We get it: When you hear the word “blockbuster,” you probably think of a handsome guy named Chris flexing his muscles on the big screen. but as popular as those comic book movies are, that term can also apply to a great read. Here, we’ve rounded up the 30 best-selling novels of all time. you’ve probably heard of all of them, and maybe even read a few. but you probably didn’t know that tens of millions, and in some cases hundreds of millions, of other people have done the same thing. so read on to find out how many of these best-selling books you have on your physical or digital shelves. And for upcoming memoirs written by your favorite stars, check out 7 Must-Read Celebrity Books This Year.
Year released: 1612Copies sold: 500 million
You are reading: Classic best selling books
The most popular novel of all time, Don Quixote, is a testament to how great storytelling has no expiration date. The story follows a hidalgo, Alonso Quixano, who proves that chivalry will, in fact, never die.
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Year released: 1859Copies sold: 200 million
chances are you’ve read a tale of two cities (or at least pretended) in a high school class. It’s no wonder this novel has sold so many copies, it’s practically a must.
Year released: 1954Copies sold: 150 million
The best-selling series of fantasy novels, The Lord of the Rings, has only grown in popularity since its release, spawning a veritable armada of movies, theater, music, artwork, video games, and even arcade games. table.
To see where feature film adaptations rank on the list of the most acclaimed films of the past 20 years, check out Critics’ Best Film of the 21st Century.
Year released: 1943Copies sold: 150 million
the little prince, a book about the dangers of growing old written by the French aristocrat antoine de saint-exupéry, has been translated into more than 300 languages and dialects.
Year released: 1937Copies sold: 150 million
This relatively short novel set the stage for j.r.r. later work of tolkien, the lord of the rings. In The Hobbit, or There and Back, we follow protagonist Bilbo Baggins and join him on a treasure hunt gone wrong.
for the words you’re likely to misspell every time, check out these are the most frequently misspelled words in the country.
Year released: 1997Copies sold: 120 million
In the first installment of the hugely popular series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, also known as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, a young boy discovers, not only that he is a wizard, but that he is already famous in a world he don’t know.
Year released: 1950Copies sold: 85 million
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is by far the most popular novel in c.s. louis. The series follows four brothers as they explore a magical new world that they can access through an old wardrobe, with plenty of Christian symbolism for older readers to unbox.
For novels that translated incredibly well on screen, check out 23 Amazing Books That Made Even Better Movies.
Year released: 1887Copies sold: 83 million
Perhaps the most popular novel you’ve never heard of, Ella: An Adventure Story follows a professor and his colleague on a journey propelled by an ancient pottery shard. while she is sometimes credited with a progressive view of the women of her time, she also reinforces ideas of racial superiority.
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Year released: 1881Copies sold: 80 million
The Adventures of Pinocchio, originally written in Italian, inspired Disney’s famous animated version and cemented a colloquial association between long noses and liars.
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Year released: 2003Copies sold: 80 million
This thriller by dan brown became a sensation when it was first published, although it was actually the second novel to feature symbologist robert langdon as the protagonist. the first was angels & hell, and both were adapted into movies starring tom hanks.
Year released: 1998Copies sold: 77 million
In the second installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry, Ron and Hermione investigate the origin of the threatening messages written on the walls of Hogwarts and the attack of several petrified students and staff. Enemies of the heir, beware.
Year released: 1999Copies sold: 65 million
During the third part of the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry is placed in danger when someone from his past escapes from a high-security magical prison, while Dementors threaten the well-being of the students at Hogwarts.
Year released: 2000Copies sold: 65 million
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth (and first really long) book in the franchise. It centers on the Triwizard Tournament, a highly anticipated event where students from two other wizarding schools visit Hogwarts so their best students can compete in a series of tasks. But Harry and her friends begin to suspect that someone sinister is pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Year released: 2003Copies sold: 65 million
harry falls in love with his classmate cho chang in the fifth part of the series, harry potter and the order of the phoenix, and things seem to be going very well, even though no one believes him when he swears that lord voldemort of fact is coming back. So, to prepare, Harry and her friends form her own group, practicing self-defense magic.
Year released: 2005Copies sold: 65 million
In the sixth installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry ends up in possession of a potions book that transforms him from a below-average Snape student to a truly remarkable one. However, this greatness does not last long after Harry realizes who the previous owner of the book of his, the Half-Blood Prince, really was.
Year released: 2007Copies sold: 65 million
Harry Potter and the Hollows of Death bring the series to an end in a battle for Hogwarts and the wizarding world in general.
Year released: 1988Copies sold: 65 million
The Alchemist, by the Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, follows a shepherd boy named Santiago in his search for the treasure he dreamed of. Along the way, he meets many characters who help him in his search.
Year released: 1951Copies sold: 65 million
One of the most discussed coming-of-age books of all time, The Catcher in the Rye centers on a disillusioned teenager named Holden Caulfield, who has been a hero to many readers who also see the hypocrisy in “adult “. society.
Year released: 1992Copies sold: 60 million
This best-selling romance takes place on a farm in Madison County, Iowa during the 1960s and tells the story of a lonely married woman who has a tumultuous four-day affair with a National Geographic photographer who is in the city to document its bridges. It has been adapted into a movie (starring clint eastwood and meryl streep) and a musical.
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Year released: 1880Copies sold: 50 million
While you may be most familiar with the Academy Award-winning classic film Ben-Hur, the book that inspired it was even more popular.
Year released: 1967Copies sold: 50 million
Possibly the best-known example of the magical realism style, One Hundred Years of Solitude follows several generations of a Colombian family after their patriarch founds a town called Macondo.
Year released: 1955Copies sold: 50 million
Despite how controversial it remains, lolita is still widely read. its narrator is also the protagonist of it: a middle-aged teacher who becomes obsessed with his stepdaughter, a 12-year-old girl.
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Year released: 1880Copies sold: 50 million
This Swiss children’s book is about a girl who moves in with her grandfather after her parents pass away. it has been adapted several times over the years, first into a movie starring shirley temple.
Year released: 1908Copies sold: 50 million
anne of green gables has inspired generations of young readers as it follows a young girl who must overcome challenging obstacles with determination and enthusiasm, which she always does.
Year released: 1877Copies sold: 50 millionae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb
black beauty is a “memory” written from the perspective of the horse of the same name. it is considered one of the most prominent pieces of fiction that addresses issues of animal cruelty and animal welfare.
Year released: 1980Copies sold: 50 million
if you’re a fan of robert langdon’s books, you should also check out this mystery thriller from italian author umberto eco. It deals with similar themes and puzzles and is even more rooted in antiquity as it is set in the 14th century.
Year released: 1975Copies sold: 50 million
This World War II novel was very quickly adapted into a film and is still widely read today.
Year released: 1972Copies sold: 50 million
another highly assigned novel for high school students, watership down is a meaningful allegory, starring… a labyrinth full of rabbits, developing their own intricate society.
Year released: 1952Copies sold: 50 million
Countless children experienced their first literary-related cry upon reading this novel about a girl named Fern who convinces her farmer father to let her have a pet dwarf pig named Wilbur and Charlotte the spider who does everything possible. to keep the little one safe.
Year released: 1952Copies sold: 50 million
considering that its main character is a young man who doesn’t do much more than binge drink and have affairs, it’s no surprise that the redheaded man has been banned in the us. uu. and his country of origin, Ireland.
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