best selling book doesnt attest to the fact that what is written in it is true, that is the logical. Jul 20, 2016 excluding the bible, business insider did a great chart on this as of 2012 thats unfortunately not quite right, but well get to that in a moment.
Excluding the bible, business insider did a great chart on this as of 2012 thats unfortunately not quite right, but well get to that in a moment. As it is mentioned in the comments, many produced bibles were probably never read. Between 1815 and 1975, it was estimated that there could have been 5 billion bibles printed. Is bible the worlds bestselling or mostread or most. Three books on gods reading list house to house heart. Because religious texts are often translated into many foreign languages and distributed widely by churches, however, precise. Hi all, here is my opinion based on facts and partly on assumptions.
The lists i found seem to only mention english novels, and both put a tale of two cities as the highest selling book after the bible. Little red book mao zedong mao tsetung, former chairman of the communist party of china, wrote a book entitled quotations from chairman mao tsetung. According to guinness world records as of 1995, the bible is the bestselling book of. World almanac having been published annually since 1868 with a break from 1876 to 1886, this wideranging reference book has remained a constant bestseller ever since. I recently wrote about why obadiah is the least popular book of the bible, but you guys deserve more than that. Top 10 most read books in the world over the past 50 years. We can just look at the sales numbers and rank them. The holy quran came out on top with over 3 billion prints, followed by the king james bible with over 2. The bible tells a story from the first book, genesis, to the last book, revelation, that people long to be true. Writer james chapman created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each book sold over the last 50 years. The number 200 million is controversial however, considering that the book is regularly on the required reading lists of students in the u. Jun 28, 2016 other than the bible, which is the far and away the bestselling christian book of all time with sales in the billions, here is my list for your consideration. Writer james chapman created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each book sold over the last 50 years he found. Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the worlds bestselling and most widely distributed book.
In 1995, one version of the bible, the good news version that is ed by the bible societies, had sold nearly 18 million copies. Manydare we say mostleave the world without having even read the bible at all. To make the bible the most printed book you have to add up all its flavors. With thousands of translations, over forty original authors, and a two millennium history, lets take a look at the trails, tribulations, changes, and status of the worlds most popular book. List of most expensive books and manuscripts wikipedia. The bible has been translated into 349 languages, and a survey conducted by the bible society concluded that between 1815 and 1975, around 2. The main problem is that many copies of the bible and the quran are printed and given away free, instead of being sold.
Other than the bible, which is the far and away the bestselling christian book of all time with sales in the billions, here is my list for your consideration. The best selling book in the world second to the bible is maos quotations. As you can see from the graphic below created by designer jared fanning, the bible leads the countdown by a large margin. The bible is easily one of the bestselling books of all time, but exact sales. What is the best selling book ever written, apart from the bible. It is clearly one of the most controversial books in modern times though perhaps not so much for its content as the actions of some who interpret it. Don quixote was published in 1605, so it is very old and sales figures are hard to track. The reader should consider this book a field guide for christian thought, and the thought that sprung up in response and protest to christianity. It addresses inward, private thoughts and feelings, as well as outward, publicly expressed words and actions. The 10 least popular books of the bible infographic. There is no myth in bible, the best book in the world. I was maybe hopping for a better metric then the number of book sold if it exists. In order to create our list of the top bible translations in 2018, we checked resources such as the christian book expo, thoughtco, calvary chapel eastside church and bible sources for the most. Quotations of mao zedong little red book 5,000,000,000 copies sold 3.
The alltime most popular books in the world revealed stylist. However, many more copies have been given away for free, meaning the actual number of bibles in circulation is unknown. But in spite of the bans and the persecution the bible still enjoys the greatest popularity of any book ever produced in human language. A survey by the bible society concluded that around 2. The theologians teach the word ministry saying that the first 7 chapters in the book of genesis, the book of job, and the crossing of the red sea is a myth the book of job is the oldest book written by job himself, in arabic and was later translated into hebrew by moses. This list does not preach at all, but is simply a brief examination of the stories from the bible that make it a well known and talkedabout book in world literature. Evangelicals assert, without any evidence, that the bible is different from any other book ever written a supernatural book penned or spoken into existence by god himself. Stockbyte getty images scholars can debate endlessly over which book is the best of all time, but finding out which ones have enjoyed the most commercial success should be a more concrete endeavor.
More than 2,100 languages have at least one book of the bible in that language. Oct 17, 2012 one group claimed the bible as the worlds bestselling book. Did you know that the bible is one of the most shoplifted books of all time. What was happening outside bible lands during the time of the patriarchs, jewish kingdoms, the prophets, jesus ministry, and the early church. Consider all the books ever written, from the great library in egypt to the library of congress in washington, dc. The imitation of christ by thomas a kempis 1418 sales unknown, but widely regarded as the bestselling christian title after the bible. This is a list of literary works including novels, plays, series, collections of poems or short stories, and essays and other forms of literary nonfiction sorted by the number of languages they have been translated into. He found that the bible far outsold any other book, with a whopping 3. But of course in the bestsellers lists they dont dare acknowledge that, that in spite of all mans writings and foolishness and fiction and ridiculous interpretations of history and reality, the bible still out. Why is the bible always the number one zondervan academic.
Jun 24, 2012 even though the bible has been translated, published, read, studied, analyzed, bought, sold and given away freely since then, particularly in the english speaking world, it is still banned in many communities. With thousands of translations, over forty original authors, and a two millennium history, lets take a look at the trails, tribulations, changes, and status of the world s most popular book. Youve seen the 10 most popular books of the bible, now lets look at the 10 least popular books of the bible. Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the world s best selling and most widely distributed book. This pocketsized, fully illustrated reference breaks biblical and early church history into eight major time periodsfrom creation to the tower of babel through anno domini, the years from jesus birth to about ad 330and shows what was happening in other parts of the world during. The bible is easily one of the bestselling books of all time, but exact sales numbers are hard to nail down. According to guinness world records as of 1995, the bible is the best selling book of all time, with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed.
Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the world s bestselling and most widely distributed book. The most popular book of all time christian universities. What is the best selling book besides the bible answers. Even though the bible has been translated, published, read, studied, analyzed, bought, sold and given away freely since then, particularly in the english speaking world, it is still banned in many communities. Many devout christians are quick to assert that the holy bible is the worlds bestselling book, for all time. Guinness world records estimates that over five billion copies of the bible have been sold, making it the bestselling book of all time. May 25, 2017 more than 2,100 languages have at least one book of the bible in that language. Distilling 2,000 years of faith into a mere one hundred books is a high bar. Over 100 million bibles are sold or given away for free every year in the world, according to the economist. The 21 bestselling books of all time howstuffworks. Sep 22, 2006 if you dont count that harry potter books then you cant count the bible either, because they are counting it as all the versions, new and old, king james, picture, gideon etc. The bible still remains at the top as the most read book in the world. Because this book is in the public domain and has been published in numerous editions by hundreds of publishers over the last 150 years, its impossible to ascertain the exact number of copies sold.
Therefore, these books, along with quotations from mao zedong which has the. Another group upheld it as the worlds mostread books. Dec 02, 2012 the good thing is that most popular books are translated into other languages, to increase their readership and make more readers appreciate them across continents. Kobo reading life website says, the average person reads less than 100 books in their lifetime. It has outsold every book that has ever been written and it still sells more copies every year than any other book in the world.
But, just like with every other book you read, never abandon your. Dickson goes on to explain what he says in his book. The good thing is that most popular books are translated into other languages, to increase their readership and make more readers appreciate them across continents. This pocketsized, fully illustrated reference breaks biblical and early church history into eight major time periodsfrom creation to the tower of babel through anno domini, the years from. Most of the sales have been of the paperback edition of the book. The bible, which ranks as the worlds mostread book, has sold 3. Though bibles are not free, gods truth is always available for free. Also, it is worth noting that some religious and political books such as the bible. Unsurprisingly, the most popular book of all time has an interesting history. List of literary works by number of translations wikipedia. The book of psalms easily wins, probably because it is both the longest book in the bible 150 chapters and it covers every human emotion and every circumstance in life. Chapman created the list by examining how many individual copies of the books had been printed and sold over the last 50 years. Scholars can debate endlessly over which book is the best of all time, but finding out which ones have enjoyed the most commercial success should be a more concrete endeavor.
Nov 15, 20 chapman created the list by examining how many individual copies of the books had been printed and sold over the last 50 years. The bible is the most widely distributed and bestselling book in the world. One group claimed the bible as the worlds bestselling book. Wikipedia puts the figure at over 200 million copies sold. The huffington post article actually named 16 books that have sold the most copies worldwide, noting that the bible is the top seller in the world. Dec 22, 2012 the lists i found seem to only mention english novels, and both put a tale of two cities as the highest selling book after the bible. What book has sold more copies than any other book, ever. Mar 27, 20 no book has ever come close to selling as many copies compared to the holy bible. Besides the bible, the quran, and the quotations from chairman mao tse tung, which have sold billions and billions of books, it can be divided into parts. Similarly, many notable book series that sold very widely are poorly documented or consist of multiple subseries. Sep 07, 2010 the huffington post article actually named 16 books that have sold the most copies worldwide, noting that the bible is the top seller in the world. Rather handily, weve discovered this infographic of the top 10 most read books in the world over the past 50 years. Although the exact number of copies sold is unknown, it is thought to be over 500 million and certainly more than any other nonpolitical or nonreligious book on the list. Bestselling books are ranked by number of copies sold, not my personal ratings.
Regardless of what you think of all the entries, if our want to understand the world around you and the people in it, reading these books cover to cover would be a good start. There are several version of the bible, but in general, it is estimated that it has sold more than five billion copies. The top 10 most read books in the world list challenges. The bible has sold billions of copies and is the best selling book of all time. Aside from the bible, with 475 translations for the whole bible and 112 translations for the quran, the most translated literary works are the wellknown classics, old and new.
The quotations from chairman mao tsetung, also known as the little red book, has produced a wide array of sales and distribution figures with estimates ranging from 800 million to over 6. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. Most of the books on the below list dont get anywhere near the most expensive books ever soldbut unlike any of those, the books below could be yours today. Writer james chapman created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies. According to guinness world records as of 1995, the bible is the bestselling book of all time, with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed. The third group considered it as the mostprinted and mostdistributed book. First, harry potter sold 450 million copies as a series, not as a single book. The bible, which ranks as the world s most read book, has sold 3. Some claim that the bible is the worlds most shoplifted book. For the purposes of this post, least popular leastread book of the bible. Does it matter what translation of the bible we read. No book has ever come close to selling as many copies compared to the holy bible. Beside the bible is an attempt to identify the 100 most important books that christians should read, other than the bible.
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