Most Sold Books of All Time: The Usual Answers, and Why the Numbers Are Shaky
The books most often named as the best-selling of all time, from the Bible and Quotations from Chairman Mao to A Tale of Two Cities, The Little Prince and Harry Potter, with why most figures are estimates.
Last updated September 2026
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The most sold books of all time is a different question from the best books of all time. Sales reward long print runs, school reading lists, translations and low prices, not critical acclaim. The answer also shifts depending on whether religious and political texts count.
This page lists the books most often named, and what the commonly cited figures are. It also explains why almost none of them is exact. It's part of our best books of all time hub.
TL;DR: the Bible and Quotations from Chairman Mao top every estimate, but much of their distribution isn't retail sales. Among novels, the most often named are A Tale of Two Cities, The Little Prince, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Hobbit, And Then There Were None and Dream of the Red Chamber. Every figure is an estimate, and some are little more than publisher claims.
Why the numbers for the most sold books of all time are shaky
Nobody has counted every copy of an old book. Services like NPD BookScan track retail sales only in recent decades. They mostly cover single markets. Older classics were printed by many publishers, in many languages, over more than a century.
So all-time figures come from publisher statements, estates, press reports and record books. Some are careful rebuilds. Others are round numbers, repeated until they sound official.
That's why rankings shift from one list to the next. Treat any figure below as "commonly cited", not "verified".
Religious and political texts
- The Bible. The most widely spread book in history by every estimate, with figures in the billions.
- The Quran. Also in the billions by most estimates, and hard to count for the same reasons.
- Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung. The "Little Red Book". Estimates range from around 800 million to several billion printed copies. Much of that was state distribution in the 1960s and 1970s.
These are usually left out of "most sold books" lists. Too much of their spread is free, bulk or state-organized, not a normal purchase.
Most sold books of all time among novels
These are the novels most often named, with the commonly cited figures.
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens, 1859)
Often credited with more than 200 million copies. The figure traces back to press and publisher claims, not audited sales. It's a novel of the French Revolution, with one of the most famous openings in English. The Penguin Classics edition is a widely available choice.
The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 1943)
It is often named as one of the best-selling novels in any language. Publishers and press reports often put it above 200 million copies, but no audited count exists. It's been translated into hundreds of languages. It's short enough to read in an hour. Richard Howard's translation, published by Everyman's Library, is a commonly cited edition.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (J. K. Rowling, 1997)
Credited with more than 120 million copies. It's the start of the series Guinness World Records lists as the best-selling book series for children. It's published in the US as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, in the Scholastic edition.
The Hobbit (J. R. R. Tolkien, 1937)
Usually credited with around 100 million copies. It's the prelude to The Lord of the Rings. The Mariner paperback is a common edition to pick up.
The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien, 1954 and 1955)
The Tolkien estate has claimed more than 150 million copies. It's hard to count, since it's sold as one volume, as three, and in boxed sets. The one-volume 50th anniversary edition is a popular single-book option.
And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie, 1939)
Christie's best-selling novel. It's commonly credited with around 100 million copies. Ten strangers on an island, and one of the great mystery plots. It's widely available in paperback.
Dream of the Red Chamber (Cao Xueqin, 18th century)
One of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. It's often listed among books that have passed 100 million copies. In English it's usually published as The Story of the Stone, in five volumes. The Penguin Classics edition of The Story of the Stone begins with Volume 1.
Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes, 1605 and 1615)
Often called one of the best-selling novels ever, sometimes with very large figures that have no clear source. Its sales are real but impossible to total across four centuries. Edith Grossman's translation, published by Ecco, is a widely recommended edition.
Why old public-domain books sell so much
A book in the public domain can be printed by anyone, without royalties. That keeps dozens of editions in print at once: cheap paperbacks, school editions, gift hardcovers and translations. A modern bestseller has one publisher and a peak that fades.
Over a century or more, the old classics keep adding sales long after their first moment. Being assigned in schools adds a steady stream on top.
Most sold versus best and most famous
Sales, critical acclaim and fame are three different measures. They overlap on a handful of books, like Pride and Prejudice and 1984, but not in any reliable way. See our famous books guide for the fame question. See the best novels of all time for the critics' view.
Verdict
The most sold books of all time are the Bible and other religious and political texts. Next comes a group of novels that includes A Tale of Two Cities, The Little Prince, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and The Hobbit. The exact order can't be known. If you want to read one, The Little Prince is the shortest and A Tale of Two Cities the classic.
Questions people also ask
What is the best-selling book of all time?
The Bible, by any estimate. Much of its distribution, though, is free or bulk rather than retail. Among novels there's no verified answer. A Tale of Two Cities and The Little Prince are both often credited with more than 200 million copies. But those numbers come from publishers and press reports, not audited sales.
Why don't we have exact sales figures for old books?
Modern tracking services such as BookScan cover only recent decades. They mostly track one country at a time. A book in print since 1859, in dozens of languages and from hundreds of publishers, was never counted by one system. Every all-time figure for an old classic is a rebuild, not a count.
What is the best-selling book series?
Harry Potter is usually named the best-selling series. The first book alone is credited with more than 120 million copies. As with single titles, the figures come from the publishers.
Do best-selling books make good reading?
Often, but sales measure reach, not quality. Several of the books below are also on critics' lists. Several are there because they are short, cheap and endlessly reprinted. Our best books of all time hub covers the critics' side of the question.