The bible remains the worlds most translated book, with at least one book now available in a staggering 3,312 languages. The 15 biggest bestsellers ever after the bible photos. 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. They say that books like the da vinci code and harry potter are the most read books of all time. Top 10 studies on books of the bible christian bible studies.
The slave bible on display as part of an exhibition at the museum of the bible in washington, d. Wikipedia puts the figure at over 200 million copies sold. The first novel in the series, harry potter and the philosophers stone, has sold in excess of 120 million copies, making it one of the bestselling books of all time. Turns out that some books of the bible get a lot more attention than others. The bible tops the list of the most read books in the world. List of literary works by number of translations wikipedia. 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. I have been amazed to discover how many people believe that john bunyan only wrote one book, that being the pilgrims. This chineselanguage dictionary was first published in 1953. Sure, the best selling book of alltime is, of course, the bible. 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. Why the king james bible of 1611 remains the most popular. 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. That revolution was the only slave revolt in history in which enslaved people successfully drove out.
May 25, 2017 more than 2,100 languages have at least one book of the bible in that language. The ultimate list of 50 best christian books of all time. He found that the bible far outsold any other book, with a whopping 3. The imitation of christ by thomas a kempis 1418 sales unknown, but widely regarded as the bestselling christian title after the bible. I had no idea it contained the living, breathing word of god. When this book sold, it became the most expensive illuminated manuscript in the world. Also, it is worth noting that some religious and political books such as the bible, quran, and quotations from chairman mao are believed to. Apr 16, 2019 even now, more than four centuries after its publication, the king james bible a. Christian books still dominate alltime bestsellers lists.
The most popular book of all time christian universities. Although most ancient books have disappeared from memory, the bible continues to be printed more than any other book and is available in more than 2,000 languages. Oct 19, 2015 with new figures now available, we felt it was worth providing a june 2018 update to this article. As more people seek education, the demand for knowledge increases and authors are striving to fulfill the demand. Sep 17, 2016 if you are referring to a nonreligious book. An exceptional copy in the original boards, with the edges untrimmed. May 25, 2011 the bible is the biggest bestseller in history. 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.
Researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 most read books in the world. The imitation of christ is a 15thcentury devotional work that calls its readers to a radical living of the christian faith. 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. A book may increase a persons knowledge of history, geography,science, philos. For the record, the excluded books have sold an estimated hundreds of millions of copies each several billion, in the bibles case and would have taken most of. The book packs countless features that make it the best study bible in the market today. If you would like to learn more about the bible and its author, jehovah god, i highly encourage you to visit. 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. Bestselling books are ranked by number of copies sold, not my personal ratings. For example, how do you measure the popularity of a book.
Aug 28, 2015 the niv is the second most read version of the bible in the united states, after the king james. And then it is only a vague guess, probably inflated by the xtains. Is the most popular book of all time the one that has been read the most often or the one that has sold the most copies. Maos little red book comes in at number two and then the surprises begin. The second bestselling book of all time crisis magazine. Chapman created the list by examining how many individual copies of the books had been printed and sold over the last 50 years. That claim was written by paul to add some credibility to his letters after the disciples. A survey by the bible society concluded that around 2. Theres no doubt, the 5 love languages is truly a successful book, and it is a must read for every christian out there because it deals. First edition of the federalist, the most soughtafter of all american books.
You can find all of these studies in one place, but these are your 10 favorite studies. There are over 11 million copies of this book have been sold. Museum of the bible the first slave bible was published in. It addresses inward, private thoughts and feelings, as well as outward, publicly expressed words and actions. No matter which guide you use, though, there are problems making precise calculations. Images shown below are of like or similiar items but are not exact items sold. Here are the 10 most expensive religious or spiritual books ever bought on. This page provides lists of bestselling individual books and book series to date and in any. The 21 bestselling books of all time howstuffworks. It has been part of new yorks bestselling books list for eight years now.
According to the guinness book of world records, the bible is the mostsold and widely distributed book in history with total sales exceeding 5 billion copies since 1851. In 1995, one version of the bible, the good news version that is ed by the bible societies, had sold nearly 18 million copies. Books of the bible list order complete new and old testament. The fourth great bible nov 1540 and the third with cranmers preface. What is the second best selling book of all time after the. The only good book i had ever seen was my greatgrandmothers original king. It is also the most widely and given some of the liberties taken, wildly translated book of all time, too. What is the second best selling book of all time after the bible. Kjv holy bible, large print compact bible, tan faux leather bible wribbon marker, red letter edition, king james version. According to guinness world records as of 1995, the bible is the bestselling book of all time, with an. Note that books that get on the best selling list have to focus on contents that engage readers and provide benefits for them in some way. According to experts, the bible is the most commonly stolen book.
Year after year millions of copies are sold or given away. The bible is the most widely distributed and bestselling book in the world. Do you mean books written in english in north america, or do you mean books worldwide. After the bible, which book has sold the most copies. The holy bible is available for free at many places of worship, so perhaps theres less guilt associated with pilfering a copy. The gutenberg bible is probably the most valuable book or type of book in the world. Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the worlds best selling and most widely distributed book.
What is the best selling book besides the bible answers. Oct 10, 2016 sure, the bestselling book of alltime is, of course, the bible. The bible has been translated into 349 languages, and a survey conducted by the bible society concluded that between 1815 and 1975, around 2. 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. Also, it is worth noting that some religious and political books such as the bible. It is common knowledge that don quixote has sold over 500 million copies, and in fact, that number is conservative. Its widespread use in the most populous nation in the world 1. While religion dominates the first half of the list, the rest is mostly fantasy. Mar 21, 20 a breathtaking companion to the hit television series about historys most read, most popular and, arguably, most studied book, the bible experience includes items that were previously shown at the vatican and that are rarely unveiled to the public. As of june 2017, the series has been translated into 80 languages, placing harry potter among historys most translated literary works. Unsurprisingly, the most popular book of all time has an interesting history. 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.
This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. The imitation of christ is a 15thcentury devotional. The bay psalm book is probably best known for being the first printed book in british north america and it was first printed in 1640 in cambridge, massachusetts. Individual passages will make more sense and you gain a better sense of the.
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. For the record, the excluded books have sold an estimated hundreds of millions of copies each several billion, in the bible s case and would have taken most of the top positions on the list. May 23, 20 yes, the bible is still the best seller in the world and it is the only book inspired by god 2peter 1. The purpose is to understand its overall contents, purpose, and main themes. Rumour has it that there are only 11 copies of the book remaining, one of which. Researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 mostread books in the world. After all, one of the companys lead titles for the fall, the family. Surveys and searches suggest the translation that most americans are reading is actually not the.
The book is estimated to have sold about 200 million copies since it. The most popular book of all time christian universities online. The familiar observation that the bible is the bestselling book of all time. As you can see from the graphic below created by designer jared fanning, the bible leads the countdown by a large margin. Does this list tell us anything about ourselves as human beings. Sure, the bestselling book of alltime is, of course, the bible. The new testament is a collection of 27 books, usually placed after the old testament in most christian bibles. Yes, the bible is still the best seller in the world and it is the only book inspired by god 2peter 1. Guiness estimates in the last 3,000 years there have been around 5 trillion copies.
This is a list of literary works including novels, plays, series, collections of poems or short. Genesis, written by moses, is the first book, while revelation, written by john the apostle, is the last book. Over 100 million bibles are sold or given away for free every year in the world, according to the economist. The bible has sold billions of copies and is the best selling book of all time. It became the standard dictionary among chinese schoolchildren. 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.
Nov 15, 20 researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 most read books in the world. In america, where the bible is still big business, that means big sales potential. The bible is easily one of the best selling books of all time, but exact sales numbers are hard to nail down. However, i just want to point out and i am a majjjjor harry potter lover that is comparing the great classics to books written in a time where milli. Apr 18, 2018 but you might not have heard of the secondmost sold and translated work of christianity after the bible its the imitation of christ, written by the medieval monk thomas a kempis 801471. There are several version of the bible, but in general, it is estimated that it has sold more than five billion copies. The bible is the perfect word of god, so youve been misinformed. It has been translated into several languages and distributed all over the world. The most popular and fastest growing bible translation isn. The anser is the book when bad things happen to good people written by harold kushner. Rowlings famous harry potter series sold over 107 million copies since its 1997 publication. In the 1980s and 90s it sold more copies than any book but the bible.
The most expensive sale was a latin bible from 1491, s a socalled poor mans bible printed by johannes froben. Thousands of books are written, published and distributed every day. Choose from more than 1,200 bible versions in over 900 languages on your computer, phone, or tablet with many available as audio bibles. Written by one of the most celebrated bible teachers in america, the jeremiah study bible nkjv provides readers a deeper understanding of the scripture for an effective relationship with god. The kind folks at shared their stats with me on the top 10 mostaccessed books of the bible.
What is the second best selling book of all time after. Mar, 2014 the most popular and fastest growing bible translation isnt what you think it is niv vs. More than 2,100 languages have at least one book of the bible in that language. Similarly, many notable book series that sold very widely are poorly documented or consist of multiple subseries.
Apr 20, 20 john bunyans classic allegory of the christian life was, at least at one time, the bestselling book next to the holy bible. Our bible studies on whole books of the bible are our most popular studies. The books 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 app is completely free, with no advertising and no inapp. The bible is easily one of the bestselling books of all time, but exact sales numbers are hard to nail down. This page includes a list of the 25 bestselling books of alltime as well as the 25 bestselling book series of alltime. Feb 17, 2017 the anser is the book when bad things happen to good people written by harold kushner.
The name refers to the new covenant or promise between god and humanity through the death and resurrection of jesus christ. Is the bible still the bestselling book in the world. Highlight or bookmark your favorite verses, make verse images that you can share, and attach public or private notes to bible passages. Weve all wondered at some pointout of 66 different books, there have to be a few that resonate with more people than others, right yep. What is the best selling fiction book after the bible. But in spite of the bans and the persecution the bible still enjoys the greatest popularity of any book ever produced in human language. 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. Why bibles given to slaves omitted most of the old testament. Jun 24, 2012 the bible is often said to be the worlds best sold book but search the best seller lists and you wont find it anywhere, top to bottom. The new testament chronicles the life and ministry of jesus, the growth and impact of the early church.
Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the bible is the worlds bestselling and most widely distributed book. Between 1815 and 1975, it was estimated that there could have been 5 billion bibles printed. The bible has sold billions of copies and is the best selling book of all. Valentines chunky liftaflap board book holly berrybyrd. The 15 biggest bestsellers ever after the bible photos the bible is the biggest bestseller in history. Large folio, old reversed calf, with blind tooling on. Because we have all sinned against a perfectly holy and righteous god, we all deserve eternal separation from god in.
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. The gutenberg bible is probably the most valuable book or type of book in. Why bibles given to slaves omitted most of the old. To make the bible the most printed book you have to add up all its flavors.
This type of study attempts to see the book as a complete unit instead of a combination of its parts. Apr 03, 2019 the first slave bible was published in 1807, three years after the haitian revolution ended. 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. The guinness book of world records estimates that more than 5 billion. Is the bible still the best selling book of all time. For those struggling with the old english of the original version, this updated version is a wonderful choice. Studying a whole book of the bible takes a different approach than most bible studies.
The 10 most expensive books in the world flavorwire. 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. For example, the most popular or top selling bible translations in 2016, according to the rose publishing, were the new international version and the king james version. Growing up, i thought the bible was a real snoozer. The new testament is available in 2,191 languages, while the old and new testaments together can be read in 670 languages.