15 famous writers whose book circulation became the largest in history (17 photos)

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Everyone knows that not every classic writer sold successfully on the literary market in his time, but who are the people whose books were distributed in huge quantities? We decided to look at the list of all the bestselling authors and find out which of them has the largest circulation of works. It is important to understand that circulation is not always an indicator of high quality; it is only a cross-section of the culture of a particular era, by which one can judge people’s preferences. It's no secret that pulp literature has always been popular, so don't be surprised if you see unfamiliar names. And yet it’s interesting to see who the people are that the whole world has read and continues to read.

15th place. Lev Tolstoy



Circulation: 413 million

Tolstoy's best-selling books, including abroad, are War and Peace and Anna Karenina.

14th place. Akira Toriyama





Circulation: 438 million

Akira is a Japanese mangaka, best known as the author of the Dragon Ball manga.

13th place. Dr. Seuss





Circulation: 500 million

Dr. Seuss is an American writer who gave us characters such as the Grinch, the Cat in the Hat and the Lorax. He wrote more than 40 children's books.

12th place. Tom Clancy



Circulation: 500 million

The writer is best known for his spy novels set around the Cold War. One of these novels is “The Hunt for Red October,” in which Sean Connery played in the film adaptation (in 1990).

11th place. Gilbert Patten (Burt L. Standish)



Circulation: 500 million

Gilbert Patten is a ten-cent novelist who became famous for his stories about Frank Merriwell. He has more than two hundred works to his credit.

10th place. Eiichiro Oda



Circulation: 516.5 million

Eiichiro Oda is a Japanese mangaka who created intrigue among an entire generation: will Luffy achieve his dream (“One Piece. Big Score”)? A new generation is also captivated by the story of the boy pirate thanks to Netflix's reboot.

9th place. Sydney Sheldon



Circulation: 600 million

Sidney Sheldon is the author of romance novels, almost all of which have been filmed. On the right is a still from the film based on the work of the same name, “The Other Side of Midnight” (1976).

8th place. Joanne Rowling



Circulation: 600 million

The phenomenal success of JK Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter series of books, is unlikely to be repeated in the near future.

7th place. Enid Mary Blyton



Circulation: 600 million

Enid Blyton is a British writer known for her works for teenagers, especially her novel The Secret of Treasure Island. She has about eight hundred works to her credit.

6th place. Georges Simenon



Circulation: 700 million

Georges Simenon is a representative of the detective genre who has written more than five hundred works. One of his most famous novels is “Maigret,” about whose hero series and films have been made more than once.

5th place. Harold Robbins



Circulation: 750 million

Harold Robbins wrote highly popular action-packed novels with all the ingredients: sex, money and intrigue. One of his bestsellers is Fortune Hunters.

4th place. Daniela Steele



Circulation: 800 million

Danielle Steele is the author of countless romance novels (Zoe, The Ring, Kaleidoscope).

3rd place. Barbara Cartland



Circulation: 1 billion

Barbara is a very prolific British writer of the 20th century in romance novels (Duel of Hearts, The Bad Marquis, Stars in My Heart).

2nd place. Agatha Christie



Circulation: 4 billion

This Englishwoman needs no introduction. One of the famous characters in her books, Hercule Poirot, became the hero of the popular TV series “Poirot” (1989-2013).

1 place. William Shakespeare



Circulation: 4 billion

English poet and playwright, whose plays are known to everyone. His works are included in school curricula in most countries of the world.