# Most-widely read author today **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918 "2005-07-03T15:09:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/1 "2005-07-03T15:09:14Z")
A while ago I started a post on the most-printed books ever, and this is the best info available: According to _The Top 10 of Everything 2005_ by Russell Ash, the following are the 10 best-selling books of all time: > [@](#): > > 1. _The Bible_ - more than 6,000,000,000 copies > 2. _Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-Tung_ by Mao Tse-Tung - 900,000,000 copies > 3. _The Lord of the Rings_ by J. R. R. Tolkien - more than 100,000,000 copies > 4. _American Spelling Book_ by Noah Webster - 100,000,000 copies > 5. _The Guinness Book of World Records_ - more than 95,000,000 copies > 6. _World Almanac_ - over 80,000,000 copies > 7. _The McGuffey Readers_ by William Holmes McGuffey - 60,000,000 copies > 8. _The Commonsense Book of Child Care_ by Benjamin Spock - over 50,000,000 copies > 9. _A Message to Garcia_ by Elbert Hubbard - 40,000,000 copies > 10. (tie) _In His Steps: “What Would Jesus Do?”_ by Charles Monroe Sheldon - over 30,000,000 copies > 11. (tie) _Valley of the Dolls_ by Jacqueline Susann - over 30,000,000 copies > > Honorable Mentions: > > Both _Gone with the Wind_ by Margaret Mitchell and _To Kill a Mockingbird_ by Harper Lee have sold close to 30,000,000 copies. Supposedly, the most read writer out there right now is Johnny Hart, writer of the Wizard of Id and BC comic strips. Here’s a timeline and some cites: > [@](#): > > 1958 BC appeared nationally > 1960 Created Wizard of Id > 1964 Wizard of Id appeared with Brant Parker as artist. > > “He is the most widely read writer on earth.” > –Washington Post April 4, 1999 > > “He is the most widely read cartoonist on the planet.” > – World Magazine April 8, 2000 > > “Hart, whose combined work on B.C. and Wizard of Id makes him the earth’s most syndicated comic author…” > > - Time Magazine April 19, 1999 > > the Guinness Book of World Records recognizes him as the most syndicated cartoonist alive So the Washington Post back in 99 said he was the most widely read writer on earth. Anyone care to refute this? Here’s the current [New York Times bestseller list](http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/bestseller/) 😉 . ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/2 "2005-07-03T15:11:25Z")
BTW, does anyone else think it’s funny that the most outspoken Christian cartoonist in the funny pages has two strips, one about CAVEMEN (whom fundies deny existed) and one about WITCHCRAFT? 😉 And what’s up with the fink? Isn’t Jesus their only king? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/3 "2005-07-03T15:40:27Z")
Refute? Easily. “Most syndicated” does not equal “most widely read.” Period. I haven’t a clue as who is the most widely read, but you have to remember that posting individual book sales is not the same thing. Stephen King, Danielle Steel, Agatha Christie, John Grisham, J. K. Rowling and many others have far surpassed 100,000,000 books sold for their total body of work. Writers of classic literature have been read by generations and in every language. Homer, Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolstoy, Cervantes. Who can say how many billions have read them? I’d also imagine that Charles Schulz certainly had more readers over his lifetime than Johnny Hart ever did. Probably whoever does Tintin does as well. Maybe a dozen other comics artists, too. Those 1999-2000 quotes were examples of a press release gone wild. Meaningless noise. ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/4 "2005-07-03T16:14:47Z")
Well, not exactly meaningless- he is the most _syndicated_ writer. JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books have topped 200 million, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/5 "2005-07-03T16:17:20Z")
Oh wait- looks like he’s probably just the most syndicated _cartoonist_ alive. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/6 "2005-07-03T16:59:39Z")
I had to think for a moment where to move this one–it’s about _cough, cough_ literature, but it’s rather pointless, and the OP seems to want a debate, but not Pit-worthy… Sorry, but I’m gonna get flack no matter where I put it. Let’s start in Cafe Society. **samclem**. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/7 "2005-07-03T17:25:25Z")
Why do people underline things _Like This_? I find it somehow distracting. You know that underlining in vB code is just as easy as bolding or italicizing? You just put a u between brackets ([u]) - without the space - and turn it off like you would any other tag. Regarding the Bible…Are they counting _sold_ or _printed_ copies - like those Gideon’s bibles that are always in hotel rooms - as opposed to _read_ bibles? Because, in my experience, no one reads that book. Not even most hardcore christians. Ok, the annoyingly required disclaimer for the semantically challenged out there: Of course _lots_ of people read the bible. But it is very rare to run into someone who has read the entire thing, especially in just a few sittings as so many people do with books like Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code. ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/8 "2005-07-03T21:53:21Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > but it’s rather pointless, and the OP seems to want a debate Hey… hostility? By ‘does anyone care to refute this’, I meant ‘is it true’, not ‘I say it is, I dare a challenge.’ I should have phrased it as a question. You think I want to admit this dude is the most publicized out there? > [@Cisco](#): > > Why do people underline things _Like This_? I was cutting/pasting someone elses words from my other post, and I considered changing it. It _is_ rather bothersome. > [@](#): > > But it is very rare to run into someone who has read the entire thing Funny you should mention it; today being the day I start a lot of stuff, I’m also starting a one-year Bible read. I have one of only two versions printed today of the Bible w/ the Apocrypha in the King James translation- did you know the original King James bible included the Apocrypha? Anyways, I’m a Secular Humanist, but- well, I needn’t justify it! Even this extended Bible, 701 pages, only takes 2 pages a day to read if you spend a year on it. It’s really not that hard, which is why they sell those special Bibles split into daily readings for a year. I even enjoy memorizing passages. I also own, and will read this year, the Quran… Next up- Vedas! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/9 "2005-07-03T22:13:50Z")
This underline issue came up a while back. Apparently, some folks read message boards on software that can’t make sense of underlining. So, they emphasize things like _this_ or _this_. I don’t know if it is still necessary. Perhaps there are still horse-drawn browsers out there, somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/10 "2005-07-03T22:45:12Z")
It’d be interesting to see data on how many readers skip Hart’s strips. > [@AskNott](#): > > This underline issue came up a while back. Apparently, some folks read message boards on software that can’t make sense of underlining. So, they emphasize things like _this_ or _this_. I don’t know if it is still necessary. Perhaps there are still horse-drawn browsers out there, somewhere. Personally, I find the old-style emphasis to be far less jarring than the more modern ways, and the double stars offers a level of emphasis between plain text and bold. btw, /this/ is how you used to italicize. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/11 "2005-07-03T22:50:10Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Personally, I find the old-style emphasis to be far less jarring than the more modern ways How do you symbolize words that should get off your lawn? ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/12 "2005-07-03T23:21:38Z")
I’d nominate that guy Anonymous as the most read author alive. His work has popped up all over the place for like a hundred years. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/13 "2005-07-04T01:00:10Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > I’d nominate that guy Anonymous as the most read author alive. His work has popped up all over the place for like a hundred years. I heard that his real name is “Arthur Unknown.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/14 "2005-07-04T01:35:47Z")
[Mark Evanier](http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL341.htm) on the Johnny Hart most-syndicated-cartoonist claim. (The article, written in 2001, refers to a comic strip in which a menorah turns into a cross, losing one candle to each of the final sentences of Jesus Christ.) ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/15 "2005-07-04T02:53:15Z")
I also heard Regis Philbin holds the record for most number of hours on the air- is that a lie too? 😃 “There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.” - Benjamin Disraeli ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/16 "2005-07-04T02:59:01Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > I heard that his real name is “Arthur Unknown.” 😃 No, it’s [Charlie Kisdacuzquter](http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Anonymous). ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/17 "2005-07-04T03:09:39Z")
It’s also worth pointing out in a discussion like this the misleading data on top-grossing films; Leonard Maltin wrote a good article on it that appears in the World Almanac 2005- he points out higher ticket prices, and one should also point out inflation- what would that film’s gross be worth today? Supposedly, adjusted for inflation, Gone With the Wind is the top-grossing movie of all time. But that movie, which is like 57 on the top-grossing list, was released 6 or 7 times theatrically (go head, correct me), so one should also consider that- although if a film is popular enough to do that, it deserves its rank. ET wasn’t :rolleyes: . ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/18 "2005-07-04T04:52:26Z")
Cisco writes: \> Why do people underline things _Like This_? Blame me, not andrewdt85. He was quoting from one of my posts. I always use the “_Like This_” style when it’s a title. (For emphasis of a word or phrase, I use _like this_.) I also always use greater-than signs for quoting. It’s what I’ve always done, and I intend to keep doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Axel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6de8d8/32.png) [@Axel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Axel)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/19 "2005-07-04T18:36:44Z")
What an odd list. Odd how many Americans are on there, yet no Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Shakespeare, or Hell even Enid Blyton. I, a prolific reader, have never heard of: 1. _The McGuffey Readers_ by William Holmes McGuffey - 60,000,000 copies 2. _A Message to Garcia_ by Elbert Hubbard - 40,000,000 copies 3. (tie) _In His Steps: “What Would Jesus Do?”_ by Charles Monroe Sheldon - over 30,000,000 copies I’ve also never heard of that cartoonist. On purely anecdotal evidence - talking to students from about 40 countries - I’d say the currently most widely-read writer is either JK Rowling, Arthur Conan Doyle or Shakespeare. Terry Pratchett’s the best-selling writer in the UK, but I don’t know how well he sells in other countries. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918/20 "2005-07-04T19:18:16Z")
_The McGuffey Readers_ were a standard set of reading primers in nineteenth century U.S. If you’re not American or don’t know much about pre-twentieth century books, it’s quite possible you haven’t heard of them. _A Message to Garcia_ and _In His Steps: “What Would Jesus Do?”_ were immense bestsellers around the turn of the century (between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries), but no one reads them anymore except for people interested in older literature. Rowling, Shakespeare, Doyle, Christie, King, and Blyton had many different books (or plays) but not a single one that’s sold a huge amount (and Blyton was never that well known in the U.S.). Pratchett’s moderately popular in the U.S. but not as much as in the U.K., and he doesn’t have a single book that was hugely popular either. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-widely-read-author-today/310918.md?page=2)