"Highest selling" English Language books...have you heard of these?

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

Curious!!! I'm reading a book called: Besides the Bible: 100 Books That Have, Should, or Will Create Christian Cuture, by Gibson/Greene/Pattison

They say the highest selling English-language books in history are:

1. The Bible

2. A Tale of Two Cities --Charles Dickens

3. Scouting for Boys--Robert Baden-Powell

4. Lord of the Rings--J.R.R. Tolkein

5. The Book of Mormon--LDS Church

6. The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life --Jehovah's Witnesses

7. And Then There Were None--Agatha Christie

8. The Hobbit --J.R.R. Tolkein

9 She--H. Rider Haggard

10. The Da Vinci Code--Dan Brown

So I have a couple questions. Shouldn't Diary of Anne Frank be on this list? I had once read it was #2. (maybe I should double check this list...but anyway...)

An even more important question, am I the only one that had never heard of #7 and #9 ??? Of course, I have heard of Agatha Christie, just not familiar with that book, and once I realized that H. Rider Haggard also wrote King Solomon's Mines, I realized I had heard of him too. But that book? Never. Tell me I am not the only one...

At any rate, I must remedy this serious lack in my education immediately!!! Fortunately, the library has both books on either MP3 download, or ebook...so I can take care of this literary emergency.

[Aworkinprogress]

Your not the only one. Like you, I've heard of the authors, but not the books. I've always wanted to see what the Da Vinci Code was about though. I heard it is good. So it's on my "to read" list.

[Connie]

I wonder if they're not counting Anne Frank because it was originally published in Dutch. Of course, The Bible wasn't originally published in English either, but it has been around longer and is probably harder to ignore. Hmm, don't know.

The one's i haven't heard of are #9 and #6. I didn't know the Jehovah's Witnesses had their own book.

[Wingnut]

I've always wanted to see what the Da Vinci Code was about though. I heard it is good. So it's on my "to read" list.

It's interesting, but it's not an amazing book. I'm surprised it's on the list, though it seems like the list is heavily religiously-themed.

[Dravin]

It's interesting, but it's not an amazing book. I'm surprised it's on the list, though it seems like the list is heavily religiously-themed.

The religious theme of most copies printed wouldn't surprised me, but I do find selling to be a little interesting. Take the Book of Mormon for example, the Church prints a lot Books of Mormon but we tend to give them away.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Dravin

[Dravin]

So I have a couple questions. Shouldn't Diary of Anne Frank be on this list? I had once read it was #2. (maybe I should double check this list...but anyway...)

Wikipedia has a list and it's much lower than #2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books