Authorian Legend

[vovat]

countblastula had a meme up about which authors he'd read the most books by, and that seems like a pretty cool activity. I'm actually not sure who my top author would be, though. L. Frank Baum would definitely rank pretty highly, and I've read most of his fantasy, but surprisingly little of his other works (no Mary Louise or Boy Fortune Hunters, for instance). Terry Pratchett would also have to rank up there, as I've read every Discworld book plus Good Omens. There are times when I read more by series than author, although if I like one series, I'll sometimes branch out into an author's other work. Let me try for a Top Five:

1. Terry Pratchett - 38 - Thirty-seven Discworld books (including the young adult ones), plus Good Omens (co-written with Neil Gaiman, but I'm counting it anyway)

2. Piers Anthony - 32 - All of the Xanth books except the latest one, which I'm working on now.

3. L. Frank Baum - 28 - Fourteen main Oz books, Queer Visitors from Oz, Little Wizard Stories of Oz, Mother Goose in Prose, The Magical Monarch of Mo, Dot and Tot of Merryland, American Fairy Tales, The Master Key, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, The Enchanted Island of Yew, Queen Zixi of Ix, John Dough and the Cherub, The Sea Fairies, Sky Island, Policeman Bluejay

4. Ruth Plumly Thompson - 24 - Twenty-one Oz books, The Curious Cruise of Captain Santa, The Wizard of Way-Up and Other Wonders, Sissajig and Other Surprises

5. Douglas Adams - 8 - Five Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books, two Dirk Gently books, and The Salmon of Doubt

Actually, I think there might be some authors of Oz apocrypha (Chris Dulabone, for instance) in between the fourth and fifth, but I don't feel like counting those up right now. And I could easily be forgetting something.

Comments

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

That definitely gives prolific authors the unfair advantage! It's not Jane Austen's fault she only wrote six complete books!

...which is to say, though, that Terry Pratchett also tops my list, if you don't count collective pseudonyms. And I beat you, I think! I also read two of the Johnny Maxwell books, The Bromeliad trilogy, and Nation (Nation=AWESOME BOOK. Not Discworld-funny, just plain AWESOME. Go read now). I have not yet gotten my hands on Unseen Academicals yet, so you got me there.

And I'm not exactly sure how many of the Babysitters Club books Ann M. Martin actually wrote, and how many were ghostwritten. And I know outright that Carolyn Keene doesn't actually exist. But those two are far up the list too if they count.

Beverly Cleary. And Madeleine L'Engle. also some long lists there.