When it comes to published books that have achieved classic status, there are many to choose from. But the classics have not been very widely read compared to some other books. You’ve probably heard of Jane Austen, who wrote several books in her lifetime, all of which were widely acclaimed at some point. One of her most famous works is Pride and Prejudice. What is fairly stunning is that this well known historical title has sold 20 million copies. That is stunning because the book has been around for so long, and it has sold so comparatively few copies compared to some competitive offerings.
Any author would be delighted to find that their work had sold millions of copies. But today’s blockbuster hits merit print runs that are larger than the classics have managed in over a hundred years. Compare that 20 million number to the 450 million plus copies of Harry Potter that have sold, and you get the idea. Compared to school aged wizards, the landed gentry of the 1800’s hasn’t garnered quite the same interest amongst the youth of any generation!
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings – broken into a trilogy by his publishers – has also garnered far more readers, with over 150 million copies of that book being sold in the intervening years. The bible, reputed to have sold the most copies of any published work in history, is hard to pin a published figure onto. But one thing is certain: works of fantasy fiction are widely read and command much interest!