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.
4601. Alan Sugar
British business magnate and television personality, founder of the electronics company Amstrad, best known as the star of the BBC's The Apprentice and as a life peer (Baron Sugar).
4602. Jeremy Clarkson
British broadcaster, journalist and author best known for motoring journalism and as a long-time presenter of the TV series Top Gear and later The Grand Tour; columnist and writer of books on cars and popular culture.
4603. Tom Carew
4604. Jack Harvey
American actor, film director and writer active in the silent film era.
4605. Michael Saunders
4606. Geraint Thomas
Welsh professional road and former track cyclist. Winner of the 2018 Tour de France, Olympic gold medalist in the team pursuit, and long-time member of Team Sky/Ineos.
4607. Craig Harrison
New Zealand novelist and short story writer, best known for the novel The Quiet Earth (1981), which was adapted into a 1985 film.
4608. Guy Gibson
British Royal Air Force officer and pilot, leader of the 1943 'Dambusters' raid (Operation Chastise), recipient of the Victoria Cross and other decorations, and author of the memoir 'Enemy Coast Ahead'. Killed in action in 1944.
4609. Alistair MacLean
Scottish novelist and thriller writer best known for mid-20th-century adventure and war thrillers such as The Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, and Ice Station Zebra; many works were adapted for film.
4610. Amelia Ireland
4611. Derek Prince
British Bible teacher and author, known for teachings on deliverance, spiritual warfare, and biblical living; founder of Derek Prince Ministries.
4612. Martin Ingram
4613. Alan Plater
English playwright, screenwriter and novelist known for television, radio and stage work, including contributions to Z-Cars and The Beiderbecke Trilogy.
4614. Karl Howman
English actor (born 1953) known for television work, notably his appearances in the BBC sitcom Brush Strokes and other TV roles.
4615. Calle J. Brookes
4616. Derek J. Prime
4617. C.L. Taylor
British novelist who publishes as C.L. Taylor, known for psychological thriller novels such as The Accident, The Lie and The Fear Game.
4618. Virginia Roberts Giuffre
American woman who has publicly accused Jeffrey Epstein and others of sexual abuse and trafficking; a survivor-advocate who has participated in high-profile litigation and media coverage related to sex trafficking.
4619. Thijs Zonneveld
Dutch journalist and writer, known also as a former professional/competitive cyclist.
4620. Daniel Pick
British historian and psychoanalytic psychotherapist who writes on the history of psychiatry, psychoanalysis, trauma and modern cultural history.
4621. Mathijs Schiffers
4622. Hans Klis
4623. Daniel Smith
4624. Auke Hulst
Dutch novelist, poet, journalist and musician, author of novels and non-fiction (including Kinderen van het Ruige Land).
4625. Nat Segnit
British food writer and author of The Flavor Thesaurus, known for work on flavor pairings and culinary creativity.
4626. Jan van Putten
4627. Timur Vermes
German writer and former journalist, best known for the 2012 satirical novel "Er ist wieder da" (translated as "Look Who's Back").
4629. Karen Elliott House
American journalist and author, former reporter and publisher at The Wall Street Journal, and author of the book On Saudi Arabia.
4630. D.K. Publishing
Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publisher, founded in 1974, best known for illustrated reference books and visually driven nonfiction for adults and children.
4631. D.K. Publishing
British publishing company (commonly known as DK or D.K. Publishing) specializing in illustrated reference and non-fiction books for adults and children.
4632. D.K. Publishing
Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company founded in 1974, known for highly illustrated reference books for adults and children; acquired by Penguin Random House in 2013.
4633. David McCullough
American author and historian known for narrative histories and biographies, including Truman and John Adams; two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and widely read popular historian.
4634. James Worthy
American former professional basketball player, three-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, later a television commentator and broadcaster.
4635. Aimée de Jongh
Dutch cartoonist, graphic novelist and animator known for her comics, illustrations and animated work.
4636. Emma Pérez
Chicana feminist historian, scholar and author known for work on Chicana/o history, gender, sexuality and decolonial studies; author of The Decolonial Imaginary: Writing Chicanas into History.
4637. Bruno Nettl
Prominent ethnomusicologist best known for foundational texts such as The Study of Ethnomusicology; long-time professor at the University of Illinois and a leading scholar of Native American and world music traditions.
4638. Kentaro Toyama
Professor at the University of Michigan School of Information, researcher on technology and international development (ICT4D), former researcher at Microsoft Research India, and author of the book "Geek Heresy" on the limits of technology-driven social change.
4639. Sara Wachter-Boettcher
American writer, content strategist, and UX practitioner who advocates for inclusive, humane product design and ethical technology; author of Technically Wrong and co-author of Design for Real Life.
4640. Luisa Capetillo
Puerto Rican labor organizer, anarchist, feminist and writer active in the early 20th century, known for campaigning for workers' rights, women's emancipation and social reform.
4641. Dan-el Padilla Peralta
Dominican-American classical scholar and professor of classics and humanities at Princeton University; author of the memoir 'Undocumented', which recounts his journey from an undocumented immigrant childhood to an Ivy League education.
4642. Paola Ramos
Journalist and author known for reporting on Latino issues; author of 'Finding Latinx: In Search of the Voices Redefining Latino Identity'.
4643. Jenny Torres Sanchez
Jenny Torres Sanchez is an American author of young adult and middle-grade fiction, known for contemporary novels that often explore trauma, family, identity, and immigration.
4644. Jesse Leon
4645. Margarita Longoria
4646. Tomás Q. Morín
4647. Américo Paredes
Mexican-American scholar, folklorist, author, and historian best known for his work on Texas-Mexican border culture, including the influential study With His Pistol in His Hand; longtime professor at the University of Texas.
4648. Tomás Rivera
Mexican-American author, poet, and educator best known for the 1971 short novel ...y no se lo tragó la tierra (And the Earth Did Not Devour Him), which portrays the experiences of Mexican‑American migrant farmworkers.
4649. Janine Myung Ja
4650. Vahni Capildeo
Trinidadian-British poet, writer and academic known for experimental poetry and prose that explores language, identity and Caribbean heritage.