SOME OF THE BEST SELLING BOOKS IN HISTORY

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED

50 MILLION

The bestselling spy thriller book on our list (and thus in history),

Jack Higgins’ “The Eagle Has Landed” was published in 1975.

The riveting pages follow the mission of a group of German

paratroopers and an Irish IRA (Irish Republican Army) member

as they land on the English coast in 1943. Their mission is to

Kidnap British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Also made into a

1976 film, “The Eagle Has Landed” is a must-read for

any lover of suspense.

THE HITE REPORT

50 MILLION

Shere Hite revolutionized the lives of women when she

published her most famous book in 1976. “The Hite Report:

A Nationwide Study of Female Sexuality” was by far the best-selling

book in history relating to the often taboo subject of female

sexuality and pleasure. A feminist and sex educator, Hite

interviewed 100,000 women from 14 to 78 years old about

their views on sex, what orgasm truly feels like, and the

greatest pleasures and frustrations in their sexual lives.

Published during the free love revolution, “The Hite Report”

was an open, honest, and direct book for women

about their sexuality.

THE NAME OF THE ROSE

50 MILLION

“The Name of the Rose” was written by novelist Umberto Eco in

1980. Showing our love for murder mysteries, the novel follows

William of Baskerville, a Franciscan friar who must find the

killer of multiple murders at a Northern Italian monastery.

The novel is intriguing for its involvement of semiotics, the

study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation,

throughout the story.

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY

50 MILLION

Better known by many for its film version, this 1992 novel is one

of the 20th century’s best-sellers despite being on the market

for less than a decade. Written by Robert James Waller,

“The Bridges of Madison County” depicts the affair between

a lonely, married woman in Iowa and a photographer who

visits Madison County to take photographs of the area’s covered

bridges. At over 50 million copies already sold, this book is

one of the most rapidly selling books of all time and was

even adapted into a musical in 2013.

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

65 MILLION

A fictional coming-of-age tale, J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”

was one of the most controversial books of the 20th century.

An archetype for teenage angst, rebellion, and the search for

identity, this novel continues to sell over a quarter-of-a-million

copies annually, many to high school English classes some

of which have made the book required reading.

THE ALCHEMIST

65 MILLION

Having sold over 65 million copies, “O Alquimista” (English:

“The Alchemist”) is the bestselling Brazilian book (and

Portuguese-language book) in history. Published in 1988 by

Paolo Coelho, the book follows Andalusian shepherd boy

Santiago on his journey to Egypt to find the abstract concept

of what he has always wanted to achieve – the book’s

primary theme.

THINK AND GROW RICH

70 MILLION

“Think and Grow Rich” was a self-improvement book written by

Napoleon Hill in 1937. Asked to look at the relationship between

individual characteristics and wealth attainment by steel giant

Andrew Carnegie, Hill embodied his 13 principles of personal

achievement into the book, a hot-cake as countries were

beginning to emerge from the Great Depression.

THE DA VINCI CODE

80 MILLION

“The Da Vinci Code” was a global phenomenon in the mid-2000’s.

A mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown, the book follows

main characters Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as they

investigate a murder at the Louvre and are embroiled in a

deeper, sacrilegious (called by some groups) mystery regarding

the Holy Grail and Mary Magdalene.