List of best-selling books
List of best-selling individual books -- Between 50 million and 100 million copies
Table:
Book
Author(s)
Original language
First published
Approximate sales
Genre

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
C. S. Lewis
English
1950
85 million[24]
fantasy

She: A History of Adventure
H. Rider Haggard
English
1887
83 million[25]
adventure

The Adventures of Pinocchio (Le avventure di Pinocchio)
Carlo Collodi
Italian
1881
>80 million[26][27]
fantasy

Vardi Wala Gunda
Ved Prakash Sharma
Hindi
1992
>80 million[28][better source needed]
detective

The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown
English
2003
80 million[29]
mystery thriller

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
J. K. Rowling
English
1998
77 million[30]
fantasy

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
J. K. Rowling
English
1999
65 million[31]
fantasy

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
J. K. Rowling
English
2000
65 million[31]
fantasy

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J. K. Rowling
English
2003
65 million[31]
fantasy

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
J. K. Rowling
English
2005
65 million[31]
fantasy

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
J. K. Rowling
English
2007
65 million[31]
fantasy

The Catcher in the Rye
J. D. Salinger
English
1951
65 million
coming-of-age

The Alchemist (O Alquimista)
Paulo Coelho
Portuguese
1988
65 million[32]
fantasy

The Bridges of Madison County
Robert James Waller
English
1992
60 million[33]
romance

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

Lew Wallace

English

1880

50 million[34]

historical

You Can Heal Your Life

Louise Hay

English

1984

50 million[35]

self-improvement

One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien años de soledad)
Gabriel García Márquez
Spanish
1967
50 million[36][37][38]
magic realism

Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
English
1955
50 million[39]
general

Heidi
Johanna Spyri
German
1880
50 million[40]
children's fiction

The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care
Dr. Benjamin Spock
English
1946
50 million[41]
manual

Based on the given table together with the background passages below.

Give the answer to the question: What was the nationality of the author of The Adventures of Pinocchio ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

The Lion , the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis , published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950 . It is the first published and best known of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia ( 1950-1956 ) . Among all the author 's books , it is also the most widely held in libraries . Although it was originally the first of The Chronicles of Narnia , it is volume two in recent editions that are sequenced by the stories ' chronology . Like the other Chronicles , it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes , and her work has been retained in many later editions . Most of the novel is set in Narnia , a land of talking animals and mythical creatures that is ruled by the evil White Witch . In the frame story , four English children are relocated to a large , old country house following a wartime evacuation . The youngest , Lucy , visits Narnia three times via the magic of a wardrobe in a spare room . Lucy 's three siblings are with her on her third visit to Narnia . In Narnia , the siblings seem fit to fulfill an old prophecy and find themselves adventuring to save Narnia and their own lives . The lion Aslan gives his life to save one of the children ; he later rises from the dead , vanquishes the White Witch , and crowns the children Kings and Queens of Narnia . Lewis wrote the book for ( and dedicated it to ) his goddaughter , Lucy Barfield .
Clive Staples Lewis ( 29 November 1898 - 22 November 1963 ) was a British writer and lay theologian . He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University ( Magdalen College , 1925-1954 ) and Cambridge University ( Magdalene College , 1954-1963 ) . He is best known for his works of fiction , especially The Screwtape Letters , The Chronicles of Narnia , and The Space Trilogy , and for his non-fiction Christian apologetics , such as Mere Christianity , Miracles , and The Problem of Pain . Lewis and fellow novelist J. R. R. Tolkien were close friends . They both served on the English faculty at Oxford University and were active in the informal Oxford literary group known as the Inklings . According to Lewis 's memoir Surprised by Joy , he was baptised in the Church of Ireland , but fell away from his faith during adolescence . Lewis returned to Anglicanism at the age of 32 , owing to the influence of Tolkien and other friends , and he became an ordinary layman of the Church of England . Lewis 's faith profoundly affected his work , and his wartime radio broadcasts on the subject of Christianity brought him wide acclaim . Lewis wrote more than 30 books which have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold millions of copies . The books that make up The Chronicles of Narnia have sold the most and have been popularised on stage , TV , radio , and cinema . His philosophical writings are widely cited by Christian apologists from many denominations . In 1956 , Lewis married American writer Joy Davidman ; she died of cancer four years later at the age of 45 .
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction set in a fictional universe , often inspired by real world myth and folklore . Its roots are in oral traditions , which then became fantasy literature and drama . From the twentieth century it has expanded further into various media , including film , television , graphic novels , manga and video games . Fantasy is distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the absence of scientific or macabre themes respectively , though these genres overlap . In popular culture , the fantasy genre predominantly features settings of a medieval nature . In its broadest sense , however , fantasy consists of works by many writers , artists , filmmakers , and musicians from ancient myths and legends to many recent and popular works .
She , subtitled A History of Adventure , is a novel by English writer H. Rider Haggard , first serialised in The Graphic magazine from October 1886 to January 1887 . She was extraordinarily popular upon its release and has never been out of print . The story is a first-person narrative which follows the journey of Horace Holly and his ward Leo Vincey to a lost kingdom in the African interior . They encounter a primitive race of natives and a mysterious white queen named Ayesha who reigns as the all-powerful She or She-who-must-be-obeyed . Haggard developed many of the conventions of the lost world genre which many authors have emulated . She is placed in the imperialist literature of nineteenth-century England and inspired by Haggard 's experiences of South Africa and British colonialism . The story expresses numerous racial and evolutionary conceptions of the late Victorians , especially notions of degeneration and racial decline prominent during the fin de siècle . In the figure of She , the novel notably explored themes of female authority and feminine behaviour . It has received praise and criticism alike for its representation of womanhood .
Sir Henry Rider Haggard KBE ( /ˈhæɡərd/ ; 22 June 1856 - 14 May 1925 ) was an English writer of adventure fiction set in exotic locations , predominantly Africa , and a pioneer of the lost world literary genre . He was also involved in agricultural reform throughout the British Empire . His stories , situated at the lighter end of Victorian literature , continue to be popular and influential .
Adventure fiction is fiction that usually presents danger , or gives the reader a sense of excitement .
The Adventures of Pinocchio ( /pɪˈnoʊki.oʊ/ pi-NOH-kee-oh ; Italian : Le avventure di Pinocchio [ le avvenˈtuːre di piˈnɔkkjo ] ) , also simply known as Pinocchio , is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi , written in Pescia . It is about the mischievous adventures of an animated marionette named Pinocchio and his father , a poor woodcarver named Geppetto . It was originally published in a serial form as The Story of a Puppet ( Italian : La storia di un burattino ) in the Giornale per i bambini , one of the earliest Italian weekly magazines for children , starting from 7 July 1881 . The story stopped after nearly 4 months and 8 episodes at Chapter 15 , but by popular demand from readers , the episodes were resumed on 16 February 1882 . In February 1883 , the story was published in a single book . Since then , the spread of Pinocchio on the main markets for children 's books of the time has been continuous and uninterrupted , and it was met with enthusiastic reviews worldwide . A universal icon and a metaphor of the human condition , the book is considered a canonical piece of children 's literature and has had great impact on world culture . Philosopher Benedetto Croce reputed it as one of the greatest works of Italian literature . Since its first publication , it has inspired hundreds of new editions , stage plays , merchandising , television series and movies , such as Walt Disney 's iconic animated version , and commonplace ideas such as a liar 's long nose . According to extensive research done by the Fondazione Nazionale Carlo Collodi in the late 1990s and based on UNESCO sources , the book has been adapted in over 260 languages worldwide , while as of 2018 it has been translated into over 300 languages . That makes it the most translated non-religious book in the world and one of the best-selling books ever published , with over 80 million copies sold in recent years ( the total sales since its first publication are unknown because of the many public domain re-releases begun in 1940 ) . According to Francelia Butler , it remains the most translated Italian book and , after the Bible , the most widely read .
Carlo Lorenzini ( 24 November 1826 - 26 October 1890 ) , better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi ( Italian pronunciation : [ ˈkarlo kolˈlɔːdi ] ) , was an Italian author , humorist , and journalist , widely known for his fairy tale novel The Adventures of Pinocchio .
Ved Prakash Sharma ( 10 June 1955 - 17 February 2017 ) was an Indian writer of novels and screenplays in Hindi . He was born in Meerut , Uttar Pradesh , where he completed his graduation from NAS Degree College . Having begun his professional career as a ghost writer , he went on to write 176 novels ( ghostwriting around 23 novels of them ) . Dahekte Shaher ( 1973 ) was the first novel Sharma got credit for . He primarily wrote detective novels , among them Kalyug ki Ramayan and Vardi Wala Gunda were his famous works . The main characters in his detective novels were Vijay , Vikas , Raghunath , Alphanse , Vibha Jindal , Keshav Pandit and Raina . According to his Times of India obituary his 1992 novel Vardi Wala Gunda broke all records and sold 15 lakh copies on the very first day of its release , while the Hindu reported overall sales of 80 million copies . Sharma also made several contributions to Bollywood , the Hindi film industry in India . His novel Bahu Maange Insaaf was adapted for film Bahu Ki Awaaz in 1985 , while Anaam ( 1992 ) too was based on his work . Sharma also contributed to two installments in the Khiladi series of Akshay Kumar films - Sabse Bada Khiladi ( 1995 ) and International Khiladi ( 1999 ) . In 2010 Zee TV aired Keshav Pandit , a series based on the character created by Sharma . He founded Tulsi Comics and also created few comic characters like Jambu .
Ved Prakash Sharma ( 10 June 1955 - 17 February 2017 ) was an Indian writer of novels and screenplays in Hindi . He was born in Meerut , Uttar Pradesh , where he completed his graduation from NAS Degree College . Having begun his professional career as a ghost writer , he went on to write 176 novels ( ghostwriting around 23 novels of them ) . Dahekte Shaher ( 1973 ) was the first novel Sharma got credit for . He primarily wrote detective novels , among them Kalyug ki Ramayan and Vardi Wala Gunda were his famous works . The main characters in his detective novels were Vijay , Vikas , Raghunath , Alphanse , Vibha Jindal , Keshav Pandit and Raina . According to his Times of India obituary his 1992 novel Vardi Wala Gunda broke all records and sold 15 lakh copies on the very first day of its release , while the Hindu reported overall sales of 80 million copies . Sharma also made several contributions to Bollywood , the Hindi film industry in India . His novel Bahu Maange Insaaf was adapted for film Bahu Ki Awaaz in 1985 , while Anaam ( 1992 ) too was based on his work . Sharma also contributed to two installments in the Khiladi series of Akshay Kumar films - Sabse Bada Khiladi ( 1995 ) and International Khiladi ( 1999 ) . In 2010 Zee TV aired Keshav Pandit , a series based on the character created by Sharma . He founded Tulsi Comics and also created few comic characters like Jambu .
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective - either professional , amateur or retired - investigates a crime , often murder . The detective genre began around the same time as speculative fiction and other genre fiction in the mid-nineteenth century and has remained extremely popular , particularly in novels . Some of the most famous heroes of detective fiction include C. Auguste Dupin , Sherlock Holmes , and Hercule Poirot . Juvenile stories featuring The Hardy Boys , Nancy Drew , and The Boxcar Children have also remained in print for several decades .
The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown . It is Brown 's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon : the first was his 2000 novel Angels & Demons . The Da Vinci Code follows symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu after a murder in the Louvre Museum in Paris causes them to become involved in a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus Christ having been a companion to Mary Magdalene . The novel explores an alternative religious history , whose central plot point is that the Merovingian kings of France were descended from the bloodline of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene , ideas derived from Clive Prince 's The Templar Revelation ( 1997 ) and books by Margaret Starbird . The book also refers to The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail ( 1982 ) though Dan Brown has stated that it was not used as research material . The Da Vinci Code provoked a popular interest in speculation concerning the Holy Grail legend and Mary Magdalene 's role in the history of Christianity . The book has , however , been extensively denounced by many Christian denominations as an attack on the Catholic Church , and consistently criticized for its historical and scientific inaccuracies . The novel nonetheless became a worldwide bestseller that sold 80 million copies as of 2009 [ update ] and has been translated into 44 languages . In November 2004 , Random House published a Special Illustrated Edition with 160 illustrations . In 2006 , a film adaptation was released by Columbia Pictures .
Daniel Gerhard Brown ( born June 22 , 1964 ) is an American author best known for his thriller novels , including the Robert Langdon novels Angels & Demons ( 2000 ) , The Da Vinci Code ( 2003 ) , The Lost Symbol ( 2009 ) , Inferno ( 2013 ) and Origin ( 2017 ) . His novels are treasure hunts that usually take place over a period of 24 hours . They feature recurring themes of cryptography , art , and conspiracy theories . His books have been translated into 57 languages and , as of 2012 , have sold over 200 million copies . Three of them , Angels & Demons , The Da Vinci Code , and Inferno , have been adapted into films . The Robert Langdon novels are deeply engaged with Christian themes and historical fact , and have generated controversy as a result . Brown states on his website that his books are not anti-Christian , though he is on a constant spiritual journey himself . He claims that his book The Da Vinci Code is simply an entertaining story that promotes spiritual discussion and debate and suggests that the book may be used as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith .
Mystery fiction is a genre of fiction usually involving a mysterious death or a crime to be solved . Often with a closed circle of suspects , each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a reasonable opportunity for committing the crime . The central character will often be a detective ( like Sherlock Holmes and his assistant John H. Watson ) who eventually solves the mystery by logical deduction from facts presented to the reader . Sometimes mystery books are nonfictional . Mystery fiction can be detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle or suspense element and its logical solution such as a whodunit . Mystery fiction can be contrasted with hardboiled detective stories , which focus on action and gritty realism . Mystery fiction involve a supernatural mystery where the solution does not have to be logical , and even no crime involved . This usage was common in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s , where titles such as Dime Mystery , Thrilling Mystery and Spicy Mystery offered what at the time were described as complicated to solve and weird stories - supernatural horror in the vein of Grand Guignol . This contrasted with parallel titles of the same names which contained conventional hardboiled crime fiction . The first use of mystery in this sense was by Dime Mystery , which started out as an ordinary crime fiction magazine but switched to weird menace during the later part of 1933 .
Thriller is a genre of fiction , having numerous , often overlapping subgenres . Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit , giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense , excitement , surprise , anticipation and anxiety . Successful examples of thrillers are the films of Alfred Hitchcock . Thrillers generally keep the audience on the edge of their seats as the plot builds towards a climax . The cover-up of important information is a common element . Literary devices such as red herrings , plot twists , and cliffhangers are used extensively . A thriller is usually a villain-driven plot , whereby they present obstacles that the protagonist must overcome .
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the second novel in the Harry Potter series . The plot follows Harry 's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry , during which a series of messages on the walls of the school 's corridors warn that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened and that the heir of Slytherin would kill all pupils who do not come from all-magical families . These threats are found after attacks that leave residents of the school petrified . Throughout the year , Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione investigate the attacks . The book was published in the United Kingdom on 2 July 1998 by Bloomsbury and later in the United States on 2 June 1999 by Scholastic Inc . Although Rowling says she found it difficult to finish the book , it won high praise and awards from critics , young readers , and the book industry , although some critics thought the story was perhaps too frightening for younger children . Much like with other novels in the series , Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets triggered religious debates ; some religious authorities have condemned its use of magical themes , whereas others have praised its emphasis on self-sacrifice and the way one 's character is the result of one 's choices . Several commentators have noted that personal identity is a strong theme in the book and that it addresses issues of racism through the treatment of non-human , non-magical , and non-living people . Some commentators regard the diary as a warning against uncritical acceptance of information from sources whose motives and reliability can not be checked . Institutional authority is portrayed as self-serving and incompetent . The film adaptation of the novel , released in 2002 , became ( at that time ) the fifth highest-grossing film ever and received generally favourable reviews . Video games loosely based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets were also released for several platforms , and most obtained favourable reviews .
Joanne Rowling CH , OBE , HonFRSE , FRCPE , FRSL ( /ˈroʊlɪŋ/ ROH-ling ; born 31 July 1965 ) , better known by her pen name J. K. Rowling , is a British author , film producer , television producer , screenwriter , and philanthropist . She is best known for writing the Harry Potter fantasy series , which has won multiple awards and sold more than 500 million copies , becoming the best-selling book series in history . The books are the basis of a popular film series , over which Rowling had overall approval on the scripts and was a producer on the final films . She also writes crime fiction under the name Robert Galbraith . Born in Yate , Gloucestershire , Rowling was working as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International when she conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series while on a delayed train from Manchester to London in 1990 . The seven-year period that followed saw the death of her mother , birth of her first child , divorce from her first husband , and relative poverty until the first novel in the series , Harry Potter and the Philosopher 's Stone , was published in 1997 . There were six sequels , of which the last , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , was released in 2007 . Since then , Rowling has written five books for adult readers : The Casual Vacancy ( 2012 ) and - under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith - the crime fiction Cormoran Strike series , which consists of The Cuckoo 's Calling ( 2013 ) , The Silkworm ( 2014 ) , Career of Evil ( 2015 ) , and Lethal White ( 2018 ) . Rowling has lived a rags to riches life in which she progressed from living on benefits to being the world 's first billionaire author . She lost her billionaire status after giving away much of her earnings to charity but remains one of the wealthiest people in the world . She is the UK 's best-selling living author , with sales in excess of £238 million . The 2016 Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling 's fortune at £600 million , ranking her as the joint 197th richest person in the UK .
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a fantasy novel written by British author J.K. Rowling and is the third in the Harry Potter series . The book follows Harry Potter , a young wizard , in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry . Along with friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger , Harry investigates Sirius Black , an escaped prisoner from Azkaban , the wizard prison , believed to be one of Lord Voldemort 's old allies . The book was published in the United Kingdom on 8 July 1999 by Bloomsbury and in the United States on 8 September 1999 by Scholastic , Inc. Rowling found the book easy to write , finishing it just a year after she began writing it . The book sold 68,000 copies in just three days after its release in the United Kingdom and since has sold over three million in the country . The book won the 1999 Whitbread Children 's Book Award , the Bram Stoker Award , and the 2000 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and was short-listed for other awards , including the Hugo . The film adaptation of the novel was released in 2004 , grossing more than $ 796 million and earning critical acclaim . Video games loosely based on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were also released for several platforms , and most obtained favourable reviews .
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a fantasy book written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series . It follows Harry Potter , a wizard in his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry , and the mystery surrounding the entry of Harry 's name into the Triwizard Tournament , in which he is forced to compete . The book was published in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury and in the United States by Scholastic . In both countries , the release date was 8 July 2000 . This was the first time a book in the series was published in both countries at the same time . The novel won a Hugo Award , the only Harry Potter novel to do so , in 2001 . The book was adapted into a film , released worldwide on 18 November 2005 , and a video game by Electronic Arts .
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the Harry Potter series . It follows Harry Potter 's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry , including the surreptitious return of the antagonist Lord Voldemort , O.W.L . exams , and an obstructive Ministry of Magic . The novel was published on 21 June 2003 by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom , Scholastic in the United States , and Raincoast in Canada . It sold five million copies in the first 24 hours of publication . It is the longest book of the series . Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix won several awards , including the American Library Association Best Book Award for Young Adults in 2003 . The book was also made into a 2007 film and a video game by Electronic Arts .
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a fantasy novel written by British author J.K. Rowling and the sixth and penultimate novel in the Harry Potter series . Set during Harry Potter 's sixth year at Hogwarts , the novel explores the past of Harry 's nemesis , Lord Voldemort , and Harry 's preparations for the final battle against Voldemort alongside his headmaster and mentor Albus Dumbledore . The book was published in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury and in the United States by Scholastic on 16 July 2005 , as well as in several other countries . It sold nine million copies in the first 24 hours after its release , a record that was eventually broken by its sequel , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . There were many controversies before and after it was published , including the right to read copies delivered before the release date in Canada . Reception to the novel was generally positive , and it won several awards and honours , including the 2006 British Book of the Year award . Reviewers noted that the book took on a darker tone than its predecessors , though it did contain some humour . Some considered the main themes to be love , death , trust , and redemption . The considerable character development of Harry and many other teenage characters also drew attention . The film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released 15 July 2009 by Warner Bros .
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the seventh and final novel of the Harry Potter series . It was released on 21 July 2007 in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publishing , in the United States by Scholastic , and in Canada by Raincoast Books . The novel chronicles the events directly following Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ( 2005 ) and the final confrontation between the wizards Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort . Deathly Hallows shattered sales records upon release , surpassing marks set by previous titles of the Harry Potter series . It holds the Guinness World Record for most novels sold within 24 hours of release , with 8.3 million sold in the US and 2.65 million in the UK . Generally well received by critics , the book won the 2008 Colorado Blue Spruce Book Award , and the American Library Association named it the Best Book for Young Adults . A film adaptation of the novel was released in two parts : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 in November 2010 and Part 2 in July 2011 .
The Catcher in the Rye is a story by J. D. Salinger , partially published in serial form in 1945-1946 and as a novel in 1951 . It was originally intended for adults but is often read by adolescents for its themes of angst and alienation , and as a critique on superficiality in society . It has been translated into almost all of the world 's major languages . Around one million copies are sold each year , with total sales of more than 65 million books . The novel 's protagonist Holden Caulfield has become an icon for teenage rebellion . The novel also deals with complex issues of innocence , identity , belonging , loss , connection , and sex . The novel was included on Time Magazine 's 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923 , and it was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century . In 2003 , it was listed at number 15 on the BBC 's survey The Big Read .
Jerome David Salinger ( /ˈsælɪndʒər/ ; January 1 , 1919 - January 27 , 2010 ) was an American writer best known for his novel The Catcher in the Rye . Salinger published several short stories in Story magazine in the early 1940s before serving in World War II . In 1948 , his critically acclaimed story A Perfect Day for Bananafish appeared in The New Yorker , which became home to much of his later work . The Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951 and became an immediate popular success . Salinger 's depiction of adolescent alienation and loss of innocence in the protagonist Holden Caulfield was influential , especially among adolescent readers . The novel was widely read and controversial . [ a ] The success of The Catcher in the Rye led to public attention and scrutiny . Salinger became reclusive , publishing new work less frequently . He followed Catcher with a short story collection , Nine Stories ( 1953 ) ; a volume containing a novella and a short story , Franny and Zooey ( 1961 ) ; and a volume containing two novellas , Raise High the Roof Beam , Carpenters and Seymour : An Introduction ( 1963 ) . His last published work , a novella entitled Hapworth 16 , 1924 , appeared in The New Yorker on June 19 , 1965 . Afterward , Salinger struggled with unwanted attention , including a legal battle in the 1980s with biographer Ian Hamilton and the release in the late 1990s of memoirs written by two people close to him : Joyce Maynard , an ex-lover ; and Margaret Salinger , his daughter .
In genre studies , a coming-of-age story is a genre of literature , film , and video that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from youth to adulthood ( coming of age ) . Coming-of-age stories tend to emphasize dialogue or internal monologue over action , and are often set in the past . The subjects of coming-of-age stories are typically teenagers . The Bildungsroman is a specific subgenre of coming-of-age story .
The Alchemist ( Portuguese : O Alquimista ) is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho that was first published in 1988 . Originally written in Portuguese , it became a widely translated international bestseller . An allegorical novel , The Alchemist follows a young Andalusian shepherd in his journey to the pyramids of Egypt , after having a recurring dream of finding a treasure there .
Paulo Coelho de Souza ( /ˈkwɛl.juː , kuˈɛl- , -joʊ/ ; Portuguese : [ ˈpawlu kuˈeʎu ] ; born 24 August 1947 ) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist , best known for his novel The Alchemist . In 2014 , he uploaded his personal papers online to create a virtual Paulo Coelho Foundation .
The Bridges of Madison County ( also published as Love in Black and White ) is a 1992 best-selling romance novella by American writer Robert James Waller that tells the story of a married but lonely Italian-American woman ( war bride ) living on a 1960s Madison County , Iowa , farm . While her husband and children are away at the State Fair , she engages in an affair with a National Geographic photographer from Bellingham , Washington , who is visiting Madison County to create a photographic essay on the covered bridges in the area . The novel is presented as a novelization of a true story , but it is in fact entirely fictional . The novel is one of the bestselling books of the 20th century , with 60 million copies sold worldwide . It has also been adapted into a feature film in 1995 and a musical in 2013 .
Robert James Waller ( August 1 , 1939 - March 10 , 2017 ) was an American author best known for The Bridges of Madison County , an enormously successful book in 1993 . He was also a photographer and musician .
Although the genre is very old , the romance novel or romantic novel discussed in this article is the mass-market version . Novels of this type of genre fiction place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people , and must have an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending . There are many subgenres of the romance novel , including fantasy , historical romance , paranormal fiction , and science fiction . Romance novels are read primarily by women . The term romance is also applied to a type of novel defined by Walter Scott as a fictitious narrative in prose or verse ; the interest of which turns upon marvelous and uncommon incidents . A thriving genre of works conventionally referred to as romance novels existed in ancient Greece . Other precursors can be found in the literary fiction of the 18th and 19th centuries , including Samuel Richardson 's sentimental novel Pamela , or Virtue Rewarded ( 1740 ) and the novels of Jane Austen . Austen inspired Georgette Heyer , the British author of historical romance set around the time Austen lived , as well as detective fiction . Heyer 's first romance novel , The Black Moth ( 1921 ) , was set in 1751 . The British company Mills and Boon began releasing escapist fiction for women in the 1930s . Their books were sold in North America by Harlequin Enterprises Ltd , which began direct marketing to readers and allowing mass-market merchandisers to carry the books .
Ben-Hur : A Tale of the Christ is a novel by Lew Wallace , published by Harper and Brothers on November 12 , 1880 and considered the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century . It became a best-selling American novel , surpassing Harriet Beecher Stowe 's Uncle Tom 's Cabin ( 1852 ) in sales . The book also inspired other novels with biblical settings and was adapted for the stage and motion picture productions . Ben-Hur remained at the top of the US all-time bestseller list until the publication of Margaret Mitchell 's Gone with the Wind ( 1936 ) . The 1959 MGM film adaptation of Ben-Hur is considered one of the greatest films ever made and was seen by tens of millions , going on to win a record 11 Academy Awards in 1960 , after which the book 's sales increased and it surpassed Gone with the Wind . It was blessed by Pope Leo XIII , the first novel ever to receive such praise . The success of the novel and its stage and film adaptations also helped it to become a popular cultural icon that was used to promote numerous commercial products . The story recounts the adventures of Judah Ben-Hur , a Jewish prince from Jerusalem , who is enslaved by the Romans at the beginning of the first century and becomes a charioteer and a Christian . Running in parallel with Judah 's narrative is the unfolding story of Jesus , from the same region and around the same age . The novel reflects themes of betrayal , conviction , and redemption , with a revenge plot that leads to a story of love and compassion .
Lewis ( Lew ) Wallace ( April 10 , 1827 - February 15 , 1905 ) was an American lawyer , Union general in the American Civil War , governor of the New Mexico Territory , politician , diplomat , and author from Indiana . Among his novels and biographies , Wallace is best known for his historical adventure story , Ben-Hur : A Tale of the Christ ( 1880 ) , a bestselling novel that has been called the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century . Wallace 's military career included service in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War . He was appointed Indiana 's adjutant general and commanded the 11th Indiana Infantry Regiment . Wallace , who attained the rank of major general , participated in the Battle of Fort Donelson , the Battle of Shiloh , and the Battle of Monocacy . He also served on the military commission for the trials of the Lincoln assassination conspirators , and presided over the trial of Henry Wirz , the Confederate commandant of the Andersonville prison camp . Wallace resigned from the U.S. Army in November 1865 and briefly served as a major general in the Mexican army , before returning to the United States . Wallace was appointed governor of the New Mexico Territory ( 1878-81 ) and served as U.S. minister to the Ottoman Empire ( 1881-85 ) . Wallace retired to his home in Crawfordsville , Indiana , where he continued to write until his death in 1905 .
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting located in the past . Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for the historical novel , it can also be applied to other types of narrative , including theatre , opera , cinema and television , as well as video games and graphic novels . An essential element of historical fiction is that it is set in the past and pays attention to the manners , social conditions and other details of the period depicted . Authors also frequently choose to explore notable historical figures in these settings , allowing readers to better understand how these individuals might have responded to their environments . Some subgenres such as alternate history and historical fantasy insert speculative or ahistorical elements into a novel . Works of historical fiction are sometimes criticized for lack of authenticity because of readerly or genre expectations for accurate period details . This tension between historical authenticity , or historicity , and fiction frequently becomes a point of comment for readers and popular critics , while scholarly criticism frequently goes beyond this commentary , investigating the genre for its other thematic and critical interests . Historical fiction as a contemporary Western literary genre has its foundations in the early-19th-century works of Sir Walter Scott and his contemporaries in other national literatures such as the Frenchman Honoré de Balzac , the American James Fenimore Cooper , and a later Russian , Leo Tolstoy . However , the melding of historical and fiction in individual works of literature has a long tradition in most cultures ; both western traditions ( as early as Ancient Greek and Roman literature ) as well as Eastern , in the form of oral and folk traditions ( see mythology and folklore ) , which produced epics , novels , plays and other fictional works describing history for contemporary audiences .
You Can Heal Your Life is 1984 self-help and new thought book by Louise L. Hay . It was the second book by the author , after Heal your Body which she wrote at age 60 . After Hay appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Donahue in the same week in March 1988 , the book appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list , and by 2008 over 35 million copies worldwide had been sold in over 30 languages . The book was also instrumental in the success of her publishing company , Hay House Inc. Today , due to the book she is one of the best-selling authors in history , and one of largest selling women authors , after J. K. Rowling , Danielle Steel and Barbara Cartland .
Louise Lynn Hay ( October 8 , 1926 - August 30 , 2017 ) was an American motivational author and the founder of Hay House . She authored several New Thought self-help books , including the 1984 book , You Can Heal Your Life .
A self-help book is one that is written with the intention to instruct its readers on solving personal problems . The books take their name from Self-Help , an 1859 best-seller by Samuel Smiles , but are also known and classified under self-improvement , a term that is a modernized version of self-help . Self-help books moved from a niche position to being a postmodern cultural phenomenon in the late twentieth century .
One Hundred Years of Solitude ( Spanish : Cien años de soledad , American Spanish : [ sjen ˈaɲoz ðe soleˈðað ] ) is a landmark 1967 novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez that tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family , whose patriarch , José Arcadio Buendía , founded the town of Macondo , a fictitious town in the country of Colombia . The magical realist style and thematic substance of One Hundred Years of Solitude established it as an important representative novel of the literary Latin American Boom of the 1960s and 1970s , which was stylistically influenced by Modernism ( European and North American ) and the Cuban Vanguardia ( Avant-Garde ) literary movement . Since it was first published in May 1967 in Buenos Aires by Editorial Sudamericana , One Hundred Years of Solitude has been translated into 37 languages and sold more than 30 million copies . The novel , considered García Márquez 's magnum opus , remains widely acclaimed and is recognized as one of the most significant works in the Spanish literary canon .
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez ( American Spanish : [ ɡaˈβɾjel ɣaɾˈsi.a ˈmaɾkes ] ( listen ) ; 6 March 1927 - 17 April 2014 ) was a Colombian novelist , short-story writer , screenwriter and journalist , known affectionately as Gabo [ ˈɡaβo ] or Gabito [ ɡaˈβito ] throughout Latin America . Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century and one of the best in the Spanish language , he was awarded the 1972 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature . He pursued a self-directed education that resulted in his leaving law school for a career in journalism . From early on , he showed no inhibitions in his criticism of Colombian and foreign politics . In 1958 , he married Mercedes Barcha ; they had two sons , Rodrigo and Gonzalo . García Márquez started as a journalist , and wrote many acclaimed non-fiction works and short stories , but is best known for his novels , such as One Hundred Years of Solitude ( 1967 ) , The Autumn of the Patriarch ( 1975 ) , and Love in the Time of Cholera ( 1985 ) . His works have achieved significant critical acclaim and widespread commercial success , most notably for popularizing a literary style known as magic realism , which uses magical elements and events in otherwise ordinary and realistic situations . Some of his works are set in the fictional village of Macondo ( mainly inspired by his birthplace , Aracataca ) , and most of them explore the theme of solitude . Upon García Márquezs death in April 2014 , Juan Manuel Santos , the President of Colombia , called him the greatest Colombian who ever lived .
Magical realism , magic realism , or marvelous realism is a style of fiction that paints a realistic view of the modern world while also adding magical elements . It is sometimes called fabulism , in reference to the conventions of fables , myths , and allegory . Magical realism , perhaps the most common term , often refers to fiction and literature in particular , :1-5 with magic or the supernatural presented in an otherwise real-world or mundane setting , commonly seen in novels and dramatic performances . It is considered a subgenre of fantasy . The terms are broadly descriptive rather than critically rigorous . Matthew Strecher defines magic realism as what happens when a highly detailed , realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe . Many writers are categorized as magical realists , which confuses the term and its wide definition . Irene Guenther tackles the German roots of the term , and how art is related to literature . Magical realism is often associated with Latin American literature , particularly authors including genre founders Gabriel García Márquez , Miguel Angel Asturias , Jorge Luis Borges , Elena Garro , Mireya Robles , Juan Rulfo , Rómulo Gallegos , Arturo Uslar Pietri , and Isabel Allende . In English literature , its chief exponents include Salman Rushdie , Alice Hoffman , and Nick Joaquin . In Bengali literature , prominent writers of magic realism include Nabarun Bhattacharya , Akhteruzzaman Elias , Shahidul Zahir , Jibanananda Das , Syed Waliullah , Nasreen Jahan and Humayun Ahmed . In Japanese literature , one of the most important authors of this genre is Haruki Murakami .
Lolita is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov . The novel is notable for its controversial subject : the protagonist and unreliable narrator , a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert , is obsessed with a 12-year-old girl , Dolores Haze , with whom he becomes sexually involved after he becomes her stepfather . Lolita is his private nickname for Dolores . The novel was originally written in English and first published in Paris in 1955 by Olympia Press . Later it was translated into Russian by Nabokov himself and published in New York City in 1967 by Phaedra Publishers . Lolita quickly attained a classic status . The novel was adapted into a film by Stanley Kubrick in 1962 , and another film by Adrian Lyne in 1997 . It has also been adapted several times for the stage and has been the subject of two operas , two ballets , and an acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful Broadway musical . Its assimilation into popular culture is such that the name Lolita has been used to imply that a young girl is sexually precocious . Many authors consider it the greatest work of the 20th century , and it has been included in several lists of best books , such as Time 's List of the 100 Best Novels , Le Monde 's 100 Books of the Century , Bokklubben World Library , Modern Library 's 100 Best Novels , and The Big Read .
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov [ b ] ( Russian : Владимир Владимирович Набоков [ vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ nɐˈbokəf ] ( listen ) ; 22 April [ O.S . 10 April ] 1899 [ a ] - 2 July 1977 ) , also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin ( Russian : Владимир Сирин ) , was a Russian and American novelist , poet , translator and entomologist . His first nine novels were written in Russian ( 1926-38 ) , but he achieved international prominence after he began writing English prose . Nabokov became an American citizen in 1945 . Nabokov 's Lolita ( 1955 ) was ranked fourth in the list of the Modern Library 100 Best Novels in 2007 ; Pale Fire ( 1962 ) was ranked 53rd on the same list ; and his memoir , Speak , Memory ( 1951 ) , was listed eighth on publisher Random House 's list of the 20th century 's greatest nonfiction . He was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction seven times . Nabokov was also an expert lepidopterist and composer of chess problems .
Heidi ( /ˈhaɪdi/ ; German : [ ˈhaɪdi ] ) is a work of children 's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri , originally published in two parts as Heidi : Her Years of Wandering and Learning ( German : Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre ) and Heidi : How She Used What She Learned ( German : Heidi kann brauchen , was es gelernt hat ) . It is a novel about the events in the life of a young girl in her paternal grandfather 's care in the Swiss Alps . It was written as a book for children and those who love children ( as quoted from its subtitle ) . Heidi is one of the best-selling books ever written and is among the best-known works of Swiss literature .
Johanna Louise Spyri ( née Heusser ; German : [ joˈhana ˈʃpiːri ] ; 12 June 1827 - 7 July 1901 ) was a Swiss-born author of novels , notably children 's stories , and is best known for her book Heidi . Born in Hirzel , a rural area in the canton of Zurich , Switzerland , as a child she spent several summers near Chur in Graubünden , the setting she later would use in her novels .
Children 's literature or juvenile literature includes stories , books , magazines , and poems that are made for children . Modern children 's literature is classified in two different ways : genre or the intended age of the reader . Children 's literature can be traced to stories and songs , part of a wider oral tradition , that adults shared with children before publishing existed . The development of early children 's literature , before printing was invented , is difficult to trace . Even after printing became widespread , many classic children 's tales were originally created for adults and later adapted for a younger audience . Since the fifteenth century much literature has been aimed specifically at children , often with a moral or religious message . The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are known as the Golden Age of Children 's Literature because many classic children 's books were published then .
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care by American pediatrician Benjamin Spock is one of the best-selling books of the twentieth century , selling 500,000 copies in the six months after its initial publication in 1946 , and 50 million by the time of Spock 's death in 1998 . As of 2011 , the book had been translated into 39 languages . Spock and his manual helped revolutionize child-rearing methods for the post-World War II generation . Mothers heavily relied on Spock 's advice and appreciated his friendly , reassuring tone . Spock emphasizes in his book that , above all , parents should have confidence in their abilities and trust their instincts . The famous first line of the book reads , Trust yourself . You know more than you think you do .
Benjamin McLane Spock ( May 2 , 1903 - March 15 , 1998 ) was an American pediatrician whose book Baby and Child Care ( 1946 ) is one of the best-selling volumes in history . The book 's premise to mothers is that you know more than you think you do . Spock was the first pediatrician to study psychoanalysis to try to understand children 's needs and family dynamics . His ideas about childcare influenced several generations of parents to be more flexible and affectionate with their children , and to treat them as individuals . However , his theories were also widely criticized by colleagues for relying too heavily on anecdotal evidence rather than serious academic research . Spock was an activist in the New Left and anti Vietnam War movements during the 1960s and early 1970s . At the time , his books were criticized for propagating permissiveness and an expectation of instant gratification which allegedly led young people to join these movements - a charge that Spock denied . Spock also won an Olympic gold medal in rowing in 1924 while attending Yale University .