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Library/Book/Babel
Grade B21 sourcesHIS-00536

Babel

Book · 2022 · Notable

41Editable slideCertificate

Babel sold more than 17,000 US print copies in its launch week amid BookTok attention.

Clip · Daniel Greene on YouTube
Clip · @loverofpages on TikTok
Official UK hardback cover of Babel.
HarperCollins
Babel: cover art
Wikipedia (non-free, fair use)
ready to enter babel <3 thank you @HarperVoyagerUK 🌙 #booktok #babelrfkuang #darkacademia #darkacademiabooks #rfkuang #fyp
@loverofpages on TikTok
August 2022 - Knowledge Is Power
Illumicrate
Menopausing is a non-fiction guide which shares real-life stories, science and advice about perimenopause and menopause.
The Irish News / PA
2023 Locus Awards Winners
Locus Science Fiction Foundation / Locus
Rebecca Kuang, "Babel" cover
Deadline
Babel Character Bookmark Set
Illumicrate
Babel by R.F. Kuang (Illumicrate 'Knowledge is Power' Exclusive)
Illumicrate
Worth The Hype? - BABEL Review
Daniel Greene on YouTube
Roisin O&#39;Shea - Marketer | Reedsy
Roisin O’Shea / Reedsy
Print Unit Sales Flat in Late August
Publishers Weekly
5th September 2025
The Bookseller / Yudu

Spread Score

How it works
Reach22Contagion35Breadth80Velocity0Longevity7741

Numbers

Peak date
Week of Jan 27, 2024
Aug 23 ’22 to Week of Jan 27, 2024
Platforms
6
Started on Retail
Origin
Mixed
Entertainment

Mechanics

  • Scarcity drop
  • Visible in use
  • Platform jumpPrimary
  • Press loop
  • Controversy

How it spread

Trace the origin

Exclusive editions and reader videos accompanied Babel’s release. A reader described a translation/history-to-review discovery path. Marketer Roisin O’Shea later described five fans filming in Oxford, with required videos and TikTok Spark advertising.

Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Wikipedia views · Google searchesApr ’22JunAugSepNovFeb ’23MayJulNovMar ’24AugPeakTikTokOpen webRetailPressYouTubeInstagram
TikTokOpen webRetailPressYouTubeInstagram

13 more events on this chart

Join free to see them

Timeline (16)

  1. May 2022

    Lea (@loverofpages) precursor · May 2022

    Lea posted an advance-copy unboxing that the Guardian later reported had drawn 600,000 views.[1][2]

    ready to enter babel <3 thank you @HarperVoyagerUK 🌙 #booktok #babelrfkuang #darkacademia #darkacademiabooks #rfkuang #fyp
    Open the first post ↗

  2. July 2022

    Illumicrate precursor · Jul 3 ’22

    Revealed its first monthly slipcase book, pairing Babel with items for Atlas Six, Bunny and A Lesson in Vengeance.[3]

    August 2022 - Knowledge Is Power

  3. August 2022

    Harper Voyager seed · Aug 23 ’22

    Harper Voyager released Babel for public sale in the US.[4]

Origin
Mixed
Sector
Entertainment
Region
US
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade B

Spread the same way

Pokémon Go

App stores · 2016

73
Current official Google Play store artwork showing the Pokémon capture screen.

$894M revenue

Baby Yoda

X · 2019

66
Original concept art. #TheMandalorian

9.3K sold

Fourth Wing

Retail · 2023

51
Fourth Wing

2.7M sold

Kendrick Lamar’s Celine Super Bowl Jeans

X · 2025

41
TikTok video by @_morganelise_h

3.4M views

New cases, every week

How the next thing spread, the week it does.

See every timeline

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Wikipedia views · Google searchesApr ’22JunAugSepNovFeb ’23MayJulNovMar ’24AugPeakTikTokOpen webRetailPressYouTubeInstagram
TikTokOpen webRetailPressYouTubeInstagram

13 more events on this chart

Join free to see them

  1. May 2022

    Lea (@loverofpages) precursor · May 2022

    Lea posted an advance-copy unboxing that the Guardian later reported had drawn 600,000 views.[1][2]

    ready to enter babel <3 thank you @HarperVoyagerUK 🌙 #booktok #babelrfkuang #darkacademia #darkacademiabooks #rfkuang #fyp
    Open the first post ↗

  2. July 2022

    Illumicrate precursor · Jul 3 ’22

    Revealed its first monthly slipcase book, pairing Babel with items for Atlas Six, Bunny and A Lesson in Vengeance.[3]

    August 2022 - Knowledge Is Power

  3. August 2022

    Harper Voyager seed · Aug 23 ’22

    Harper Voyager released Babel for public sale in the US.[4]

  1. commercial · Week of Aug 27, 2022

  2. commercial · Sep 1 ’22

Join free to see the other 13 events and the full chart. Free, on every case.

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Why it worked

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