The Greatest Authors of All Time
Ever wondered who the greatest authors of all time are? We've analyzed 743 diverse book lists to create this comprehensive ranking of literary masters. Our algorithm considers several key factors to determine each author's position:
- Book Rankings: Each author's score starts with the sum of their books' rankings from our master list.
- Number of Great Books: Authors are rewarded for having multiple highly-ranked books. The more great books an author has, the higher their overall score.
- Age of Books: Older books receive a small bonus to their score, with the maximum bonus going to books over 100 years old.
This system ensures that authors with multiple enduring works are recognized, while still giving weight to the quality of individual books. The rankings are automatically calculated and updated as new lists are added to our database.
5601. Ari Shapiro
American journalist and radio broadcaster; co-host of NPR's All Things Considered and former NPR correspondent covering the White House and national politics.
5602. Jonathan Vigliotti
American journalist and television correspondent, known for reporting for CBS News (national correspondent/reporter) covering breaking news and major events.
5603. Thom Hartmann
American broadcaster, progressive political commentator, and author; host of The Thom Hartmann Program and writer on politics and media.
5604. Anabel Hernández
Mexican investigative journalist and author known for exposés on drug cartels, organized crime, and government corruption; author of Los Señores del Narco and other investigative works.
5605. Mysore Hiriyanna
Indian philosopher, Sanskrit scholar and Kannada writer; author of Outlines of Indian Philosophy and a noted teacher and literary critic associated with Mysore academic institutions.
5606. Osho
Indian spiritual teacher and mystic, best known as Osho (formerly Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), founder of the Rajneesh movement and author of numerous discourses and writings.
5607. Jarrett Adams
American attorney and exoneree who was wrongfully convicted as a teenager and later exonerated; now works as an advocate for wrongful-conviction reform and criminal justice issues.
5608. Madeleine K. Albright
Czech-born American diplomat and author; served as the first female U.S. Secretary of State (1997–2001) under President Bill Clinton and as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1993–1997).
5609. Julian Assange
Australian editor, publisher and computer programmer; founder of WikiLeaks, known for publishing classified materials and for prolonged legal and diplomatic controversies including asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy (2012–2019), subsequent arrest in the United Kingdom, and extradition/espionage proceedings involving the United States.
5610. Aldo Leopold
American ecologist, forester, conservationist, and author best known for his work in wildlife ecology and environmental ethics, and for writing A Sand County Almanac.
5611. Hampton Sides
American historian, journalist, and author of narrative nonfiction and popular history, known for books such as Ghost Soldiers, Blood and Thunder, Hellhound on His Trail, In the Kingdom of Ice, and On Desperate Ground.
5612. Bob Drury
American journalist and author, known for writing military-history and non-fiction books, including co-authoring 'The Last Stand of Fox Company.'
5613. Greg Grandin
American historian and author specializing in U.S. foreign policy, Latin American history, and the history of empire; author of Empire's Workshop, Fordlandia, and The End of the Myth (winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in History).
5614. Niccolò Machiavelli
Renaissance political philosopher, diplomat, and writer best known for The Prince and contributions to modern political theory and realist political thought.
5615. Rachel Bitecofer
American political scientist and election analyst known for forecasting U.S. elections and analysis of voter behavior.
5616. Liza Mundy
American journalist and non-fiction author, known for books including Code Girls (about American women codebreakers in WWII), The Richer Sex, and reporting on gender, politics, and national security.
5617. Walt Bogdanich
American investigative journalist and reporter, known for investigative work in national news outlets and a winner of multiple major journalism awards.
5618. Adam Nagourney
American journalist and author; longtime reporter for The New York Times, known for coverage of politics, elections and national affairs.
5619. James H. Creechan
5620. Miron Białoszewski
Polish poet, novelist, playwright and diarist, a leading figure of postwar Polish literature known for experimental language, everyday speech rhythms and innovative poetry and prose.
5621. K. Natwar Singh
Indian diplomat, politician and author; former Indian Minister of External Affairs and long-serving member of the Indian Foreign Service and the Indian National Congress, known for his memoirs and writings on foreign policy.
5622. Alison Levine
American mountaineer, expedition leader, motivational speaker, and author.
5623. Muhammad Yunus
Bangladeshi economist and social entrepreneur, founder of Grameen Bank and pioneer of microcredit and microfinance; awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
5624. Osho
Indian mystic and spiritual teacher, best known as Osho (formerly Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh). Founder of the Rajneesh movement and author of numerous spiritual discourses; a controversial figure for his teachings and the communes he established in India and the United States.
5625. Charles Willeford
American novelist, short story writer, and poet known for hardboiled crime fiction and darkly comic noir; best known for the Hoke Moseley novels (including Miami Blues) and for blending literary experimentation with pulp sensibilities.
5626. Philip Kapleau
American Zen teacher and author; founder of the Rochester Zen Center and author of The Three Pillars of Zen, influential in bringing Zen Buddhism to the West.
5627. Alan W. Watts
British philosopher, writer, and speaker best known for popularizing Eastern philosophy (especially Zen Buddhism and Taoism) for Western audiences; author of works such as The Way of Zen and The Wisdom of Insecurity.
5628. John Stuart Mill
English-British philosopher, political economist, and civil servant (1806–1873) known for works on utilitarianism, liberal political theory, and social reform, including On Liberty, Utilitarianism, and The Subjection of Women.
5629. James H. Cone
African-American theologian and leading figure in Black Liberation Theology; professor at Union Theological Seminary and author of influential works including Black Theology and Black Power (1969) and A Black Theology of Liberation (1970).
5630. Sean McFate
American author, defense analyst, and former private military contractor who writes on modern warfare, mercenaries, and defense policy.
5631. James A. Millward
American historian specializing in modern Chinese and Central Asian history; professor at Georgetown University and author of 'Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang' and other works on Xinjiang and Central Asia.
5633. Saikrishna Bangalore Prakash
American legal scholar and law professor specializing in constitutional law, federal courts, and separation of powers.
5634. Lillian Rogers Parks
African American White House maid and seamstress who served for decades and co-authored a memoir about life and domestic service in the White House.
5635. William V. Taylor Jr.
5636. Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli politician and leader of the Likud party; long-serving Prime Minister of Israel (first term 1996–1999; later 2009–2021 and again beginning in 2022). Former diplomat and public figure.
5637. Martin Luther
German monk, theologian, and seminal leader of the Protestant Reformation; authored the Ninety-Five Theses (1517), challenged Catholic Church practices, was excommunicated, and translated the Bible into German.
5638. Thomas Hobbes
English philosopher best known for his work on political philosophy, especially Leviathan (1651); developed early social contract theory and a materialist, mechanistic view of human nature.
5639. Jeff Guinn
American author of popular narrative nonfiction and history, known for books on true crime and American historical figures (e.g., Bonnie and Clyde, Charles Manson).
5640. A. Roger Ekirch
American historian known for research on the history of sleep and nighttime; author of At Day's Close: Night in Times Past (2005).
5641. Mari Sandoz
Nebraska-born author and historian known for books about the Great Plains and Native American history, including Old Jules and Crazy Horse.
5642. John Dennehy
5643. Paul Bierman
American geologist and professor at the University of Vermont known for research in Quaternary geology, geomorphology, and cosmogenic‑nuclide exposure dating.
5644. Howard Stern
American radio and media personality, author, and television/podcast host best known for hosting The Howard Stern Show; prominent and often controversial 'shock jock' figure.
5645. Max Mermelstein
American criminal and drug trafficker who served as a logistics coordinator for the Medellín Cartel and later became a cooperating witness and informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
5646. Nick Estes
Nick Estes is a Native American historian, writer, and organizer, a citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. He is a co-founder of The Red Nation and the author of Our History Is the Future; his work focuses on Indigenous resistance, decolonization, and recent movements such as Standing Rock.
5647. Bob Harig
American sports journalist who covers golf for ESPN.
5648. Ronan Farrow
American journalist, lawyer, and former government advisor known for investigative reporting on sexual misconduct, notably reporting on Harvey Weinstein; author of Catch and Kill.
5649. Robert Mazur
Former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent and author, known for leading undercover investigations into money laundering and for his memoir 'The Infiltrator' about operations against Colombian drug cartels and corrupt financial institutions.
5650. David Ritz
American author, biographer, and ghostwriter best known for music biographies and memoir collaborations, including 'Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye' and co-authoring Ray Charles's autobiography 'Brother Ray'.