Feb 17, 2017 the anser is the book when bad things happen to good people written by harold kushner. Top 10 facts about pilgrims progress the second most. After the bible, which book has sold the most copies. Its popularity was immediate and persistently spectacular. First and foremost, it was the first englishlanguage bible printed in the america.
Dec 20, 2008 the bible is the most printed book, right. 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. Aug 09, 2017 this obscure fishing book is one of the most reprinted english books ever. Maos little red book comes in at number two and then the surprises begin. It is common knowledge that don quixote has sold over 500 million copies, and in fact, that number is conservative. Aug 28, 2015 the niv is the second mostread version of the bible in the united states, after the king james.
He found that the bible far outsold any other book, with a whopping 3. Quotations from chairman mao zedong, mao zedong, 900 million. Between 1815 to 1975, the bible saw a printing of 2. Also, does anyone have an update of the percentage of the religions in the world. Oct 19, 2015 in fact, the very first book printed in english was a translation. Aside from the bible, the imitation was the book most often printed in the 16th century. Gutenbergs bibles were surprisingly beautiful, as each leaf gutenberg printed was later colorfully handilluminated. The name refers to the new covenant or promise between god and humanity through the death and resurrection of jesus christ.
The bible is a collection of ancient religious texts and is considered to be the word of god in both christianity and judaism. Because of the wealth of resources devoted to the project, it was the most faithful and scholarly translation to date. In the 1980s and 90s it sold more copies than any book but the bible. Aside from the bible, this book was the most printed of. Apr 26, 2016 patrick henrywho famously said, give me liberty, or give me death. Then theres abraham lincoln, who stated in 1864, after receiving a bible from a group of africanamericans in baltimore, in regard to this. Books of the bible list order complete new and old testament.
What are the top 10 most printed books of all time. Published in 1611, the king james bible spread quickly throughout europe. What is the second best selling book of all time after the. List of literary works by number of translations wikipedia. Top 10 most read books in the world based on number of books printed and sold over the last 50 years. The book alcoholics anonymous is not in the top ten books of all time. The most popular book of all time christian universities online. As you can see from the graphic below created by designer jared fanning, the bible leads the countdown by a large margin, with nearly 4 billion copies printed and sold globally in the last five decades. It marked the start of the gutenberg revolution and the age of the printed book in the west. This obscure fishing book is one of the most reprinted. And in a 2005 update he estimated that ikea had actually overtaken the bible.
Unsurprisingly, childrens books and fairy tales dominate the list of the most translated books throughout history. 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. 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. The most popular and fastest growing bible translation isn. Does this list tell us anything about ourselves as human beings. 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. The most popular book of all time christian universities. Then theres the aitken bible, which is unique for two, distinct reasons. While religion dominates the first half of the list, the rest is mostly fantasy. The bible tops the list of the most read books in the world. The bible today is the bestselling, and most widely distributed book in the entire world, in the entire history of the world.
The quotations from chairman mao tsetung, also known as the little red book, has produced a wide array of sales and distribution figures with estimates ranging from 800 million to over 6. The bible is the most read and sold book in the history of the world, with an estimated sale amount of 100 million copies annually its not surprising that this text received the number 1 spot on this list. Last time it was like 33% christian the most popular but what is it now. The bible is easily one of the bestselling books of all time, but exact sales numbers are hard to nail down. Unsurprisingly, the most popular book of all time has an interesting history. Surveys and searches suggest the translation that most americans are reading is actually not the. Also, its the only holy book to officially be authorized by congress. According to guinness world records as of 1995, the bible is the bestselling book of all time, with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed. 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. Sep 17, 2016 if you are referring to a nonreligious book. Today, the worlds most translated book is the bible. The niv is the second mostread version of the bible in the united states, after the king james. Gutenberg bible project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The 21 bestselling books of all time howstuffworks.
The answer is quite surprising at first, but not that unexpected when you think about it. In america, where the bible is still big business, that means big sales potential. Walton wrote a book about the joys and spiritual merits of spending time in the countryside. 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. Aspects of engaging the bible as a printed book are lost when we only and always turn on the bible instead of open it. Aug 16, 2018 the form of digital engagement is not neutral, and we need to be aware of the losses we will experience if we shift to online bible reading as the primary or only way we encounter the bible in the future. The new testament chronicles the life and ministry of jesus, the growth and impact of the early church. Apr 16, 2019 published in 1611, the king james bible spread quickly throughout europe. Dont you feel bad and guilty when you know that your religion is responsible for cutting down more trees and destroying the environment more than any other book.
When the bible becomes an app the gospel coalition. 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. As you can see from the graphic below created by designer jared fanning, the bible leads the countdown by a large margin, with nearly 4 billion copies printed. May 25, 2011 the bible is the biggest bestseller in history. The gutenberg bible also known as the 42line bible, the mazarin bible or the b42 was the first major book printed in the west using massproduced movable type. Why the king james bible of 1611 remains the most popular. The anser is the book when bad things happen to good people written by harold kushner. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. Gutenberg bible, the first complete book extant in the west and the earliest printed from movable type, so called after its printer, johannes gutenberg, who completed it about 1455 working at mainz, ger. Some titles may have had more copies printed than some of these books, but a vast number of those books were not sold, so well assume that they did not get read.
A survey by the bible society concluded that around 2. Chapman created the list by examining how many individual copies of the books had been printed and sold over the last 50 years. The quran is also widely reported to be one of the most printed and distributed books worldwide. The 2010 edition of the catalogue is the worlds third most printed publication next to the bible and harry potter but martin roth wrote an article in 2002 where he was pretty sure that ikea was close to beating the bible in regard of worldwide distribution. Do you mean books written in english in north america, or do you mean books worldwide. This is a list of literary works including novels, plays, series, collections of poems or short. The new testament is a collection of 27 books, usually placed after the old testament in most christian bibles. The 20 most translated texts in history ingco international. The word bible comes from the greek word biblia meaning books. Jan 31, 2008 so bible is the most printed book in history.
Nov 15, 20 chapman created the list by examining how many individual copies of the books had been printed and sold over the last 50 years. The threevolume work, in latin text, was printed in 42line columns and, in its later stages. William caxton, who introduced the printing press to england, printed the recuyell of the historyes of troye in 1473, which he had translated from the french original of raoul lefevre. Apr 20, 2020 the first dated printed book is the diamon sutra. The 15 biggest bestsellers ever after the bible photos. Since the invention of the printing press in mid1400s, the holy bible has been the most printed book in all of world history, at an estimated 6 billion copies. The most popular and fastest growing bible translation isnt what you think it is niv vs. Johann gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1450s, and the first book to ever be printed was a latin language bible, printed in mainz, germany.
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