Ben Hur vs Ben-Hur: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: History of Biblical events, Jesus christ, Rome, Bible, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction

Cover of Ben Hur

Ben Hur Lew Wallace · 1800 ★★★★☆ 4.0 560 pages · ≈ 10 h 22 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

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Cover of Ben-Hur

Ben-Hur Lewis Wallace · 1961 ★★★★☆ 4.2 208 pages · ≈ 3 h 51 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.0 vs 4.2 — either is a safe pick by score.
Ben-Hur is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 10 for Ben Hur.
Ben-Hur is the easier read (Moderate), Ben Hur more demanding (Challenging).

Side by side