The Ultimate Top-selling Books Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
4 min
The Ultimate Top-selling Books Quiz
Image: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

About This Quiz

You say you're a voracious reader, but have you read the most popular books of all time? Take this quiz to find out what books have held the world's interest. (And find out why figuring out which books have sold the most is an inexact science.)
What book holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling book?
the Bible
the Odyssey
the Iliad
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's a safe bet that the Bible is always flying off the shelves.

What's one reason that reported numbers of books sold are unreliable?
Certain publishers don't keep track of sales.
because they don't reflect sales from all history
Lots of publishers buy books from themselves.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's hard to say if the Bible or the Quran, for instance, has sold "more" copies.

What's another reason book sales aren't always totally accurate?
Libraries don't report what books they buy.
Publishers give the sales figures.
Sales figures aren't kept for religious texts.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

And publishers might have a vested interest in manipulating sales figures.

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Who was the first author to sell over a million ebooks?
Helen Fielding
Stephen King
James Patterson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 2010, publisher Hatchette announced Patterson had the record.

What book's exact sales figures are a ballpark -- but probably belongs as a top seller -- for its perennial popularity?
"Don Quixote"
"Catcher in the Rye"
"War and Peace"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Written in 1612 and still read to this day, it's fair to say that Cervantes sold a lot of books.

What book holds the distinction of selling the most copies in 24 hours?
"My Life," by Bill Clinton
"Twilight: Breaking Dawn"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Anyone around in 2007 can attest to buying and devouring the book the day it came out.

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What reference book is the best-selling of all time?
Webster's Dictionary
Xinhua Zidian
Roget's Thesaurus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Chinese language dictionary is the winner.

What's the best-selling annual publication?
"Guinness World Records"
"Webster's Dictionary"
"Oxford English Dictionary"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Formerly the "Guinness Book of Records," it's the leader with 132,002,542 copies sold since 1955.

What famous fantasy book is a top seller?
"Twilight"
"Battlefield Earth"
"The Lord of the Rings"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Over 150 million copies sold.

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What's the youngest author of a best-selling book series?
Stephanie Meyer
J.K. Rowling
Christopher Paolini
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Author of the "Inheritance" series, which he started at the age of 15.

What is the best-selling Harry Potter book?
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"
"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's [Sorcerer's] Stone"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

But give the others time, and they'll probably catch up.

About how many copies has "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" sold?
75 million copies
50 million copies
107 million copies
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

But note like all the books, it's still difficult to pin down the exact number.

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What book is the biggest-seller for an American author?
"The Stand"
"The Da Vinci Code"
"Eat Pray Love"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dan Brown's 2003 book is the first title to appear for an American author.

"Dream of the Red Chamber" is an 18th century book from what country?
China
Russia
India
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Chinese text has spawned an entire field of literary study.

What Depression-era self-help book became an sensation (and top seller)?
"Think and Grow Rich"
"Five Habits of Highly Effective People"
"How to Win Friends and Influence People"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Author Napoleon Hill certainly found a way to think and grow rich when he wrote this book that has sold about 70 million copies.

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What serialized book is a top seller?
"Oliver Twist"
"She: A History of Adventure"
"Les Miserables"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The British book about a fantastic journey into Africa was enormously popular and was published near the end of the 19th century.

What famous mystery is a top seller?
"Murder, She Wrote"
"And Then There Were None"
"The Shining"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Agatha Christie's book about a mysterious group of travelers has one of the top places on the list.

What French story takes a top spot on the list of best-sellers?
"Candide"
"In Search of Lost Time"
"The Little Prince"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The sweet story has been translated into 230 different languages and dialects.

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"The Hobbit" is also a top seller. How many books was in its first printing?
5,000
10,000
1,500
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

And if you have one of those first 1,500, you better put it in a locked safe.

What Oxford academic gets a spot as a top-selling author?
C.S. Lewis
T.S. Eliot
Antonia Fraser
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" has sold over 85 million copies.

What children's book has been consumed by a ravenous public?
"The Very Hungry Caterpillar"
"A is for Alpaca"
"Goodnight Moon"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Eric Carle's sweet crawler has sold over 30 million.

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What doctor has a place on the top-selling list?
Dr. Spock
Dr. Oz
Dr. Phil
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dr. Benjamin Spock's perennially popular "The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care" has sold over 50 million copies.

What book sold over nine million copies in the first 24 hours after it went on sale?
"Hard Choices"
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
"Dreams From My Father"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although the last installment sold more in a 24-hour period, nine million is no small feat.

What favorite teen book has sold over 60 million copies?
"The Fault in Our Stars"
"The Perks of Being a Wallflower"
"Catcher in the Rye"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

J.D. Salinger's novel of adolescent angst probably won't go out of style for a long while.

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What author has seven books that have sold more than 50 million copies each?
J.R.R. Tolkien
Beatrix Potter
J.K. Rowling
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Rowling clearly cast a Revealing Spell to make money appear in her bank account.

What Canadian author belongs in the over 50-million-copies-sold club?
Lucy Maude Montgomery
Margaret Atwood
Alice Munro
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Anne Shirley would be overcome by all the kindred spirits reading about her, I'm sure.

What book -- originally published in Italian -- has sold more than 50 million copies?
"The Prince"
"Crossing the Threshold of Hope"
"The Name of the Rose"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Umberto Eco's tale of sordid monks has been a big hit.

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Switzerland is represented on the over-50-million list by what book?
"Heidi"
"Steppenwolf"
"The Swiss Family Robinson"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Originally published in two parts, Johanna Spyri's book has become a favorite of children the world over.

One Russian author has a book that sold over 50 million copies. Who was it?
Anton Chekhov
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Vladimir Nabokov
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although "Lolita" was published in English, not Russian.

"The Alchemist" has sold 65 million copies since its publication in 1988. Who wrote it?
P.G. Wodehouse
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Paulo Coelho
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Brazilian Coelho wrote the best-selling Portuguese novel.

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