Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a novel by Lew Wallace published on November 12, 1880 by Harper & Brothers. Considered "the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century"[1], it was the best-selling American novel from the time of its publication, superseding Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852). It remained at the top until the publication of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind (1936). Following release of the 1959 MGM film adaptation of Ben Hur, which was seen by tens of millions and won 11 Academy Awards, during the 1960s, book sales surpassed Gone with the Wind.[2] Blessed by Pope Leo XIII, the novel was the first work of fiction to be so honored.

The name "Ben Hur" derives from the Hebrew for "Son of white linen".

The development of the cinema following the novel's publication, saw film adaptations in 1907, 1925, 1959, 2003, and a North American TV mini-series in 2010. The 1959 film adaptation of Ben Hur, starring Charlton Heston, won a record eleven Academy awards and was the top-grossing film of 1960.