© Getty Images

'The Lord of the Rings' - J.R.R. Tolkien -

One of the most well-known and adored stories in the world, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is the masterwork of English writer J.R.R. Tolkien. While commonly thought to be a trilogy, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ was written as a single work, and was only split into three parts by the publishers due to a nationwide paper shortage that would have made the printing of a single volume too expensive.

© Getty Images

'War and Peace' - Leo Tolstoy -

One of the most famous pieces of Russian literature, ‘War and Peace’ is also one of the longest. Originally published in parts over the course of two years in the Russian newspaper The Russian Messenger, Leo Tolstoy finally published his novel in its entirety in 1869. The complete work was 1,225 pages long.

© Getty Images

'Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus' - Madeleine de Scudéry -

‘Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus,’ known as ‘Artamene, or Cyrus the Great’ in English, was written between 1649 and 1653 by Madeleine de Scudéry. The first printing consisted of 13,095 pages! These pages contained the story of over 400 intertwined characters in 10 separate settings.

© Public Domain

'In Search of Lost Time' - Marcel Proust -

Known by many as the greatest work of fiction ever written, Proust’s sprawling classic ‘In Search of Lost Time’ holds the Guinness World Record for longest novel in existence. When the number of characters were counted, the total came out to over nine million.

© Getty Images

'Les Misérables' - Victor Hugo -

Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, ‘Les Misérables,’ was published in 1862, and went on to be adapted into one of the most famous musicals in history more than 100 years later. Over the course of its 1,462 pages, the epic novel touches on subjects ranging from politics to romance and architecture.

© Getty Images

'Shanghai' - David Rotenberg -

David Rotenberg, primarily a stage director, also penned one of the longest modern novels. ‘Shanghai,’ published in 2008 and coming to about 787 pages and around 800,000 words, spans more than 2,000 years of Chinese history, from the death of the first emperor to the Opium Wars of the 1800s.

© Getty Images

'A Dance to the Music of Time' - Anthony Powell -

Published in the 20th century between 1951 and 1975, ‘A Dance to the Music of Time’ is Anthony Powell’s masterpiece. The novel is said to be inspired by the 17th-century Nicolas Poussin painting of the same name.

© NL Beeld

'Men of Good Will' - Jules Romains -

French novelist, playwright, and screenwriter, Jules Romains spent 14 years writing and publishing his magnum opus, ‘Men of Good Will.’ The novel was released in 27 volumes between 1932 and 1946. Coming in at more than two million words and nearly 8,000 pages, it’s thought to be one of the longest novels ever written.

© Public Domain

'Infinite Jest' - David Foster Wallace -

David Foster Wallace’s sprawling and intimidating novel ‘Infinite Jest’ has sold over a million copies worldwide since its initial publication in 1996. Unmatched in its creativity, and riddled with internal notations, its 1,079 pages of difficult reading has led many to refer to the novel as the “Generation X Ulysses.”

© Getty Images

'The Tale of Genji' - Murasaki Shikibu -

‘The Tale of Genji’ is one of the oldest known works of literature, dating back to the early 11th century. Attributed to Murasaki Shikibu, a noblewoman from the Heian period, it is thought by many to be the world’s first novel. The English translation of this ancient manuscript is more than 1,300 pages long.

© Public Domain

'Atlas Shrugged' - Ayn Rand -

Prolific Russian-born American author Ayn Rand’s final work, ‘Atlas Shrugged,’ has gained a lasting reputation over the years since it was first published in 1957. At 645,000 words, it is the longest of Rand’s four novels.

© Getty Images

'Joseph and His Brothers' - Thomas Mann -

Published in four parts over 10 years between 1933 and 1944, Thomas Mann considered ‘Joseph and His Brothers’ to be his greatest work; it was certainly his longest! Over the course of around 1,500 pages, the book retells the classic Bible story of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers.

© Getty Images

'The Stand' - Stephen King -

Stephen King, arguably the most prolific and productive living writer, has written over 60 novels to date. His longest is 1978’s ‘The Stand,’ with the unabridged edition covering 1,153 pages.

© Getty Images

'Juliette' - Marquis de Sade -

Marquis de Sade, the notoriously depraved French writer and philosopher from the 18th century, was a leading figure in the French libertine movement. One of his many controversial novels includes ‘Juliette,’ which was published anonymously in 1797. Immediately after publication, Napoleon himself ordered the capture of the author, and Sade was put in prison until his death 13 years later.

© Public Domain

'Kelidar' - Mahmoud Dowlatabadi -

Over an expansive 2,836 pages, ‘Kelidar’ follows the trials and tribulations of a Kurdish family living in northeastern Iran in the years following World War II. It took author Mahmoud Dowlatabadi 15 years to write the novel, which is now considered a classic of Iranian literature.

© Getty Images

'Shogun' - James Clavell -

The first book of James Clavell’s massive saga set all across Asia, ‘Shogun’ follows the journey of the first Englishman to set foot in Japan at the end of the 16th century. At 1,152 pages, ‘Shogun’ is the longest book in the saga, but the others aren’t much shorter!

© Getty Images

'Miss MacIntosh, My Darling' - Marguerite Young -

Marguerite Young started writing her masterpiece, ‘Miss MacIntosh, My Darling,’ in 1947, and didn’t finish until 1964–17 years later! Over its 1,198 words, the novel tells the stories of a woman on a bus looking for her childhood caretaker, and her mother who is caught in a "permanent opium dream."

© Getty Images

'Clarissa' - Samuel Richardson -

Samuel Richardson was a popular and prolific writer in 18th-century England. In 1748, he published his masterpiece, ‘Clarissa.’ At 970,000 words, it was the longest novel ever written at the time.

© Getty Images

'Poor Fellow My Country' - Xavier Herbert -

At 1,463 pages, Xavier Herbert’s ‘Poor Fellow My Country’ is the longest novel to ever be published in one single volume. It is also the longest Australian novel written to date. Published in 1975, it was the last book of Herbert’s long career.

© Getty Images

'Dream of the Red Chamber' - Cao Xueqin -

One of the Four Great Novels of classical Chinese literature, ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ was written by Cao Xueqin some time in the middle of the 1700s. Xueqin was only able to finish the first 80 chapters in his lifetime, and for 40 years after his death these chapters circulated as unpublished manuscripts. Finally, 40 additional chapters were written by other authors, and the massive story was officially published.

© Getty Images

'Water Margin' - Shi Nai'an -

Another of the coveted Four Great Novels, ‘Water Margin’ is one of the oldest novels on this list. The exact time of writing is uncertain, but most scholars agree it was first written sometime during the 14th century. Most English translations of the book contain 212,000 words over the course of about 850 pages.

© Getty Images

'Jerusalem' - Alan Moore -

Most famous for his graphic novels and comic books, including ‘V for Vendetta’ and ‘The Watchmen,’ author Alan Moore has also written a number of novels, such as 2016’s ‘Jerusalem.’ Set in Moore’s native Northampton, England, the book’s story covers numerous centuries over more than 1,000 pages.

© Getty Images

'A Suitable Boy' - Vikram Seth -

All 1,349 pages of Vikram Seth’s ‘A Suitable Boy’ were published as one single volume in 1993. The novel follows the stories of four separate families shortly after the English partition of India in 1947. Seth’s expansive work of historical fiction was released to widespread acclaim, and has since been adapted into a miniseries by the BBC in 2020.

© Getty Images

'Jean-Christophe' - Romain Rolland -

Romain Rolland began publishing his magnum opus in 1904. Released in 10 volumes but considered one single work, the last volume was released in 1912, eight years later. ‘Jean-Christophe’ follows the titular character from birth to death, over the course of 1,577 pages.

© Public Domain

'Remembrance Rock' - Carl Sandburg -

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Carl Sandburg wrote only one novel in his lifetime, and that novel was ‘Remembrance Rock,’ published in 1948. Considered a triumph of American literature, the book recounts numerous stories and anecdotes from nearly every era of American history, spanning more than 1,000 pages.

© Getty Images

'Musashi' - Eiji Yoshikawa -

Published in 1935, ‘Musashi’ is loosely based on the life of 17th-century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. Written by Eiji Yoshikawa, ‘Musashi’ was originally released as a serial in Japanese newspapers, but was eventually published as a single 984-page novel.

© Public Domain

'Gordana' - Marija Jurić Zagorka -

Marija Jurić Zagorka was a Croatian women’s rights activist and writer. In 1935, Zagorka published the largest work of her career, the sprawling historical fiction novel ‘Gordana.’ Sold in as many as 12 volumes, the novel follows sword-wielding heroine Gordana as she navigates the tumultuous events of 15th-century Croatia.

Sources: (Arabella’s Romances) (TCK Publishing) (The Guardian) (The New Yorker)

See also: Must-see biopics about iconic women in crisis

© Public Domain