Choosing your next book isn’t a choice to be made lighthandedly. After all, you’re about to invest a significant amount of time immersing yourself into a different reality, and that reality, preferably, should be one that you truly enjoy. While some books find you accidentally, almost like fate putting it into your hands; others might catch your eye with their fancifully designed cover (though you should never judge a book by its cover, of course). There are also a myriad of lists made by honorable experts on the reads that are of significant value - either literary ones or entertainment - and should cater to an avid reader’s needs. However, there’s one more proof that a book might be worthy of your efforts - a general consensus. How is it discerned? Well, quite easily, as the number of copies sold do speak for themselves. That’s why we’ve made a list entirely comprised of the best-selling books ever.
Reading them, undoubtedly, would be the best way of getting to know them, but there’s another way to dig deeper into the world of books, and it’s by talking with an expert. This time, we had a couple of questions for a renowned book editor in the Lithuanian language, Audronė Kairienė, who has been working in this sphere for almost half a century. Since she knows most of these books by the heart through having edited their translations, Audronė’s answers will give you exciting intel on the world of bestsellers. Check out the interview below, and don’t forget to tell us which of these books you’ve enjoyed the most.
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#21 The Common Sense Book Of Baby And Child Care
The Common Sense Book Of Baby And Child Care is a book published in 1946 written by an American pediatrician Benjamin Spock. This manual was revolutionary material for the post-World War II generations, as never before had anyone told parents to trust themselves and their instincts. Before Spock’s book, child-rearing was all about strict schedules and religiously holding to preset and presumed milestones, which, as we now know, varies from child to child greatly. Also, Spock was the first pediatrician to put how tiring raising kids truly is in the written word. Probably because of that, his warm tone, and great advice, this book became one of the bestsellers of the 20th century.
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34points
#22 The Tale Of Peter Rabbit
The Tale Of Peter Rabbit is a 1901 children’s book by Beatrix Potter. It follows a mischievous and disobedient young rabbit by the name of Peter and his foolish adventures in Mister McGregor’s garden. Now Peter Rabbit has various merchandise pieces - from dishes to videos - but it was Potter herself who patented the first Peter Rabbit doll and board game. A quite unusual treat in the year 1903, proving Potter to be a savvy businesswoman. The Tale Of Peter Rabbit is an absolute classic in children’s literature and one of the best-selling books ever.
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33points
#23 Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Jonathan Livingston Seagull was written by Richard Bach and first published as a book in 1970. The story follows a seagull Jonathan, who’s bored to death with the daily squabble for food, and, instead, wishes to learn flying. He’s soon made into an outcast by his flock, but Jonathan’s improving skills make it all worthy. And though the protagonist is a bird, the story itself is a fable talking to the reader about meaningless materialism, conformity, and limitations of life; a homily to self-perfection.
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31points
#24 The Hite Report
The Hite Report: A Nationwide Study Of Female Sexuality was written in 1976 by sex educator and feminist Shere Hite. Although Hite wasn’t a pioneer in the topic of sexuality - those were Masters, Johnson, and Kinsey - her works were by far the most concentrated. Her 1976 book was based on a 3,000-woman study, to which she mailed a questionnaire and based her report on their answers. So, it’s not fiction or an embellished story but a truthful study revealing the depths of female sexuality to the masses.
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30points
#25 War And Peace
War And Peace is regarded as the finest literary accomplishment of the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. War And Peace was first published as a book, with all its 1,225 pages, in 1869. Before that, the material was released serially. It’s a work that’s thick with examinations on human nature while also searching for answers to philosophical questions. Besides that, War And Peace paints a thorough picture of Russians as a nationality, and of their life in the early 19th century.
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29points
#27 Steps To Christ
Steps To Christ is a book written by Ellen G. White, a pioneer and a prophetess of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, first published in 1892. Steps to Christ has since been translated into about 150 languages worldwide and is perhaps the most popular book by this author. Steps To Christ is considered a definition of the Seventh-Day Adventists’ beliefs and touches on the topics of repentance, confession, faith, acceptance, growing into Christ, and prayer. In short, by reading this book, you might come to know Jesus Christ at a personal level.
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25points
#28 A Message To Garcia
A Message To Garcia is an essay by Elbert Hubbard, written in 1899. It shares valuable lessons on individual initiative and conscientiousness in work. The first time this essay was printed, it was in the filler-form for The Philistine magazine, but the message to lazy workers struck a chord with many corporate executives. Soon, the essay was printed in millions and given to the workers of many businesses as inspirational material. Now, you can readily find the text on the Internet or watch movie adaptations instead.
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25points
#29 How The Steel Was Tempered
How The Steel Was Tempered or The Making Of A Hero is a socialist-realist novel by Nikolai Ostrovsky, published as a book in 1936. With 36.4 million copies sold, this book is a solid contender in our best-selling books list. It follows the story of one Pavel Korchagin, including his fight in World War I and the aftermath of his battles. While healing his wounds, both physical and psychological, he becomes as strong as steel; a hero. His story was adapted into several Soviet Union-made movies, to be used as propaganda material.
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25points
#30 You Can Heal Your Life
You Can Heal Your Life is a self-help and new thought book written by Louise L. Hay and published in 1984. A couple of decades later, with more than 36 million copies sold, and translations into 30 languages, the book became the best-selling non-fiction book to this day. You Can Heal Your Life coaches the reader on taking their lives into their own hands, doing so with practical examples and advice. The book is sometimes criticized for its lack of medical basis but has nonetheless helped plenty of people in regaining control and turning over a fresh new page in their lives.
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21points
#31 Angels & Demons
Angels & Demons is another bestseller by Dan Brown, published in 2000. This is the first time we are introduced to the character of Robert Langdon, who later is the protagonist of an even bigger bestseller, The Da Vinci Code. Angels & Demons shares many stylistic points of its sequels, such as conspiracies, the Catholic church, and a single-day time frame of the story. Notably, this book is full of inaccuracies of Rome’s locations, Italian language usage, and even theses by fictional scientists, but it is a fiction book and a best-selling one at that.
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20points
