Best selling books of all time…

This topic has 15 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 5 months ago by PA Ram.

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July 10, 2016 at 2:49 pm #48381

wv
Participant

Best selling books (other than bible, koran, Mao’s little red book, etc)

Apparently Fantasy is what people want, most.

w
v
==========================

The Lord of the Rings J. R. R. Tolkien 1954–1955 150 million

The Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien 1937 142 million[10]
(The Little Prince) Antoine de Saint-Exupéry French 1943 140 million
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone J.K. Rowling English 1997 107 million
And Then There Were None Agatha Christie English 1939 100 million
(Dream of the Red Chamber) Cao Xueqin Chinese 1754[14]–1791 100 million
She: A History of Adventure H. Rider Haggard English 1887 100 million
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C. S. Lewis English 1950 85 million
The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown English 2003 80 million
Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill English 1937 70 million
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince J. K. Rowling English 2005 65 million
The Catcher in the Rye J. D. Salinger English 1951 65 million
O Alquimista (The Alchemist) Paulo Coelho Portuguese 1988 65 million
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J. K. Rowling English 1998 60 million
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J. K. Rowling English 1998 55 million
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J. K. Rowling English 2000 55 million
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix J. K. Rowling English 2003 55 million
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows J. K. Rowling English 2007 50 million
(One Hundred Years of Solitude) Gabriel García Márquez Spanish 1967 50 million

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books

July 10, 2016 at 2:54 pm #48382

wv
Participant

Now this list has Dickens on top:
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/33934.Best_Selling_Books_of_All_Time

w
v

July 10, 2016 at 5:07 pm #48392

PA Ram
Participant

I’ve read 8-10 of the books on the top list. Some of them were surprises to me…like the “Life After Life” book. I read that years ago and didn’t give it much thought. Bestsellers aren’t always the best books of course.

I picked up “City on Fire” at a library book sale yesterday. It’s about 900 pages and the first time author was given like two million bucks. The book had a lot of hype(2015). I started it but will take my sweet old time with it. Looks like a slow read. I’ve read reviews where some people loved it but others walked away from it–worn down–couldn’t finish.

There were some comparisons to “Infinite Jest” another mammoth book. I always wanted to read that one but never did. We’ll see how it goes.

I am almost finished with “9 Dragons” from Michael Connelly–a Harry Bosch book. I am somewhere in the middle of “Putinism”, “The Coming Plague”, and “The Passage”. Recently finished “Dark Money”(outstanding book–highly recommended.

I also grabbed a couple of paperbacks–trying to decide which one to take to the beach–probably Dan Brown’s “Deception Point”.

Seldom am I ever just reading one book at a time. It’s the Gemini in me.

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick

July 10, 2016 at 11:55 pm #48433

canadaram
Participant

The Lord of the Rings is my foil. Several times I have tried to read that book yet I can never get past 20 pages or so. My eyes glaze over every time. I’m pretty sure that all of my friends have read the all the LOTR books plus The Hobbit. I will try again some day soon, but for now it remains my shame.

July 11, 2016 at 10:44 am #48456

wv
Participant

canadaram wrote:

The Lord of the Rings is my foil. Several times I have tried to read that book yet I can never get past 20 pages or so. My eyes glaze over every time. I’m pretty sure that all of my friends have read the all the LOTR books plus The Hobbit. I will try again some day soon, but for now it remains my shame.

—————–
Well, u could do what i did — skip the ‘geography’ parts.

That leaves only about ten pages, btw.

w
v

July 11, 2016 at 12:03 pm #48470

Billy_T
Participant

Have always liked this quote:

“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.”

― John Rogers

July 11, 2016 at 4:43 pm #48482

wv
Participant

Billy_T wrote:

Have always liked this quote:

“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.”

― John Rogers

=============
lol

w
v
“It’s a lazy Saturday afternoon, there’s a couple lying naked in bed reading Encyclopedia Britannica to each other, and arguing about whether the Andromeda Galaxy is more ‘numinous’ than the Resurrection. Do they know how to have a good time, or don’t they?”
― Carl Sagan

July 11, 2016 at 5:09 pm #48487

canadaram
Participant

wv wrote:

Well, u could do what i did — skip the ‘geography’ parts.

That leaves only about ten pages, btw.

lol.

Thanks for the tip. Even then I will probably have to be in a unique frame of mind to get through those ten pages.

July 11, 2016 at 5:28 pm #48488

nittany ram
Moderator

canadaram wrote:

The Lord of the Rings is my foil. Several times I have tried to read that book yet I can never get past 20 pages or so. My eyes glaze over every time. I’m pretty sure that all of my friends have read the all the LOTR books plus The Hobbit. I will try again some day soon, but for now it remains my shame.

I felt the same way about the Game of Thrones books. And this is coming from someone who LOVES the TV show.

July 11, 2016 at 7:08 pm #48491

wv
Participant

What book made it into the the National Review’s top 20 AND
the best Anarchist-Communist-Socialist top 20 ?

Homage to Catalonia

http://www.listmuse.com/best-anarchist-communist-socialist-books.php

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/215718/non-fiction-100

…btw, i read God and Man at Yale, when i was young. I’m sorry. I apologize,
It was a lapse of judgment i can never atone for…

w
v

July 11, 2016 at 7:29 pm #48493

nittany ram
Moderator

wv wrote:

What book made it into the the National Review’s top 20 AND
the best Anarchist-Communist-Socialist top 20 ?

Homage to Catalonia

http://www.listmuse.com/best-anarchist-communist-socialist-books.php

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/215718/non-fiction-100

…btw, i read God and Man at Yale, when i was young. I’m sorry. I apologize,
It was a lapse of judgment i can never atone for…

w
v

You went to Yale? 😉

July 11, 2016 at 9:48 pm #48507

TSRF
Participant

WV, have you ever been asked to interview prospective students?

I’m getting so parent crazy about my son, I already asked two of the senior physicists I work with if they would host a mock interview with him.

If interviews are part of your gig, would you consider a mock phone interview? We already toured Yale (30 minutes down Route 34) and it is one of his choices. He scored great on the SAT, getting a 2320, and just got back his ACT score of 35.

Thanks.

July 11, 2016 at 10:14 pm #48510

wv
Participant

TSRF wrote:

WV, have you ever been asked to interview prospective students?

I’m getting so parent crazy about my son, I already asked two of the senior physicists I work with if they would host a mock interview with him.

If interviews are part of your gig, would you consider a mock phone interview? We already toured Yale (30 minutes down Route 34) and it is one of his choices. He scored great on the SAT, getting a 2320, and just got back his ACT score of 35.

Thanks.

=======================

Nah, I wouldn’t know how to interview
a human that smart.

I will be happy to interview
any Bonobo’s you might know.

Is your son going to be a Physicist?
Ask him what the Universe is made of
for me.

w
v

July 11, 2016 at 10:38 pm #48516

Billy_T
Participant

You went to Yale? 😉

Good one, Nittany.

I try to annoy the heck out of people using the same kind of pun for movies:

“I recently saw The Lobster with Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz.”
“Oh, did the three of youze have fun hanging out together?”

July 11, 2016 at 10:41 pm #48517

Billy_T
Participant

“It’s a lazy Saturday afternoon, there’s a couple lying naked in bed reading Encyclopedia Britannica to each other, and arguing about whether the Andromeda Galaxy is more ‘numinous’ than the Resurrection. Do they know how to have a good time, or don’t they?”
― Carl Sagan

I didn’t know old Sagan was so quippy.

Well done!!

;>)

Btw, the image seems like something out of a D.H. Lawrence novel, adjusted somewhat for time and space.

July 12, 2016 at 9:53 am #48539

PA Ram
Participant

canadaram wrote:

The Lord of the Rings is my foil. Several times I have tried to read that book yet I can never get past 20 pages or so. My eyes glaze over every time. I’m pretty sure that all of my friends have read the all the LOTR books plus The Hobbit. I will try again some day soon, but for now it remains my shame.

Just see the movies.

And fake it.

Just like George Costanza when he had to read “Breakfast at Tiffanys”. He just watched the movie instead. “Seinfeld” has a lot to teach us.

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick
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