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