All of us love to read a good book, but could you name the 10 most read books in the world? Over the last half century hundreds of thousands of books have been produced, but only a select few have become the most read books in the world. Here you will discover some of the greatest pieces of literary work by highly talented authors.
In this modern fast paced world that we all now live in it is good to see that the enjoyment of reading is still firmly a part of our everyday activities.
10-Diary of Anne Frank - By Anne Frank 27 million copies sold
The Diary of a Young Girl is the English version book that is based on the writings from a diary, which was written by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The book is now considered one of the key texts of the twentieth century.
9-Think and Grow Rich - By Napoleon Hill 30million copies sold
Think and Grow Rich is a motivational book written by Napoleon Hill. It is a personal development and self improvement novel that was inspired by a suggestion that he received from the Scottish-American billionaire Andrew Carnegie.
8-Gone With the Wind - By Margaret Mitchell 33 million copies sold
Gone With the Wind, a romantic drama by Margaret Mitchell. It is set in Georgia during the American Civil War and follows the life of Scarlett O'Hara, the daughter of an Irish immigrant plantation owner.
The novel won the coveted Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a film of the same name that won an Academy Award.
7-Twilight - The Saga - By Stephenie Meyer 43 million copies sold
Twilight is the first book in an extremely popular young adult series written by Stephenie Meyer. The story is about a young girl who falls in love with a vampire. This is a saga that is full of romance and action.
She says 'First, he was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him'.
6-The Da Vinci Code - By Dan Brown 57 million copies sold
The Da Vinci Code is a fiction novel written by American author Dan Brown. The story follows the investigations of Robert Langdon after a murder in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
He discovers an intriguing possibility that Jesus Christ may have been married to Mary Magdalene and fathered a child with her. The Da Vinci Code has been made into a movie starring Tom Hanks.
5-The Alchemist - By Paulo Coelho 65 million copies sold
The Alchemist was published in 1987 and became a Brazilian bestseller, it has gone on to sell 65 million copies world-wide, becoming one of the best selling books in history. The Alchemist has been translated into more than 67 languages, winning the Guiness World Record for most translated book by a living author.
Paulo Coelho is not only one of the most widely read, but also one of the most influential authors writing today.
4-Lord of the Rings - By J. R. R. Tolkien 103 million copies sold
The Lord of the Rings is an epic fantasy story written by the philologist J. R. R. Tolkien. The novel started out as a sequel to his earlier, far less complex children's fantasy story The Hobbit, but evolved into a much larger work.
The Lord of the Rings has been made into a film trilogy that consists of three live action fantasy epic films; The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King.
3-Harry Potter - By J. K. Rowling 400 million copies sold
The Harry Potter books are a fantasy series of seven novels by British writer J. K. Rowling. The majority of which have been made into action packed movies.
Children and adults alike have been fascinated by this fiction character and cannot get enough of the young hero's adventures.
2-Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung - By Mao Tse-tung 820 million copies sold
The Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung, or as it was commonly called, the 'little red book' of Mao Tse-tung, was a personal explanation to the people of China of the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party.
1-The Bible -selling over 3.9 billion copes the Bible still remains at the top as the most read book in the world.
The Bible is the account of God's action in the world and his purpose with all creation. The writing of the Bible was accomplished over sixteen centuries and is a quite amazing collection of sixty six books containing the messages of God.
