The Second Most Published Book in the World

Everyone knows the best-selling book of all time is the Bible. Considering its age and the sheer amount of history behind it, that makes perfect sense.

So then… what’s the second most published book in the world?

Well, there’s a wild little legend about this one... its ideas were applied to everything from treating mental illness to hauling massive cargo. Quite the range, huh? Pretty impressive stuff.

And the name of that book is…

毛主席语录 (MAO ZHUXI YULU) 
Quotations from Chairman Mao

Some of you might already know it. that broad-shouldered gentleman on the cover is none other than China’s great statesman, the Red Sun shining in the hearts of revolutionary people worldwide... Chairman Mao Zedong!!!

He was hailed with titles like Great Teacher, Great Leader, Great Commander, and Great Helmsman.

…while also being known, historically, as one of the political figures responsible for the highest number of deaths.

As the title suggests, this book is basically a pocket-sized collection of quotes lines pulled from Mao’s past speeches and writings, arranged for easy carrying.

The editing and publishing were done by his close aides, all under direct orders.Originally, it was meant as a handbook for ideological training in the People’s Liberation Army.

But once the Cultural Revolution kicked off, the thing started getting printed for the general public.

In other words… it ended up in the hands of about 700,000,000 people.

Yeah. Seven. Hundred. Million. Wild.

The content itself? Mostly broad, socialist-flavored lessons, stuff that gives you a sense of how Mao thought, but nothing radically new in terms of theory or ideology.

So if you’re genuinely looking to dive deep into Maoism, you’re better off reading his actual works instead of this quote sampler.

What really grabbed me was how this book was actually used.

The young die-hard Mao fans the "红卫兵（Red Guards）" treated it with this almost religious awe and nicknamed it the "红宝书（Red Treasure Book）" To them, it wasn’t just a book; it was basically sacred. You weren’t even supposed to handle it like an ordinary object.

Back then, ordinary Chinese citizens carried a copy everywhere to prove they were "revolutionary people"

In a way, it worked like an ID card.

If you didn’t have it on you?

Well… you might get labeled a "counter-revolutionary," and the ever-enthusiastic Red Guards might decide to beat the living daylights out of you.

And then there was the ideological-remolding side of things... closer to what the book was originally meant for.

It wasn’t just used to "educate" so-called counter-revolutionaries; even regular citizens had to take part. At many workplaces, everyone gathered in front of a statue or portrait of Mao for morning readings, then came back again at the end of the day for self-criticism sessions. Each person would check whether their actions matched Mao’s teachings, and finally the meeting ended with everyone singing songs praising him.

This whole routine had a name "早请示，晚汇报（Morning Request, Evening Report）"

Another fun part of all this was how quoting Mao instantly ended any argument.

If you pulled out the right line at the right moment, boom discussion over. Mao’s words were treated as unquestionable truth, so if your point lined up with them, that was it. End of story.

Try arguing back, and well… the Red Guards might decide your face needs some “revolutionary correction.”

But the most fascinating bit is how the book became a full-blown performance prop.

Honestly, people had memorized the thing so thoroughly (failing to do so could also get you beaten, of course) that the book wasn’t even necessary anymore.

Yet they still used it, pressing it to their chests to show loyalty, raising it above their heads like a sacred relic, and eventually waving it around while performing the so-called "忠字舞（Loyalty Dance）"

At that point, it wasn’t a book anymore, it was a stage accessory for mass political theater.

Anyway, the copy I’ve got is just a replica. No clue when exactly it was printed, but it’s definitely recent.

Official publishing of the book actually stopped in 1979, and anything printed after that is basically a passionless knockoff made with capitalist "if it sells, it sells" logic. And yeah, it’s even got typos. If this publisher had existed back in the day, the Red Guards would’ve flattened it into a parking lot.

The real ones?

Well… once the Cultural Revolution ended, people tossed them out.

Despite being the second-most published book on Earth, hardly anyone kept a copy. You won’t find many even on the secondhand market and if you do, they cost a small fortune.

What’s funny is that Mao Zedong Thought is still listed in the preamble of the PRC Constitution as a guiding ideology of the nation and its people…

yet most modern Chinese have never actually read the book. Not even once.

I bet Mao’s down in the underworld right now, completely losing his mind over it.

But y’know, I do have one thing I can honestly call "the real deal"...

A Japanese edition of the Quotations of Chairman Mao(毛主席語録).

Instead of Mao’s face, the cover has a single star clean, simple, actually kinda stylish.

And since the text is vertical, the book’s bound on the right side, Japanese-style.

This one was Official published by a Chinese press during the Cultural Revolution specifically for Japan.

More propaganda than internationalism, really.

Whoever owned it before me was probably using it to fuel their own little class struggle.

How do I know?

Well, you can’t see it in the photo, but the thing’s covered in stains.

Plenty of battle scars, a genuine negative relic.

I’ll give it a peaceful retirement on my bookshelf.

And that, my friends, is the whole saga of the second most published book in the world.

Though honestly? Since the Quotations stopped being officially printed ages ago, and the Qur’an keeps getting reprinted as the Muslim population grows, Mao’s little red number is probably gonna slip into third place someday.

If you’re curious, you can read the English version right here.

Please study it well, practice it daily, and strive to become a glorious warrior of Chairman Mao, builder of the great socialist state, beloved comrade of all revolutionary peoples everywhere!

…aaand for the record, I’m not a Maoist, not a communist, nothing of the sort.

I just use the book as practice material for Chinese pronunciation