Five Best Selling Works of Fiction

A Tale of Two Cities: 200 million sales.

Charles Dickens originally published this as thirty one weekly installments in his literary journal, All The Year Round. The tale was started in April 1859 and finished on the 25th November of the same year. Not only does it hold the title of the most sold work of fiction, but it also holds the title of the most printed English work of literature, either fictional or not.

The Lord of the Rings: 150 million sales.

Originally written by J.R.R. Tolkien as a single book to go as a companion with his book The Silmarillion as part of a two-part series, it was his publisher’s decision to publish the three parts as separate books. It is quite easily one of the most famous, influential and popular works of fiction in the world. It was written by Tolkien in stages between 1937 and 1949, with a large part of written during World War 2.

And Then There Were None: 100 million sales.

And Then There Were None is Agatha Christie’s best selling novel. First published in the UK in 1939 and then in 1940 in the US, And Then There Were None brought together a number of people all complicit in the deaths of others, but who escaped justice. These people are the murdered, one by one,  in a manner that mirrors an old children’s nursery rhyme. The book has even been adapted into several plays, films and even a video game.

The Hobbit: 100 million sales.

The second of Tolkien’s books to make the list, The Hobbit was written by him as fantasy novel and children’s book. It was published on September 21st, 1937 to massive critical acclaim. The book was awarded a prize for best juvenile fiction from the New York Herald Tribune. The book remains extremely popular to this day and is still recognised as a classic children’s book.

Dream of the Red Chamber: 100 million sales.

Originally titled The Story of the Stone this novel is widely regarded as a masterpiece of Chinese literature and is one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels. When exactly the novel was written is unknown, but it is believed to have been composed in the 18th Century and its authorship is attributed to Cao Xueqin. The novel is general regarded as the pinnacle of Chinese classical novels.