Of all the things I expected to learn while browsing trivia, this one stopped me cold: The Bible is the most stolen book in the world.
You read that right. Not The Catcher in the Rye. Not Harry Potter. Not some locked-away rare edition. It’s The Holy Bible. The one that starts with “In the beginning” and ends with “Amen”—that’s the one most likely to vanish from a hotel drawer near you.
At first, it feels like a joke waiting for a punchline. But it’s true—and the more I looked into it, the stranger and more interesting it got.
Hotels, hospitals, and prisons all report the same thing: Bibles have a habit of disappearing. And not always by request. Sometimes they’re taken quietly. Sometimes they’re swiped with the casual confidence of someone slipping a mint from the front desk.
Here’s where it gets even more ironic: the Bible is also the most freely given book in history. The Gideons alone have distributed more than 2 billion copies since 1908—placing them in hotel rooms, hospitals, schools, and jails around the world. In many cases, there’s even a note inside saying, “If you need this Bible, please take it.”
And people do.
So is it really stealing if no one’s asking for it back? That’s where the fun of this trivia lies. Technically, yes—some people take Bibles without knowing they’re allowed. Others grab one thinking they’re pulling off a victimless heist. And a few might assume everything in a hotel is up for grabs, right down to the bathrobe and coffee maker.
But not everyone who takes a Bible is looking for a souvenir. Some are desperate. They’re alone in a hotel room, dealing with heartbreak, addiction, loss. And there’s that slim little book in the drawer, promising hope, answers, or at least a moment of peace.
Even in prison libraries, Bibles disappear more than any other book. That might say more about spiritual hunger than about kleptomania.
And here’s a number for you: over 100 million Bibles are printed every year, in more than 3,500 languages. No book even comes close. Harry Potter? Around 600 million total. The Bible? Over 5 billion printed so far, and counting.
So yes, it’s the most stolen book in the world—but that may simply be a side effect of being the most available, the most distributed, and—at times—the most needed.
Some folks take Bibles and leave a note: “Thank you. I needed this.” I don’t know if that counts as a confession or a blessing, but it reminds me these aren’t just numbers. These are people.
Others collect them. You’d be surprised how many people hunt down different translations—King James, NIV, Reina-Valera—like baseball cards. Some take them home as mementos from travels. One guy even blogged about how he’d “liberated” Bibles from hotels in all 50 states. I guess everyone needs a hobby.
So next time you open that nightstand drawer and see a copy of The Good Book, take a second look. You’re staring at the most stolen, most printed, and most distributed book in the world. Some folks walk away with designer towels. Others walk away with a Bible and a new beginning.
And if you’re wondering whether it’s okay to take one—don’t worry. Most of the time, it’s yours for the taking. Just leave the robe.
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