# What book is read the most? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 15, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148 "2010-04-15T01:35:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/41 "2010-04-20T23:22:31Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Left Hand of Dorkness, in my first post, I listed the seven top-selling children’s books of all time that are short enough to read in one sitting: > … > Maybe it’s true that because of it being a book about going to bed that _Goodnight Moon_ is read the most. I don’t know, and I don’t know how anyone could find out. I agree with your logic for the most part. And yeah–because it’s so easily a nightly read, I’m thinking GNM is a likely winner. Incidentally, it freaks me out that “Love YOu Forever” is on that list. That’s a terribly freakish book; I’d love to see it re-illustrated by someone with a vaguely Lovecraftian sensibility to the art. > [@ITR Champion](#): > > While I understand the logic of what you’re saying, I still think that the Bible is the winner for three reasons. First, while it’s true that not every Bible owner reads the Bible, I think that folks in this thread generally underestimate the number of people who do. When I first converted to Christianity I read the entire thing, and I’ve done so repeatedly since then. Repeatedly like 500 times, so one Christian like you equals one parent like me? Repeatedly like 50 times, so for every parent like me there need to be 10 Christians like you? Repeatedly like 10 times, so for every parent like me there need to be 50 parents like you? And I’m not done reading GNM: these 500 readings (approximately) comprise one child. If I have another kid, there are likely to be another 500 readings. And I don’t think that’s uncommon. _Le Petit Prince_ is an interesting idea; I love that book a lot more than I love GNM. But I’ve read it half a dozen times: it’s nowhere near as quick a read as GNM. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/42 "2010-04-20T23:31:19Z")
I think you nailed it in one as well. Goodnight Moon was our bedtime book for about three years around here. The rest of the kids bestsellers: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, 45 million copies - I’m not sure if this is a habitual book for anyone. A good book, but not for “putting kids to bed” so that breaks the ritualized bedtime. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, 29 million copies - We read this a lot, it just wasn’t a bedtime book. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, 20 million copies - this gets bought a lot, but unless you like crying in front of your kids, I doubt it gets read aloud a lot. (Yeah, I agree, its a creepy book). Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, 19 million copies - this would be my number two guess, but it doesn’t have Goodnight Moon’s advantage of being unisex - its a great bedtime book, but a little too “boy” for a lot of people looking to put girls to bed. The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowery, 15 million copies - again, lacks the bedtime book advantage. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess, 10 million copies - lacks the bedtime book advantage. In fact, this one always seemed to get my kids wound up. Its also longish. Not as longish as Fox in Socks - the Fox in Socks stage was hell. Goodnight Moon is very short, ritualized and near perfect for bedtime. I bet I’m not the only parent that ritualized it. And for parents who ritualize their toddlers bedtime, I’d guess this is the most popular. (Not releated to the OP, but “How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight” eventually replaced Goodnight Moon as our ritualized book for similar reasons - short, gender neutral, and bedtimey in topic). ---
**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:** [April 21, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/43 "2010-04-21T14:09:40Z")
pancakes3, yes, _The Tale of Peter Rabbit_ is short enough to read in one sitting. It’s 28 pages long, and they are typical short children’s book pages. You can find it online. It’s long out of copyright, so various websites include the whole text. Left Hand of Dorkness, you are assuming that most people who own a copy of _Goodnight Moon_ read it the same way that you do. I don’t know if that’s true. I suspect that if my parents had tried to read a book to me even five times when I was even as young as a year old, I would have told them, “What’s wrong with you people? Are you trying to bore me to death?” Furthermore, if I had asked my parents to read me a book even five times when I was a year old, they would have said to each other, “This child has major problems. Let’s put him up for adoption.” I’m not saying that I know that that is more typical of what parents and children do. I’m just saying that you have no proof that the way you read children’s books is typical. Similarly, I don’t think people here have any idea what the typical way that the Bible is read is. There were societies over the past 2000 years in which it was common to read it all the way through several times. There have been at least 100 times as many copies of the Bible sold as of _Goodnight Moon_ and perhaps as many as 300 times as many. I see no way to estimate the number of readings of each. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/44 "2010-04-21T14:21:41Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Left Hand of Dorkness, you are assuming that most people who own a copy of _Goodnight Moon_ read it the same way that you do. I don’t know if that’s true. I suspect that if my parents had tried to read a book to me even five times when I was even as young as a year old, I would have told them, “What’s wrong with you people? Are you trying to bore me to death?” Furthermore, if I had asked my parents to read me a book even five times when I was a year old, they would have said to each other, “This child has major problems. Let’s put him up for adoption.” I’m not saying that I know that that is more typical of what parents and children do. Well, I’ll say it: It’s not even close to remotely, conceivably typical for a one-year-old to be bored by five readings of a book. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/45 "2010-04-21T14:42:04Z")
Do you have any statistical studies on this or are you speaking just from your experience with your children? ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/46 "2010-04-21T14:48:39Z")
i am just too embarrassed for words that my childhood memories had so distorted peter cottontail to remember it as a book too long to be read in one sitting. i just read it online, in probably less than 2 minutes. i’ve read SDMB posts with more words in it. also, people may have, and still do read the bible, but it’s a collection of 66 books. exponentially harder to wade through than a quick go-through of goodnight moon. however, it also has the benefit of extensive translation. maybe a specific book of the Bible like Exodus, Lamentations, or one of the gospels can contend? the entire Bible, would have problems of versions, omitted books, just not wanting to read marginal books like say… Habakkuk. ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/47 "2010-04-21T19:18:54Z")
It is my opinion that the _ **vast majority** _ of people who have bibles haven’t read them cover to cover. I would be **stunned** if that number reached 5% of all people who own bibles. In fact, I’d be surprised if it was 2.5%. The percentage of people who read them _ **regularly** _ I would say is also quite low—I would guess 10% or lower. OTOH, I think there is a much larger group who have read the bible in part, or who read it irregularly. The largest group, IME, are those who have simply been exposed to it; through church attendance, or parochial school, or TV, culture or-----and I’m not being facetious------things like Google or internet message boards. Strangely, however, many people claim to have read it cover to cover. Some have made outrageous claims of having read it cover to cover many, many times, or having read it in numerous translations, or even if different languages. Those claims have been made here many, many times. I strongly suspect that the vast majority are simply untrue. IMO/IME the few whose command of the bible in clearly manifest------evidence that they have read the bible, or have spent significant time considering the texts----- have never made claims like those. ( **Polycarp** comes to mind…) It wouldn’t surprise me if the bible wasn’t the largest distributed book year to year even right now. The most widely read is much harder to believe. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/48 "2010-04-22T11:04:14Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > maybe a specific book of the Bible like Exodus, Lamentations, or one of the gospels can contend? the entire Bible, would have problems of versions, omitted books, just not wanting to read marginal books like say… Habakkuk. Ooh, now THAT’s an interesting idea. Wendell, your ideas about one-year-old behaviors are just wildly inaccurate, based on my experiences, the market for children’s books, and childhood psychology courses I’ve taken. And that’s all I’ll say on that. ---
**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:** [April 22, 2010, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/49 "2010-04-22T11:39:10Z")
Is there any evidence that reading a book over and over to a child is well known anywhere and at any time except among college-educated parents born after World War II? I suspect that it’s a recent habit and not as widespread as you think. ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/50 "2010-04-22T12:13:36Z")
My guess is _Green Eggs and Ham_ by Dr. Suess. I pick this over GNM, because not only has this been the book that I’ve read as bed time book more times than any other, this is also the book most adults I know say is their favorite Dr. Suess. They read it more than GNM to their kids. I have no way of proving this guess. It comes only from conversations at work, when we talk about kids. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/51 "2010-04-22T12:42:45Z")
> [@Reepicheep](#): > > My guess is _Green Eggs and Ham_ by Dr. Suess. I pick this over GNM, because not only has this been the book that I’ve read as bed time book more times than any other, this is also the book most adults I know say is their favorite Dr. Suess. They read it more than GNM to their kids. I have no way of proving this guess. It comes only from conversations at work, when we talk about kids. My kids’ favorite Seuss book is _Fox in Socks_, but that’s just because they are evil. That book should be banned. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/52 "2010-04-25T04:09:32Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Is there any evidence that reading a book over and over to a child is well known anywhere and at any time except among college-educated parents born after World War II? I suspect that it’s a recent habit and not as widespread as you think. While it isn’t reading the same story over and over again, the Darling children in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan want to be told the same story over and over again. The Betsy Tacy books were written because Maud Hart Lovelace’s daughter asked for the same stories over and over again, the first was started in 1938 - pre- WWII. ---
**Author:** ![TheoS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@TheoS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheoS)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/53 "2010-04-26T18:36:10Z")
I would not be surprised if the Bible was the answer. If the question included “of all time”, I wouldn’t doubt it for an instant. (lack of other things to do, see, experience etc.). Someone noted the observation of re-reading literature from their youth and gaining a new experience- I love to do this- very entertaining. Try this with your favorite poetry- Frost comes to mind… I was home recovering from some “bug” last month- picked up a poetry book and thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/54 "2010-04-26T18:50:52Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > There is a group of Muslims who not only read the entire Koran but they are supposed to memorize all of it. Not sure how many actually do memorize the whole thing. This is a common requirement for most Imams. It’s also a reasonable goal for a lot of muslims, apparently. My local Islamic Center offers a Quran memorizing course for children–at $200/month. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/55 "2010-04-26T20:38:36Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > .. really? I thought that the Bible would win, hands down. It’s in every hotel… ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/56 "2010-04-26T21:12:33Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > It’s in every hotel… And actually read by how many? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/57 "2010-04-27T15:44:16Z")
> [@raindog](#): > > And actually read by how many? If individual books of the Bible count, I would guess one of the gospels - probably John. We read thru all four of them on a three-year rotation at church, and have been for the last few hundred years. Percentages of those who attend church weekly are hard to establish and [vary widely](http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/rel_chu_att-religion-church-attendance), but some back-of -the-envelope calculations - Assume a billion and a half Christians world wide, of whom, say, 10% attend church often enough to have heard one or more Gospels read all the way thru at least once every .83 years. Let’s assume this goes on for thirty years each. The Gospels must therefore have been read thru thirty seven billion times in the last thirty years. _Good Night Moon_ was published in 1947, and has sold (thru 1990) 4 million copies. [Cite.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodnight_Moon) Assuming all 4 million copies were read 500 times, you still see that the Gospels have been read cover to cover almost twice as much in thirty years as GNM has in almost sixty. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/58 "2010-04-27T18:13:47Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > If individual books of the Bible count, I would guess one of the gospels - probably John. . . Silly Shodan. What about all those Jewish and Muslim folks reading the Old Testament books? I’m guessing Genesis, as everyone who sits down to read the bible starts there, and even those who don’t make it through have read that one. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/59 "2010-04-27T18:21:59Z")
Of books for adults read by adults, how about Mao’s Little Red Book? One billion Chinese… ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148/60 "2010-04-28T14:41:11Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Silly Shodan. What about all those Jewish and Muslim folks reading the Old Testament books? I’m guessing Genesis, as everyone who sits down to read the bible starts there, and even those who don’t make it through have read that one. I don’t think Muslims read the Old Testament with any regularity. Translations of the Quran, maybe. And do Jews read the Pentateuch all the way thru on a three year cycle the way Christians do the Gospel? Worship at my church generally includes readings from the OT as well (usually) as a Psalm or part of one, but we don’t focus as much on one OT book as we do on the Gospels. My first systematic Bible study began with the Gospel of John, not Genesis. I believe this is relatively common - the Billy Graham Association recommends this for new Christians. Or at least they did forty years ago. I’ve read all the way thru the OT eleven times but the NT fifteen times, as the OT is much longer, so even in the anecdotal case of this one Christian the Gospels have been read much more than Genesis. Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-is-read-the-most/536148.md?page=4)