Top Book Holdings in World Libraries

Mar 262007
 
 March 26, 2007  Posted by at 12:31 pm  Add comments

The "Top 1000" titles most widely held by Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) member libraries—the intellectual works that have been judged to be worth owning by the "purchase vote" of libraries around the globe. The OCLC web site presents the top books most widely held by libraries, with thematic sublists, sample cover art, "Find in a Library" links, comparisons to other lists, and download files. A key to entries is available.

The list is derived from WorldCat, a library catalog of items held by 53,000 libraries in 96 countries.

OCLC Top 1000

Fun facts about the updated OCLC Top 1000

Because it reflects the decisions of many libraries over many years, the list would not be expected to change much from one year to the next. And, in fact, this year’s list is substantially the same as last year’s. What changes there are in individual rankings are due as much to continuing refinements in the list-building methodology as to changes in the system-wide collection actually held by libraries.

How do libraries choose?

Deciding what items to add to a library collection is part of what librarians call collection development. Libraries have written collection-development policies, which are based on the mission and goals of the library, the needs and requests of the community it serves, and the level of resources the library has to work with. Libraries also rely heavily on book reviews. A decision to purchase a single item is rarely made in isolation.

What does this list say about libraries?

Libraries are rich, deep, resources for preserving cultural heritage and indispensable resources for the communities they serve. By and large the list reflects true classics and canonical works of western culture. The list also shows the extent that libraries strive to meet the needs of their readers, by offering books in high demand any given year. The list contains classic works such as the Bible, utilitarian works such as the U.S. Census and also popular works such as Tom Brokaw’s Greatest Generation.

How the list was made:

WorldCat + FRBR + manual intervention + holdings + sorting

In a nutshell: we made a master list of all the items held by libraries around the globe. We tweaked it to bring together different printings and editions and translations, and then we counted the number of libraries that own each title. We ranked the titles in descending order by the number of items held by libraries. Then we provided some additional categories to create sublists of fiction, drama, children’s works, and so forth.

Top Children’s Books Held By Libraries 

The following is the list of children’s books found in the OCLC Top 1000: 

 

Rank Title – Author

 
Holdings 

  Biblio graphic Records   Rank on Complete List 
#1   Mother Goose    67,663      2,036            3
#2  Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain    42,724      1,132            7
#3  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll    39,277      1,942          10
#4  Night Before Christmas Clement Clarke Moore    33,343        846          14
#5  Garfield Jim Davis    33,234        154          15
#6  Tom Sawyer Mark Twain    32,233      1,100          16
#7  Aesop’s Fables Aesop    32,232      1,461          17
#8  Arabian Nights    31,728      2,414          18
#9  Gulliver’s Travels Jonathan Swift    29,066      1,206          20
#10  Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe    28,669      2,374          21
#11  Christmas Carol Charles Dickens    27,928      1,056          24
#12  Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson    27,643      1,414          26
#13  Fairy Tales Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm    21,662        614          50
#14  Wizard of Oz L. Frank Baum    20,537        464          54
#15  Little Women Louisa May Alcott    19,664        761          62
#16  Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank    19,541        339          63
#17  Peanuts Charles M. Shultz    18,700        365          69
#18  Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame    17,963        446          73
#19  Black Beauty Anna Sewell    17,134        739          78
#20  Three Musketeers Alexandre Dumas    16,935        817          80
#21  Kidnapped Robert Louis Stevenson    16,600        551          85
#22  Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Jules Verne    16,573        614          86
#23  Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett    15,762        343          98
#24  Pinocchio Carlo Collodi    15,170        767        108
#25  World Book Encyclopedia    14,984          56        114
#26  Heidi Johanna Spyri    14,679        530        118
#27  Prince and the Pauper Mark Twain    14,183        421        125
#28  Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court Mark Twain    14,099        275        127
#29  Anne of Green Gables L. M. Montgomery    14,032        312        128
#30  Child’s Garden of Verses Robert Louis Stevenson    13,977        435        130
#31  Tale of Peter Rabbit Beatrix Potter    1
3,894 		       417        132
#32  Winnie the Pooh A. A. Milne    13,588        308        142
#33  Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry    12,963        634        148
#34  Fables Jean de La Fontaine    12,708      1,133        149
#35  Velveteen Rabbit Margery Williams Bianco    12,600        171        154
#36  Peter Pan J. M. Barrie    12,426        314        161
#37  Jungle Book Rudyard Kipling    12,374        457        166
#38  Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe C. S. Lewis    11,561        148        189
#39  Peter and the Wolf Sergey Prokofiev    11,216        594        196
#40  White Fang Jack London    11,174        354        197
#41  Charlotte’s Web E. B. White    10,643        139        219
#42  Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone J. K. Rowling    10,595        141        220
#43  Song of Hiawatha Henry Wadsworth Longfellow    10,209        327        243
#44  Just So Stories Rudyard Kipling    10,193        266        245
#45  Kim Rudyard Kipling    10,190        271        246
#46  Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L’Engle      9,973        102        257
#47  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J. K. Rowling      9,840        117        263
#48  Swiss Family Robinson Johann Wyss      9,829        450        265
#49  Yearling Marjorie Rawlings      9,360        148        281
#50  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J. K. Rowling      9,083        101        304
#51  Captains Courageous Rudyard Kipling      8,779        220        324
#52  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J. K. Rowling      8,482          80        350
#53  Magician’s Nephew C. S. Lewis      8,345        106        362
#54  Goodnight Moon Margaret Wise Brown      8,338          80        363
#55  Hatchet Gary Paulsen      8,279          64        367
#56  Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle      8,195        112        371
#57  Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry Mildred D. Taylor      8,182          63        373
#58  Owl and the Pussycat Edward Lear      8,053          91        385
#59  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl      7,976        106        391
#60  Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson      7,956          74        394
#61  Madeline Ludwig Bemelmans      7,938          97        397
#62  Through the Looking Glass Lewis Carroll      7,892        417        405
#63  Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak      7,834        106        412
#64  Tuck Everlasting Natalie Babbitt      7,717        100        419
#65  Hans Brinker Mary Mapes Dodge      7,654        262        428
#66  Make Way for Ducklings Robert McCloskey      7,614        102        432
#67  Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith      7,555          92        439
#68  Horse and his Boy C. S. Lewis      7,517          92        442
#69  Cat in the Hat Dr. Seuss      7,511          91        444
#70  Last Battle C. S. Lewis      7,504          89        445
#71  Voyage of the Dawn Treader C. S. Lewis      7,494          94        447
#72  Little Engine that Could Watty Piper      7,441          88        450
#73  Rip Van Winkle Washington Irving      7,425        277        453
#74  Caps for Sale Esphyr Slobodkina      7,377        101        457
#75  James and the Giant Peach Roald Dahl      7,344          94        462
#76  Cheaper by the Dozen Frank B. Gilbreth      7,312          63        470
#77  Red Pony John Steinbeck      7,309        114        472
#78  Anne of Avonlea L. M. Montgomery      7,287        151        475
#79  Casey at the Bat Ernest Lawrence Thayer      7,225          56        481
#80  Caddie Woodlawn Carol Ryrie Brink      7,147          67        495
#81  Stuart Little E. B. White      7,132          82        498
#82  Little House in the Big Woods Laura Ingalls Wilder      7,107          95        499
#83  Number the Stars Lois Lowry      7,103          65        500
#84  Silver Chair C. S. Lewis      7,095          84        503
#85  Little Princess Frances Hodgson Burnett      7,077        179        506
#86  Little House on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder      7,055          97        512
#87  Holes Louis Sachar      7,048          51        515
#88  Outsiders S. E. Hinton      7,025          75        519
#89  Sounder William Howard Armstrong      7,009          64        524
#90  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix J. K. Rowling      6,976          57        529
#91  Paul Revere’s Ride Henry Wadsworth Longfellow      6,969          43   &n
bsp;    530
#92  Giver Lois Lowry      6,962          68        532
#93  Dear Mr. Henshaw Beverly Cleary      6,935          60        534
#94  From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler E. L. Konigsburg      6,891          77        546
#95  Sarah, Plain and Tall Patricia MacLachlan      6,860          78        552
#96  Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret Judy Blume      6,845          53        555
#97  House at Pooh Corner A. A. Milne      6,829        137        559
#98  Witch of Blackbird Pond Elizabeth George Speare      6,806          60        565
#99  Island of the Blue Dolphins Scott O’Dell      6,738          62        572
#100  Curious George H. A. Rey      6,713          99        580
#101  Legend of Sleepy Hollow Washington Irving      6,648        185        590
#102  Three Little Pigs      6,603        147        598
#103  Julie of the Wolves Jean Craighead George      6,603          82        599
#104  Incredible Journey Sheila Every Burnford      6,588          61        603
#105  Cricket in Times Square George Selden      6,559          77        607
#106  Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin      6,548          98        616
#107  Cinderella Charles Perrault      6,531        155        618
#108  Nightingale Hans Christian Andersen      6,495        123        630
#109  Watership Down Richard Adams      6,301          59        663
#110  Jacob Have I Loved Katherine Paterson      6,290          41        666
#111  Ramona Quimby, Age 8 Beverly Cleary      6,278          65        672
#112  Shiloh Phyllis Reynolds Naylor      6,276          48        673
#113  Sylvester and the Magic Pebble William Steig      6,211          61        689
#114  Green Eggs and Ham Dr. Seuss      6,162          63        702
#115  Story of Ferdinand Munro Leaf      6,154       &nbsp
;  92 		       704
#116  Mysterious Island Jules Verne      6,150        217        705
#117  Old Yeller Fred Gipson      6,132          57        712
#118  King of the Wind Marguerite Henry      6,130          66        714
#119  Summer of the Swans Betsy Cromer Byars      6,130          63        715
#120  Prince Caspian the Return to Narnia C. S. Lewis      6,117          39        722
#121  Thumbelina Hans Christian Andersen      6,108        139        725
#122  My Side of the Mountain Jean Craighead George      6,106          53        726
#123  Slave Dancer Paula Fox      6,093          47        732
#124  Story of Mankind Hendrik Willem Van Loon      6,085          91        734
#125  Tale of Benjamin Bunny Beatrix Potter      6,081        149        737
#126  Whipping Boy Sid Fleischman      5,998          56        750
#127  Mary Poppins P. L. Travers      5,992   &nbsp
;    110 		       753
#128  Misty of Chincoteague Marguerite Henry      5,981          58        756
#129  Old Mother Hubbard Sarah Catherine Martin      5,977        178        758
#130  On the Banks of Plum Creek Laura Ingalls Wilder      5,952          64        772
#131  Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Judy Blume      5,948          55        776
#132  Chocolate War Robert Cormier      5,929          51        784
#133  Runaway Bunny Margaret Wise Brown      5,909          52        788
#134  Ugly Duckling Hans Christian Andersen      5,895        202        793
#135  Henry Huggins Beverly Cleary      5,891          46        795
#136  Where the Red Fern Grows Wilson Rawls      5,886          33        797
#137  Anne of the Island L. M. Montgomery      5,877        118        802
#138  Indian in the Cupboard Lynne Reid Banks      5,852          50        808
#139  Superfudge Judy Blume      5,849          48        809
#140  Light in the Forest Conrad Richter      5,838          57        814
#141  Where’s Waldo Martin Handford      5,823          71        817
#142  Dicey’s Song Cynthia Voigt      5,801          34        822
#143  Hansel and Gretel      5,782          72        825
#144  Amelia Bedelia Peggy Parish      5,768          49        830
#145  Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh Robert C. O’Brien      5,750          63        836
#146  Fairy Tales Charles Perrault      5,749        393        837
#147  Maniac Magee Jerry Spinelli      5,723          35        843
#148  Steadfast Tin Soldier Hans Christian Andersen      5,707          84        847
#149  Harriet the Spy Louise Fitzhugh      5,672          49        856
#150  Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of His Marvellous Travels      5,663        571        859
#151  Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Bill Martin      5,654          42        860
#152  Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Judith Viorst      5,581          41        887
#153  Phantom Tollbooth Norton Juster      5,579          65        888
#154  Pippi Longstocking Astrid Lindgren      5,564        113        893
#155  Ramona the Pest Beverly Cleary      5,547          44        897
#156  Polar Express Chris Van Allsburg      5,512          48        912
#157  House that Jack Built      5,510        142        913
#158  Across Five Aprils Irene Hunt      5,460          42        931
#159  Ramona and Her Father Beverly Cleary      5,455          54        934
#160  Matilda Roald Dahl      5,436          68        941
#161  Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears Verna Aardema      5,386          57        959
#162  Emperor’s New Clothes Hans Christian Andersen      5,370        163        965
#163  Read Aloud Handbook Jim Trelease      5,368          11        966
#164  Danny and the Dinosaur Syd Hoff      5,364          56        967
#165  Light in the Attic Shel Silverstein      5,358          28        972
#166  Trumpet of the Swan E. B. White      5,355          50        975
#167  Borrowers Mary Norton      5,344          72        978
#168  Great Gilly Hopkins Katherine Paterson      5,336          57        980
#169  Hero and the Crown Robin McKinley      5,333          23        981
#170  Day No Pigs Would Die Robert Peck      5,332          49        983
#171  Farner Boy Laura Ingalls Wilder      5,297          48        994
#172  Blueberries for Sal Robert McCloskey      5,296          61        995