The Greatest Authors of All Time
Ever wondered who the greatest authors of all time are? We've analyzed 759 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.
9251. Megan Devine
Megan Devine is an American author, psychotherapist, and grief advocate best known for the book "It's OK That You're Not OK" and for founding the Refuge in Grief community and resources. She writes and speaks about grief, trauma-informed care, and supporting bereaved people.
9252. Malcolm Guite
English poet, Anglican priest, and academic known for Christian-themed poetry, theological and liturgical writing, and his role as chaplain at Girton College, Cambridge.
9255. Elaine Cooper
9256. Ruth Conway
9257. Murray Jardine
9258. Jon Fasman
9259. Quentin J. Schultze
9260. Robert Siegel
American radio journalist and broadcaster, longtime host of NPR's All Things Considered (1987–2018) and former NPR correspondent and news anchor.
9261. Nicholas Samaras
9262. Emilie Griffin
9263. Marcy P. Driscoll
9264. Donovan L. Graham
9265. Sharon Daloz Parks
American educator and author who writes on moral and civic development, leadership, and guidance for young people; author of Big Questions, Worthy Dreams and other works on youth development.
9266. Paul D. Spears
9267. Louis A. Markos
American professor of English and scholar, long associated with Houston Christian University (formerly Houston Baptist University); author and lecturer on classical literature, C.S. Lewis, and Christian apologetics.
9268. David Tyack
American historian of education and Stanford professor, author of influential works on U.S. public schooling such as The One Best System and Tinkering Toward Utopia.
9269. Ed Moll
9270. Jane Grigson
English food writer and cookery author known for influential books and journalism (notably English Food) and for popularising traditional British and European cooking.
9271. Alice Medrich
American cookbook author, chocolatier, and baker known for influential chocolate and dessert books (including Bittersweet, Pure Chocolate, and Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy), founder of the Cocolat chocolatier, and recipient of multiple James Beard awards.
9272. Leah Libresco
American writer and journalist who writes on religion, ethics, and data-driven topics; former blogger for Patheos and has worked in data journalism (including FiveThirtyEight); author of the memoir/faith book Arriving at Amen.
9273. Victoria Schwab
American author of fantasy and speculative fiction for adults and young adults, known for the Shades of Magic series (A Darker Shade of Magic), Vicious, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue; frequently publishes as V. E. Schwab.
9274. Espasa
Spanish publisher and founder of Editorial Espasa, best known for initiating the Enciclopedia Espasa.
9275. Martín Verona
9276. Javier Echevarría
Spanish Roman Catholic priest who served as Prelate of Opus Dei from 1994 until his death in 2016.
9277. José Luis Ferris
9278. Ignacio María Doñoro de los Ríos
9279. Francisco J. Fernandez
9280. John L. Watson
9281. João Pereira Coutinho
Portuguese writer, columnist and political commentator.
9282. John the Apostle
One of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, traditionally identified as the son of Zebedee and brother of James. Associated in later tradition with the author(s) of Johannine writings (the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, and Revelation), though authorship and identification with John the Evangelist and John of Patmos are debated by scholars.
9283. Harlan Coben
American novelist best known for mystery and thriller fiction, creator of the Myron Bolitar series and numerous bestselling standalone thrillers (e.g., Tell No One); his books have been widely translated and adapted for screen.
9284. James Tooley
British education researcher and author known for empirical studies of low-cost private schools in developing countries and for the book The Beautiful Tree.
9285. Richard Baxter
English Puritan church leader, theologian and prolific author (1615–1691), best known for pastoral works such as The Reformed Pastor and The Saints' Everlasting Rest.
9286. Tim Chester
British evangelical pastor and author known for books on Christian discipleship and church life.
9287. Gregory Alan Thornbury
American author, academic, and evangelical Christian leader. Has held academic and leadership roles (including president of The King's College) and writes on evangelicalism, theology, and cultural issues.
9288. Charles Derber
American sociologist, professor and author known for critiques of corporate power, consumerism, and neoliberalism; author of works such as The Wilding of America and Sociopathic Society.
9289. Kevin M Watson
9290. Deborah Madison
American chef, cookbook author, and advocate of vegetarian and seasonal cooking; best known for works including 'Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone' and for her association with the Greens restaurant and sustainable food movements.
9292. Mariano F. Sanchez
9293. Carlos González
9294. Pío Moa
Spanish writer, journalist and controversial revisionist author known for his works on the origins of the Spanish Civil War and critiques of the established historical consensus.
9295. Vincent Cuvellier
French author known for books for children and young adults.
9296. Peter Seibel
American author and software developer, best known for Practical Common Lisp (2005) and the interview collection Coders at Work (2011).
9297. Andrea Bajani
Italian novelist, poet and journalist, author of fiction and non-fiction works.
9298. Sarah Glidden
American cartoonist and graphic nonfiction author known for reportage comics, including How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less and Rolling Blackouts: Dispatches from Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.
9299. Agatha Christie Mallowan
English crime novelist and playwright, creator of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, one of the best-selling authors of all time; married to archaeologist Sir Max Mallowan.