#3: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ — Lew Wallace (1880)
This sweeping religious epic was a phenomenon of the late 19th century, outselling even Uncle Tom’s Cabin at the time. It remained the bestselling American novel until Gone With the Wind. Later adapted into multiple films—including the Oscar-winning 1959 classic—it demonstrates how faith and storytelling could collide into a publishing juggernaut.

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