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.
4351. Rob Schrab
American writer, director, comic-book artist and producer; co-creator of Channel 101 and frequent collaborator with Dan Harmon, known for work in film and television.
4352. John Hodgman
American author, humorist, actor, and comedian known for satirical books (The Areas of My Expertise; More Information Than You Require; That Is All), appearances on The Daily Show, and roles in film, television, and advertising (notably Apple's 'Get a Mac' campaign).
4353. Michael Kupperman
American cartoonist and illustrator known for surreal and absurdist humor; creator of comics and collections such as Tales Designed to Thrizzle and Snake 'n' Bacon, and a contributor to magazines and anthologies.
4354. Bruce Campbell
American actor, producer, writer and author, best known for his cult-film role as Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series; author of memoirs and genre-related books.
4355. Jim Thompson
4356. Leonard Maltin
American film critic and historian, author of Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide and several books on film and animation, and longtime television film reviewer and commentator.
4357. Chancre Scolex
4358. Jhonen Vásquez
American cartoonist, writer, and animator best known for the alternative comic series Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and for creating/co-creating the animated series Invader Zim; noted for dark humor and satirical themes.
4359. Michael Crichton
American author, screenwriter, director, and producer best known for techno-thrillers and science fiction novels such as The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, Congo, Sphere, and Timeline; trained as a physician (Harvard Medical School) and creator/co-creator of television projects including ER.
4360. Ron Magliozzi
American radio personality and automotive journalist, best known as one half of the 'Click and Clack' brothers who hosted NPR's Car Talk.
4361. Bob Odenkirk
American actor, comedian, writer, and director best known for portraying Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill on Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul; co-creator of the sketch comedy series Mr. Show and a longtime comedy writer and performer.
4362. Scott Aukerman
American comedian, writer, actor, podcast host, and producer; best known as co-creator and host of the comedy podcast "Comedy Bang! Bang!" and as a co-creator/executive producer of its TV adaptation.
4363. Don Van Vliet
American musician, singer-songwriter and visual artist (best known as Captain Beefheart), leader of Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band; noted for experimental, avant‑garde rock and later work as a painter.
4364. Mike Barnes
4365. Michel Delville
Belgian guitarist, composer, writer and academic; professor of English literature and leader of the progressive/jazz group The Wrong Object; author and editor working on modernist literature and speculative/the fantastic writing.
4366. Neal Adams
American comic book artist and writer (1941–2022), influential for his realistic art and storytelling; notable for revitalizing Batman and for his Green Lantern/Green Arrow work, as well as advocacy for creators' rights.
4367. John Arcudi
American comic book writer best known for work at Dark Horse Comics (including The Mask) and for writing B.P.R.D./Hellboy Universe stories, as well as other comics for various publishers.
4368. Stan Lee
Comic-book writer, editor, publisher, and media personality best known as Stan Lee; longtime creative leader at Marvel Comics and co-creator (with various artists) of iconic characters including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Daredevil, and Doctor Strange.
4369. Gerry Conway
American comic-book writer, screenwriter, and editor best known for his work for Marvel and DC Comics; wrote The Amazing Spider-Man (including the 'Death of Gwen Stacy'), created the Punisher, and co-created Firestorm.
4370. Evan Dorkin
American cartoonist and writer, creator of Milk & Cheese and The Eltingville Club, and co-writer of Beasts of Burden; known for humor and satirical comics and recipient of industry awards.
4371. Alan Grant
Scottish comic book writer best known for work on 2000 AD (including Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog) and for Batman and other titles at DC Comics; frequent collaborator with John Wagner and artists such as Carlos Ezquerra.
4372. Dark Horse
American comic book publishing company (Dark Horse Comics), founded in 1986 and known for creator-owned titles and licensed comics and manga (e.g., Hellboy, Sin City, various manga translations).
4373. Tom De Haven
American novelist, critic, and teacher best known for his comic-book influenced fiction, including the novel "It's Superman!" and its sequels; he has written for both adult and young readers and written on popular culture.
4374. Otto Binder
American writer of science fiction and comic books, prominent in the Golden Age; longtime writer for Fawcett's Captain Marvel and later DC Comics (Superman family). Early in his career he wrote with his brother under the joint byline "Eando Binder" and is credited with creating or developing characters such as Supergirl and Mary Marvel.
4375. Rick Taylor
4376. Elliot S. Maggin
American comic-book writer and novelist, best known for his work on DC Comics' Superman titles in the 1970s and 1980s.
4377. Jerry Ordway
American comic-book artist, writer, penciler and inker, best known for his long association with DC Comics on Superman-related titles, including The Power of Shazam! and The Adventures of Superman, and for contributions to major DC events.
4378. Bill Griffith
American cartoonist best known as the creator of the long-running comic strip "Zippy the Pinhead"; active in underground comix and newspaper syndication.
4379. Michael Eury
American comics editor, writer, and historian associated with TwoMorrows Publishing; longtime editor of Back Issue! magazine and author of books on comic-book history and pop culture.
4380. Yoshihiro Togashi
Japanese manga artist best known for creating the popular series Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter × Hunter; influential in shōnen manga and married to fellow manga artist Naoko Takeuchi.
4381. Monkey Punch
Japanese manga artist (pen name Monkey Punch), best known as the creator of the manga series Lupin III, which spawned numerous anime adaptations, films, and widespread cultural influence.
4382. Nobuyuki Fukumoto
Japanese manga artist best known for gambling and psychological series such as Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji (Kaiji) and Akagi; noted for a distinctive, angular art style and themes of risk, desperation and human psychology.
4383. MAD Magazine
American humor and satire magazine founded in 1952, known for satirical articles, cartoons, and parodies. Originally launched as a comic book by Harvey Kurtzman and later published as a magazine by William Gaines; influential in American popular culture.
4384. Bill Parker
4385. Mac Raboy
American comics artist and illustrator, best known for his work on Captain Marvel Jr. and Flash Gordon.
4386. Jack Davis
4387. Roman Dirge
American cartoonist, writer, and illustrator, best known for creating the dark-humor comic series 'Lenore, the Cute Little Dead Girl.'
4388. Bill Gaines
American publisher best known for running EC Comics and founding MAD magazine; influential in horror, crime and satire comics and notable for his battles over comic-book censorship.
4389. Marcus Griffin
4390. J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Irish writer of Gothic, mystery and supernatural fiction (Victorian era), best known for the novella "Carmilla" and the novel "Uncle Silas"; influential in the development of the ghost story and detective fiction.
4391. Abdel Rahman el-Abnudi
Egyptian poet noted for writing in Egyptian colloquial Arabic (vernacular), author of popular songs and lyrics, and a prominent figure in modern Egyptian literature.
4392. Inea Bushnaq
4394. Kelly Barnhill
American author of children's and young adult fantasy fiction; winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal for The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Writes novels and short fiction.
4395. Peter W. Katsirubas
4396. Percy Bysshe Shelley
English Romantic poet and radical writer, author of works including 'Ozymandias', 'Ode to the West Wind', and 'Prometheus Unbound'; noted for his lyrical style and political and philosophical radicalism.
4397. Teddy Wayne
American novelist and short story writer, author of Kapitoil (2010), The Love Song of Jonny Valentine (2013), and Loner (2016).
4398. Dostoiévski
Russian novelist, short-story writer and essayist (1821–1881), author of Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot and Notes from Underground, noted for exploring psychology, morality, religion and existential themes.
4399. Fiódor Dostoiévski
Russian novelist, short-story writer, essayist and philosopher of the 19th century, best known for works such as Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, and The Brothers Karamazov.