List of best-selling books

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The frontispiece to the 1611 first edition of the King James Bible

This page provides lists of best-selling single-volume books, book series, authors, and children's books to date and in any language. For some books, accurate accounting has proven impossible, so the book is excluded or an educated guess by an expert is provided. "Best-selling" refers to the estimated number of copies sold of each book, rather than the number of books printed or currently owned. Comics are not included in this list.

Contents

List of best-selling single-volume books

Claims of at least 1 billion copies

Book Author(s) Original language First published Approximate sales
Bible [1] (Koine Greek τὰ Βίβλια) Traditional Judaeo-Christian view: Revelation or Inspiration by God[2] to various authors Hebrew, Koine Greek, Aramaic 1st century BC to 1st century AD,
Further information: dating of the Bible
 2.5[3] to 6 billion[4]
the Little Red Book (Quotations from Chairman Mao) Quotations from Mao Zedong; collected by the PLA Daily of the People's Liberation Army and signed by Lin Biao Chinese
& 50 languages		 1966 800 million[5] to 6.5 billion[6]

Claims between 100 million and 1 billion copies

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[7]
毛主席诗抄 (Chairman Mao's Poems) Mao Zedong Chinese 1966 400 million[6]
毛主席文选 (Selected Articles of Mao Zedong) Mao Zedong Chinese 1966 252.5 million[8]
القرآن ‎(The Qur’ān) (Koran) Traditional Muslim view: Revelation by Allah[9] through Angel Gabriel to Holy Prophet Muhammad Classical Arabic[10] Traditional Muslim view: ~610 - ~632 200 million [11]
A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens English 1859 200 million[12]
Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship Robert Baden-Powell English 1908 150 million[13]
The Lord of the Rings J. R. R. Tolkien English 1954–1955 150 million[14]
Book of Mormon Traditional Latter-Day-Saint view: Compilation by the prophet Mormon[15], revealed to Joseph Smith, Jr. English[16] 1830 - 120 million[17]
The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life Jehovah's Witnesses
(Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York)		 English 1968 107 million[18]
论三个代表 ( On the Three Representations) Jiang Zemin Chinese 2001 100 million[8]
And Then There Were None Agatha Christie English 1939 - 100 million[19]
The Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien English 1937 - 100 million[20]
紅樓夢 (Dream of the Red Chamber) Cao Xueqin Chinese 18th century 100 million [21]

Claims between 50 million and 100 million copies

Book Author(s) Original language First published Approximate sales
She H. Rider Haggard English 1887 83 million[22]
Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) Antoine de Saint-Exupéry French 1943 80 million[23]
The Catcher in the Rye J. D. Salinger English 1951 65 million[24]
O Alquimista (The Alchemist) Paulo Coelho Portuguese 1988 65 million[25]
Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill English 1937 60 million[26]
The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown English 2003 57 million [27]
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Merriam-Webster English 1898 55 million[28]
Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre (Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning) Johanna Spyri German 1880 50 million[29]
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care Dr. Benjamin Spock English 1946 50 million[4]
Anne of Green Gables Lucy Maud Montgomery English 1908 50 million[30]
Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions: The autobiography of a horse Anna Sewell English 1877 50 million[31]

Claims between 30 million and 50 million copies

Book Author(s) Original language First published Approximate sales
Il Nome della Rosa (The Name of the Rose) Umberto Eco Italian 1980 50 million[32]
The Hite Report Shere Hite English 1976 48 million[33]
Charlotte's Web E.B. White; illustrated by Garth Williams English 1952 45 million[34]
The Tale of Peter Rabbit Beatrix Potter English 1902 45 million[35]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [36] J.K. Rowling English 2007 44 million [37][38][39]
Jonathan Livingston Seagull Richard Bach English 1970 40 million[40]
A Message to Garcia Elbert Hubbard English 1899 40 million[4]
Roget's Thesaurus Peter Roget English 1852 - 40 million[41]
Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book various authors English 1930 - 38 million [42]
You Can Heal Your Life Louise Hay English 1984 35 million[43]
Het Achterhuis (The Diary of a Young Girl,The Diary of Anne Frank) Anne Frank Dutch 1947 30 million[44]
In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do? Charles M. Sheldon English 1896 30 million[4]
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary A. S. Hornby English 1948 30 million[45]
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee English 1960 30 million [46]
Valley of the Dolls Jacqueline Susann English 1966 30 million[4]
Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchell English 1936 30 million [47]
Cien Años de Soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude) Gabriel García Márquez Spanish 1967 30 million[48][49]
The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren English 2002 30 million[50]

Claims between 20 million and 30 million copies

Book Author(s) Original language First published Approximate sales Genre
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle English 1969 29 million[51] Children's Fiction
The Late, Great Planet Earth Hal Lindsey, C. C. Carlson English 1970 28 million[52] Religion/Spirituality
Betty Crocker Cookbook various authors as Betty Crocker English 1955- 27 million [53] Cookery
Rich Dad, Poor Dad Robert Kiyosaki Sharon Lechter English 1997- 26 million [54] Financial Advice
The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame English 1908 25 million[55] Children's Fiction
The Celestine Prophecy James Redfield English 1993 23 million[56] Religion/Spirituality
The Godfather Mario Puzo English 1969 21 million [57] Crime
新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai kokugo jiten) Tadao Yamada Japanese 1972 20.4 million[58] Dictionary
狼图腾 (Wolf Totem) Jiang Rong Chinese 2004 20 million[59] Fiction
English Grammar Lindley Murray English 1795 20 million[60] General Reference
The Happy Hooker: Her Own Story Xaviera Hollander English 1971 20 million[61] Autobiography
Jaws Peter Benchley English 1974 20 million[62] Thriller
Love You Forever Robert Munsch English 1986 20million[63] Children's literature

Claims between 10 million and 20 million copies

Book Author(s) Original language First published Approximate sales
Fear of Flying Erica Jong English 1973 18 million [64]
The Joy of Cooking various authors English 1936 18 million [65]
英語基本単語集 (Eigo Kihon Tangoshu) Yoshio Akao Japanese, English 1942 17.2 million[66]
Goodnight Moon Margaret Wise Brown English 1947 16 million[67]
Guess How Much I Love You Sam McBratney English 1994 15 million[68]
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R. Covey English 1989 15 million[69]
Shōgun James Clavell English 1975 15 million[70]
試験に出る英単語 (Siken Ni Deru Eitango) Ichiro Mori Japanese, English 1967 15 million[71]
The Poky Little Puppy Janette Sebring Lowrey English 1942 15 million[72]
The Pillars of the Earth Ken Follett English 1989 15 million[73]
How to Win Friends and Influence People Dale Carnegie English 1936 15 million [74]
Das Parfum (Perfume) Patrick Süskind German 1985 15 million [75]
What to Expect When You're Expecting Arlene Eisenberg and Heidi Murkoff English 1984 15 million[76]
The Horse Whisperer Nicholas Evans English 1995 15 million[77]
Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albom English 1997 14 million [78]
God's Little Acre Erskine Caldwell English 1933 14 million [79]
Follow Your Heart Susanna Tamaro Italian 1994 14 million [80]
The Outsiders S. E. Hinton English 1967 13 million [81]
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl English 1964 13 million[82]
新英和中辞典 (Shin Eiwa Chu Jiten) Shigeru Takebayashi Japanese, English 1967 12 million[83]
Peyton Place Grace Metalious English 1956 12 million [84]
Dune Frank Herbert English 1965 12 million[85]
La Peste (The Plague) Albert Camus French 1947 12 million [86]
The Naked Ape Desmond Morris English 1968 12 million[87]
The Bridges of Madison County Robert James Waller English 1992 12 million[88]
旺文社古語辞典 (Obunsha Kogo Jiten) Akira Matsumura Japanese 1960 11 million[89]
Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe English 1958 11 million[90]
広辞苑 (Kōjien) Izuru Shinmura Japanese 1955 11 million[91][58]
The Exorcist William Peter Blatty English 1971 11 million [92]
Catch-22 Joseph Heller English 1961 10 million[93]
三省堂国語辞典 (Sanseido Kokugo Jiten) Kenbō Hidetoshi Japanese 1960 10 million[94]
Eye of the Needle Ken Follett English 1978 10 million[95]
A Brief History of Time Stephen Hawking English 1988 10 million [96]
The Cat in the Hat Dr. Seuss English 1957 10 million [97]
The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold English 2002 10 million [98]
Wild Swans Jung Chang English 1992 10 million [99]
Santa Evita Tomás Eloy Martínez Spanish 1995 10 million [100]
家庭に於ける實際的看護の秘訣 (Katei Ni Okeru Jissaiteki Kango No Hiketsu) Takichi Tsukuda Japanese 1925 10 million[101]
Night Elie Wiesel Yiddish 1958 10 million[102]
Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson English 1998 10 million[103]
The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini English 2003 10 million[104]
La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Wind) Carlos Ruiz Zafón Spanish 2001 10 million[105]
于丹《论语》心得 (Yu Dan's gain from the Analects) Yu Dan Chinese 2006 10 million[106]
The Total Woman Marabel Morgan English 1974 10 million[107]
知価革命 (Knowledge-value Revolution) Taichi Sakaiya Japanese 1985 10 million[108]
Mein Kampf Adolf Hitler German 1925-1926 10 million[109]
Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei (The Communist Manifesto) Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels German 1848 10 million[110]
中国社会主义经济问题研究 (Problems in China's Socialist Economy) Xue Muqiao Chinese 1979 10 million[111]
What Color is Your Parachute? Richard Nelson Bolles English 1970 10 million[112]

List of best-selling book series

Claims of at least 100 million copies

Book series Author Original language No. of installments First published Approximate sales
Harry Potter J. K. Rowling English 7 1997 — 2007 more than 400 million, also including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages [113][114]
毛泽东选集 (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Selections of Mao Zedong's Works) Mao Zedong Chinese 4 1966

326.22 million[8] to 3.36 billion[6]
The New Park Street Pulpit and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Penny Sermons Charles Haddon Spurgeon English 3,561 1854 — 1917 more than 300 million[115]
Goosebumps R. L. Stine English 62 1992 — 1998 300 million[116]
Berenstain Bears Stan and Jan Berenstain English over 300 1962 — present 260 million [117]
Choose Your Own Adventure various authors English 185 1979 — 1998 250 million [118]
Sweet Valley High Francine Pascal and ghostwriters English 400 1983 - 250 million [119]
Noddy Enid Blyton English 24 1949 - present 200 million[120]
Nancy Drew various authors as Carolyn Keene English 175 1930 — present 200 million[121]
The Baby-sitters Club Ann Martin English 335 1986 — present 172 million[122]
Star Wars various authors English over 200 1977 — present 160 million [123]
Peter Rabbit Beatrix Potter English 6 1902–1930 150 million[124]
Chicken Soup for the Soul Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen English 105 1997 — present 130 million[125]
The McGuffey Readers William Holmes McGuffey English 1853 125 million[126]
Frank Merriwell Gilbert Patten English 209 1896 - 125 million[127]
Dirk Pitt Clive Cussler English 19 1973 — present 120 million[128]
宮本武蔵 (Musashi) Eiji Yoshikawa Japanese 7 1935–1939 120 million[129]
American Girl various authors English 1986 — present 120 million[130]
The Chronicles of Narnia C. S. Lewis English 7 1949–1954 120 million[131]
Clifford the Big Red Dog Norman Bridwell English 1963 — present 110 million[132]
James Bond Ian Fleming English 14 1953–1966 more than 100 million[133]
Mr. Men Roger Hargreaves, Adam Hargreaves English 43 1971 — present 100 million[134]
Guinness World Records (published every year) various authors English 53 1955 — present 100 million[135]
American Spelling Book (Webster's Dictionary) Noah Webster English 1783 100 million[4]

Claims between 50 million and 100 million copies

Book series Author Original language No. of installments First published Approximate sales
The Railway Series (Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends) W.V. Awdry, Christopher Awdry English 1945–1996 90 million[136]
Nijntje (Miffy) Dick Bruna Dutch 119 1955 — present 85 million[137]
World Almanac (published every year) various authors English 121 1868 — 1876; 1886 - present 80 million[138]
Fear Street R. L. Stine English 1989 — present 80 million[139]
OSS 117 Jean Bruce French 265 1949-1992 75 million[140]
Winnie-the-Pooh A. A. Milne; illustrated by E. H. Shepard English 4 1926–1928 70 million[141]
Left Behind Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins English 16 1996 — present 65 million[142]
Arch Books (Lantern Books) various authors English 1958 — present 58 million[143]
Discworld Terry Pratchett English 36 1983 - present 55 million[144]
Magic Tree House series Mary Pope Osborne English 39 1992 - present 53 million[145]
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus John Gray English 15 1992 - present 50 million[146]
The Hardy Boys various authors as Franklin W. Dixon English 58 1927-79 50 million[147]
The Bobbsey Twins various authors as Laura Lee Hope English 72 1904-79 50 million[148]
アンパンマン (Anpanman) Takashi Yanase Japanese more than 678 1970 — present 50 million[149]
Tarzan Edgar Rice Burroughs English 26 1914–1995 50 million[150]
A Series of Unfortunate Events Lemony Snicket aka Daniel Handler English 13 1999–2006 50 million[151]

Claims between 30 million and 50 million copies

Book series Author Original language No. of installments First published Approximate sales
Where's Wally?[152] Martin Handford English 13 1987 - present 46 million[153]
A Child's First Library Of Learning various authors English 1980 - 45 million[154]
Junie B. Jones Barbara Park English 1992 - 44 million[155]
The Wheel of Time Robert Jordan English 12 1990 - 44 million[156]
Jack and Betty Kairyudo English 1948 40 million[157]
수학의 정석 (數學의 定石) (mathematics reference book) Hong Sung-dae Korean currently 12 1966 - present (current edition since 1997) 40 million[158]
连环画 铁道游击队 (Picture-and-story book Railway Guerrillas) original author: Liu Zhixia Chinese 10 1955–1962 36.52 million[159]
Paddington Bear Michael Bond English 70 1958 - present 35 million[160]
できるシリーズ (Dekiru Series) Impress Dekiru Series Editorial Desk Japanese 1994 - present 30 million[161]
徳川家康 (Tokugawa Ieyasu) Sohachi Yamaoka Japanese 26 1950–1967 30 million[162]
Le guide Michelin France (The Michelin Guide France) (published every year) various authors French 109 1900 - present 30 million[163]

Claims between 20 million and 30 million copies

Book series Author Original language No. of installments First published Approximate sales
Rich Dad, Poor Dad Robert Kiyosaki, Sharon Lechter English 2000 - present 28 million[164]
ノンタン (Nontan) Sachiko Kiyono Japanese 25 1976 - present 27 million[165]
Curious George Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey English 58 1941 - present 27 million[166]
グイン・サーガ (Guin Saga) Kaoru Kurimoto Japanese 118 1979 - present 26 million[167]
Captain Underpants Dav Pilkey English 1997 - present 26 million[168]
三毛猫ホームズシリーズ (Mike-neko Holmes series) Jirō Akagawa Japanese 43 1978 - present 26 million[169]
超図解シリーズ (Cho-Zukai series) X media Japanese 1996–2007 25 million[170]
Kurt Wallander Henning Mankell Swedish 10 1991–2002 25 million[171]
鬼平犯科帳 (Onihei Hankachō) Shōtarō Ikenami Japanese 24 1968–1990 24.4 million, only bunkobon[172]
自由自在 (Jiyu Jizai) various authors Japanese 1953 - present 24 million[173]
Brain Quest series various authors English 1992 - present 23.7 million[174]
かいけつゾロリ (Kaiketsu Zorori) Yutaka Hara Japanese 41 1987 - present 23 million[175]
South Beach Diet Arthur Agatston English 6 2003 - present 22 million[176]
竜馬がゆく (Ryoma ga Yuku) Ryōtarō Shiba Japanese 5 1963–1966 21.5 million[177]
ズッコケ三人組 (Zukkoke Sanningumi) Masamoto Nasu Japanese 50 1978–2004 21 million[178]
Maisy Lucy Cousins English 23 1990 - present 20 million[68]
Dragonlance various authors English more than 150 1984 — present 20 million[179]
幻魔大戦 (Genma Taisen) Kazumasa Hirai Japanese 20 1979–1983 20 million[180]
青春の門 (The Gate of Youth) Hiroyuki Itsuki Japanese 1970 - present 20 million[181]
The Foundation Trilogy Isaac Asimov English 3[182] 1950–1953 20 million[183]
Horrible Histories Terry Deary English 24 1993 - present 20 million[184]

Claims 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[185]
スーパーマップル (Super Mapple) various authors Japanese 1991 - present 18 million[186]
剣客商売 (Kenkaku Shobai) Shotaro Ikenami Japanese 18 1972–1989 18 million[187]
Erast Fandorin Boris Akunin Russian 12 1998 - present 18 million[188]
Artemis Fowl Eoin Colfer English 6 2001 - present 18 million[189]
チャート式 (Chart Shiki) various authors Japanese 1927 - present 17.44 million, only for the first grade of high-school[66]
吸血鬼ハンターD (Vampire Hunter D) Hideyuki Kikuchi Japanese 17 1983 - present 17 million[190]
Twilight Stephenie Meyer Engligh 2005 - present 17 million[191] [192]
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams English 5 1979 - present 16 million[193]
少年探偵団 (Shonen Tanteidan) Rampo Edogawa Japanese 26 1930–1962 15.3 million, only published by Poplar Publishing[194]
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Alexander McCall Smith English 9 1999 - present 15 million[195]
ぼくらシリーズ(Bokura series) Osamu Soda Japanese 36 1985 - present 15 million[196]
His Dark Materials Philip Pullman English 3 1995–2000 15 million [197]
銀河英雄伝説 (Legend of the Galactic Heroes) Yoshiki Tanaka Japanese 14 1982–1989 15 million[198]
Der Regenbogenfisch (Rainbow Fish) Marcus Pfister German 1992 - present 15 million[199]
Inheritance Cycle Christopher Paolini English 3 2002 - present 15 million[200]

Notes

The Perry Rhodan series has sold more than 1 billion copies[201], but is not listed because that figure includes magazine sales, not novels alone.

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.

Regularly updated lists of best-selling books

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Bible listed here refers to all versions ever printed, many of which have been given away freely, not sold (for example, during missionary work).
  2. ^ The Holy Bible is controversial regarding authorship. While many claim it to be in fact a holy book of divine inspiration, secular critics and some biblical scholars do not accept supernatural guidance or authorship. Secular Biblical scholars usually place a creation date closer to 900 B.C. for the earliest texts. Conservative Biblical scholars place the earliest date around 1400 B.C.
  3. ^ Businessweek on The Bible: "The Bible (2.5 billion copies sold)" (18 July 2005)
  4. ^ a b c d e f The Top 10 of Everything 2002 by Russell Ash
  5. ^ Businessweek on Mao: "The Thoughts of Chairman Mao (800 million)" (18 July 2005)
  6. ^ a b c Zhengyuan Fu, Autocratic Tradition and Chinese Politics 1993
  7. ^ 400 million copies of Chinese-character dictionary — People's Daily
  8. ^ a b c CHINASCOPE Magazine (September, 2005)
  9. ^ The Qu’āan is controversial regarding authorship. While traditional views claim divine inspiration, secular critics or those of different faith traditions may not accept supernatural guidance or authorship but instead credit Holy Prophet Muhammad and others with authorship.
  10. ^ Some scholars believe that parts of the Qur’ān were originally in Syriac: see The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran.
  11. ^ The Department of Islamic Affairs 26 December 2005
  12. ^ Broadway.com on A Tale of Two Cities: "Since its inaugural publication on 30 August 1859, A Tale of Two Cities has sold over 200 million copies in several languages, making it one of the most famous books in the history of fictional literature." (24 April 2008)
  13. ^ Extrapolation for global range of other language publications, and related to the number of Scouts, make a realistic estimate of 100 to 150 million books. Details from Jeal, Tim. Baden-Powell. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 0-09-170670-X. 
  14. ^ The Lord of the Rings is considered by most people to be a single book, because it was written and planned by the author to be such. Some people consider it to instead be a trilogy or series of three books, because it was originally published as a series of three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. This move by the publishing house was due largely to post-war paper shortages as well as to minimize the price of the first volume to aid sales. In subsequent printings the book has sometimes appeared as a single volume, and in at least one case was split into seven.[1] The figure of 150 million is a 2007 estimate of copies of the full story sold, whether published as one volume, three, or some other configuration.The Toronto Star 16 April 2007
  15. ^ The Book of Mormon is controversial regarding authorship. While traditional views of the religion claim divine inspiration, secular critics or those of different faith traditions do not accept supernatural guidance to its discovery or authorship by ancient prophets, but instead credit Joseph Smith with authorship.
  16. ^ Smith claimed to have translated the Book of Mormon from "Reformed Egyptian" into English; secular critics regard this as false.
  17. ^ Big N.Y. firm to publish LDS text
  18. ^ Guinness Book of World Records 1990, "Highest Printings". The Guinness Book of World Records 1973, under the heading "Best Sellers", mentioned for the first 4 years of circulation of the book: "The total disposal through non-commercial channels by Jehovah’s Witnesses of the 190-page hardbound book, The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life [...] reached 46,000,000 in 67 languages by February, 1972." For the latest information, see also The Watchtower 15 January 1997, p. 25.
  19. ^ amazon.com
  20. ^ BBC: Tolkien's memorabilia go on sale. 18 March 2008
  21. ^ China.org: "Sun said that the book has sold over 100 million copies worldwide so far." 14 December 2005
  22. ^ Time on She: "Since then it has sold 83 million copies in 44 languages." (17 September 1965)
  23. ^ The Scotsman on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: "SINCE its publication in 1943, The Little Prince has sold more than 80 million copies worldwide. " (17 March 2008)
  24. ^ Foyles
  25. ^ AFP on The Alchemist: "Film mogul Harvey Weinstein on Sunday announced the screen adaptation of the novel, written 20 years ago and translated into 56 languages, with more than 65 million copies sold." (19 May 2008)
  26. ^ amazon.co.uk
  27. ^ The Los Angeles Times on The Da Vinci Code: "Officials at the museum aren't publicly linking the dramatic increase in visitation — from about 6 million in 2000 to 7.5 million last year — with the novel, even though 57 million copies of the book are in print in 44 languages." (14 May 2006)
  28. ^ New Edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary(2003)
  29. ^ ABC Australia on Heidi: "Johanna Spyri's story has been translated into fifty languages and sold fifty million copies, but the marketing juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down - fat from it. Heidi now has her own theme park." (5 August 2002)
  30. ^ Reuters on Anne of Green Gables: ""Anne of Green Gables" has sold more than 50 million copies and been translated into 20 languages, according to Penguin." (19 March 2008)
  31. ^ The Times on Black Beauty: "Fifty million copies of Black Beauty have been sold in the years since Anna Sewell's publisher paid her £20 for the story." (29 February 2008)
  32. ^ Library Journal (nd nd)
  33. ^ USA today (15 May 2006)
  34. ^ Walden Media
  35. ^ Worker's Press acknowledge Frederick Warne's intellectual property rights
  36. ^ An early press report claimed that more than 72 million copies of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" had been sold within the first 48 hours of publication (see linked citation below). However, there has never been any evidence provided for this claim beyond the original source and it is almost certainly an error. All follow-up sales figures (for instance, those discussed on the separate entry for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows") are consistent with total sales figures well below 30 million during the first month of publication. For example, according to Scholastic publishers, there are only 14 million copies of the American edition currently in print, and not all have been sold. At the same time, sales of the American edition were originally reported to be comparable to or greater than the number of copies sold of the British edition. As of 18 September 2007, fewer than 4 million copies of the British edition had been sold in the UK along with a comparable number sold in other countries (reference below). Thus the total number of copies sold as of September 2007 appears to have been approximately 20-25 million. Translations into other languages began appearing in late September 2007, substantially increasing the estimated number of copies sold worldwide. In June 2008, Forbes magazine reported sales had reached 44 million.
  37. ^ The Celebrity 100 #9: J. K. Rowling "The final one, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, has sold 44 million since it was published last July, including 15 million in the first 24 hours."
  38. ^ New 'Potter' sells 72 mil copies worldwide
  39. ^ Sprechen Sie Potter? How Harry is spreading the English language
  40. ^ Powell's Books
  41. ^ The San Francisco Chronicle on Peter Roget: "More than 40 million copies have been sold. " (25 March 2008)
  42. ^ Meredith Corporation
  43. ^ The New York Times on You Can Heal Your Life: "“You Can Heal Your Life” immediately landed on the New York Times best-seller list. More than 35 million copies are now in print around the world." (4 May 2008)
  44. ^ Fox News on Het Achterhuis: "Thirty million copies of her diary have been sold, and it has been translated into 65 languages. " (29 March 2007)
  45. ^ The Telegraph on the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary: "Thirty million copies of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary have been sold since it was first published in 1948. " (3 June 2005)
  46. ^ The Orlando Sentinel on To Kill a Mockingbird: "Thirty million copies of To Kill a Mockingbird have been sold since that coming-of-age novel, about a Southern lawyer who believed that no man should be denied justice because of the color of his skin, was first published in 1960 to critical acclaim." (11 June 2006)
  47. ^ The Daily Mail on Gone with the Wind: "The book has sold more than 30 million copies in the decades since the publication of Margaret Mitchell's gripping tale of the Old South gasping its last breath, as the U.S. was torn apart by Civil War and its bitter aftermath." (4 April 2008)
  48. ^ The Walrus December 2007 issue
  49. ^ granma.cu March6, 2007
  50. ^ ABC News on The Purpose-Driven Life: "His book, "The Purpose Driven Life," has been translated into 56 languages and has sold 30 million copies." (7 March 2007)]
  51. ^ NoveNewsNow on The Very Hungry Caterpillar: "His little book has sold more than 29 million copies worldwide and has appeared in 47 languages." (30 September 2008)
  52. ^ W.W. Norton and Company
  53. ^ chapters.indigo.ca
  54. ^ [2] Rich Dad Poor Dad Official Web site
  55. ^ The Columbus Dispatch on The Wind in the Willows: "More than 25 million copies of the book have been sold in 70 countries since 1908, according to the Copyrights Group, which is presently promoting a new edition." (4 May 2008)
  56. ^ The Age on The Celestine Prophecy: "it has sold in the vicinity of 23 million copies since its publication in 1993" (22 March 2008
  57. ^ The Toronto Star on Mario Puzo: "According to the Official Mario Puzo Library website, the book sold 21 million copies in hardback and paper by 1997." (21 July 2007)
  58. ^ a b Asahi Shimbun 16 January 2008
  59. ^ The Financial Times on Wolf Totem: "Since it first appeared in 2004, Jiang Rong’s Wolf Totem has sold as many as 20 million copies." (15 March 2008)
  60. ^ The New York Times (9 January 2005)
  61. ^ The Philadelphia Inquirer on The Happy Hooker: "He said he found it fascinating that her book, which has sold 20 million copies to date, is still being picked up today." (26 June 2008)
  62. ^ The Times on Jaws: "Jaws stayed for 40 weeks in the bestseller charts of The New York Times, eventually selling 20 million copies [...]" (13 February 2006)
  63. ^ The Huntsville Forester on Love You Forever: "The children’s classic Love You Forever has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and is in its 65th printing." (29 October 2008)
  64. ^ The NEw Yorker on Erica Jong: "Erica Jong, the novelist, essayist, and poet, has long lamented that “Fear of Flying,” which has sold more than eighteen million copies worldwide since it was published, in 1973, has overshadowed the remainder of her sizable oeuvre." (14 April 2008, online 7 April 2008)
  65. ^ New York Times 1 November 2006
  66. ^ a b Nihon Keizai Shimbun morning edition, 10 January 2005.
  67. ^ Playthings (1 April 2007)
  68. ^ a b RJM Licensing
  69. ^ Forbes on Covey: "The original title has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide" (15 May 2003
  70. ^ Time 26 November 1990.
  71. ^ OK Wave (6 October 2006)
  72. ^ Golden Books : Poky Little Puppy (Little Golden Book)
  73. ^ CBS on Ken Follett: "But since it was published in 1989, "The Pillars of the Earth" has become an international sensation, selling 15 million copies worldwide." (7 October 2007)
  74. ^ The Financial Post on Dale Carnegie: "Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, the gold standard of the genre, has sold more than 15 million copies since it was first published in 1937." (5 April 2008)
  75. ^ The Patriot Ledger on Perfume: "Yet the scene, like the movie, is so daring, so challenging, you cannot help but respect Tykwer’s unerring desire to remain true to the source novel, a book that has sold 15 million copies and has been credited with inspiring Kurt Cobain to write the Nirvana classic ‘‘Scentless Apprentice.’’" (5 January 2007)
  76. ^ The Associated Press on What to Expect When You're Expecting: "it's been on the New York Times best-seller list for 355 weeks, with nearly 15 million copies in print" (14 April 2008)
  77. ^ The Forres Gazette on The Horse Whisperer: "Mr Evans is the author of "The Horse Whisperer", which sold 15 million copies worldwide and was made into a Hollywood film in 1998 directed by and starring Robert Redford." (10 September 2008)
  78. ^