This question really depends on your definition of "famous" and how you propose to measure it. For example, one could think of fame in terms of how many people currently living in the world have heard of a book, but that would be somewhat difficult to measure as it would require surveying several billion people. Another way to measure fame would be by sales figures, although that is complicated by the possibility of reading books in libraries. Also, I'm not sure if film adaptations count; if someone has seen a film adaptation of a book, that person has in some way encountered a version of the book, but that is not the same as having read it.
The two most universally known books right now are probably the Bible and the Koran, as they are still regularly published in many editions, translations, and versions and sold or given away throughout the world. Another major work is the Analects of Confucius, a foundational work in the though of China which is the most populous nation in the world.
The Bible, the Koran, and Quotations from Chairman Mao top the list of all-time best sellers. Of modern books, the top five bestsellers are:
- Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities
- The Hobbit
- The Lord of the Rings
- The Little Prince
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
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