America's most popular book is the Bible?

It has been thought for a long time that the book which has the most copies worldwide is the bible. BUT, this is really just a twisting of the facts.

Most bibles are not sold to individuals, they are given away after being bought in bulk from printers

They count all translations and variations into one single statistic - no other publication can do this. (The Japanese translation of Harry Potter is not counted in the NYT best sellers list).

A book should really be read before it is counted. Many households have at least one copy of the bible - but how many occupants of each household have actually read it?

There are way more copies of the Bible and in more languages throughout History than any other book. Look at the most popular books today (not including the Bible). They may be the most popular now, but give 5, 10, 20 years, and they will lose their popularity. The Bible never lost its popularity. Also, many times throughout History, there were different accounts of people who tried to destroy the Bible. They burned tons of Bibles. Yet they died and the Bible is still just as popular as ever. No other book is like it. It's more than just a book too. It is God's love letter to His people. It is also a guide for life and godliness and salvation. It contains all the answers about life. History, Science, Archaelogy and Prophecy fullfilled proves its authenticity and infallibility and inerrancy. The different books that make up the Bible were written in a span of about 1500 years by about 40 men of differing occupations, yet they all have the same consistent message. No other book is like that. Also, there are over 300 prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament that have been fulfilled in the New Testament. The odds of only 8 of those prophecies being fulfilled in one person is impossible by chance. The Bible is one of God's gifts to mankind. The other being Salvation through Jesus Christ which is documented in the Bible (and even non-Christians two thousand years ago documented Jesus sacrifice on the cross). And without God, we would have no life, no air to breathe, no water to drink, no fruits, vegetables, nuts, milk from animals, bread (from wheat or other grains) and such to eat, and the Earth wouldn't be fine-tuned to support life if it weren't for God. God is the giver and sustainer of all life. We can thank the Lord God that He gave us everything we need for life and godliness.

Gone with the Wind sold more copies than the Bible at one stage. Harry Potter & that annoying Dan Brown book have probably done the same.

By the looks of your description, I assume the survey asked them what they regard as the most popular book, not taking into account whether or not they regarded it as their favourite book. So yeah, I think they answered honestly, but that doesn't make the Bible the most popular book, regardless of how many people you survey. It just means people think of the Bible as the most popular book.

Oh yeah - You Are My Sunshine beats Happy Birthday as the world's most well-known song. And you don't have to pay royalties for it.

This makes me think of all those tourists you see in New York who go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art because they think they're "supposed to", but they really don't know what to look for when they look at art (not trying to sound like a snob here), so they look at each artwork for 2 seconds and then go on to the next one without knowing exactly what the artwork is about. They spend their time at the museum but come away with no valuable internalized experience. I can imagine a lot of these people who say that the Bible is their favorite book are kind of similar to that. Reading the Bible is only the first step. Understanding what it really means is the more important task. If they can explain what the deep meaning of the Bible that is relevant to our lives here on Earth today is, then they're really getting something out of reading it. Otherwise, they're just wasting their time looking at words.

I'm not trying to be insulting here, but really, I think you're right. There's a difference between 'spiritually meaningful' and 'popular'. Take any ten random Christians and ask them what they're more likely to read when they're bored, the Bible or whatever non-biblical book they've recently been reading. I bet ya it's only maybe 1 in 10 who'd honestly read the Bible.

Unfortunately for this country it is the St James Bible or byproduct of. Most refuse to believe a king would dink around with a holy book. Guess again. Many kings throughout history put themselves on level with the gods. Some claimed to be a god. A mere book would be nothing to them.

Probably. Publishers know that the Bible is the highest selling book in the world. The second Is Quotations from Chairman Mao.

I think the Bible has been the most popular book for many years. I have read that more Bibles are sold than any other book.

If you are a Christian and study the Bible you will know why it is such a popular book.

i locate the bible as interesting as the different semi-historic mythological e book. it is were given some solid bits. I likely study...oh, perhaps 12 books a 12 months. not almost as many as i could like, or as many as I propose to...I do in simple terms not get round to studying as a lot as i want.

I think the survey is accurate. The most book most commonly owned by people is the Bible. My second favorite made it too. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.