Don quixote book cover

The five best selling fantasy books of all time

Ever wondered which are be the best selling fantasy books of all time? Probably some novels or book sagas come to your mind. But will any o those be the best top selling fantasy books of all time? Let’s see, the top selling fantasy books of all time.

What makes a book becoming one of the best selling fantasy books of all time?

Despite the fact that there is obviously not a magical formula for this. All these books have lots of some things in common: the worldbuilding is amazing, the characters are solid and the plot is enthralling. Which are the top selling fantasy books of all time? let’s see:

List of The best selling fantasy books of all time

These are the five best selling fantasy books of all time:

5.The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.s Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia book cover

This children’s fantasy story was published on 16 October, 1950. This is the first book and the best known in The Chronicles of Narnia series. This is the story that began the journey of  Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie against the Evil Witch in the world of Narnia.

This novel has an approximate sales number of $85 million dollars, becoming so one of the best selling books of fantasy.

What about you, fancy entering the wardrobe?  also, if you are looking for books for children here you have some book suggestions for kids.

4.The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

The Hobbit book cover

The first work by the author J.R.R Tolkien was published on 21 September, 1937 and after that came The Lord of The Rings. This novel tells the story of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who will embark on a journey he never expected along with dwarfs and the wizard Gandalf.

The Hobbit has sold more than $100 million.

Who would have said that what started being a story for kids became the reason Fantasy is the way we know it these days? As a result, Tolkien became the father of modern fantasy, here is how: This is how Tolkien influenced fantasy.

3.Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K Rowling

Harry potter sorcerers stone book cover

Also known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone. This is where Harry Potter’s life as a wizard begins, when being eleven years old he receives The Hogwarts letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. J.K Rowling’s work became a success, and its first novel was published on 26 June, 1997. Let’s hope we revive that feeling with the upcoming Harry Potter rpg videogame. Here you have all the Harry Potter books in order.

The sales of this novel are approximately around $120 million dollars. For those missing the magic and the fun, here are some books similar to Harry Potter.

2.The Lord of the Rings by  J.R.R Tolkien

the-lord-of-the-rings-book-cover

This epic high fantasy novel was published on 29 July, 1954. This novel is the sequel of The Hobbit, but it eventually became a much more significant and notorious work than its prequel. For those wondering, yes, The Lord of The Rings is a single novel. The fellowship of the ring, The two towers and The return of the king are the three volumes that comprise this book.

The approximate sales of this novel are $ 150 million. Ey, fans of LOTR, did you know about the upcoming Amazon Lord of the Rings tv series?

Which is the best selling fantasy book of all time?

So, it turns out not even The Lord of The Rings or any of Harry Potter’s books is the best selling fantasy book of all time. Even so, it seems that wasn’t’ an obstacle to be included in the highest grossing fantasy films in history.

But if none of those sagas, being so popular fantasy books, is honored for being the top selling book, which is it? Drums, if you please. The best seller book of all time in the fantasy genre is:

 1. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Don quixote book cover

The best selling fantasy book of all time is Don Quixote. This novel was written by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes and was published in 1605. Don Quixote tells the story of Alonso of Quixano, a man who loses his sanity and embarks into a journey becoming a knight-errant and reviving the era of chivalry. It is actually his madness what makes this story to become a fantasy story, since he will imaginary enemies such as giants which were in fact windmills as his companion, Sancho, points out:

“What giants?” asked Sancho Panza.

“Those you see over there,” replied his master, “with their long arms. Some of them have arms well nigh two leagues in length.”

“Take care, sir,” cried Sancho. “Those over there are not giants but windmills. Those things that seem to be their arms are sails which, when they are whirled around by the wind, turn the millstone.”

The estimated sales of Don Quixote’s book amount approximately $500 million.

Hope you enjoyed this list of best selling  fantasy books, did you expect these novels to make the list? Which novel did you expect to be the top selling fantasy novel of all time?

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