Year released: 1612 Copies sold: 500 million 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. For foreign language terms you use regularly, check out 35 Commonly Used Words We Totally Stole From Other Languages. Year released: 1859 Copies sold: 200 million Chances are, you read A Tale of Two Cities (or at least pretended to) in a high school class. It’s no surprise that this novel has sold so many copies—it’s practically mandatory. Year released: 1954 Copies sold: 150 million The best-selling fantasy novel series, The Lord of the Rings, has only grown in popularity since it was released, spawning a veritable armada of films, theatre, music, artwork, video games, and even board games. To see where the feature adaptations fall on the list of the most acclaimed movies of the past 20 years, check out The Single Best Movie of the 21st Century, According to Critics. Year released: 1943 Copies sold: 150 million The Little Prince, a book about the perils of growing old by French aristocrat Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, has been translated into more than 300 languages and dialects. Year released: 1937 Copies sold: 150 million This relatively brief novel set the stage for J.R.R. Tolkien’s later work, The Lord of the Rings. In The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, we follow protagonist Bilbo Baggins and accompany him on a treasure hunt gone wrong. For words you’re probably getting wrong every time, check out These Are the Most Commonly Misspelled Words in the Country. Year released: 1997 Copies sold: 120 million In the first installment of the massively popular series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone—otherwise known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone—a boy finds out, not only that he’s a wizard, but that he’s already famous in a world he doesn’t know. Year released: 1950 Copies sold: 85 million The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is by far the most popular novel in the seven-book series The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. The series follows four siblings as they explore a magical new world they can access through an old wardrobe, with plenty of Christian symbolism for older readers to unpack. For novels that translated incredibly well on screen, check out 23 Amazing Books That Made Even Better Movies. Year released: 1887 Copies sold: 83 millionae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Perhaps the most popular novel you’ve never heard of, She: A History of Adventure follows a professor and his colleague on a journey prompted by a shard of ancient pottery. While She is sometimes credited for a progressive view of women for its time, it also enforces ideas of racial superiority. Year released: 1881 Copies sold: 80 million The Adventures of Pinocchio, originally written in Italian, inspired the famous Disney animated version and cemented a colloquial association between long noses and liars. For more book trivia sent right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Year released: 2003 Copies sold: 80 million This thriller by Dan Brown became a sensation when it was first published, even though it was actually the second novel to feature symbologist protagonist, Robert Langdon. The first was Angels & Demons, and both were adapted into films starring Tom Hanks. Year released: 1998 Copies sold: 77 million In the second installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine investigate the origin of threatening messages written on the walls of Hogwarts and the attacker of several petrified students and staff. Enemies of the heir, beware. Year released: 1999 Copies sold: 65 million During the third part of the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry is put in danger when someone from his past escapes a high-security wizarding prison, while Dementors threaten the well-being of students at Hogwarts. Year released: 2000 Copies sold: 65 million Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth (and first really long) book in the franchise. It centers around the Triwizard Tournament, a highly anticipated event where students from two other wizarding schools visit Hogwarts so their finest students can compete in a series of tasks. But Harry and his friends start to suspect that someone sinister is pulling strings behind the scenes. Year released: 2003 Copies sold: 65 million Harry develops a crush on classmate Cho Chang in the fifth part of the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and things seem to be going great—despite the fact that no one believes him when he swears that Lord Voldemort is indeed coming back. So, to prepare, Harry and his friends form their own group, practicing self-defense magic. Year released: 2005 Copies 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 student of Snape’s to a truly remarkable one. Though, this greatness doesn’t last for long after Harry realizes who the previous owner of his book, the Half-Blood Prince, really was. Year released: 2007 Copies sold: 65 million Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows brings the series to an end in a battle for Hogwarts—and the wizarding world as a whole. Year released: 1988 Copies sold: 65 million The Alchemist, by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, follows a shepherd boy named Santiago as he sets out to find the treasure that he dreamed about. Along the way, he encounters many characters who assist him in his quest. Year released: 1951 Copies sold: 65 million One of the most frequently discussed coming-of-age books of all time, The Catcher in the Rye centers on a disillusioned teenager named Holden Caulfield, who’s been a hero to many a reader who also sees the hypocrisy in “adult” society. Year released: 1992 Copies sold: 60 million This best-selling romance takes place on a farm in Madison County, Iowa during the ’60s and tells the story of a lonely, married woman who has a tumultuous four-day affair with a photographer from National Geographic who’s in town to document its bridges. It’s been adapted into a movie (starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep) and a stage musical. Year released: 1880 Copies sold: 50 million While you may be more familiar with the classic, Academy-Award-winning film, Ben-Hur, the book that inspired it was even more popular. Year released: 1967 Copies sold: 50 million Possibly the most well-known example of the magical realism style, One Hundred Years of Solitude follows several generations of a Colombian family after its patriarch founds a town called Macondo. Year released: 1955 Copies sold: 50 million As controversial as it still is, Lolita is still frequently read. Its narrator is also its protagonist—a middle-aged professor who becomes obsessed with his stepdaughter, a 12-year-old girl. Year released: 1880 Copies sold: 50 million This Swiss children’s book is about a young girl who goes to live with her grandfather after her parents pass away. It’s been adapted several times over the years, first in a movie starring Shirley Temple. Year released: 1908 Copies sold: 50 million Anne of Green Gables has inspired generations of young readers as it follows a girl who must overcome challenging obstacles with grit and gusto, which she always does. Year released: 1877 Copies sold: 50 million Black Beauty is a “memoir” written from the perspective of the eponymous horse himself. It’s considered one of the foremost pieces of fiction that discusses issues of animal cruelty and animal welfare. Year released: 1980 Copies sold: 50 million If you’re a fan of the Robert Langdon books, you should also check out this mystery thriller by Italian author Umberto Eco. It deals with similar themes and puzzles and is even more steeped in antiquity, as it’s set in the 14th century. Year released: 1975 Copies sold: 50 million This World War II novel was very quickly adapted into a feature film and continues to be widely read today. Year released: 1972 Copies sold: 50 million Another much-assigned novel for high school students, Watership Down is an allegory heavy with meaning, starring…a warren full of rabbits, who develop their own intricate society. Year released: 1952 Copies sold: 50 million Countless children experienced their first literature-related cry while reading this novel about a girl named Fern who convinces her farmer father to let her keep a runty piglet named Wilbur as a pet and Charlotte, the spider who does everything she can to keep the little guy safe. Year released: 1952 Copies sold: 50 million Considering its lead character is a young man who doesn’t do much but drink to excess and have affairs, it’s not surprising that The Ginger Man was banned in the U.S. and its country of origin, Ireland.
