TOP FIVE WORLD'S MOST SELLING BOOK
TOP 5 WORLD'S MOST SELLING BOOK
"THE WORLD ALMANAC"
is a well-known American published reference work which conveys information to the general public about such subjects as world changes, tragedies, sports feats, etc. The almanac can be found in homes, libraries, schools, businesses, and media outlets throughout the United States and to a more limited degree in other parts of the world.
It has been published yearly since 1886. The 2006 edition has over 1,000 pages with a suggested U.S. price of $12.95.
The World Almanac was first published in 1886 by the New York World newspaper. After being suspended in 1876, Joseph Pulitzer revived it in 1886. In 1894, the name was changed to The World Almanac and Encyclopedia until 1923 when it became The World Almanac and Book of Facts.
From the late 19th Century to 1934, the New York World Building was prominently featured on the cover of the almanac.
Calvin Coolidge's father read from The World Almanac when he swore his son into office. Since then, photos have shown that Presidents John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton have also used The World Almanac as a resource.
The World Almanac used to be bundled with the purchase of the video game, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego.
The World Almanac For Kids has been published annually since 1995.
The World Almanac is now produced by the World Almanac Education Group, which is owned by The Weekly Reader corporation. The World Almanac is distributed by Simon and Schuster.
Some lists published are:
"World Almanac's Ten Most Influential People of the Second Millennium", 2000
"World Almanac's 25 Most Influential Women in America" (includes Helen Thomas, Gloria Steinem, Jane Bryant Quinn, Mary Cunningham Agee, Erma Bombeck, and Phyllis Schlafly).
Flags of the world shown in color, though the flags are incorrectly shown as all having 3:5 proportions.
TOP 4 WORLD'S MOST SELLING BOOK
"GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS"
is a reference book published annually, containing an internationally recognized collection of world records, both human achievements and the extreme of the natural world. The book itself holds a world record, as the best-selling copyrighted series
Recent editions have focused on record feats by human competitors. Competitions range from obvious ones such as weightlifting to the more entertaining such as longest egg-throwing distance or the number of hot dogs that can be consumed in ten minutes - although eating contest and beer and alcohol consumption entries are no longer accepted, possibly for fear of litigation. Besides records about competitions, it contains such facts as the heaviest tumor, the most poisonous plant, the shortest river (Roe River), the longest-running drama (Guiding Light), the longest serving members of a drama series (William Roache for Coronation Street in the UK, Kate Ritchie and Ray Meagher for Home and Away in Australia), the world's most successful salesman (Joe Girard), the most successful reality television musical group (Girls Aloud), and the only brother and sister to have solo number one singles in UK chart history (Daniel and Natasha Bedingfield). Many records also relate to the youngest person who achieved something, such as the youngest person to visit all nations of the world, being Maurizio Giuliano.
Each edition contains a selection of the large set of records in the Guinness database, and the criteria for that choice have changed over the years.
TOP 3 WORLD'S MOST SELLING BOOK
"AMERICAN SPELLING BOOK"
Noah Webster (1758-1843) was the man of words in early 19th-century America. Compiler of a dictionary which has become the standard for American English, he also compiled The American Spelling Book, which was the basic textbook for young readers in early 19th-century America. Before publication of this book in 1783, many schools used Thomas Dilworth's A New Guide to the English Tongue. (Samuel Goodrich learned to read from Dilworth; he thought Webster's book was better.) Webster's book, with its polysyllabic words broken into individual syllables and its precepts and fables, became the favorite. Revised several times by Webster, as the "blue-back speller" it taught generations of Americans how to read and how to spell. (Several books will be of interest to researchers: Defining Noah Webster: Mind and Morals in the Early Republic, by K. Alan Snyder, is a thorough discussion of the social values Webster espoused in his works; A Common Heritage: Noah Webster's Blue-Back Speller, by E. Jennifer Monaghan, is an informative look at the Speller, its history, and Webster; A Bibliography of the Writings of Noah Webster, compiled by Emily Ellsworth Ford Skeel and Edwin H. Carpenter, Jr., is invaluable for identifying copies of the Speller and of Webster's other works.)
Today, the Spelling Book is useless as a children's textbook, but it provides us an example of what Webster thought it important to tell young learners about morality (readers could decide to emulate the "good boy" or the "bad boy") and the principles of American government (members of Congress must be paid because otherwise "none but rich men could afford to serve as delegates," and "there are many men of little property, who are among the most able, wise and honest persons in a state"). The Spelling Book also shows the ways a language can change in 200 years--spelling, for example: "musquetoe"; "potatoe" (which may please fans of a recent American vice-president). And there are hints of the way some early Americans spoke: "angel" had an extra syllable; "negro" was also pronounced "negur." (For the way the language looked 50 years later, see Dictionary of Americanisms.)
Unfortunately, this copy is missing the part of its title page that would tell us who printed it and when. The Spelling Book was by necessity published by various printers in the large cities, who contracted with Webster to produce the book. (See Monaghan for details.) My copy probably was published in Wilmington, Delaware, by Bonsal and Niles. Like the 10th Wilmington edition (1802) described by Skeel and Carpenter (#69), it has 151 pages; editions from other printers are different lengths. My copy also contains the charmingly inelegant woodcuts that appeared in the Bonsal and Niles copies. (See Skeel and Carpenter, plate XI.) And what's left of the title page is exactly like that of the 11th Wilmington edition, reproduced in the Early American Imprints, Second Series (#3518). (That I may have purchased it from a bookseller in Delaware may also be an indicator.)
Fortunately, the publication date may have been provided elsewhere in the book. "For the first few years of publication of the speller," Skeel and Carpenter point out, "the final number in the section 'Of Numbers' was almost always the same as the title-page date in the dated editions, so it has been taken as a strong indication of the year for undated editions." (p. 5) The final number here, on page 108, is 1800. Certainly it was printed after 1790, when the "Federal Catechism" appeared as part of the Spelling Book, and after 1794, when the "Moral Catechism" was added. (See Skeel and Carpenter, #36 and #39.)
If it is the 1800 edition, this would make this one of the earliest copies described of the Wilmington edition. The 10th edition -- the earliest Wilmington edition described by Skeel and Carpenter -- is dated 1802, as is the 11th edition; a recent search on OCLC returned no earlier Wilmington copies than those.
TOP 2 WORLD'S MOST SELLING BOOK
"QUOTATIONS FROM CHAIRMAN"
Mao Zedong better known in the West as The Little Red Book, has been published by the Government of the People's Republic of China since April 1964. As its title implies, it is a collection of quotations excerpted from Mao Zedong's past speeches and publications. The book's alternative title The Little Red Book was coined by the West for its pocket-sized edition, which was specifically printed and sold to facilitate easy carrying. The closest equivalent in Chinese is literally "The Red Treasured Book", which was a term popular during the Cultural Revolution. "Little Red Book" in Chinese would be
The estimated number of copies in print exceeds 900 million . The book's phenomenal popularity, however, is due to the fact that it was essentially an unofficial requirement for every Chinese citizen to own, to read, and to carry it at all times under the latter half of Mao's rule, especially during the Cultural Revolution. At the height of the period, for people out of favor with the Communist party, the punishment for failing to produce the book upon being asked would range from being beaten on the spot by Red Guards to being given years of hard-labor imprisonment.
During the Cultural Revolution, studying the book was not only required in schools but was also a standard practice in the workplace as well. All units, in the industrial, commercial, agricultural, civil service, and military sectors, organized group sessions for the entire workforce to study the book during working hours. Quotes from Mao were either bold-faced or highlighted in red, and almost all writing, including scientific essays, had to quote Mao.
To defend against the theory that it would be counter-productive, it was argued that understanding Mao's quotes could definitely bring about enlightenment to the work unit, resulting in production improvement to offset the time lost.
During the 1960s, the book was the single most visible icon in mainland China, even more visible than the image of the Chairman himself. In posters and pictures created by CPC's propaganda artists, nearly every painted character, except Mao himself, either smiling or looking determined, was always seen with a copy of the book in his or her hand.
THE WORLD'S MOST SELLING BOOK
"HOLY BIBLE"
The Bible is not just one book, but a whole collection! There are 66 books split into two sections. 39 in the first largest part, called the OLD TESTAMENT. And the second part, the NEW TESTAMENT has 27.
The OLD TESTAMENT covers a sweep of history, from the creation of the world, to about 400 BC. Its books include poetry and history, prophecy and law. But they all tell the story of God's troubled relationship with his people.
The NEW TESTAMENT, also called the 'Injil' in part of the world, covers the amazing life of Jesus, and what followed on. There are four accounts of Jesus' life, called the 'Gospels', written by those who knew Him. Then, in the book called 'Acts' there is the story of how His followers carried His message around the world. Letters to Christian groups follow, many of them written from prison. Finally, some amazing, often frightening, predictions about the end of the world. And the start of something better
It was written over a period of 1600 years.
Written by more than 40 authors of every sort - kings, poor people, fishermen, poets, government officials, teachers, prophets.
Written in three languages.
Written on three continents - Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Is there any other book in daily use by millions of people, around the world, parts of which were written over 3000 years ago, yet which still speaks to us today? There are other writings as old as this, but they are all in museums, and have no relevance to the world today!There are about 6,800 distinct languages in the world, the Bible has been translated (at least in part) into around 3000 of those languages?
