Okay, the first thing that struck me is, why the Koran is not on the list? I guess it’s because those numbers were not available – otherwise I would think it would be at least no. 2. I’ve also heard that the Ikea catalogue is the most read publication but I guess it’s disqualified because it’s not sold. And what about 50 Shades of Grey? Is it to new to be on the list or? According to this article from The Telegraph, it’s the best-selling book of all time – surpassing the last Harry Potter book with sales of 5.3 million copies! So it probably belongs on the list too.
But if we stick to the 10 actually on this list, how many have you read? I have read a measly 4: Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Da Vinci Code and Gone with the Wind (the last only in a Danish translation). I have no intentions of reading Twilight (or 50 Shades for that matter), I don’t know if I’ll ever get around to reading the Bible (or the Koran) or anything by Mao – and I haven’t even heard of Think and Grow Rich but from the title alone, I would say it’s a must read!
I own The Diary of Anne Frank and I really want to read it – I haven’t read it yet because when I wanted to read it, my mother thought I was too young. And then I just never got around to it. I bought my copy at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and I actually hope to read it rather soon.
The Literary Bunny 
The trouble with these kinds of figures is that sometimes they’re not taken in context. Like the Quotations of Chairman Mao…I think this is the most read book in the world because it’s probably a required reading for school children (or all literate citizens) in China, and they have the biggest population in the world right now lol.
Also, the Bible and other religious works shouldn’t be included either….though I have nothing against it or anything.
Then again, yes, it IS a chart on Most Read Books in the World… Maybe someone should make a better survey. Something like: Top 10 Most Read Work of Fiction or something lol.
Btw..of the books in that list, I’ve only rear Harry Potter, Da Vinci Code, LOTR, the Alchemist and parts of the Bible (does that count? 🙂
Maybe the Koran is printed by publishers they didn’t survey? Is that in every language, really? It says worldwide, but I want details! Anyway.
I haven’t read Mao, The Alchemist, or Think and Grow Rich. I read the first Twilight book but not the others. (Not really by choice–since I’m a librarian people always ask me what I think of the latest thing. The Da Vinci Code and Twilight were both like that; more professional duty than pleasant reading!)
If you want to be well-read, I think it’s important to read the Bible. It’s had an enormous influence on Western literature–incalculable. IME it’s hard to understand some things if you’re not reasonably familiar with it.
I have only read 4 of these too. Harry Potter, Twilight, The Da Vinci Code and The Diary of Anne Frank. I have to question how realistic it is to have the bible as the most read though as I have read bits of the bible but never the whole thing, can that many people really say they have read it all cover to cover? I guess it depends the criteria for the survey.
This is a really interesting post thanks for sharing. And you should read The Diary of Anne Frank soon lol