Books are the ultimate time machines. They allow us to step into the minds of people who lived hundreds of years ago or travel to galaxies that don’t even exist. But in a world where millions of new books are published every year, only a handful manage to capture the hearts of people across every continent and generation.
Determining the “best-selling book of all time” is actually a bit of a detective mission. Before the 20th century, we didn’t have computers to track every sale at a bookstore. We have to rely on historical records, printing press data, and modern digital sales to get the full picture.
In 2025, the list of best-sellers is a mix of ancient wisdom, Victorian drama, and modern magic. Here is the definitive guide to the most-sold books in human history, written in simple, human English.
1. The “Untouchable” Tier: Religious and Political Texts
When we talk about sales numbers, there is a category of books that exists in a league of its own. These are books that are often given away for free or are required reading for entire nations.1 Because of this, their numbers are into the billions, though exact sales are impossible to track.
- The Bible: With over 5 billion copies sold and distributed, it is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.2 It has been translated into over 3,000 languages.
- The Quran: Estimates suggest over 3 billion copies have been printed. It is a central part of life for nearly two billion people.
- Quotations from Chairman Mao (The Little Red Book): During the mid-20th century in China, this was effectively mandatory. Estimates range from 800 million to 1 billion copies.
2. The Fiction Kings: The Books We Read for Fun
If we look only at books people choose to buy at a bookstore, the list changes. These are the novels that defined childhoods and sparked global obsessions.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (~200 Million Copies)
Published in 1859, this is the highest-selling single novel of all time. It’s a story of the French Revolution, famous for its opening line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Why has it sold so much? For over 150 years, it has been a staple in schools worldwide, and its themes of sacrifice and love remain timeless.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (~200 Million Copies)
This short, beautiful French book is often mistaken for a simple children’s story. In reality, it is a profound look at human nature and loneliness. It has been translated into more languages than almost any other book (over 500!), making it a global treasure.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (~120 Million Copies)
While the entire Harry Potter series has sold over 600 million copies, the first book is the individual star. It changed the publishing industry forever by proving that children (and adults) were still willing to read 300+ page books in the age of the internet.
3. The Top 10 Best-Selling Individual Books
Excluding religious and political texts, here are the most-sold individual volumes in history as of 2025:
| Rank | Book Title | Author | Estimated Sales |
| 1 | A Tale of Two Cities | Charles Dickens | 200 Million+ |
| 2 | The Little Prince | Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | 200 Million |
| 3 | The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho | 150 Million |
| 4 | Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone | J.K. Rowling | 120 Million |
| 5 | And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie | 100 Million |
| 6 | Dream of the Red Chamber | Cao Xueqin | 100 Million |
| 7 | The Hobbit | J.R.R. Tolkien | 100 Million |
| 8 | Alice in Wonderland | Lewis Carroll | 100 Million |
| 9 | The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe | C.S. Lewis | 85 Million |
| 10 | The Da Vinci Code | Dan Brown | 80 Million |
4. The Power of the “Series”
Sometimes, one book isn’t enough. Many authors find success by building a world that readers want to return to over and over.
- Harry Potter (7 Books): Over 600 million copies.3 It is the most successful book series in history.
- Goosebumps (62+ Books): R.L. Stine’s horror series for kids has sold over 400 million copies. It proved that “bite-sized” scary stories are a winning formula.
- Perry Mason (80+ Books): Before there was Law & Order, there was Perry Mason. These detective novels have sold over 300 million copies.
5. Why Do These Specific Books Sell?
What do a 19th-century Dickens novel and a 21st-century wizard story have in common?
- Universality: They deal with things everyone understands: good vs. evil, the fear of death, the joy of friendship, and the pain of lost love.
- Ease of Translation: The best-sellers are almost always books that “travel well.” Their language is clear enough to be translated into hundreds of different dialects without losing the meaning.
- The “School” Effect: Many of the top spots are held by books that are on required reading lists. When millions of students are told they must buy a book every year, the sales numbers skyrocket.
6. Modern Best-Sellers (The 2025 Trends)
While the classics hold the records, new books are catching up faster than ever thanks to social media (specifically “BookTok”).
- Atomic Habits by James Clear: This self-help book has stayed on the best-seller list for years and is currently one of the most-sold non-fiction books of the decade.
- The Housemaid by Freida McFadden: Thrillers are the biggest trend in 2025. This book, and others like it, sell millions of digital copies on Kindle before they even hit the physical bookstores.
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover: A powerhouse in romance that proved social media can turn a 2016 book into a 2024/2025 best-seller.
7. How to Start Your Own “Must-Read” List
If you want to read the books that shaped the world, you don’t have to start with a 500-page historical novel. Here is a “human” way to dive in:
- If you want magic: Read The Hobbit. It’s shorter and funnier than Lord of the Rings.
- If you want a mystery: Read And Then There Were None. It’s the best-selling mystery for a reason—you will never guess the ending.
- If you want to feel inspired: Read The Alchemist. It’s a short fable about following your dreams.
Final Thoughts
The “most selling” books aren’t always the most complicated ones. They are the books that make us feel something. Whether it’s the wonder of Harry Potter or the deep philosophy of The Little Prince, these books have sold millions because they remind us of what it means to be human.
