List of best-selling single-volume books[edit]
More than 100 million copies[edit]
| Book | Author(s) | Original language | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Tale of Two Cities | Charles Dickens | English | 1859 | 200 million[5] |
| The Lord of the Rings (sometimes considered a series) | J. R. R. Tolkien | English | 1954–1955 | 150 million[6] |
| Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) | Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | French[Note 1] | 1943 | 140 million[7][8] |
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | J. K. Rowling | English | 1997 | 107 million[9] |
| And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie | English | 1939 | 100 million[10] |
| 紅樓夢/红楼梦 (Dream of the Red Chamber) | Cao Xueqin | Chinese | 1754[11]–1791 | 100 million[12] |
| The Hobbit | J. R. R. Tolkien | English | 1937 | 100 million[13] |
| She: A History of Adventure | H. Rider Haggard | English | 1887 | 100 million[14] |
Between 50 million and 100 million copies[edit]
Between 30 million and 50 million copies[edit]
Between 20 million and 30 million copies[edit]
Between 10 million and 20 million copies[edit]
No reliable sales figures[edit]
Note: These books do not have reliable sales data; however, there is evidence that they have sold at least 10 million copies, and therefore belong on this list.
| Book | Author(s) | Original language | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Quixote | Miguel de Cervantes | Spanish | 1605 | [137] |
List of best-selling book series[edit]
See also: List of best-selling manga
More than 100 million copies[edit]
| Book series | Author | Original language | No. of installments | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Potter | J.K. Rowling | English | 7 + 3 supplements | 1997-2007 | 450 million[138] |
| Goosebumps | R. L. Stine | English | 62 + spin-off series | 1992–1997–present | 300 million[139] |
| Perry Mason | Erle Stanley Gardner | English | 82 | 1933 — 1970 | 300 million[140] |
| Berenstain Bears | Stan and Jan Berenstain | English | over 300 | 1962 — present | 260 million[141] |
| Choose Your Own Adventure | various authors | English | 185 | 1979 — 1998 | 250 million[142] |
| Sweet Valley High | Francine Pascal and ghostwriters | English | 400 | 1983–2003 | 250 million[143] |
| Noddy | Enid Blyton | English | 24 | 1949–present | 200 million[144] |
| Nancy Drew | various authors as Carolyn Keene | English | 175 | 1930 — present | 200 million[145] |
| The Railway Series (spawned Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends) | Rev. W. Awdry, Christopher Awdry | English | 41 | 1945–2011 | 200 million[146] |
| San-Antonio | Frédéric Dard | French | 173 | 1949–2001 | 200 million[147] |
| Robert Langdon | Dan Brown | English | 4 | 2000–present | 200 million[148] |
| The Baby-sitters Club | Ann Martin | English | 335 | 1986 — present | 172 million[149] |
| Star Wars | various authors | English | over 300 | 1977 — present | 160 million[150] |
| Little Critter | Mercer Mayer | English | over 200 | 1975–present | 150 million[151] |
| Peter Rabbit | Beatrix Potter | English | 6 | 1902–1930 | 150 million[152] |
| Chicken Soup for the Soul | Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen | English | 105 | 1997 — present | 130 million[153] |
| Frank Merriwell | Gilbert Patten | English | 209 | 1896 - | 125 million[154] |
| Dirk Pitt | Clive Cussler | English | 19 | 1973 — present | 120 million[155] |
| 宮本武蔵 (Musashi) | Eiji Yoshikawa | Japanese | 7 | 1935–1939 | 120 million[156] |
| American Girl | various authors | English | 1986 — present | 120 million[157] | |
| The Chronicles of Narnia | C. S. Lewis | English | 7 | 1949–1954 | 120 million[158] |
| Mr. Men | Roger Hargreaves, Adam Hargreaves | English | 43 | 1971 — present | 120 million[159] |
| Twilight | Stephenie Meyer | English | 4 + 1 Novella + 1 Guide | 2005–2011 | 120 million[160] |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid | Jeff Kinney | English | 9 | 2007–present | 120 million[161] |
| Clifford the Big Red Dog | Norman Bridwell | English | 1963 — present | 110 million[162] | |
| James Bond | Ian Fleming | English | 14 | 1953–1966 | 100 million[163] |
| Martine | Gilbert Delahaye, Marcel Marlier | French | 60 | 1954 — present | 100 million[164] |
| Fifty Shades of Grey | E. L. James | English | 3 | 2011–2012 | 100 million[165] |
Between 50 million and 100 million copies[edit]
| Book series | Author | Original language | No. of installments | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nijntje (Miffy) | Dick Bruna | Dutch | 119 | 1955 — present | 85 million[166] |
| Alex Cross | James Patterson | English | 21 | 1993 — present | 81 million[167] |
| Fear Street | R. L. Stine | English | 114 | 1989 — present | 80 million[168] |
| The Vampire Chronicles | Anne Rice | English | 12 | 1976-2003 | 80 million[169] |
| Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstocking) | Astrid Lindgren | Swedish | 3 + 3 picture books | 1945-2001 | 80 million[170] |
| Millennium series | Stieg Larsson | Swedish | 3 | 2005–2007 | 75 million[171] |
| OSS 117 | Jean Bruce | French | 265 | 1949–1992 | 75 million[172] |
| Winnie-the-Pooh | A. A. Milne; illustrated by E. H. Shepard | English | 2 | 1926–1928 | 70 million[173] |
| Magic Tree House series | Mary Pope Osborne | English | 56[174] | 1992–present | 70 million[175] |
| Left Behind | Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins | English | 16 | 1996 — 2007 | 65 million[176] |
| A Series of Unfortunate Events | Lemony Snicket aka Daniel Handler | English | 13 | 1999–2006 | 65 million[177] |
| Little House on the Prairie | Laura Ingalls Wilder | English | 12 | 1932–2006 | 60 million[178] |
| Jack Reacher | Lee Child | English | 16 | 1997–present | 60 million[179] |
| Discworld | Terry Pratchett | English | 40 | 1983–present | 55 million[180] |
| Where's Wally?[181] | Martin Handford | English | 13 | 1987–present | 55 million[182] |
| Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus | John Gray | English | 15 | 1992–present | 50 million[183] |
| The Hardy Boys | various authors as Franklin W. Dixon | English | 190 | 1927–present | 50 million[184] |
| The Bobbsey Twins | various authors as Laura Lee Hope | English | 72 | 1904–1979 | 50 million[185] |
| Tarzan | Edgar Rice Burroughs | English | 26 | 1914–1995 | 50 million[186] |
| The Hunger Games trilogy | Suzanne Collins | English | 3 | 2008–2010 | 50 million[187] |
Between 30 million and 50 million copies[edit]
| Book series | Author | Original language | No. of installments | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Child's First Library Of Learning | various authors | English | 29 | 1980 - | 45 million[188] |
| Junie B. Jones | Barbara Park | English | 30 | 1992 - | 44 million[189] |
| The Wheel of Time | Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson | English | 14 | 1990 - 2013 | 44 million[190] |
| Harry Bosch | Michael Connelly | English | 15 | 1992 - | 42 million[191] |
| Harry Hole | Jo Nesbø | Norwegian | 9 | 1997–present | 40 million[192] |
| 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[193] |
| Paddington Bear | Michael Bond | English | 70 | 1958–present | 35 million[194] |
| The Inheritance Cycle | Christopher Paolini | English | 4 | 2002–2011 | 33 million[195] |
| 徳川家康 (Tokugawa Ieyasu) | Sohachi Yamaoka | Japanese | 26 | 1950–1967 | 30 million[196] |
| Ramona | Beverly Cleary | English | 8 | 1955–1999 | 30 million[197] |
| The Dark Tower | Stephen King | English | 8 | 1982-2012 | 30 million[198] |
| The Destroyer | Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir, various authors | English | 150 | 1971–present | 30 million[199] |
Between 20 million and 30 million copies[edit]
| Book series | Author | Original language | No. of installments | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ノンタン (Nontan) | Sachiko Kiyono | Japanese | 25 | 1976–2006 | 28 million[200] |
| Curious George | Hans Augusto Rey andMargret Rey | English | 58 | 1941–present | 27 million[201] |
| グイン・サーガ (Guin Saga) | Kaoru Kurimoto | Japanese | 118 | 1979–2009 | 26 million[202] |
| Captain Underpants | Dav Pilkey | English | 1997–present | 26 million[203] | |
| 三毛猫ホームズシリーズ (Calico Cat Holmes series) | Jirō Akagawa | Japanese | 43 | 1978–present | 26 million[204] |
| Rich Dad, Poor Dad | Robert Kiyosaki Sharon Lechter | English | 18 | 1997- | 26 million[205] |
| Kurt Wallander | Henning Mankell | Swedish | 10 | 1991–2002 | 25 million[206] |
| Sagaen om Isfolket (The Legend of the Ice People) | Margit Sandemo | Norwegian | 47 | 1982–1989 | 25 million[207] |
| The Sword of Truth | Terry Goodkind | English | 12 | 1998–2007 | 25 million[citation needed] |
| Outlander | Diana Gabaldon | English | 8 | 1991–present | 25 million[208] |
| 鬼平犯科帳 (Onihei Hankachō) | Shōtarō Ikenami | Japanese | 24 | 1968–1990 | 24.4 million, onlybunkobon[209] |
| The Shadowhunter Chronicles | Cassandra Clare | English | 9 + 2 supplements + 2 tie-ins (at least 18 + 3 supplements planned) | 2007–present | 24 million [210] |
| A Song of Ice and Fire | George R. R. Martin | English | Currently 5; 7 Planned. | 1996–present | 24 million[211] |
| Brain Quest series | various authors | English | 1992–present | 23.7 million[212] | |
| かいけつゾロリ (Kaiketsu Zorori) | Yutaka Hara | Japanese | 41 | 1987–present | 23 million[213] |
| South Beach Diet | Arthur Agatston | English | 6 | 2003–present | 22 million[214] |
| 竜馬がゆく (Ryoma ga Yuku) | Ryōtarō Shiba | Japanese | 5 | 1963–1966 | 21.5 million[215] |
| Artemis Fowl | Eoin Colfer | English | 8 | 2001–2012 | 21 million[216] |
| ズッコケ三人組 (Zukkoke Sanningumi) | Masamoto Nasu | Japanese | 50 | 1978–2004 | 21 million[217] |
| Shannara | Terry Brooks | English | 20 | 1977–present | 21 million[218] |
| Redwall | Brian Jacques | English | 22 | 1986–2011 | 20 million[219] |
| Malazan Book of the Fallen | Steven Erikson | English | 10 | 1999 - 2011 | 20 million |
| Maisy | Lucy Cousins | English | 23 | 1990–present | 20 million[86] |
| Dragonlance | various authors | English | more than 150 | 1984 — present | 20 million[220] |
| 幻魔大戦 (Genma Taisen) | Kazumasa Hirai | Japanese | 20 | 1979–1983 | 20 million[221] |
| 青春の門 (The Gate of Youth) | Hiroyuki Itsuki | Japanese | 1970–present | 20 million[222] | |
| The Foundation Trilogy | Isaac Asimov | English | 3[223] | 1950–1953 | 20 million[224] |
| Horrible Histories | Terry Deary | English | 24 | 1993–present | 20 million[225] |
| Rainbow Magic | Daisy Meadows | English | 80+ | 2003–present | 20 million[226] |
| Morgan Kane | Louis Masterson | Norwegian | 90 | 1966– | 20 million[227] |
| The Southern Vampire Mysteries | Charlaine Harris | English | 13 | 2001–2013 | 20 million[228] |
| Divergent trilogy | Veronica Roth | English | 3 | 2011-2013 | 20 million[229] |
Between 15 million and 20 million copies[edit]
| 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[230] | |
| 剣客商売 (Kenkaku Shobai) | Shotaro Ikenami | Japanese | 18 | 1972–1989 | 18 million[231] |
| Erast Fandorin | Boris Akunin | Russian | 12 | 1998–present | 18 million[232] |
| 吸血鬼ハンターD (Vampire Hunter D) | Hideyuki Kikuchi | Japanese | 17 | 1983–present | 17 million[233] |
| ソードアート・オンライン (Sword Art Online) | Reki kawahara | Japanese | 15+3 | 2008–present | 16.7 million[234] |
| 涼宮ハルヒシリーズ (Haruhi Suzumiya Series) | Nagaru Tanigawa | Japanese | 11 | 2003–present | 16.5 million[235] |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Douglas Adams, plus a final book by Eoin Colfer | English | 6 | 1979–2008 | 16 million[236] |
| Bridget Jones | Helen Fielding | English | 2 | 1996–present | 15 million[237] |
| The Riftwar Cycle | Raymond E. Feist | English | 25 | 1982–present | 15 million[238] |
| Percy Jackson & the Olympians | Rick Riordan | English | 5 | 2005–2009 | 15 million[239] |
| The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency | Alexander McCall Smith | English | 9 | 1999–present | 15 million[240] |
| ぼくらシリーズ (Bokura series) | Osamu Soda | Japanese | 36 | 1985–present | 15 million[241] |
| His Dark Materials | Philip Pullman | English | 3 | 1995–2000 | 15 million[242] |
| 銀河英雄伝説 (Legend of the Galactic Heroes) | Yoshiki Tanaka | Japanese | 14 | 1982–1989 | 15 million[243] |
| Der Regenbogenfisch (Rainbow Fish) | Marcus Pfister | German | 1992–present | 15 million[244] |
Notes[edit]
The Perry Rhodan series has sold more than 1 billion copies,[245] but is not listed because that figure includes magazine sales, not novels alone. Similarly, the Jerry Cotton series has sold over 300 million copies, but most of these were in magazine format.[246]
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is included in the list as a single entry because it was written by Tolkien as a single book.
Count for some books mentioned here are actually amount of book printed instead of amount of book sold.
List of best-selling regularly updated books[edit]
More than 100 million copies[edit]
| Book | Author(s) | Original language | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 新华字典 (Xinhua Zidian / Xinhua Dictionary) | Chief editor: Wei Jiangong | Chinese | 1957 | 400 million[247] |
| Scouting for Boys | Robert Baden-Powell | English | 1908 | 100–150 million[248] |
| The McGuffey Readers | William Holmes McGuffey | English | 1853 | 125 million[249] |
| Guinness World Records (published every year) | various authors | English | 1955–present | 115 million[250] |
| American Spelling Book (Webster's Dictionary) | Noah Webster | English | 1783 | 100 million[31] |
Between 50 million and 100 million copies[edit]
| Book | Author(s) | Original language | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Almanac (published every year) | various authors | English | 1868–76; 1886–present | 80 million[251] |
| 六星占術によるあなたの運命 (Rokusei Senjutsu (Six-Star Astrology) Tells Your Fortune) | Kazuko Hosoki | Japanese | 1986–present | 79 million[252] |
| Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary | Merriam-Webster | English | 1898 | 55 million[253] |
Between 30 million and 50 million copies[edit]
| Book | Author(s) | Original language | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roget's Thesaurus | Peter Mark Roget | English | 1852– | 40 million[254] |
| できるシリーズ (Dekiru Series) | Impress Dekiru Series Editorial Desk | Japanese | 1994–present | 40 million[255] |
| 수학의 정석 (數學의 定石) (The principle of Mathematics - Mathematics reference book) | Hong Sung-dae | Korean | 1966–present (current edition since 1997) | 40 million[256] ~ 37 million[257] |
| Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book | various authors | English | 1930 - | 38 million[258] |
| Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary | A. S. Hornby | English | 1948 | 30 million[259] |
| Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book | Bill Wilson | English | 1939 | 30 million[260][261] |
| Le guide Michelin France (The Michelin Guide France) (published every year) | various authors | French | 1900–present | 30 million[262] |
Between 20 million and 30 million copies[edit]
| Book | Author(s) | Original language | First published | Approximate sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betty Crocker Cookbook | various authors as Betty Crocker | English | 1955- | 27 million[263] |
| 超図解シリーズ (Cho-Zukai series) | X media | Japanese | 1996–2007 | 25 million[264] |
| 自由自在 (Jiyu Jizai) | various authors | Japanese | 1953–present | 24 million[265] |
| 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai kokugo jiten) | Tadao Yamada | Japanese | 1972 | 20.4 million[266] |
| English Grammar | Lindley Murray | English | 1795 | 20 million[267] |
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