10 Bestselling Books Ever

The 10 books most sold in history! Plus a few extra interesting facts about each one.
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BOOKS MENTIONED:
(These are Amazon Affiliate links, If you buy anything through these it will support the channel):
📚 She: A History of Adventure
amzn.to/48AUBWK
📚 The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
amzn.to/3O6REpp
📚 Dream of the Red Chamber (Book 1 of 5)
amzn.to/48fNPG8
📚 The Hobbit
amzn.to/3trMddw
📚 And Then There Were None
amzn.to/3vcYXFf
📚 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
amzn.to/3NKxSj1
📚 The Little Prince
amzn.to/47wiYUV
📚 The Lord of the Rings
amzn.to/3RGfOI5
📚 A Tale of Two Cities
amzn.to/3RMSIQi
📚 Don Quixote
amzn.to/41UStY5
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CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:09 She: A History of Adventure
00:58 The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
01:33 Dream of the Red Chamber
03:00 The Hobbit
03:40 And Then There Were None
04:40 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
05:42 The Little Prince
06:49 The Lord of the Rings
07:38 A Tale of Two Cities
08:18 Religious Texts
08:54 Don Quixote
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Music from Epidemic Sound
Stock Footage from Pexels

[@billmarshall8438]

I used to work in a B&N. The Bible was the most often shoplifted book we had.

[@DrawntoBooks]

Really?! That's so surprising because you can get the Bible for free so easily.

[@billmarshall8438]

Which, perversely, might be why people steal it; they believe it should be free. Most Bibles you see in bookstores are special in some way, with elaborate bindings or something.

[@QuirkyGirl10]

@billmarshall8438 how ironic!

[@josephr9930]

I use to shoplift compact disks back in the day when I was a kid. No Pandora or Spotify back in the early 90's so I had to get my music fix. I do not understand stealing a bible but to each it's own. That is fascinating. 🤔

[@guitarista666]

Maybe they saw the Bible as a self-help book.

[@michalkennell1251]

Please note: If you read Don Quixote (a favourite of mine) please do not expect a plot. It is plotless in the best possible way, but if you expect the plot to be there, you find yourself bored and impatient. It's meant to be a beautiful, implicitly philosophical stroll through 17th century Spain. Definitely worth a read!

[@dancingnature]

And Don Quixote is lol funny !

[@Yatukih_001]

That was literally my life in 2020! There was this Don Quixote like guy who ran the WHO but his problem was he kinda ran off the deep end and had real difficulties being in control of his thoughts and maintaining a balanced perspective on things.

[@Yatukih_001]

@@dancingnature until you let him manage the W.H.O. Then he changes from being funny to being a sad case.

[@Serai3]

I think you meant 1865 as the date She was published, yes? The biggest factor in Don Quijote being #1 is that every schoolchild in Spain and Latin America is obliged to read that book. It's a foundational school text, much like Tom Sawyer or Silas Marner in 20th century America. A century of that across multiple nations adds up to a hell of a lot of books bought by a captive audience.

[@apoloramirezfalcon]

Oh, really? That's interesting. I'm a Spaniard, and not only was I not forced to read Don Quijote as a schoolchild, but I've never met anyone, whether Spaniard or Latin American, who has been forced to do so.

[@materiagrix]

I love Booktube, I never stop discovering great channels!

[@clrobertson13]

I saw a movie in the 1970’s called “She” which was based on that novel. I remember very little about it as I was quite young, but I do remember the ending. Very remarkable for the time.

[@user-ub2uc4jk7e]

Good list , good job ! I read “She” by H. Rider Haggard a few years ago. It was good if a little dated. Of course many guys my age remember the movie version which came out in 1965. Starring the radiant Ursula Andress as the title character. Haggard is best known as the author of King Solomon’s Mines. An adventure tale that pioneered the “Lost World” genre. Also, as stated earlier, Then There Were None was titled Ten Little Indians in the US market. Not the other objectionable title. The title was based on a song/rhyme from the 1860’s that was integral to the plot of the book.

[@katm8128]

I just discovered your channel and it’s such a gem. Thank you for this

[@DrawntoBooks]

Thank you so much! Welcome :)

[@davidnicholas7516]

The story I heard is that a century or two ago, the King of Spain was walking through the main library in Madrid. He saw a man sitting at a table, reading a book, and periodically breaking out into peals of laughter. Supposedly the King turned to one of his courtiers, and observed, "That man is either mad, or he's reading Cervantes."

[@dancingnature]

Don Quixote is that funny !

[@pippacarron1861]

Love your presentation style, snappy and quirky!

[@DrawntoBooks]

Thank you so much 🫶

[@Yatukih_001]

Thanks for your video!! Best wishes from Ásgeir in Reykjavik Iceland.

[@renee_angelica]

So many good books on this list! Surprised there aren't more than one Agatha Christie because she seems to be everywhere. But of course we must leave room for Lewis and Tolkien

[@captainchaoscow]

Wow the channel looks super professional and well put together! Looking forward as an new subscriber!

[@DrawntoBooks]

Thank you so much! Slowly figuring it out :)

[@kmm2442]

Very well done.

[@AngelofDeath914]

Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is the SECOND of the chronicles of Narnia. Nice video though. Edit: turns out I’m wrong. It is the second, it’s just the first chronologically.

[@jensraab2902]

It's the first. It was published first, and should be read first. (There's a reason why *every single adaptation* of the series starts The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.) The excellent Narnia dedicated KZbin channel "Into the Wardrobe" has made an entire video called "Narnia's Mysterious Reading Orders Explained: The BEST way to read Chronicles of Narnia!" about the ideal reading order as the title suggests ( and _Lion_ is of course first).

[@AngelofDeath914]

@@jensraab2902 oh, I didn’t know that. I always assumed the Magicians Nephew was the first because it always has the “1” on it and comes first in my box set.

[@jensraab2902]

@@AngelofDeath914 In that case, please forgive my somewhat rude tone. _The Magician's Nephew_ is a proper prequel, in that it takes place before a previously published book but written and published afterwards. From what I know, Lewis attempted to write a prequel fairly soon after _Lion_ but it took him quite a while. It was the second-to-last book to be published. The confusion comes from the, in my view very regrettable, fact that many publishers started to relabel the order of the books based on Lewis' reply of a boy who wrote him a fan letter and asked about the order. Basically, that boy liked the chronological order but his mom preferred the publication order, and Lewis told him that he might just be right. I think, Lewis was maybe just being nice to his young fan (after all, if that boy liked the other order better, that's fine for him). If you watch the video, which is really worth watching, it goes into quite a lot of detail why the published order is likely to provide the best reading experience for new readers. I for one am very happy that I experienced the story first in the publication order. There's even a clue in the first written book. When the Pevensie kids first hear about Aslan (I think when they are with the beaver family) Lewis breaks the fourth wall and addresses the reader directly saying (I paraphrase) "the Pevensie kids didn't know who Aslan was any more than you do", a statement which doesn't make sense for anyone who read _The Magician's Nephew_ before, given that Aslan also has a prominent role there. Again, apologies for the harsh tone in my first reply.

[@AngelofDeath914]

@@jensraab2902 Thanks for clearing things up a little more! Also I didn’t really interpret your tone as rude the first time around, but I appreciate the apology (:

[@exdejesus]

Great report! I've read 8 of these!

[@michaelduffy6874]

I recommend King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard.

[@dnckrk1701]

Great list. I guess Pilgrim's Progress was left out also due to it being a religious book. It's sold over 250 million copies. By the way, just discovered your channel and am subscribing.

[@DrawntoBooks]

Thank you so much! Yeah, it was difficult to figure out what to include in the list, there are so many different rankings, so I decided to leave out religious texts.

[@dnckrk1701]

Well, after watching your video I found a copy of Dream of the Red Chamber. It's now on my long list of books to read in the coming year. Thanks, and I look forward to future videos.

[@DrawntoBooks]

That’s so cool! Come back and let me know what you think when you read it 😁

[@dnckrk1701]

An additional note: The copy I found is an abbreviated one, although still containing 80 chapters. The shorter versions are pretty easy to find for free online. After more searching, it seems the best full version in English is the five volume edition from Penguin Books. I plan on getting those. And, yes, I will report back.

[@Diego81ESP]

You have don Quijote behind you!😅

[@travishiltz4750]

Good list. Pleased to discover I've read 3/4 of it and I think a couple I haven't are in my 'to be read' pile. When I read 'and then there was none' it was 'Ten little indians'.

[@Elijah_Gillard]

You didnt have to call me out like that at the end😂

[@DrawntoBooks]

😂 That's my life. Think about reading...pick up my phone lol

[@reedr7142]

I got a couple correct. Well done.

[@karenbrokken9566]

I wonder where Pride and Prejudice would fall on a longer list. Maybe at the top among novels with a woman as the main character.

[@Giorgioul]

None of those books are written in my mother tongue, therefore none of them were compulsory in my school career. But I agree that Don Quijote is by far the best of the lot.

[@battybibliophile-Clare]

I have read all but Dream of Red Chamber, which I have and is on my TBR for 2024. As for the religious books, i grew up in a religious hose and have read the Bible 5 times, although I am now Humanist, not a Christian. I also read the Koran. It's nit so impressive, if I telll you tha I am 77 lol. I have ecently reread Tale of Two Cities. I envy your first reading of Do Quixote. You will have a geat reading experience.

[@Ragingspoon]

Never heard of number 10 but will put it on the list as it sounds interesting. I have dream of the Red Chamber bought it along with the other three chinese classical novels and its the only one I have yet to read, if its as good as the other 3 though I will enjoy it (surprised it has sold more than Romance of the Three kingdoms and Journey to the West or perhaps there are no accurate figures for those as I believe they are a fair bit older). Ten little (cant say book title apparently)/And then there were none is one I have wanted to read for a long time as well, heard good things about it. Don Quixote is really good. I did not have much clue to its popularity when I picked it up on a whim many years ago. Sequel was not quite as good imo but still very much worth a read.

[@DrawntoBooks]

That's awesome, I studied some Chinese literature in college but had never heard of Dream of the Red Chamber before! And Don Quixote I really need to read, maybe 2024 is the year 😅

[@BlackKaweah]

Don Quixote is a great book! Get the new translation, though. The 19th century translations are unreadable.

[@spaceranger3728]

Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy is a difficult set, but worth the effort. A working knowledge of Spanish will help as well.

[@DrawntoBooks]

I love McCarthy! I haven’t read the Border Trilogy yet though. It’s nice with kindle now because you can translate stuff from other languages so easily.

[@cindybogard8684]

Oh my, I don't know the 10th or 8th. Interesting list. Thank you.

[@DrawntoBooks]

Yes, I hadn’t heard of those 2 either, lists like this can be fun because there’s usually a few surprises

[@fernandoroza6061]

It's a very tricky issue , because , of course the deepest books are harder to read so, that list prooves Absolut nothing ( although your good Will to do a Nice video😌👍)For instance , who read a David Hume's book or books by Heidegger? Are those books more important than some lists? Question open...

[@geekynerd7346]

Dream of the Red Chamber is a really fun novel

[@keithdow8327]

Thanks!

[@DrawntoBooks]

Thank you so much, that is so so nice! 🫶

[@franciscojeronimo5881]

I can't believe "The Odyssey" isn't even on the list but "Dom. Quixote" is a deserving winner.

[@Serai3]

There's a limit to what can be considered a book, I think. Also, as she said, if you get into ancient books, it becomes impossible to rank them since there's no way to know how many copies have existed. She's going by accessible sales numbers.

[@DrawntoBooks]

Yeah, ancient books are tricky, but also The Odyssey is technically considered an epic poem.

[@nnjack9931]

No in the U.S. it was "Ten Little Indians " not "And then there were None." Just as racist. And I read Ten Little Indians so it has not been that long ago.

[@johneyon5257]

i'm american indian - "ten little indians" is not racist - except to white liberals - - it is absolutely & certainly & definitely not as galling as the british title

[@unforgivenguy9831]

How have you never read The Hobbit? That's like never having seen The Price Is Right, lol

[@DrawntoBooks]

😂😂 I know, I know, it’s terrible! Maybe I’ll try it in 2024 🙃

[@Enkidus_Purpose]

Wait, have you not read the Hobbit??? That book is such a joy (the movies do not do it any justice though, you'd do well to skip them)

[@DrawntoBooks]

I haven't! I always felt like if I read it I would have to read Lord of the Rings, which feels like a really big commitment. But that's not really even true, so maybe I should try it.

[@Enkidus_Purpose]

It actually stands alone very well, you can totally do the Hobbit on its own and leave the Lord of the Rings trilogy for some other time 👍

[@Serai3]

@@DrawntoBooks Also, The Hobbit is WAY shorter. You can read it in a day.

[@robertshearer672]

Almost spat my drink out at that original title of And Then There Were None! XD and then almost did it again upon hearing we used it until 1985! Jesus christ UK....

[@DrawntoBooks]

Haha, I was shocked too!

[@JM-ij7om]

Have you checked on the number of copies sold of 'Alcoholics Anonymous'?

[@plainswell]

As a significant work of fiction, the Bible really should have been on the list...

[@itsROMPERS...]

Really nice video! A few notes for you: "Proost" and "Kah-ra-MOZ-off". (Edit: corrected) Rowling rhymes with "bowling". Marseilles is "mar-SAY", not "SIGH".

[@pseudoplotinus]

'Karamazov' is pronounced 'ka-ra-ma-zov', it's not german.

[@itsROMPERS...]

@@pseudoplotinus see, your pronunciation guide is useless, you just spelled as it's already spelled but in syllables with hyphens. But i think you were right about the German "z" so i corrected it.

[@pseudoplotinus]

@@itsROMPERS... well, that wasn't my intention, because however it's phonetically pronounced will always depend on the pronouncer's accent. it's completely arbitrary, so I only hyphenated the syllables. For example, in english, it'd be stressed like this: 'ka-ra-MA-zov', whereas in czech like this: 'KA-ra-ma-zo-vi' (i because plural). I was only pointing out the fact that there is no 'ts' in '-mazov'.

[@itsROMPERS...]

@@pseudoplotinus since my comment is in English, and the person it's directed to is clearly American, I think it's reasonable to infer that I'm talking specifically about the pronunciation in American English. Surely people are smart enough to understand that things are pronounced differently in different languages. But I think your specific intention was correct, that the "TS" sound was not correct, so I edited my comment. But I see people do what you did all the time: try to correct pronunciation in ways that are ambiguous and not useful. In your second reply you capitalized "MA" which, unlike your first attempt, is actually useful. So my comment influenced you positively, and that's what I really meant to do. From now on you will probably offer pronunciations that actually help people.

[@pseudoplotinus]

@@itsROMPERS... you need to ask yourself why you see people 'do' what I did 'all the time'. whatever accent a person has always holds sway in the conduct of their pronunciations while speaking in english. for this reason whatever syllable the stress is on is wholly arbitrary. 'american english' with its system of syllable-stressing is not the default, nothing is, especially when it comes to a word that originates from a language that is not english. that's why I didn't emphasise any of the syllables when I corrected your mistake. this isn't the first time I've seen/heard '-motsov' instead of '-mazov' either. but it's whatever¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@Waljoy]

If you weren't going to include the Bible in the list, then you should have altered the title of this posting accordingly. Right? You omitted the most sold and read book of all time because of - what?

[@craiglachman1379]

You clearly didn’t watch the video!

[@stevesawicki2062]

5 BILLION

[@Manon-pn3tz]

In France we kept the title until 2018/19 💀

[@DrawntoBooks]

Oh my gosh, that’s crazy! 😳

[@cakecogito]

😂😂😂😂😂😂Oh, Agatha.

[@michaelvandenheuvel317]

The crusades class crash..

[@emmahardesty4330]

Ah, yes, Don Quixote. Fabulous, and the best English translation is generally agreed to be by Edith Grossman. Do read it. Uh, and the Bible, Quran, et cetera, just aren't literature.

[@donhall6947]

You lost me at "I don't really know the story of The Hobbit"

[@willieluncheonette5843]

I thought that bullshit book Think and Grow Rich was second only to the bible in sales. Maybe that was a a while back.

[@DrawntoBooks]

It’s definitely up there. I focused on fiction in this list, but it looks like Think and Grow Rich has sold somewhere between 70-100 million copies!

[@willieluncheonette5843]

@@DrawntoBooks Sorry, I meant to say How To Win Friends and Influence People,. " And what Dale Carnegie teaches is simply diplomacy. Diplomacy has fanned out beyond politics and entered every arena of life. And wherever it enters it brings pretensions, falsity; it destroys authenticity, sincerity, honesty. It makes you many instead of one; you become a crowd. You go on carrying many masks with you because you never know which mask will be needed when! A religious person has to drop all diplomacy. He has to be sincere. He has to be as he is: no false personalities, no facades. The moment you can gather that much courage you will be so filled with joy… you cannot even conceive right now, because it is our falsities which are like parasites on our being; they go on sucking our blood. The more falsities you create around yourself, the more miserable you become, the more you are in a hell. To live in falsities is to live in hell: to live authentically is to be in heaven."

[@chrisredlich9086]

Nope, did all of these books our fantasy novels.

[@michaelvandenheuvel317]

Vigilanteism and the law.

[@franciscoaragao5398]

Harry Potter? Kkkk

[@TheDissident77]

Your reasons for not including the Bible are completely logical, rational and intelligent. Thank you for having intelligence.

[@familycorvette]

If you can't pronounce " Karamazov," you have no business talking about literature.

[@nerfherder6166]

Taking the No True Scottsman fallacy to the extreme, huh?

[@familycorvette]

@@nerfherder6166 Apparently you have no idea what the No True Scottsman fallacy is, because it has no bearing upon my comment. The gist of my comment is that when you lack baseline familiarity with a body of knowledge, you have no business rendering commentary on said body of knowledge. It's like car racing tips from somebody who can't tell the gas pedal from the brake pedal.

[@nerfherder6166]

@@familycorvette Just to be clear, you're asserting that pronouncing Karamazov correctly is somehow so fundamental to the study of literature that without that, one is unqualified to express an opinion about the subject, right? Do you hear yourself right now? Do you not understand how laughable that is? She's not REALLY a qualified literary commentator because she can't pronounce a single name from a single book in a language not native to her. Right... Keep on gatekeeping, homie 👍

[@familycorvette]

@@nerfherder6166 Yes. People who lack basic fundamental knowledge about a subject are disqualified from having an opinion on that subject. If that is gatekeeping, it is a very low bar. Would you take seriously the opinions of a self-proclaimed comic book commenter who referred to that famous superhero from the planet Krypton as Supperman?

[@nerfherder6166]

@@familycorvette I would if she had interesting opinions. Could you please link to an exhaustive list of facts one must know and abilities one must have before being allowed to express an opinion? Thanks.