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Writer's pictureAnna Dunworth

Bestselling book of all time: Don Quijote


detective

Don Quijote takes the top spot on nearly every list of top-selling books of all time (religious texts excluded).


Miguel de Cervantes wrote the Spanish epic in the early 1600s. Since then, it sold approximately 500 million copies around the world.


If you haven't read it, the novel follows Alonso Quijano, a low-level Spanish noble. He reads so many stories about chivalry and romance that he becomes delusional, believing he is a knight.


The reader joins Quijano, aka "Don Quixote de la Mancha," on his ensuing adventure as he travels Spain ignoring the realities of the world in favor of his fictional illusions.


Don Quijote influenced countless authors and is considered by many to be the first modern novel.


What else made the list?

Other titles listed among the top include:

  • A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (200 million copies sold)

  • Lord of the Rings by JR.R. Toldein (150 million copies sold)

  • The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (150 million copies sold)


 

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