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:

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.

3651. Leo Tolstoj

Russian novelist, short-story writer, playwright and philosopher, best known for the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina; a leading figure in realist literature and later in moral, religious and political thought (advocated Christian anarchism and pacifism).

Leo Tolstoj's highest rated books

3652. Daniel Gottlieb

American jazz drummer, best known as a founding member of the Pat Metheny Group and for his work with groups such as Steps Ahead as well as extensive session and live performance work.

Daniel Gottlieb's highest rated books

3653. हजारी प्रसाद द्विवेदी

Prominent Hindi writer, scholar, literary historian and critic known for essays, novels, cultural history and work on Sanskrit and Hindi literature.

हजारी प्रसाद द्विवेदी's highest rated books

3654. David Wallechinsky

American author and popular historian best known for reference works such as The Complete Book of the Olympics and The People's Almanac, focusing on Olympic history, trivia and compilations.

David Wallechinsky's highest rated books

3655. Osho

Indian mystic and spiritual teacher known as Osho (formerly Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), founder of the Rajneesh movement; influential and controversial for his teachings, writings, meditation techniques and the Rajneeshpuram commune.

Osho's highest rated books

3656. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher, mystic, and founder of the Rajneesh (Osho) movement, known for his talks on meditation and controversial leadership of the Rajneeshpuram community in the United States.

Osho's highest rated books

3657. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic, best known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and later Osho; founder of the Rajneesh movement and communes, noted for his teachings on meditation and controversial social and legal disputes in India and the United States.

Osho's highest rated books

3658. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic, commonly known as Osho (also Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh). Founder of the Rajneesh movement, known for his teachings on meditation, tantra, and critique of organized religion; a controversial public figure who established ashrams in India and the United States.

Osho's highest rated books

3659. M.K. Gupta

M.K. Gupta's highest rated books

3660. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic, known publicly as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and later Osho; founder of the Rajneesh movement and the Rajneeshpuram commune in Oregon; influential and controversial for his teachings on meditation, sexuality, and social issues.

Osho's highest rated books

3661. Brian L. Weiss

American psychiatrist, hypnotherapist, and author best known for his work on past-life regression and his book "Many Lives, Many Masters."

Brian L. Weiss's highest rated books

3662. Bhaskar Ghose

Indian civil servant and author, known for his work in public administration and broadcasting.

Bhaskar Ghose's highest rated books

3663. M.K. Kaw

M.K. Kaw's highest rated books

3664. Pavan K. Varma

Indian diplomat, writer and politician, known for books and essays on culture, literature and Indian politics.

Pavan K. Varma's highest rated books

3665. T.S.R. Subramanian

Indian civil servant and senior government official (commonly published as T.S.R. Subramanian).

T.S.R. Subramanian's highest rated books

3666. Vivek Kaul

Indian financial journalist and author known for writing about finance, the economy, and markets.

Vivek Kaul's highest rated books

3667. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic (1931–1990), known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and later Osho; founder of the Rajneesh movement and author of numerous works on meditation and spirituality.

Osho's highest rated books

3668. Ken Ludwig

American playwright and theatre director, best known for comic plays and musicals such as Lend Me a Tenor and Crazy for You.

Ken Ludwig's highest rated books

3669. John W. Foreman

John W. Foreman's highest rated books

3670. Berkery

Berkery's highest rated books

3671. Lawrence G. McDonald

American finance author and former Lehman Brothers executive, known for the book "A Colossal Failure of Common Sense" about the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the 2008 financial crisis.

Lawrence G. McDonald's highest rated books

3672. Edward de Bono

Maltese physician, psychologist, author and consultant best known for developing the concept of "lateral thinking" and the "Six Thinking Hats" method; prolific writer on creativity, thinking skills and innovation.

Edward de Bono's highest rated books

3673. Brian Klemmer

Brian Klemmer's highest rated books

3674. Ramachandra Guha

Indian historian, writer, and public intellectual known for works on modern Indian history, environmental history, and biographies, including 'India After Gandhi.'

Ramachandra Guha's highest rated books

3675. C.K. Prahalad

Indian management scholar and business thinker, professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, known for work on core competencies (with Gary Hamel) and for 'The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid'.

C.K. Prahalad's highest rated books

3676. Ruchir Sharma

Indian-born investor, financier and author known for books on global economics and emerging markets (e.g., Breakout Nations; The Rise and Fall of Nations). Former chief global strategist and head of emerging markets at Morgan Stanley Investment Management.

Ruchir Sharma's highest rated books

3677. Tom Stafford

British cognitive psychologist and science writer, co-author of the book 'Mind Hacks', and known for science communication and blogging; has been affiliated with the University of Sheffield.

Tom Stafford's highest rated books

3678. Derren Brown

English mentalist, illusionist, hypnotist, author and television personality known for stage shows and TV specials that combine magic, suggestion, psychology and misdirection; author of books including Tricks of the Mind.

Derren Brown's highest rated books

3679. Richard Wiseman

British psychologist, author, and public science communicator known for research on luck, decision making, misconceptions, and the psychology of paranormal beliefs; author of popular science books such as The Luck Factor and 59 Seconds and a professor formerly holding the chair in the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire.

Richard Wiseman's highest rated books

3680. Edwin F. Bryant

American scholar of religion and Indology, known for work on Hinduism, Sanskrit, and Yoga; author of translations and commentaries such as on the Yoga Sūtras and studies of Vedic and classical Indian traditions.

Edwin F. Bryant's highest rated books

3681. Ashutosh Varshney

Indian political scientist and professor at Brown University, known for research on ethnic conflict, communal violence, and democracy; author of Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life: Hindus and Muslims in India.

Ashutosh Varshney's highest rated books

3682. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic, known as Osho (also Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh). Founder of the Rajneesh movement, noted for his prolific talks on meditation and controversial communal experiments, including ashrams in Pune, India and Rajneeshpuram in Oregon, USA.

Osho's highest rated books

3683. Osho

Indian mystic, spiritual teacher, and founder of the Rajneesh movement. Born Chandra Mohan Jain, he was also known as Rajneesh and Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh before adopting the name Osho; known for his teachings on meditation and controversial activities surrounding the Rajneeshpuram commune in the United States.

Osho's highest rated books

3684. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic, widely known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and later Osho; founder of the Rajneesh movement, noted for teachings on meditation, mysticism and controversial social and sexual views, and for communities in Pune (India) and Rajneeshpuram (Oregon, USA).

Osho's highest rated books

3685. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Indian philosopher, scholar and statesman; leading interpreter of Advaita Vedanta, prominent teacher and author of works on Indian philosophy; served as India's first Vice-President (1952–1962) and second President (1962–1967).

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's highest rated books

3686. Heinrich Päs

German theoretical physicist known for work in neutrino physics and phenomenology of physics beyond the Standard Model.

Heinrich Päs's highest rated books

3687. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic, founder of the Rajneesh movement, widely known as Osho; prolific author of discourses on meditation, religion and philosophy, and a controversial public figure associated with communes in India and the United States.

Osho's highest rated books

3688. Amritlal Nagar

Prominent Indian Hindi-language novelist, short story writer, playwright and critic, influential in 20th-century Hindi literature.

Amritlal Nagar's highest rated books

3689. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic, better known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and later Osho; founder of the Rajneesh movement, known for his teachings on meditation and mysticism and for the controversial Rajneeshpuram community in the United States.

Osho's highest rated books

3690. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic, founder of the Rajneesh movement (also known as the Osho movement). Noted for his discourses on meditation, spirituality, and social issues; founded an ashram in Pune and the Rajneeshpuram community in Oregon. A controversial figure due to his unorthodox teachings and the legal and political conflicts surrounding his movement.

Osho's highest rated books

3691. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic (best known as Osho, formerly Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), founder of the Rajneesh movement, known for his writings and talks blending Eastern mysticism and Western psychology and for establishing ashrams in India and the United States.

Osho's highest rated books

3692. Osho

Indian mystic and spiritual teacher, founder of the Rajneesh movement, originally known as Chandra Mohan Jain and later as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and Osho; prolific author and speaker of spiritual discourses and a controversial public figure.

Osho's highest rated books

3693. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic (1931–1990), founder of the Rajneesh movement; led an ashram in Pune and the controversial Rajneeshpuram commune in Oregon; prolific author of discourses on meditation, spirituality, and social criticism.

Osho's highest rated books

3694. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic, born Chandra Mohan Jain; known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and later Osho. Founder of the Rajneesh movement, author of many spiritual works, associated with meditation techniques and the Rajneeshpuram commune in Oregon; a controversial figure involved in legal and social disputes.

Osho's highest rated books

3695. Osho

Indian spiritual teacher and mystic, founder of the Rajneesh (Osho) movement, known for his teachings on meditation and sexuality and for the controversial Rajneeshpuram commune in Oregon.

Osho's highest rated books

3696. Osho

Indian mystic and spiritual teacher, widely known as Osho (formerly Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh). Founder of the Rajneesh movement and author of numerous books of talks and essays; led ashrams in India and an intentional community in Oregon, USA, and was a controversial public figure.

Osho's highest rated books

3697. Chinmayananda

Indian Hindu spiritual leader and teacher of Advaita Vedanta; founder of the Chinmaya Mission; known for popularizing Vedantic teachings through lectures, books, and study centers worldwide.

Chinmayananda's highest rated books

3698. Vālmīki

Ancient Indian sage and poet traditionally credited as the author of the Sanskrit epic the Rāmāyaṇa; revered as the 'Adi Kavi' (first poet) in the Sanskrit literary tradition.

Vālmīki's highest rated books

3699. Jeremy Whitley

American comic book writer, best known as the creator and writer of the independent series Princeless.

Jeremy Whitley's highest rated books

3700. Kelly Thompson

American comic-book writer and editor, known for work on licensed and mainstream comics (including IDW's Jem and the Holograms and various Marvel projects).

Kelly Thompson's highest rated books