Timeless Reads: Discover the 25 All-Time Bestsellers

This article compiles a list of the 25 best-selling literary fiction books of all time. Due to the complexities of historical sales data, precise rankings are impossible. This list uses estimated sales figures and excludes religious texts, self-help, and political works. Some well-known titles are omitted due to difficulties in accurately accounting for sales across various editions and formats.

Methodology Notes: The rankings are based on estimated sales figures, acknowledging the inherent uncertainties in compiling such data across centuries and diverse publishing practices. Only literary fiction is included.

The Top 25 Best-Selling Literary Fiction Books:

25. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) - Estimated Sales: 50 million copies. A classic children's story about an orphan girl in Avonlea.

24. Heidi (Johanna Spyri) - Estimated Sales: 50 million copies. A children's novel about an orphaned girl raised in the Swiss Alps.

23. Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov) - Estimated Sales: 50 million copies. A controversial novel about an English professor's obsession with a young girl.

22. One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien años de soledad) (Gabriel García Márquez) - Estimated Sales: 50 million copies. A magical realism epic about the Buendía family.

21. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (Lew Wallace) - Estimated Sales: 50 million copies. A historical novel set during the time of Jesus Christ.

20. The Bridges of Madison County (Robert James Waller) - Estimated Sales: 60 million copies. A romance novel about a passionate affair.

19. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) - Estimated Sales: 65 million copies. A coming-of-age story featuring Holden Caulfield.

18. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K. Rowling) - Estimated Sales: 65 million copies. The final book in the Harry Potter series.

17. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (J.K. Rowling) - Estimated Sales: 65 million copies. The penultimate book in the Harry Potter series.

16. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (J.K. Rowling) - Estimated Sales: 65 million copies. The fifth book in the Harry Potter series.

15. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J.K. Rowling) - Estimated Sales: 65 million copies. The fourth book in the Harry Potter series.

14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J.K. Rowling) - Estimated Sales: 65 million copies. The third book in the Harry Potter series.

13. The Alchemist (O Alquimista) (Paulo Coelho) - Estimated Sales: 65 million copies. A novel about a shepherd's journey to Egypt.

12. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (J.K. Rowling) - Estimated Sales: 77 million copies. The second book in the Harry Potter series.

11. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) - Estimated Sales: 80 million copies. A thriller involving religious conspiracies.

10. Vardi Wala Gunda (Ved Prakash Sharma) - Estimated Sales: 80 million copies. A Hindi-language mystery thriller.

9. She: A History of Adventure (H. Rider Haggard) - Estimated Sales: 83 million copies. A fantasy adventure novel set in Africa.

8. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) - Estimated Sales: 85 million copies. The first book in The Chronicles of Narnia.

7. The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien) - Estimated Sales: 100 million copies. A fantasy adventure preceding The Lord of the Rings.

6. Dream of the Red Chamber (Cao Xueqin) - Estimated Sales: 100 million copies. A classic Chinese novel.

5. And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie) - Estimated Sales: 100 million copies. A murder mystery novel.

4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J.K. Rowling) - Estimated Sales: 120 million copies. The first book in the Harry Potter series.

3. The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) - Estimated Sales: 140 million copies. A philosophical children's story.

2. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens) - Estimated Sales: 200 million copies. A historical novel set during the French Revolution.

1. Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes) - Estimated Sales: 500 million copies. An epic tragicomedy.

Amazon's Top 10 Best-Selling Books of 2024: (Note: This is a separate list reflecting a portion of online sales.)

The Women - Kristin Hannah Onyx Storm - Rebecca Yarros Atomic Habits - James Clear Hillbilly Elegy - J.D. Vance The Housemaid - Freida McFadden Mom, I want to Hear Your Story - Jeffrey Mason Dad, I want to Hear Your Story - Jeffrey Mason The Anxious Generation - Jonathan Haidt It Ends With Us - Colleen Hoover Good Energy - Casey Means M.D.

This list provides a snapshot of some of the most widely read books in history, acknowledging the inherent limitations in definitively ranking them by sales.