24 of the best-selling novels of all time to read in 2024
The root of human civilisation is language – be it written, spoken, signed, sung or instrumentalised. Our ability to communicate both emotionally and intellectually sets us apart from other species, allowing us to relate to one another through shared experiences and affinities.
Indeed, when NASA was deciding what to put on the Voyager Golden Records– a series of sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life on Earth to potential aliens – a 90-minute selection of global music was deemed essential.
One wonders, if NASA had been able to include more, would they have thought to include a defining novel of human existence – and if so, which one? While we cannot assume that extraterrestrial beings can understand the written word (which is why the record’s instructions are engraved in a symbol-based language), would the works of Chaucer, famously the father of the English language, make the cut?
If not Chaucer’s tales, how about one of the best-selling novels of all time? In both 1977, when the records were made, and today as we enter 2024, the Bible remains the most sold and circulated piece of literature in the history of the planet. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, a survey by the Bible Society concluded that approximately 2.5 billion copies were printed between 1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the number at more than 5 billion.
On the other hand, J.K. Rowling’s series has the most entries on the list of best-selling novels ever – but it might be confusing for foreign life forms to delve into the wizarding world
