TOP 12 most read books in the world

Before starting the ranking of the most widely read books in the world, we no doubt believed that the Harry Potter book would be the leader! But when they found out which book took the leading position, they were pleasantly surprised. Today's rating is based on the number of books sold and printed over the entire history of literary art. We open the TOP-12 from the last position to save a little intrigue.

12. “Metro 2035”, Dmitry Glukhovsky

This post-apocalyptic novel is a continuation of the series of books by Dmitry Glukhovsky “Metro 3033” and “Metro 2034”. Unlike previous novels, the book practically does not contain fiction and clearly expresses the features of dystopia. The plot of the novel continues the actions of the first two books, combining characters from two works with one line of events. Since. as the "blacks" were bombarded, two years passed. Artyom returns home after serving in the Order. He is tormented by his conscience for participating in the destruction of the “blacks,” and he decides to establish radio communications with surviving people outside the Moscow metro in every possible way.

11. Ray Bradbury and his incredible novel “451˚ Fahrenheit”

This novel is a real work of art. He is world famous for the work of writer Ray Bradbury. The book describes the times of a dark future, where people spend their time with the television "family." Fireman Guy Montag does not save people from fires. His mission is to destroy written media and houses where they are hidden. He has been doing this all his life, but after meeting with neighbor Clarissa, everything around is radically changing. After reading the books. he tries to hide them at home and is forced to go on the run. From whom? Find out for yourself by reading the 451 Fahrenheit novel.

10. Donna Tartt, "Goldfinch"

"Goldfinch" is the third novel of the writer Donna Tartt, which became known after the publication in 2013. The book became a laureate of many awards in the literary direction, and in 2014 the American writer received the Pulitzer Prize. Donna named her novel in honor of the famous painting by artist Karel Fabricius. The picture plays a big role in the book and in the fate of the protagonist of the novel. In 2019, they plan to create a film based on the plot of the book. To date, this novel is recognized as the most popular in the world.

9. Boris Akunin, “Planet Water”

Boris Akunin is a Russian writer and creator of the New Detective series. The book “Planet Water” is one of Akunin’s trilogy and has its subtitle “The Adventure of Erast Fandorin in the 20th Century. Part one". The protagonist Erast is forced to interrupt his expedition in the underwater world in search of a galleon that has sunk with treasures in order to find the maniac who is hiding on one of the islands of the Atlantic Ocean. The novel is similar to the novel by Jules Verne with elements of science fiction.

8. The Great Gatsby, F. S. Fitzgerald

The novel was written in 1925 by the American writer Scott Fitzgerald and is a representative of The Age of Jazz. The plot of the novel tells the story of a love story with a tragic and detective story, which develops on the coast of Long Island, among the huge villas of the rich. Despite the fact that in our time the book is a bestseller and was filmed in Hollywood, the novel was not popular during the author’s lifetime, but on the contrary, it was forgotten during the Second World War and gained popularity only in the 50s.

7. Stephanie Meyer, “Twilight. Saga"

One of the most widely read books is the novel Twilight. Saga". The writer literally dreamed about the contents of the magnificent book. And just three years later the book was released. The dream that came true is about the incredible love of a simple girl with a vampire who ate the blood of animals.Many critics were skeptical about the contents of this book, but despite their opinions, the book received worldwide recognition. The novel was translated into 37 languages ​​and sales exceeded 43 million copies.

6. "Dream in the Red Tower" - Cao Xueqin

Cao Xueqin owns the first 80 chapters, which became known as the "Notes on the Stone." In 1791, thirty years after the death of Xueqin, the publisher Gao E released 40 more chapters and completed the plot of the novel, giving it the current name. This is a story about the decline of the Jia family and its three generations. Compared to earlier Chinese novels, a clear storyline is visible in The Dream in the Red Tower. For the first time in the novel, the author describes in detail the experiences of each of the heroes of the story, their change of mood. In 1980, the institute "Sleep in the Red Tower" was created at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Even the scientific discipline "hongxue" arose.

5. “Flowers for Algernon,” Daniel Keyes

This story is written in a sci-fi style. The work was originally published in 1959 in a science fiction magazine. A little later, Keyes wrote his story to the full novel, for which he later received the Nebula Award. The novel describes a 32-year-old mentally retarded cleaner in a bakery who decided to participate in a scientific experiment to improve his intelligence. The book is made as a report of what is happening in the life of the main character - Charlie. In the process of increasing his intelligence in the text of the book, complicated turns of speech gradually appear and errors in spelling and punctuation disappear.

4. "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury

The book first appeared in 1957. The work stands out significantly in the work of Ray Bradbury by his personal experiences. In many ways, this is an autobiography. The protagonist, Douglas Spaulding, is a boy who is Bradbury himself. The name Douglas is the middle name of the writer, and Spaulding is his grandmother's maiden name. Even the city in which the novel takes place is Bradbury’s hometown (of course he changed the name). In 1971, the astronauts of the Apollo-15 spacecraft gave the name to one of the craters of the moon - Dandelion (in honor of the story). But the name has not yet been approved by the International Astronomical Union.

3. Joan Rowling: "Harry Potter"

The fact that this book will take one of the leading steps in the ranking was obvious, although only the third. "Harry Potter" is considered the most read among the younger generation. The novel tells the story of a boy who received an invitation to Hogwarts School of Magic. Friendship and love, the struggle of good and evil - all this can be experienced in the amazing Harry Potter book. Over the twenty-year existence of the novel, more than 400 million books have been published.

2. The famous collection "Quotes of Mao Zedong"

The title of this book says a lot. The collection contains 427 citations of the powerful ruler of the Republic of China, Mao Zedong. During his rule, every resident of the people's republic was obliged to know and adhere to these quotes. Even in our time, many are advised to seek answers to their questions in an amazing collection. The world received 820 million copies.

1. The Bible is the most widely read book in the world.

Of course, the Bible is considered the most widely read book in the whole world. It was published in 2000 languages ​​of the world and released in a circulation of more than 3.9 billion pieces. Every year, Christian Scripture does not give way to the leading first place of the most read books in the world. Moreover, the publication is already more than 4000 years old.