BookRank

Best of the year

Best 1850 books

3 highest-rated books first published in 1850.

← 18481853 →

Why Macbeth - The Graphic Novel is #1

Macbeth - The Graphic Novel (William Shakespeare) scores 7.8/10 from 1.4K ratings — level with David Copperfield at one decimal, and ahead on the exact score.

The score is a weighted average across 3 independent rating sources. A title with few ratings is pulled toward the category average, so a handful of enthusiastic reviews cannot outrank a book that thousands of readers have judged. Method →

  1. Macbeth - The Graphic Novel
    Macbeth - The Graphic NovelWilliam Shakespeare · 1850 Comics1.4K ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  2. David Copperfield
    David CopperfieldCharles Dickens · 1850 Classics378 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  3. The Scarlet Letter
    The Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorne · 1850Filmed 1995 Historical fiction1.2K ratings
    6.66.6 / 10

Frequently asked questions

What is the best book of 1850?

Macbeth - The Graphic Novel (William Shakespeare) — 7.8/10 from 1.4K ratings, in the snapshot of September 21, 2026.

How many books from 1850 are ranked here?

3, all first published in 1850, scored from 2.9K reader ratings.

How is the best book of 1850 chosen?

By reader score, not by prizes or sales. Every title first published that year and carrying enough ratings is scored the same way as everywhere else on the site, and the list is the result — so a book can climb or fall between snapshots as more people rate it.

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