Is bible the worlds bestselling or mostread or most. Guinness world records gwr is the global authority on recordbreaking achievement. The third group considered it as the mostprinted and mostdistributed book. In the 1980s and 90s it sold more copies than any book but the bible. According to guinness world records, the bible is the bestselling book of all time, with over 5 billion copies sold and distributed. Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the worlds best. May 25, 2017 more than 2,100 languages have at least one book of the bible in that language. First published in 1955, the iconic annual guinness world records books have sold over 8 million copies in over 20 languages and in more than 100 countries. According to guinness world records, the bible is the best selling book of all time with over 5 billion copies sold and distributed. The third highest selling print is quotations from chairman mao tse. The bible is easily one of the bestselling books of all time, but exact sales numbers are hard to nail down. Excluding non works such as the bible with an estimated 6 billion copies sold and the koran, the worlds alltime bestselling book is. Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle ebooks, audible audiobooks, and so much more.
Could it be true that the bible is the bestselling book. Many devout christians are quick to assert that the holy bible is the worlds bestselling book, for all time. Jun 11, 2018 the bible receives its alltime bestseller title mainly by cheating. The new yorker also pointed out that in 2005 the number of bibles sold in the us alone was conservatively estimated at 25 million and barna research indicates that 92% of all american households have at least one bible and typically own three.
Still, to a lot of rowlings fans, all seven harry potter novels are like bibles to them. Best selling book in the world proud of every wrinkle. One group claimed the bible as the worlds best selling book. Because religious texts are often translated into many foreign languages and distributed widely by churches, however, precise figures are hard to come by. Another group upheld it as the worlds most read books. Feb 02, 2018 of course, the bible stills remains the worlds most purchased tome, at 6 billion copies sold, according to guinness world records. The bible is the most widely distributed and bestselling book in the world. After the bible, which book has sold the most copies. 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. Do you mean books written in english in north america, or do you mean books worldwide.
Copies of the quran were handwritten in large quantities, from very early on. The anser is the book when bad things happen to good people written by harold kushner. Other than the bible, which is the far and away the best selling christian book of all time with sales in the billions, here is my list for your consideration. In fact, guttenbergs first printed book was the bible. 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.
But, the number of daily sales are decreasingits true. Could it be true that the bible is the bestselling book in. The graph presents data on the popularity of the versions of the bible read in the united states as of january 2017. The new york times best sellers may 24, 2020 authoritatively ranked lists of books sold in the united states, sorted by format and genre. List of most expensive books and manuscripts wikipedia. Excluding non works such as the bible with an estimated 6 billion copies sold and the koran, the worlds alltime bestselling book is guinness world records formerly the guinness book of records. But in spite of the bans and the persecution the bible still enjoys the greatest popularity of any book ever produced in human language. Add to that, for a few hundred years your family was nothing if they didnt have their ow. The books homepage helps you explore earths biggest bookstore without ever leaving the comfort of your couch. These are the 12 most popular books of all time indy100. The bible societys attempt to calculate the number printed between 1816 and 1975 produced the figure of 2,458,000,000.
Unsurprisingly, the most popular book of all time has an interesting history. And finally, a record of our own that were all very proud of at guinness world records hq. Jan 10, 2016 most purchasedleast read the bible was once the most purchased book in the world. The bible tops the list of the most read books in the world. I feel that goodreads should sponsor its own list of best selling books of all time. He found that the bible far outsold any other book, with a whopping 3. The franchise has extended beyond print to include television series and museums. Congratulations to all the authors and publishers whose books placed in. The book itself holds a world record, as the best selling ed book series of all time.
A survey by the bible society concluded that around 2. It is common knowledge that don quixote has sold over 500 million copies, and in fact, that number is conservative. Harry potter becomes bestselling book series in history. Since religious and political books, such as the holy bible, are often given away for free, they have not been included on this list. The best selling and fastest growing version of the bible in the united states is the niv. The question asks sold but then includes what is given away. While the novel enjoys surges in popularity now and then, especially in spain, the sales number is a guess. 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. That means most of the 25m bibles are being sold to homes that already have at least one and likely more. The quran is also widely reported to be one of the most printed and distributed books worldwide. Writer james chapman created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each book sold. Well it is but only because of the time span it has never been the best selling in any year since books became a commodity as opposed to a rarity the church controlled what was printed in the early days of the printing press and the best selling ed book is guinness book of world records.
As you can see from the graphic below created by designer jared fanning, the bible leads the countdown by a large margin. Similarly, many notable book series that sold very widely are poorly documented or consist of multiple subseries. There is, of course, no way to tally sales from the 1600s, so although some sources suggest that this has sold 500 million copies, theres no way anyone could. The 21 bestselling books of all time howstuffworks.
Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Quotations from chairman mao authored by mao zedong book sales. 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. Guinness world records states its impossible to obtain exact figures, but there is little doubt that the bible is the worlds best selling and most widely distributed book. And then it is only a vague guess, probably inflated by the xtains. The familiar observation that the bible is the best selling book of all time obscures a more startling fact. For a long time, it was one of the very few printed books available for purchase. Oct 17, 2012 one group claimed the bible as the worlds bestselling book. Just to remind some of the commentators, this is number of books sold in all time according to sources of wikipedia.
The bible has sold billions of copies and is the best selling book of all. According to guinness world records, the bible is the bestselling book of all time with over 5 billion copies sold and distributed. Feb 17, 2017 the anser is the book when bad things happen to good people written by harold kushner. Between 1815 and 1975, it was estimated that there could have been 5 billion bibles printed. Jul 21, 2015 the guinness book of world records estimates that more than 5 billion copies of the bible have been printed. The gutenberg bible is probably the most valuable book or type of book in the world. Dec 28, 2012 the most read book in the world is the bible. What is the second best selling book of all time after. These are some of the worlds most expensive books ceoworld. The bible no one really knows how many copies of the bible have been printed, sold, or distributed. Researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 most read books in the world. 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.
What is the second best selling book of all time after the. The bible, which ranks as the worlds most read book, has sold 3. According to guinness world records as of 1995, the bible is the bestselling book of all. Sep 17, 2016 if you are referring to a nonreligious book. Most purchasedleast read the bible was once the most purchased book in the world. What is the best selling book besides the bible answers. Another group upheld it as the worlds mostread books. In 1995, one version of the bible, the good news version that is ed by the bible societies, had sold nearly 18 million copies. Chapman created the list by examining how many individual copies of the books had been printed and sold over the last 50 years. Of course, the bible stills remains the worlds most purchased tome, at 6 billion copies sold, according to guinness world records. 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. It addresses inward, private thoughts and feelings, as well as outward, publicly expressed words and actions. Rhe book has helped millions of people face tragedy, loss and catastrophe and emerge from it stronger, wiser, and more connected to god and their own families and friends.
Over 100 million bibles are sold or given away for free every year in the world, according to the economist. 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 alltime most popular books in the world revealed. Additionally, since the bible is sold worldwide, calculating exact numbers becomes tricky. Jul 15, 2015 harper lees new novel go set a watchman, the followup to to kill a mockingbird, is set to become one of the fastestselling books of all time. With all those caveats in mind and not including e book sales, here are the 21 bestselling books of all time, as far as we can tell. It is often regarded as the second best selling book behind only the bible, and at least conceded as the greatest selling work of fiction of all time, without out a close second. In its fifty years the book has sold more than a hundred million copies, which makes it the biggest selling book in history, said to have been outsold only by the bible, the koran and chairman mao. That search may be made in the book of the record s of thy fathers.
The guinness book of world records estimates that more than 5 billion copies of the bible have been printed. Many devout christians are quick to assert that the holy bible is the worlds best selling book. 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 10 most read books in the world infographic business. Christian books still dominate alltime bestsellers lists. However, many more copies have been given away for free, meaning the actual number of bibles in circulation is unknown. Excluding non works such as the bible with an estimated 6 billion copies sold and the koran, the worlds alltime bestselling book is guinness world records. 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.
The book itself holds a world record, as the bestselling ed book series of all time. Hebrew, greek, aramaic many copies of the holy bible have been freely given away during missionary work. Best selling books of all time 100 books goodreads. The third group considered it as the most printed and most distributed book. Guinness world records estimates that over five billion copies of the bible have been sold, making it the bestselling book of all time. It is the oldest book on this list, so its had a long time to accrue sales. The book s phenomenal popularity may be because it was essentially an unofficial requirement for every chinese citizen to own, to read, and to carry it at all times during the latter half of maos rule, especially during. The bible receives its alltime best seller title mainly by cheating. It is also one of the most frequently stolen books from public libraries in the united states. 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.
During the survey, 31 percent of the respondents stated they most often read. To make the bible the most printed book you have to add up all its flavors. Wikipedia puts the figure at over 200 million copies sold. Jan 06, 2019 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. Numbers of books sold is a good thermometer to guide book readers. Im not sure if its the most sold book ever, but i am absolutely certain that it is the most printed book ever. Harry potter becomes bestselling book series in history with. Since the bible has a history spanning on two millennia, it is difficult to assess how many. Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the worlds bestselling and most widely distributed book. Which has sold more copies, the bible or the koran. According to the guinness book of world records, the worlds best selling and most widely distributed book is the bible. The most popular book of all time christian universities online. Number of reference books sold in sweden 20092019 sales revenue of book publishers in sweden 20182019, by distribution channel publisher sales revenue from fiction books in.
Could it be true that the bible is the bestselling book in history, with. Theres no doubt about it the bible is one of the worlds bestselling books. Researchers have collated the figures for the number of editions, translations and copies sold of the worlds most popular books these are the most loved tomes. The most popular book of all time christian universities. The holy quran came out on top with over 3 billion prints, followed by the king james bible with over 2. Bloomsbury did not immediately respond to an email from syfy wire, while a rep for rowling declined to comment. The bible, with an estimated over 6 billion copies sold publishers say there is no way to track exact copies sold in its lifetime, is by far the bestselling and most translated book in the world. Now called guinness world records, it sells about 3. Is the bible the best selling book every year golfschule. 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. Book of mormon sets new record for most expensive manuscript. 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. Best selling book of nonfiction guinness world records what are the best selling books of all time.
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