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Statlas Lists · Culture
The best-selling books of all time
Single-volume books, estimated copies sold since first publication
| # | Entry | Year | Estimated copies sold (million) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes · First published 1605 Exact sales unknown; widely repeated estimate | 1605 | 500M | Estimate |
| 2 |  A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens · First published 1859 | 1859 | 200M | Estimate |
| 3 | The Lord of the Rings J. R. R. Tolkien · First published 1954 | 1954 | 150M | Estimate |
| 4 |  The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry · First published 1943 Other estimates: about 140 million | 1943 | 142M | Estimate |
| 5 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone J. K. Rowling · First published 1997 Other estimates: up to 120 million | 1997 | 107M | Estimate |
| 6 | And Then There Were None Agatha Christie · First published 1939 | 1939 | 100M | Estimate |
| 7 |  Dream of the Red Chamber Cao Xueqin · First published 1791 | 1791 | 100M | Estimate |
| 8 | The Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien · First published 1937 | 1937 | 100M | Estimate |
| 9 | She: A History of Adventure H. Rider Haggard · First published 1887 | 1887 | 100M | Estimate |
| 10 | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C. S. Lewis · First published 1950 | 1950 | 85M | Estimate |
| 11 |  The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown · First published 2003 | 2003 | 80M | Estimate |
| 12 | Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill · First published 1937 | 1937 | 70M | Estimate |
| 13 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince J. K. Rowling · First published 2005 | 2005 | 65M | Estimate |
| 14 | The Catcher in the Rye J. D. Salinger · First published 1951 | 1951 | 65M | Estimate |
| 15 |  The Alchemist Paulo Coelho · First published 1988 | 1988 | 65M | Estimate |
| 16 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J. K. Rowling · First published 1998 | 1998 | 60M | Estimate |
| 17 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J. K. Rowling · First published 1999 | 1999 | 55M | Estimate |
| 18 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J. K. Rowling · First published 2000 | 2000 | 55M | Estimate |
| 19 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix J. K. Rowling · First published 2003 | 2003 | 55M | Estimate |
| 20 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows J. K. Rowling · First published 2007 | 2007 | 50M | Estimate |
| 21 |  One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel García Márquez · First published 1967 | 1967 | 50M | Estimate |
| 22 | Lolita Vladimir Nabokov · First published 1955 | 1955 | 50M | Estimate |
| 23 |  Anne of Green Gables Lucy Maud Montgomery · First published 1908 | 1908 | 50M | Estimate |
| 24 | Charlotte's Web E. B. White · First published 1952 | 1952 | 50M | Estimate |
| 25 | Black Beauty Anna Sewell · First published 1877 | 1877 | 50M | Estimate |
Method
No audited worldwide sales figures exist for books: every number here is a publisher or press estimate, and sources disagree. Religious, political and educational texts are excluded because their distribution cannot be tracked. Ties keep the order of the source list. Flag = nationality of the author.
Sources
Estimates compiled by James Clear from Wikipedia's List of best-selling books, cross-checked with WorldAtlas
Verified: public, documented result. Reported: figure published by the press, not officially confirmed. Estimate: no audited figure exists.