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Title: 60 years of best sellers, 1895-1955
Author: Alice Payne Hackett
Release date: September 27, 2026 [eBook #79660]
Language: English
Original publication: New York: R. R. Bowker, 1956
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 60 YEARS OF BEST SELLERS, 1895-1955 ***
SIXTY YEARS OF BEST SELLERS
We shall not busy ourselves with what men ought to have admired,
what they ought to have written, what they ought to have thought,
but with what they did think, write, admire.
--_A History of Criticism_ by George Saintsbury
60 YEARS OF
BEST SELLERS
1895-1955
Alice Payne Hackett
NEW YORK, R. R. Bowker Company
1956
Library of Congress Card Number: 56-13419
Copyright, 1956, by R. R. Bowker Company
62 West 45th Street, New York 36, N. Y.
Printed in the U.S.A. by
Rae Publishing Company
CONTENTS
FOREWORD by Frederic G. Melcher vii
Key to Endpapers ix
A Guide to Best Sellers 1
Best Sellers, 1895-1955 11
Best Seller Subjects 47
Annual Best Sellers 93
Early Best Sellers 215
About Best Sellers 221
Title and Author Index 231
FOREWORD
to “50 Years of Best Sellers”
The term “best seller” was coined and came into common use because it
filled a need. A term was needed to describe what were not necessarily
the best books but the books that people liked best. For a long time
people have been interested in what other people read and why. If we are
studying what books were popular in any period of our history, it is
important to know not only what people could have read, or should have
read, but what they did read. The record of what books a great many
people have bought and read is a part of the social history of those
people.
The books which have been important from a literary standpoint have been
recorded in many volumes of literary criticism. Many of those books have
had large and continuing sales, though some have only been appreciated
years after they were published. These great books are the product in
which any country must take great pride. On the other hand the record of
best sellers of the hundred or more years during which book publishing
has been an active industry in this country has not heretofore been
adequately made. The record is only in part literary history. A literary
classic is a book which continues to be important to succeeding
generations of readers. Some of the best sellers of each decade have
done that; many more have not. The lists covering a fifty-year period
which this volume includes will make interesting material for study.
Whether or not literature of continuing value is to be found among the
best sellers, the lists provide significant insight into the thinking
and emotions of a people. The trends of such reading may have more
significance than a casual glance indicates.
How many copies any book has sold is recorded on the files of its
publisher, and business records are not readily unearthed. Fortunately,
however, the comparative sales of books year by year for the last half
century have been kept systematically. The closing of this fifty year
period makes a natural occasion for printing the record. The sales
totals of books are more difficult to gather and to verify, but such
figures, insofar as they have ever been printed, have become part of the
historical files of the _Publishers’ Weekly_ office. Alice Payne
Hackett, who has had so much to do with the development and completeness
of these files, has pursued for her book every figure that could be
verified by the files or records in the publishing offices.
_Fifty Years of Best Sellers_ will open up to the student and bookman
new fields for speculation. Perhaps students of literary history will
try to chart the evolution of public taste from these records and
writers of tomorrow’s best sellers find, in these titles of the past,
some clue to the perennial elements of popular appeal.
FREDERIC G. MELCHER
1946
FOREWORD
to “60 Years of Best Sellers”
The prompt recognition which was accorded ten years ago to Alice
Hackett’s records and comments on best sellers and the demand which has
followed for a continuation of her figures and analysis has shown that
such records have an interest to widely different groups of people--to
the book trade, of course, but also to reminiscent readers and to
students of public taste and social history. This continuation of the
yearly lists is now accompanied by an expansion of earlier information
which Miss Hackett has gathered by persistent contacts with many sources
and to these annual lists has been added a greatly extended group of
classified lists which enhance the popular interest and usefulness of
the book.
FREDERIC G. MELCHER
August 1956
KEY TO ENDPAPERS
In the upper lefthand corner are the title page and frontispiece of _The
Royal Road to Romance_, which introduced Richard Halliburton as the
glamorous traveler of the ’20’s. Next is the title page of H. G. Wells’
most famous best seller, _The Outline of History_. To its right, and
just below it, are pictures of the _Complete Poems_ of Robert Frost, one
of our best-loved poets, and of _The White Cliffs_, by Alice Duer
Miller, best-selling poetry of World War II.
At the middle left is Alfred Aloysius Horn, whose fabulous _Trader
Horn_, was a high spot of the ’20’s. Emily Post’s _Etiquette_ in its
original and revised editions has been a steady seller for thirty or
more years. Just below _Etiquette_ is the famous _Story of Philosophy_
by Will Durant, and above it one of the most outstanding religious
novels of our time, _The Robe_, by Lloyd C. Douglas. At the right is an
illustration from one of the earliest best-selling American mystery
stories, _The Circular Staircase_, by the dean of mystery writers, Mary
Roberts Rinehart.
The bottom row includes a picture of the top seller in religious
non-fiction, _The Greatest Story Ever Told_, by Fulton Oursler; the
bestselling novel of this century, _God’s Little Acre_, by Erskine
Caldwell, in its paperbound edition; Dr. Benjamin Spock’s _Pocket Book
of Baby and Child Care_, the overall best seller in paperbound books;
and the title page of the first edition of _John Brown’s Body_, Stephen
Vincent Benet’s great narrative poem.
On the right page, at the upper left, is _The Honorable Peter Stirling_,
by Paul Leicester Ford, a sensation of the 1890’s, followed by the title
page of Margaret Mitchell’s _Gone with the Wind_, and the double title
page of the special pre-publication edition of Edna Ferber’s _Show
Boat_.
Below is the paperbound edition of Erle Stanley Gardner’s first Perry
Mason mystery, _The Case of the Velvet Claws_. In descending order are
Rabbi Liebman’s _Peace of Mind_; _The Good Earth_, flanked by a picture
of its author, Pearl Buck; and _Contract Bridge Complete_, by the
best-selling writer on bridge of the ’50’s, Charles Goren. At the left
is the title page of one of the best-known western stories, _The
Virginian_, by Owen Wister.
Along the lowest row are Dr. Norman Vincent Peale’s _The Power of
Positive Thinking_; the jacket of the original edition of L. Frank
Baum’s _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_, perennial juvenile favorite; the
paperbound edition of _One Lonely Night_, by the sensational detective
writer of the ’50’s, Mickey Spillane; and the new edition of the
bestseller among cook books, the _Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book_.
A GUIDE TO BEST SELLERS
A GUIDE TO BEST SELLERS
It is the purpose of this book as of its predecessor, _Fifty Years of
Best Sellers_, to present as completely as possible the facts and
figures about American best sellers, to interpret and comment to some
extent upon the statistics presented but not to evaluate from a literary
standpoint.
There is always a great deal of interest and curiosity about
best-selling books among members of the general reading public as well
as among those concerned with the publishing, selling and publicizing of
books. The lists and figures of this book are an attempt to answer the
questions of such interested people. In view of the recurrent
controversies about the best-seller system, which usually hinge upon the
complaint that best seller lists draw attention only to a few books to
the disadvantage of what are possibly more worthy books, it must be
added that this book is not designed to glorify the best seller per se,
but simply to give the facts. As long as newspapers and magazines find
best seller lists attractive features for their readers, the best seller
will be with us. Even if there were no organized best seller lists,
notable sales for a certain book would be news. When a book becomes
conspicuous for its fast and unusually large sales, people who are not
ordinarily book buyers or not particularly interested in books become
aware of it, even buy it. Sales themselves stimulate sales. They cannot
be ignored as a factor in the book business.
The term best seller is usually comparative rather than absolute. A book
may be the best seller in one store or one city; it may be the best
seller over the country for a week, or a year, for five years or for
sixty. The words used to designate such a book have become so
established in our language and are so often loosely used that “best
seller” has too often become synonymous with “book,” especially in
circles outside the book industry. Advertisers, magazine editors, and
program directors in radio and television, attempting to adhere to fair
standards when mentioning books, often query major review media,
libraries, trade magazines, book associations, etc. as to whether a
certain book may honestly be called a best seller. In the office of
_Publishers’ Weekly_, the book trade magazine where much of the material
for this present volume was developed, it has become the practice to
answer such questions in the affirmative if that book has appeared on
one of its monthly best seller lists, which are based upon bookstore
surveys. The book is a best seller for at least the moment at which the
question is asked. But is the book of the moment or month a best seller
as _David Copperfield_ or _Gone with the Wind_ is a best seller? In the
pages following I have attempted to illustrate the various states of
best sellerdom.
The reason why the story of best sellers begins in 1895 is that it was
in that year that the first best seller lists were printed in the United
States. Harry Thurston Peck, then editor of the literary magazine, _The
Bookman_, began to run each month the lists of the best-selling books in
a number of large cities. By 1902, “best seller” had been established,
mainly through the publicity derived from _The Bookman’s_ lists, as a
term specifically applied to books. About 1903 the magazine set the
limit of its monthly list of titles at six and called the lists “the six
best sellers.” From these _Bookman_ lists were formulated the best
seller lists for the years 1895 to 1912 when the _Publishers’ Weekly_
lists were begun. There were few and scattered records of best-selling
books previous to 1895. There are occasional lists in early literary
magazines, some in _Publishers’ Weekly_, a few lists of the most popular
reading matter in public libraries to be found, but all these give the
effect of rather random reporting. Without any methodical listing of
best sellers in the years previous to 1895, it is practically impossible
to arrive at exact figures of sales for the books of preceding centuries
or even at estimates except in the case of the books which have endured.
A list of “Early Best Sellers,” most of which have been read for more
than a century, is included in this book. It has been checked by a
number of authorities, and, while it may possibly not be complete, the
titles on it comprise a valid body of best sellers published before
1895.
The first edition of this book covered the years from 1895 to 1945.
Since then there have been tremendous changes in the business of
bookselling, principally in methods of selling. During and just after
World War II more books could have been sold than were available. This
was because of paper quotas, shortages in other materials, and wartime
demands. Children’s books, especially, sold as fast as they could be
placed on sale, for one reason because the metals used in making toys
for children were in even shorter supply than paper. All books sold very
well in spite of limitations placed upon their manufacture. There were
fewer titles published but those that were published and were successful
sold out all their printings. At about the time that paper restrictions
began to be lifted book clubs boomed. The major clubs had been in
existence for a number of years but it was not until the postwar period
that all their monthly selections sold into many hundreds of thousands.
The Book-of-the-Month Club distributed a total of 7,011,936 books in
1950. In its fiscal year of 1950 the Literary Guild sent out about
8,800,000 books. Compare these figures with those estimated by Maxwell
Aley in the June 6, 1931 _Publishers’ Weekly_. He concluded then that
there were “one million habitual book buyers, one million more
occasional buyers and beyond that a vague but large number who buy one
or two books a year.” Because of the popularity of the books in the
Armed Services Editions, distributed to men and women in the Armed
Services during the war, the book trade hoped that the many new readers
of books would continue to read in the postwar years, and that the book
boom of the late ’40’s and early ’50’s would continue.
The big totals piled up by the book clubs had a tremendous effect on
what I have called the overall best seller lists, the three lists that
include books that have sold 750,000 copies or more in the past sixty
years. Many books of the mid-century have displaced the favorites of the
century’s early years that once were high on the lists. The reading
picture given by the list is entirely different from what it was ten
years ago.
At almost the same time as wartime demands were creating new best
sellers, another tremendous change which affected the overall best
seller lists, was taking place in the book business. That was the
success of the 25-cent paperbound book. This was not a new development
in the trade. In the nineteenth century, in the “dime novel” period,
paper bound books had big sales. Dime novels flourished for years. There
were also many experiments in later years to launch paperbound lines,
but it was not until 1939 that the paperbound book came into its own for
moderns. Its success was due to new methods of cheaper manufacture, to
new methods of distribution through the magazine wholesaler system, and
to improved literary quality of the books chosen for reprint in paper
covers.
When the first edition of this book appeared, paperbound books were
established but had not yet attained the enormous sales that came later
on. There was one “overall” best-seller list, 1895-1945, in _Fifty Years
of Best Sellers_. Both hardbound books, including the reprints at 75
cents and $1 which sold well up to the 1940’s, and paperbound books were
lumped together on it. Paperbound sales account for the place of only a
few books on the list--books like _See Here, Private Hargrove_ and _The
Pocket Book of War Humor_. That list, made in 1944, was, on the whole,
not greatly affected by paperbound book sales. Since then the whole
picture has changed enormously. Paperbound sales, both reprints of
hardcover editions and books which have made their first appearance in
paper covers, account for by far the majority of titles.
That is why, for this new edition, I have arranged the overall list,
1895-1955, in three sections. Students of the book business and of
literary taste will find what books have sold to bookstore and book club
customers, what titles have sold to the so-called mass market. The
evidence is not quite what one would expect. While great numbers of
detective and western stories and some sensational fiction on the list
are due to paperbound sales, it is also true that paperbound
distribution accounts for the appearance of such authors as John
Steinbeck and William Faulkner on the overall combined list.
In general the sales figures on these three lists are much larger than
those on the 1945 list. The minimum sales figure on that list was half a
million copies. On two of the 1955 lists the minimum is one million; on
the hardbound list, 750,000. There are also many more titles on these
lists than on the 1945 list. Title production has increased every year
since the end of the war and the reading population has also increased.
While the sales figures for the most popular books are startlingly
larger than those of a decade ago, they are not so great as one must
believe they could be in relation to growth of population and the
increase in high school and college enrollment. Robert Frase, economic
consultant and associate director of the American Book Publishers
Council, has recently pointed out that this population pattern ought
soon to affect the book business favorably even if it has not yet
affected it as much as expected. This slow rate of increase in sales, if
not in title production, is illustrated by figures Mr. Frase has quoted
for trade books sold in 1929 and in 1954. The figures for both years are
practically the same, about 70,000,000 copies. Book club sales, however,
rose from about 2,000,000 to 50,000,000; paperbacks from zero to
190,000,000; juveniles, at all prices, from 37,000,000 to 95,000,000.
Among trade books, the topmost best sellers are selling in even greater
quantities than they did previously, but for the run-of-the-mill books
the situation is not so happy. Big best sellers, textbooks, children’s
books, and other special types of books are going along at a good rate.
The novel or book of non-fiction that may be worthy but is not
particularly outstanding has a rougher road. Because of increasing
manufacturing costs and the decrease in rental libraries, which once
absorbed a creditable number of the ordinary romances and novels
designed for a few hours’ diversion, it is difficult for the publisher
to sell the unassuming book profitably. Contrary to public assumption,
most authors of books do not make much money. They must either write a
great many books or else produce a few big best sellers in order to
attain satisfactory incomes. Laura Z. Hobson, author of _Gentleman’s
Agreement_ and other books, has made the statement that of the 2,000
members of the Authors’ Guild, less than half make an annual income of
$3,000 or more from all forms of writing. But an author may not have to
live on book sales alone. The sales of subsidiary rights, i.e., rights
to use a book as the basis of a movie, television show or condensation,
are becoming of more and more importance both to author and publisher;
but it is mainly the “big” books that bring in the big money, and they
are few and far between. _The Desperate Hours_, for example, brought
its author, Joseph Hayes, a quarter of a million dollars within a very
short time--but this included, besides sales of the book and of book
club editions, the sale of the play and screen rights, _Reader’s Digest_
condensation and magazine serialization. One book that almost reached
the ultimate in all types of sales was _The Razor’s Edge_ by W. Somerset
Maugham. It was serialized in _Redbook_, was a best seller in its trade
edition, was both a Literary Guild and a Dollar Book Club best seller,
sold in a clothbound $1 reprint and in a 25-cent paperbound reprint, and
was produced as a movie. Numerous foreign rights were sold.
Readers may wonder why many, if not most, of the best sellers on the
three overall lists do not appear on the annual lists of best sellers,
1895 through 1955, and, conversely, why many of the titles on the yearly
lists do not appear on the overall best seller lists. This situation
illustrates the difference between the best seller of the year and the
all-time best seller. These annual lists as compiled by the _Publishers’
Weekly_, are primarily for the interest of the retail bookseller. They
do not include book club sales or sales in paperbound reprint editions.
They are intended to show the reading tastes of the book buyers who
actually go to a store to select books, not of those who buy by mail or
pick up random reading from newsstands. Most of the books on the annual
lists of recent years sell a minimum of about 75,000 copies. It takes
several years’ big sales to put one of the books from the yearly lists
on the all-time list. Book club sales and paperbound sales will also
help do the job.
The reason why many of the books on the all-time lists do not appear on
yearly lists is, in general, the same. In the case where book club or
paperbound sales do not enter into the situation the books probably have
sold steadily, piling up sales over the years until they reach big
quantities. This is especially true of the cook books which stand high
on the hardbound list; four out of the first five titles on the list are
cook books.
These yearly lists are more interesting for the student of social
history and literary taste than are the overall lists. They reflect
events and crises in history over sixty years as well as the changing
mores--from Pollyanna to Polly Adler. There are books on these lists
that have made history and influenced American thinking. Consider _The
Honorable Peter Stirling_ by Paul Leicester Ford, _The Pit_ by Frank
Norris, _The Jungle_, by Upton Sinclair, _Mr. Britling Sees It Through_,
by H. G. Wells, _The Economic Consequences of the Peace_ by John Maynard
Keynes, _The Plastic Age_ by Percy Marks, _Mother India_ by Katherine
Mayo, _Looking Forward_ by Franklin D. Roosevelt, _It Can’t Happen Here_
by Sinclair Lewis, _The Grapes of Wrath_ by John Steinbeck, _For Whom
the Bell Tolls_ by Ernest Hemingway, _Berlin Diary_ by William L.
Shirer, _The White Cliffs_ by Alice Duer Miller, _You Can’t Do Business
with Hitler_ by Douglas S. Miller, _Victory Through Air Power_ by Major
Alexander P. de Seversky, _They Were Expendable_ by W. L. White, _One
World_ by Wendell L. Willkie, _Strange Fruit_ by Lillian Smith, _I Chose
Freedom_ by Victor Kravchenko, _Gentleman’s Agreement_ by Laura Z.
Hobson, _Kingsblood Royal_ by Sinclair Lewis, _The Wall_ by John Hersey,
_Witness_ by Whittaker Chambers, _But We Were Born Free_ by Elmer Davis,
_Why Johnny Can’t Read_ by Rudolf Flesch and _Year of Decisions_ by
Harry S. Truman. There are many books which have added new words and
phrases to the American language: _The Virginian_, _Pollyanna_, _Over
the Top_, _Main Street_, _Babbitt_, _Gentlemen Prefer Blondes_, _Back
Street_, _Life Begins at Forty_, _Mr. Chips_, _Lost Horizon_, _The
Hucksters_, _The Snake Pit_, and _The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit_.
Some are known by more people because their titles are the titles of
songs: _The Trail of the Lonesome Pine_, _The Rosary_, _In Flanders
Fields_, _The Sheik_, _Stars Fell on Alabama_, _My Sister and I_, and
_The Last Time I Saw Paris_.
Of interest to publishers is the number of titles on the annual list
that specific firms have issued. The leaders are Doubleday (with
predecessor firms), 89; Harper, 80; Houghton Mifflin, 46; Scribner, 43;
Little, Brown, 41; Bobbs-Merrill (with predecessor firms) and Macmillan,
40 each; Appleton-Century-Crofts (with predecessor firms), 39; Simon and
Schuster, 31; Lippincott (with Stokes), 23; and Dodd Mead, 20. With one
exception all these houses were founded in the nineteenth century. Simon
and Schuster is the youngest, and its 31 best sellers appear only on the
annual lists since 1924. The authors who have had the most titles on the
sixty annual lists are Mary Roberts Rinehart with eleven; Sinclair
Lewis with ten; Zane Grey and Booth Tarkington with nine each; and Louis
Bromfield, Winston Churchill (the American novelist), George Barr
McCutcheon, Gene Stratton Porter, and Frank Yerby with eight each. In
the first twenty years, 1895-1914, the authors who appeared most
frequently were George Barr McCutcheon, with eight titles; Winston
Churchill with seven, and Mary Johnston and Sir Gilbert Parker with five
each. In the period 1915-1934, Zane Grey led with nine titles. He was
followed by Warwick Deeping, Sinclair Lewis, Mary Roberts Rinehart, and
Booth Tarkington, with seven each, and by Coningsby Dawson, Eleanor H.
Porter, Gene Stratton Porter, and H. G. Wells with five each. In the
past twenty years, the authors having most titles on the lists are Frank
Yerby with eight; Daphne du Maurier, John P. Marquand and John Steinbeck
with six each; and Thomas B. Costain, A. J. Cronin, Lloyd C. Douglas,
John Gunther, James Hilton, and Frances Parkinson Keyes with five each.
The authors whose books have covered the longest span on all the lists
are: Ellen Glasgow, whose first best seller appeared on the 1904 list
and her last on the 1935 list; Edna Ferber, 1924 and 1952; Mary Roberts
Rinehart, 1909 and 1936; Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1896 and 1922;
Sinclair Lewis, 1921 and 1947; and Louis Bromfield, 1927 and 1945.
As I have said, literary criticism does not enter into this book; it is
a guide to the past and present, and, for those looking toward future
best sellers, a starting-point for speculation. It is wise to bear in
mind Samuel Butler’s statement: “There are some things which it is
madness not to try to know but where it is almost as much madness to try
to know. Sometimes publishers hoping to buy the Holy Ghost with a price,
fee a man to read for them and advise them. This is but as the vain
tossing of insomnia. God will not have any human being know what will
sell.” Years ago the formula for a best seller was summed up as
Lincoln’s Doctor’s Dog--because books about Lincoln, about doctors and
about dogs are always popular. Today the title might be amended to How
to Be Lincoln’s Doctor’s Dog’s Psychiatrist. Or the writer might follow
the caption for a drawing by Alan Dunn in the _New Yorker_, “It can’t
miss, J. G.! The author got disillusioned with Communism, escaped from
behind the Iron Curtain, came to the United States, lived on a
sharecropper’s farm in Georgia, spent a year in a state insane asylum,
turned to religion, and now is a monk.”
What best sellers of today will become the classics of tomorrow? Malcolm
Cowley has pointed out, in an article in the _New Republic_ (Dec. 22,
1947), “Classics and Best Sellers,” the distinction between a classic (a
book admired by intelligent readers through several generations) and a
best seller (a book purchased by many readers in one generation). The
terms, he says, “are not mutually exclusive--a best seller may become a
classic in time, as happened with Dickens’ novels.” In order to try to
find out how many of the books on the early years’ lists were at all
familiar to today’s young generation, I read the titles and authors’
names to several recent college graduates. Only the most obvious authors
were known to most of them, and extremely few titles. The lists were
also tried out on freshman English composition classes in a New England
college, with equally negative results. I quote from a letter written by
the teacher of the classes. “These students are almost completely
ignorant of the best sellers you have listed. Occasionally the name of
an author may remind them of something they’ve heard their parents
discuss. In some cases, they had heard the name of the book, but knew
nothing of the author, e.g., _Seventeen_, _If Winter Comes_, _Gentlemen
Prefer Blondes_.... Generally the best sellers of yesterday are a dead
issue to the college freshman of today. The one exception is _Gone With
the Wind_ which has had a slight renaissance since the movie was
reissued.... My concern is not that these students are ignorant of the
best sellers of yesteryear, but that most of them know nothing about
contemporary American and English literature. Their ignorance is
appalling! Many have read nothing by Hemingway, Steinbeck, Eugene
O’Neill, Faulkner, Maugham, Hilton, Shaw, etc. A few have read _From
Here to Eternity_ and some are at least familiar with the titles of book
club books that they have seen around their homes. In school they may
have read _Arrowsmith_, but they have never heard of Dreiser, Edith
Wharton, Booth Tarkington, Winston Churchill, Willa Cather, or
practically anyone since Mark Twain.”
To relate the material, the facts and figures of this present book up to
1950, to their historical and sociological background, I heartily
recommend the reading of James D. Hart’s _The Popular Book_ (Oxford
University Press, 1950). For a final word on the whole business of best
sellers I quote from his concluding paragraphs. “If a student of taste
wants to know the thoughts and feelings of the majority who lived during
Franklin Pierce’s administration, he will find more positive value in
Maria Cummins’s _The Lamplighter_ or T. S. Arthur’s _Ten Nights in a
Bar-Room_ than he will in Thoreau’s _Walden_--all books published in
1854. The mores and manners prevailing in the year of the Teapot Dome
scandal can better be extrapolated from Gertrude Atherton’s _Black Oxen_
than from Wallace Stevens’s _Harmonium_. The book that time judges to be
great is occasionally also the book popular in its own period; but, by
and large, the longer-lived work reflects the demands of the moment only
in the most general sense. Usually the book that is popular pleases the
reader because it is shaped by the same forces that mold his non-reading
hours, so that its dispositions and convictions, its language and
subject, re-create the sense of the present, to die away as soon as that
present becomes the past. Books of that sort generally are unreadable
for succeeding ages; but like other fragments of the past, they help
form the present. The volumes themselves may gather dust on library
shelves, but they have left lasting impression on the American mind,
etched deeply into a national consciousness.”
BEST SELLERS
1895-1955
This overall list of best sellers includes books published in the United
States from 1895 through 1955, which have, over sixty years, sold one
million copies or more. Most of them have appeared in many different
editions and in both hardbound and paperbound format. Many have been
sold by book clubs, on newsstands, and by mail as well as through
bookstores. Most of the titles, with some notable exceptions, represent
the most popular reading habit, that is, reading for entertainment.
Pamphlets are not included in the list, nor are dictionaries,
encyclopedias, atlases, editions of the Bible, hymnals, prayer books,
manuals, textbooks, and certain other books, such as game and novelty
books. Best sellers in these specialized fields are, in general, covered
under other headings. Children’s books are included when they are
primarily juvenile novels and not picture or game books.
Publishers’ names are not given because most of the books have been
published by at least two firms and sometimes by five or six or even
more. The date of original publication in this country follows the
author’s name. “F” indicates fiction, “J” juveniles. Many of the titles
listed as juveniles were originally published as adult books, but
changing taste has now definitely placed them in the category of
juvenile reading, and they are so indicated in accordance with modern
standards.
Three hundred and six titles make up this list of books which have sold
over 1,000,000 copies in the years since 1895. In the original edition
of the present book a somewhat comparable list appeared, an overall
best-seller list of books which had sold 500,000 copies or more in the
years from 1895 through 1945. There were only 143 titles on that list.
The enormous increase in both number of best-selling books, and in sales
is due not only to the normal increase in the number of new titles
issued in the years since 1945 but in much greater part to the increase
in the production and distribution of paperbound books and to the big
jump in book club sales during the years immediately after World War II.
This revolution in the make-up of the overall best-seller list has
resulted in the elimination of most of the popular books that first
appeared in the years up to 1930. There are only 14 titles on the list
that were published in the years between 1916 and 1930. Some of the most
popular authors of the early part of this century like the novelist
Winston Churchill, whose historical tales were the best sellers of
almost every year from 1901 through 1915, and Harold Bell Wright and
Gene Stratton Porter, whose names predominated on the earlier list, have
all but disappeared from this one. On the other hand, the paperback
editions are responsible for the inclusion on this list of many of the
books of twenty or so years ago which never had extremely large sales in
their hardback editions--books by authors like Erskine Caldwell, Thorne
Smith, William Faulkner, and Paul De Kruif. It is the paperbacks, too,
that have created the large sales for the many detective and western
stories that appear here. _In His Steps_, _Gone with the Wind_, and _How
to Win Friends and Influence People_ are still right at the top. Some of
the older favorites are still here, but much farther down the list than
they were, such titles as _Pollyanna_, _The Rosary_, _The Little
Shepherd of Kingdom Come_, and _The Sheik_. One hundred and eighteen of
these 306 books have been published since 1945, and 43 of them since
1950.
F In His Steps, by Charles Monroe Sheldon. 1897 (est.) 8,000,000
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, by
Benjamin Spock. 1946 7,850,000
F God’s Little Acre, by Erskine Caldwell. 1933 6,582,553
Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. 1930 5,806,586
F Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell. 1937 5,000,000
How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale
Carnegie. 1937 4,877,511
F I, the Jury, by Mickey Spillane. 1947 4,441,837
F The Big Kill, by Mickey Spillane. 1951 4,158,840
A Message to Garcia, by Elbert Hubbard. 1898 (est.) 4,000,000
F My Gun Is Quick, by Mickey Spillane. 1950 3,912,419
The Pocket Cook Book, by Elizabeth Woody. 1942 3,800,000
F The Long Wait, by Mickey Spillane. 1951 3,774,374
F Kiss Me, Deadly, by Mickey Spillane. 1952 3,773,045
F One Lonely Night, by Mickey Spillane. 1951 3,737,882
F Vengeance Is Mine! by Mickey Spillane. 1950 3,649,500
The Greatest Story Ever Told, by Fulton Oursler.
1949 3,580,570
Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book. 1950 3,500,000
F Journeyman, by Erskine Caldwell. 1935 3,490,703
The American Woman’s Cook Book, ed. by Ruth
Berolzheimer. 1938 3,400,000
F Tragic Ground, by Erskine Caldwell. 1944 3,395,197
F The Razor’s Edge, by W. Somerset Maugham. 1944 3,221,843
F Tobacco Road, by Erskine Caldwell. 1932 3,168,321
The Boston Cooking School Cook Book, by Fannie
Farmer. 1896. Ninth ed. by Wilma Lord Perkins. 1951 3,058,778
The Story of the Bible, by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut. 1904 3,000,000
F From Here to Eternity, by James Jones. 1951 2,996,435
F The Chinese Room, by Vivian Connell. 1942 2,919,484
F A House in the Uplands, by Erskine Caldwell. 1946 2,871,332
F Duel in the Sun, by Niven Busch. 1944 2,850,347
J The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum.
1900 2,830,049
F The Case of the Lucky Legs, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1934 2,744,413
The Service Cook Book, by Ida Bailey Allen. 1933 2,750,000
F See Here, Private Hargrove, by Marion Hargrove.
1942 2,693,000
F The Robe, by Lloyd C. Douglas. 1942 2,674,951
F The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk. 1954 2,589,763
F Not as a Stranger, by Morton Thompson. 1954 2,575,000
F Topper, by Thorne Smith. 1926 2,557,806
F A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith. 1943 2,539,000
F Trouble in July, by Erskine Caldwell. 1940 2,524,233
F Mutiny on the Bounty, by Charles Nordhoff and
James Norman Hall. 1932 2,523,846
F Georgia Boy, by Erskine Caldwell. 1943 2,488,616
F Pocket Book of Short Stories, ed. by M. E. Speare.
1941 2,438,000
F So Well Remembered, by James Hilton. 1945 2,402,225
Betty Crocker’s Good and Easy Cookbook. 1954 2,400,000
F The Golden Hawk, by Frank Yerby. 1948 2,384,663
F Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. 1938 2,358,468
F Forever Amber, by Kathleen Winsor. 1944 2,348,400
F The Case of the Curious Bride, by Erle Stanley 2,315,388
Gardner. 1934
F B.F.’s Daughter, by John P. Marquand. 1946 2,309,124
F The Sure Hand of God, by Erskine Caldwell. 1947 2,245,719
F The Silver Chalice, by Thomas B. Costain. 1952 2,236,004
F Kitty, by Rosamond Marshall. 1943 2,234,974
F The Glorious Pool, by Thorne Smith. 1934 2,227,945
F The Amboy Dukes, by Irving Shulman. 1947 2,213,167
F Tales of the South Pacific, by James Michener. 1947 2,208,270
F The Case of the Sulky Girl, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1933 2,184,168
F Battle Cry, by Leon M. Uris. 1953 2,178,000
F Dinner at Antoine’s, by Frances Parkinson Keyes.
1948 2,142,000
F The Black Rose, by Thomas B. Costain. 1945 2,129,442
F Lost Horizon, by James Hilton. 1935 2,128,864
F Prince of Foxes, by Samuel Shellabarger. 1947 2,127,969
The Pocket Book of Verse, ed. by M. E. Speare. 1940 2,127,000
F The Case of the Lame Canary, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1937 2,119,362
F Pocket Book of Erskine Caldwell Stories, ed. by
Henry Seidel Canby. 1947 2,107,000
J Freckles, by Gene Stratton Porter. 1904 2,089,523
I’ll Cry Tomorrow, by Lillian Roth, Mike Connolly
and Jerold Frank. 1954 2,075,000
F The Case of the Dangerous Dowager, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1937 2,073,589
F The Passionate Witch, by Thorne Smith. 1941 2,070,645
The Song of Our Syrian Guest, by William Allen
Knight. 1903 2,070,500
The Outline of History, by H. G. Wells. 1921 2,070,170
F Strange Fruit, by Lillian Smith. 1944 2,066,070
J The Girl of the Limberlost, by Gene Stratton Porter.
1909 2,053,892
F The Case of the Substitute Face, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1938 2,040,167
F Magnificent Obsession, by Lloyd C. Douglas. 1929 2,038,576
F Women’s Barracks, by Tereska Torres. 1950 2,036,048
F Leave Her to Heaven, by Ben Ames Williams. 1944 2,031,210
F The Case of the Baited Hook, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1940 2,023,489
F The Case of the Stuttering Bishop, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1936 2,019,162
The Power of Positive Thinking, by Norman Vincent
Peale. 1952 2,000,000
F The Case of the Counterfeit Eye, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1935 1,980,198
F Giant, by Edna Ferber. 1952 1,889,001
F The Naked and the Dead, by Norman Mailer. 1948 1,876,000
F Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck. 1945 (est.) 1,873,000
The Joy of Cooking, by Irma S. Rombauer. 1931 (The
New Joy of Cooking, with Marion Rombauer Becker
1951) 1,855,434
F The Case of the Caretaker’s Cat, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1935 1,879,792
F This Is Murder, by Erle Stanley Gardner. 1935 1,868,039
F The Case of the Velvet Claws, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1933 1,863,346
F Nevada, by Zane Grey. 1928 1,834,116
F The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece, by Erle
Stanley Gardner. 1936 1,814,946
F The Bishop’s Jaegers, by Thorne Smith. 1932 1,814,649
F The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. 1931 1,811,500
F House of Flesh, by Bruno Fischer. 1950 1,800,212
F Désirée, by Annemarie Selinko. 1953 1,770,826
30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary, by Wilfred J.
Funk and Norman Lewis. 1942 1,766,454
Better Homes and Gardens Baby Book. 1943 1,766,284
F The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1944 1,764,784
One World, by Wendell L. Willkie. 1943 1,756,760
F The Call of the Wild, by Jack London. 1903 1,752,500
Jailbait, by William Bernard, 1949 1,750,000
F The Clue of the Forgotten Murder, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1935 1,737,780
You Are What You Eat, by Victor H. Lindlahr. 1940 1,730,000
F Impatient Virgin, by Donald Henderson Clarke. 1931 1,702,500
F The Case of the Haunted Husband, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1941 1,695,359
F The Wayward Bus, by John Steinbeck. 1947 1,687,000
F The Wild Palms, by William Faulkner. 1939 1,678,000
F Adventures of Ellery Queen. 1934 1,676,000
The Greatest Book Ever Written, by Fulton Oursler.
1951 1,674,438
F The Foxes of Harrow, by Frank Yerby. 1946 1,671,697
J Facts of Life and Love for Teen-Agers, by Evelyn
Willis Duvall. 1950 1,670,000
F A Woman in the House, by Erskine Caldwell. 1949 1,623,630
F The Virginian, by Owen Wister. 1902 1,623,000
F This Very Earth, by Erskine Caldwell. 1948 1,611,798
F The Harvester, by Gene Stratton Porter. 1911 1,611,007
F The New Adventures of Ellery Queen. 1940 1,603,000
F The Spanish Cape Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1935 1,603,000
F Mr. Roberts, by Thomas Heggen. 1946 1,599,779
F The Song of Bernadette, by Franz Werfel. 1942 1,594,000
F The Case of the Howling Dog, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1934 1,593,199
J Laddie, by Gene Stratton Porter. 1913 1,586,529
F Strange Woman, by Ben Ames Williams. 1941 1,581,973
F The Chinese Orange Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1934 1,565,000
F Pride’s Castle, by Frank Yerby. 1949 1,559,203
F Mother, by Kathleen Norris. 1911 1,553,792
F Yankee Pasha, by Edison Marshall. 1947 1,550,000
F Christmas Holiday, by W. Somerset Maugham. 1939 1,546,793
F Duke, by Hal Ellson. 1949 1,540,000
F The Vixens, by Frank Yerby. 1947 1,524,123
F The Case of the Borrowed Brunette, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1946 1,537,214
F The Case of the Buried Clock, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1943 1,530,206
Analysis of the Kinsey Reports on Sexual Behavior in
the Human Male and Female, ed. by Donald P. Geddes.
1954 1,519,380
F The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1943 1,510,245
In Tune with the Infinite, by Ralph Waldo Trine.
1897 1,507,314
Pocket Book of Cartoons, ed. by Bennett Cerf. 1943 1,507,000
F The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1938 1,506,660
F The Dutch Shoe Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1931 1,506,000
F The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie.
1926 (est.) 1,500,000
F The Case of the Gold Digger’s Purse, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1945 1,492,948
F Floodtide, by Frank Yerby. 1950 1,492,413
Dear Sir, by Juliet Lowell. 1944 1,488,097
F Random Harvest, by James Hilton. 1941 1,476,460
F Young Lonigan, by James T. Farrell. 1932 1,475,311
F No Time for Sergeants, by Mac Hyman. 1954 1,473,400
F The Case of the Cautious Coquette, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1949 1,465,537
F Spring Fire, by Vin Packer. 1952 1,463,917
Believe It or Not, ed. by Robert L. Ripley. 1941 1,457,000
F Mr. Adam, by Pat Frank. 1946 1,445,156
F Duchess Hotspur, by Rosamond Marshall. 1946 1,440,668
F Mildred Pierce, by James M. Cain. 1941 1,436,252
F The Postman Always Rings Twice, by James M. Cain.
1934 1,435,000
F Lord Johnnie, by Leslie Turner White. 1949 1,432,000
F Serenade, by James M. Cain. 1937 1,428,765
F Green Dolphin Street, by Elizabeth Goudge. 1944 1,425,000
F All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria
Remarque. 1929 1,424,231
F The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1945 1,424,228
Pocket Book of War Humor, ed. by Bennett Cerf. 1943 1,422,000
F The River Road, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. 1946 1,421,000
F Calamity Town, by Ellery Queen. 1942 1,412,000
F Bedelia, by Vera Caspary. 1945 1,409,790
F The Case of the Turning Tide, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1941 1,408,319
F Cry Tough! by Irving Shulman. 1949 1,407,447
F The D.A. Calls It Murder, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1937 1,407,310
F The Royal Box, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. 1954 1,406,000
F The Case of the Silent Partner, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1940 1,402,931
F Lydia Bailey, by Kenneth Roberts. 1947 1,400,616
Dennis the Menace, by Hank Ketcham. 1952 1,400,000
F A Swell Looking Girl, by Erskine Caldwell. 1950 1,397,583
Pocket Book of Boners. 1943 1,387,000
F A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway. 1929 1,383,000
F The Case of the Empty Tin, by Erle Stanley Gardner
1941 1,377,388
F The Case of the Rolling Bones, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1939 1,368,767
F A Place Called Estherville, by Erskine Caldwell. 1949 1,368,066
F The Golden Fury, by Marian Castle. 1949 1,363,909
F Murder Up My Sleeve, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1938 1,359,975
J Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, by Kate Douglas
Wiggin. 1904 1,357,714
F Knock on Any Door, by Willard Motley. 1947 (est.) 1,355,045
F The Revolt of Mamie Stover, by William Bradford
Huie. 1951 1,355,000
F The King’s General, by Daphne du Maurier. 1946 1,354,982
F The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, by Sloan Wilson.
1955 1,350,000
F Joy Street, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. 1950 1,349,000
F The Tormented, by Theodore Pratt. 1950 1,344,912
F The Damned, by John D. MacDonald. 1952 1,335,768
F Lady Chatterley’s Lover, by D. H. Lawrence.
1932 (est.) 1,329,228
F The Spirit of the Border, by Zane Grey. 1906 1,325,000
F Sanctuary, by William Faulkner. 1931 1,322,214
F The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan, by James T.
Farrell. 1934 1,318,075
F Rampart Street, by Everett and Olga Webber. 1948 1,318,000
F Annie Jordan, by Mary Brinker Post. 1948 1,315,455
I Never Left Home, by Bob Hope. 1944 1,308,094
A Man Called Peter, by Catherine Marshall. 1951 1,303,000
F The Bigger They Come, by A. A. Fair. 1939 1,295,319
More Dennis the Menace, by Hank Ketcham. 1953 1,290,208
F The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, by John Fox, Jr. 1908 1,285,000
F The Saracen Blade, by Frank Yerby. 1952 1,284,042
F Came a Cavalier, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. 1947 1,279,000
F This Side of Innocence, by Taylor Caldwell. 1946 1,276,000
F The Case of the Crooked Candle, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1944 1,273,775
My Flag Is Down, by James Maresca. 1948 1,261,000
F Before the Sun Goes Down, by Elizabeth M. Howard.
1946 1,260,725
F Golden Sleep, by Vivian Connell. 1948 1,258,675
F The Cautious Amorist, by Norman Lindsay. 1932 1,253,793
Five Acres and Independence, by M. G. Kains. 1935 1,250,000
F Steamboat Gothic, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. 1952 1,247,000
F The Thin Man, by Dashiell Hammett. 1934 1,243,445
F Cocotte, by Theodore Pratt. 1951 1,237,773
F The Four of Hearts, by Ellery Queen. 1938 1,235,000
Washington Confidential, by Jack Lait and Lee
Mortimer. 1951 1,235,000
F The Crisis, by Winston Churchill. 1901 1,232,380
F Singing Guns, by Max Brand. 1938 1,229,000
F Farewell My Lovely, by Raymond Chandler. 1940 1,228,880
F The Citadel, by A. J. Cronin. 1941 1,228,797
F Hill Girl, by Charles Williams. 1951 1,226,890
F Gentleman’s Agreement, by Laura Z. Hobson. 1947 1,221,986
F Mrs. Miniver, by Jan Struther. 1940 1,218,849
F The Case of the Perjured Parrot, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1939 1,212,047
F Pocket Book of Modern American Short Stories, ed. by
Philip Van Doren Stern. 1943 1,205,000
The Microbe Hunters, by Paul De Kruif. 1926 1,202,913
F 13 French Street, by Gil Brewer. 1952 1,200,365
Love Without Fear, by Eustace Chesser. 1947 1,200,320
F The Best of Damon Runyon, ed. by E. C. Bentley.
1938 1,200,190
F David Harum, by Edward Noyes Westcott. 1900 1,200,000
F Midsummer Passions. 1948 1,200,000
The Settlement Cook Book, by Mrs. Simon Kander.
1930 1,200,000
Sex Habits of American Women, by Fritz
Wittels. 1951 1,200,000
F The Shepherd of the Hills, by Harold Bell Wright.
1907 1,200,000
F The Sheik, by E. M. Hull, 1921 1,194,000
F Michael O’Halloran, by Gene Stratton Porter. 1915 1,194,440
F The Egyptian Cross Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1932 1,194,000
F The Case of the Lonely Heiress, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1948 1,193,009
F The D.A. Draws a Circle, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1939 1,192,862
F The Case of the Drowning Duck, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1942 1,188,293
F Jeeves, by P. G. Wodehouse. 1924 1,183,063
F The Case of the Smoking Chimney, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1943 1,181,877
F The Young Lions, by Irwin Shaw. 1948 1,173,730
F The Case of the Backward Mule, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1946 1,164,181
Cartoon Laffs. True Magazine. 1952 1,162,375
F The Siamese Twin Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1933 1,161,000
F Destry Rides Again, by Max Brand. 1930 1,158,000
F The Case of the Careless Kitten, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1942 1,153,876
A House Is Not a Home, by Polly Adler. 1953 1,150,000
J The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper. 1929 1,149,633
F The Turquoise, by Anya Seton. 1946 1,149,487
F 1984, by George Orwell. 1949 1,146,731
F The Tragedy of X, by Barnaby Ross. 1932 1,142,000
F Sangaree, by Frank G. Slaughter. 1948 1,138,891
F Halfway House, by Ellery Queen. 1936 1,138,000
F The Cardinal, by Henry Morton Robinson. 1950 1,136,817
F The Night Life of the Gods, by Thorne Smith. 1931 1,133,614
F Peony, by Pearl S. Buck. 1948 1,133,000
F And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie.
1940 1,128,776
F Darling, It’s Death, by Richard Prather. 1952 1,125,112
F The Street, by Ann Petry. 1946 1,124,811
The Egg and I, by Betty MacDonald. 1945 (est.) 1,125,000
F Bonjour Tristesse, by Françoise Sagan. 1955 1,120,000
Peace of Mind, by Joshua L. Liebman. 1946 1,102,364
F I Have Gloria Kirby, by Richard Himmel. 1951 1,100,617
Kon-Tiki, by Thor Heyerdahl. 1950 1,100,000
F The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, by John Fox,
Jr. 1903 1,100,000
F The Other Room, by Worth T. Hedden. 1947 1,100,000
F The Rosary, by Florence Barclay. 1910 1,099,000
F Never Love a Stranger, by Harold Robbins. 1948 1,098,060
F The Case of the Fan-Dancer’s Horse, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1947 1,096,372
F The Riders of the Purple Sage, by Zane Grey. 1912 1,094,000
F My Cousin Rachel, by Daphne du Maurier. 1952 1,093,230
F The Great Impersonation, by E. Phillips Oppenheim.
1920 1,092,690
F Rawhide Range, by Ernest Haycox. 1952 1,090,000
The Sexual Side of Marriage, by Max J. Exner. 1932 1,087,716
F Bad Girl, by Viña Delmar. 1928 1,085,566
F What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg. 1941 1,082,000
F Love Is Eternal, by Irving Stone. 1954 1,078,753
F Hungry Hill, by Daphne du Maurier. 1943 1,068,004
The Pocket Entertainer, ed. by Shirley Cunningham.
1942 1,068,000
F Louis Beretti, by Donald Henderson Clarke. 1929 1,066,600
F Mistress Glory, by Susan Morley. 1948 1,063,502
Crusade in Europe, by Dwight D. Eisenhower. 1948 1,059,713
J Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter. 1913 1,059,000
F Spoonhandle, by Ruth Moore. 1946 1,057,993
F The Beach House, by Stephen Longstreet. 1952 1,055,000
Strength for Service to God and Country, by Norman
F. Nygaard. 1942 1,050,000
F Bugles in the Afternoon, by Ernest Haycox. 1944 1,044,747
F The Dragon’s Teeth, by Ellery Queen. 1939 1,039,000
F The D.A. Goes to Trial, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1940 1,037,482
F The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. 1928 (est.) 1,037,000
F Cassidy’s Girl, by David Goodis. 1951 1,036,497
F Butterfield 8, by John O’Hara. 1935 1,021,738
F Ramrod, by Luke Short. 1943 1,018,992
F I Can Get It for You Wholesale, by Jerome Weidman.
1937 1,018,942
F High Towers, by Thomas B. Costain. 1949 1,015,604
F Never Come Morning, by Nelson Algren. 1942 1,015,000
F The Case of the Lazy Lover, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1947 1,013,139
The Sea Around Us, by Rachel Carson. 1951 1,010,753
Martha Logan’s Meat Cook Book. 1942 1,010,000
F Scarlet Sister Mary, by Julia Peterkin. 1928 1,007,310
F The Sun Is My Undoing, by Marguerite Steen. 1941 1,010,000
F The French Powder Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1930 1,006,000
Great Controversy, by Ellen G. White. 1926 1,005,381
F Fast Company, by Marco Page. 1938 (est.) 1,005,000
Pocket Book of Crossword Puzzles, by Margaret
Petherbridge. 1943 1,001,000
F Anthony Adverse, by Hervey Allen. 1933 1,000,000
Brave Men, by Ernie Pyle. 1944 1,000,000
Egermeier’s Bible Story Book. 1923. Rev. by Arlene
S. Hall. 1955 1,000,000
Etiquette, by Emily Post. 1922 (est.) 1,000,000
A Heap o’Livin’, by Edgar Guest. 1916 1,000,000
J Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman. 1899 (est.) 1,000,000
J Pollyanna Grows Up, by Eleanor H. Porter. 1915 1,000,000
The Simple Life, by Charles Wagner. 1901 1,000,000
F The Web of Days, by Edna L. Lee. 1947 1,000,000
Will Rogers, by Patrick J. O’Brien. 1935 1,000,000
Your Dream Home, by Hubbard Cobb. 1950 1,000,000
BEST SELLERS
1895-1955
_Hardbound_
This list, giving only sales figures for the hardbound editions of the
best sellers, is the most comparable in content to the overall
bestseller list in the 1945 edition of this book. In the main that
original list consisted mostly of hardbound best sellers. Some
paperbound editions were included, but when the list was first made,
there were only a scattering of these paperbound editions that could be
included.
The 1895-1955 list has been limited to books selling 750,000 copies or
more in the original edition and in hardbound reprint and in book club
editions. There are 147 titles compared to the 144 books in 1945 which
had sold 500,000 or more. The names of the original publishers and the
dates of original publication in the United States are given. In cases
where the original publisher has gone out of business but the book is
still in print, the name of the present publisher is given, but if the
book itself is out of print, the name of the original publisher is given
whether or not the firm is still in existence.
Many of the older titles from the periods before the two world wars are
still here. Only those on the original list that have not yet sold
750,000 copies are omitted. Many new books of the ’40’s and ’50’s have
been added--58 published in 1945 or later, only 20 of which were
published in 1950 or later. There are 19 authors who have two or more
books on this list. The leaders in number of titles are Frances
Parkinson Keyes with six, Daphne du Maurier, Gene Stratton Porter and
Frank Yerby with five each, and Thomas B. Costain and Harold Bell Wright
with three each.
Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. 1930
Meredith 5,806,586
F Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell. 1937
Macmillan 5,000,000
Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book. 1950 McGraw-Hill 3,500,000
The American Woman’s Cook Book, ed. by Ruth
Berolzheimer. 1938 Garden City Books 3,400,000
The Boston Cooking School Cook Book, by Fannie
Farmer. 1896. Ninth ed. by Wilma Lord Perkins.
1951 Little, Brown 3,058,778
The Story of the Bible, by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut. 1904
Winston 3,000,000
J The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum.
1900 Bobbs-Merrill 2,830,049
F A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith. 1943
Harper 2,539,000
F The Robe, by Lloyd C. Douglas. 1942 Houghton
Mifflin 2,530,129
Betty Crocker’s Good and Easy Cookbook. 1954
Simon and Schuster 2,400,000
F The Silver Chalice, by Thomas B. Costain. 1952
Doubleday 2,236,004
F The Black Rose, by Thomas B. Costain. 1945
Doubleday 2,129,442
J Freckles, by Gene Stratton Porter. 1904 Doubleday 2,089,523
The Song of Our Syrian Guest, by William Allen
Knight. 1903 Pilgrim Press 2,070,500
The Outline of History, by H. G. Wells. 1921 Macmillan 2,070,170
J The Girl of the Limberlost, by Gene Stratton Porter.
1909 Doubleday 2,053,892
F Leave Her to Heaven, by Ben Ames Williams. 1944
Houghton Mifflin 2,031,210
F In His Steps, by Charles Monroe Sheldon. 1897
Grosset & Dunlap and others (est.) 2,000,000
The Power of Positive Thinking, by Norman Vincent
Peale. 1952 Prentice-Hall 2,000,000
F The Razor’s Edge, by W. Somerset Maugham. 1944
Doubleday 1,911,843
The Joy of Cooking, by Irma S. Rombauer. 1931 (The
New Joy of Cooking, with Marion Rombauer Becker.
1951) Bobbs-Merrill 1,855,434
F The Call of the Wild, by Jack London. 1903 Macmillan 1,752,500
Better Homes and Gardens Baby Book. 1943 Meredith 1,766,284
F Dinner at Antoine’s, by Frances Parkinson Keyes.
1948 Messner 1,748,000
F Not as a Stranger, by Morton Thompson. 1954
Scribner 1,700,000
F The Foxes of Harrow, by Frank Yerby. 1946 Dial
Press 1,671,697
F The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk. 1954 Doubleday 1,664,763
F Forever Amber, by Kathleen Winsor. 1944 Macmillan 1,648,400
F The Golden Hawk, by Frank Yerby. 1948 Dial Press 1,648,064
How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale
Carnegie. 1937 Simon and Schuster 1,627,511
F The Virginian, by Owen Wister. 1902 Macmillan 1,623,000
F The Harvester, by Gene Stratton Porter. 1911
Doubleday 1,611,007
J Laddie, by Gene Stratton Porter. 1913 Doubleday 1,586,529
F Mother, by Kathleen Norris. 1911 Doubleday 1,553,792
F The Vixens, by Frank Yerby. 1947 Dial Press 1,524,123
The Greatest Story Ever Told, by Fulton Oursler.
1949 Doubleday 1,516,570
In Tune with the Infinite, by Ralph Waldo Trine.
1897 Bobbs-Merrill 1,507,314
F Strange Woman, by Ben Ames Williams. 1941
Houghton Mifflin 1,443,524
F Green Dolphin Street, by Elizabeth Goudge. 1944
Coward-McCann 1,425,000
F All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria
Remarque. 1929 Little, Brown 1,424,231
F Lydia Bailey, by Kenneth Roberts. 1947 Doubleday 1,400,616
J Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, by Kate Douglas
Wiggin. 1904 Houghton Mifflin 1,357,714
F The King’s General, by Daphne du Maurier. 1946
Doubleday 1,354,982
F Joy Street, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. 1950
Messner 1,349,000
F Annie Jordan, by Mary Brinker Post. 1948 Doubleday 1,315,551
A Man Called Peter, by Catherine Marshall. 1951
McGraw-Hill 1,303,000
F The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, by John Fox, Jr.
1908 Scribner 1,285,000
F Came a Cavalier, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. 1947
Messner 1,279,000
F This Side of Innocence, by Taylor Caldwell. 1946
Scribner 1,276,000
F Before the Sun Goes Down, by Elizabeth M. Howard.
1946 Doubleday 1,260,725
F Désirée, by Annemarie Selinko. 1953 Morrow 1,235,843
F The Crisis, by Winston Churchill. 1901 Macmillan 1,232,380
F Gentleman’s Agreement, by Laura Z. Hobson. 1947
Simon and Schuster 1,221,986
The Greatest Book Ever Written, by Fulton Oursler.
1951 Doubleday 1,217,201
F David Harum, by Edward Noyes Westcott. 1900
Appleton-Century-Crofts 1,200,000
The Settlement Cook Book, by Mrs. Simon Kander.
1930 Simon and Schuster 1,200,000
F The Shepherd of the Hills, by Harold Bell Wright.
1907 Appleton-Century-Crofts 1,200,000
F Michael O’Halloran, by Gene Stratton Porter. 1915
Doubleday 1,194,440
F The Sheik, by E. M. Hull. 1921 Dodd, Mead 1,194,000
F The River Road, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. 1946
Messner 1,168,000
F Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. 1938 Doubleday 1,166,468
F The Royal Box, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. 1954
Messner 1,156,000
J The Little Engine That Could, ed. by Watty Piper.
1929 Platt & Munk 1,149,633
F The Turquoise, by Anya Seton. 1946 Houghton
Mifflin 1,149,487
The Egg and I, by Betty MacDonald. 1945 Lippincott (est.) 1,125,000
F The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, by John Fox,
Jr. 1903 Scribner 1,100,000
F The Rosary, by Florence Barclay. 1910 Putnam 1,099,000
F The Riders of the Purple Sage, by Zane Grey. 1912
Harper 1,094,000
F My Cousin Rachel, by Daphne du Maurier. 1952
Doubleday 1,093,230
F So Well Remembered, by James Hilton. 1945 Little,
Brown 1,083,226
F Love Is Eternal, by Irving Stone. 1954 Doubleday 1,078,753
F Pride’s Castle, by Frank Yerby. 1949 Dial Press 1,073,679
F Hungry Hill, by Daphne du Maurier. 1943 Doubleday 1,068,004
Crusade in Europe, by Dwight D. Eisenhower. 1948
Doubleday 1,059,713
J Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter. 1913 Page 1,059,000
Strength for Service to God and Country, by Norman
F. Nygaard. 1942 Abingdon Press 1,050,000
Five Acres and Independence, by M. G. Kains. 1935
Greenberg 1,044,000
F Topper, by Thorne Smith. 1926 Doubleday 1,018,806
F High Towers, by Thomas B. Costain. 1949 Doubleday 1,015,604
F B.F.’s Daughter, by John P. Marquand. 1946 Little,
Brown 1,012,912
F Scarlet Sister Mary, by Julia Peterkin. 1928 Bobbs-Merrill 1,007,310
F The Sun Is My Undoing, by Marguerite Steen. 1941
Viking Press (est.) 1,010,000
Great Controversy, by Ellen G. White. 1926 Review
& Herald 1,005,381
F Anthony Adverse, by Hervey Allen. 1933 Rinehart 1,000,000
Brave Men, by Ernie Pyle. 1944 Holt 1,000,000
Egermeier’s Bible Story Book. 1923 Rev. by Arlene S.
Hall. 1955 Warner Press 1,000,000
Etiquette, by Emily Post. 1922 Funk & Wagnalls (est.) 1,000,000
A Heap o’Livin’, by Edgar Guest. 1916 Reilly & Lee 1,000,000
J Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman. 1899
Lippincott (est.) 1,000,000
A Message to Garcia, by Elbert Hubbard. 1898 Roycroft (est.) 1,000,000
J Pollyanna Grows Up, by Eleanor H. Porter. 1915
Page 1,000,000
The Simple Life, by Charles Wagner. 1901 Doubleday 1,000,000
F The Song of Bernadette, by Franz Werfel. 1942
Viking Press (est.) 1,000,000
F The Web of Days, by Edna L. Lee. 1947 Appleton-Century-Crofts 1,000,000
Will Rogers, by Patrick J. O’Brien. 1935 Winston 1,000,000
F Yankee Pasha, by Edison Marshall. 1947 Farrar,
Straus and Cudahy 1,000,000
Your Dream Home, by Hubbard Cobb. 1950 Wise 1,000,000
F The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. 1931 John Day 976,500
F The Golden Fury, by Marian Castle. 1949 Morrow 969,499
F Floodtide, by Frank Yerby. 1950 Dial Press 969,491
Here Is Your War, by Ernie Pyle. 1943 Holt 967,000
F Shannon’s Way, by A. J. Cronin. 1948 Little, Brown 960,245
History of the World War, by Richard J. Beamish and
F. A. March. 1919 Winston 960,000
F Prince of Foxes, by Samuel Shellabarger. 1947 Little,
Brown 948,180
The Story of the Other Wise Man, by Henry van
Dyke. 1896 Harper 936,191
F The Calling of Dan Matthews, by Harold Bell Wright.
1916 Appleton-Century-Crofts 925,000
Land Birds East of the Rockies, by Chester A. Reed.
1905 Doubleday 920,436
F The Winning of Barbara Worth, by Harold Bell
Wright. 1911 Appleton-Century-Crofts 900,000
F Mutiny on the Bounty, by Charles Nordhoff and James
Norman Hall. 1932 Little, Brown 895,750
F The Cleft Rock, by Alice Tisdale Hobart. 1948
Bobbs-Merrill 887,200
F Pilgrim’s Inn, by Elizabeth Goudge. 1944 Coward-McCann 885,000
The Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant. 1926 Simon
and Schuster 874,975
F Pavilion of Women, by Pearl S. Buck. 1946 John Day 868,000
F Scaramouche, by Rafael Sabatini. 1921 Houghton
Mifflin 862,901
F The Moneyman, by Thomas B. Costain. 1947
Doubleday 849,428
F Bride of Fortune, by Harnett Kane. 1948 Doubleday 847,434
F The Parasites, by Daphne du Maurier. 1950
Doubleday 841,715
Better Homes and Gardens Handyman’s Book. 1951
Meredith 840,888
F The Private Life of Helen of Troy, by John Erskine.
1925 Bobbs-Merrill 840,369
F The Keys of the Kingdom, by A. J. Cronin. 1941
Little, Brown 819,629
F The Big Fisherman, by Lloyd C. Douglas. 1948
Houghton Mifflin 814,637
F Lusty Wind for Carolina, by Inglis Fletcher. 1944
Bobbs-Merrill 812,130
They Were Expendable, by W. L. White. 1942
Harcourt, Brace 810,663
For Doctors Only, by Francis Leo Golden. 1948 Fell 810,000
F Impatient Virgin, by Donald Henderson Clarke.
1931 Vanguard Press 802,500
Peace of Mind, by Joshua L. Liebman. 1946 Simon
and Schuster 802,064
Diet and Health, by Lulu Hunt Peters. 1922 Reilly
& Lee 800,000
F For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway.
1940 Scribner 800,000
F The Mysterious Rider, by Zane Grey. 1921 Harper 796,950
The Royal Road to Romance, by Richard Halliburton.
1925 Bobbs-Merrill 794,287
Expectant Motherhood, by Nicholson J. Eastman.
1940 Little, Brown 794,052
F The Peacock Sheds His Tail, by Alice Tisdale Hobart.
1945 Bobbs-Merrill 790,931
F Parris Mitchell of Kings Row, by Katherine Bellamann.
1948 Simon and Schuster 788,634
J Penrod, by Booth Tarkington. 1914 Doubleday 784,125
F Richard Carvel, by Winston Churchill. 1899 Macmillan 780,400
Better Homes and Gardens Garden Book. 1951
Meredith 779,975
F The Man of the Forest, by Zane Grey. 1920 Harper 774,500
F The Case of the Cautious Coquette, by Erie Stanley
Gardner. 1949 Morrow 770,552
F The View from Pompey’s Head, by Hamilton Basso.
1954 Doubleday 770,359
F The Miracle of the Bells, by Russell Janney. 1946
Prentice-Hall 770,000
The Book of Etiquette, by Lillian Eichler. 1922
Nelson Doubleday 756,432
J Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne. 1926 Dutton 780,000
Ann Pillsbury’s Baking Book. 1950 Barnes 750,000
F Eben Holden, by Irving Bacheller. 1900 Lothrop, Lee
& Shepard 750,000
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, by Cornelia Otis
Skinner and Emily Kimbrough. 1942 Dodd, Mead (est.) 750,000
F The Re-creation of Brian Kent, by Harold Bell
Wright. 1919 Appleton-Century-Crofts 750,000
F Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. 1914
McClurg 750,000
BEST SELLERS
1895-1955
_Paperbound_
This third list of best sellers, 1895-1955, includes only books which
have sold one million or more copies in paper-covered editions. No
hardcover sales are included in the totals. There are 173 titles on the
list, most of which have sold at prices ranging from 25 cents to 50
cents. The publishers named are the publishers of the paperbound
editions. In some cases these books are “originals” that is, they were
first issued in paper covers, and not as reprints of hardcover editions.
Books in this category are indicated by “(orig)” after the publisher’s
name. In a very few cases a book was issued by its original publisher in
both paper and hardcover editions. In that case only the sales of the
paperbound edition are given.
The most recent development in the paperbound field has been the
establishment of reprint series by the regular trade publishers, most of
them offering their backlist titles at reduced prices in the new format.
The substance of most of these series is more serious from the literary
standpoint than the usual offerings of the regular paperbound
publishers. One of the good outlets for these paperbound series is the
college bookstores whose readers find special books they may have long
wished to own but have not been able to afford at their original prices,
and also books that may have been out of print in their clothbound
editions. This sort of enterprise has been so successful that more and
more publishers have embarked upon it.
Some reprint publishers have always issued paperbound books of serious
nature, notably New American Library with its Mentor Books, Penguin
Books which imports English editions to large extent, and Pocket Books,
which, from its start, has issued dictionaries, classics, and manuals,
such as the one that heads the following list. Titles in the well-known
Modern Library have only recently appeared in paper as well as in cloth,
as have the books in the Viking Portable Library. One of the first trade
publishers to enter this paperbound field was Doubleday & Company with
Anchor Books, a line of paperbound reprints and originals for which
Doubleday won the Carey-Thomas Award for creative publishing in 1955.
Knopf’s Vintage Books have gone over the million mark in sales.
Doubleday’s Image Books, a paper-back series of Catholic works, when
only its first few titles were available, sold over half a million
copies in six months.
An example of another type of paperbound publishing is that of Oceana
Publications and its Legal Almanac Series. These are original works of
several hundred pages, most of them issued in both cloth and paper
bindings. This series specializes in one subject, in this case, law in
simplified form for the layman. Forty volumes of the Legal Almanac
Series have exceeded a million in total sales. The first volume in the
series, _Marriage and Divorce_, has sold over 100,000 copies. There are
also numerous other publishers specializing in issuing paperbound books
on certain subjects. Many of these books are of the “how-to” and
“fix-it-yourself” type, such as those issued by Fawcett Publications,
the Lane Publishing Company, Arco Publishing Company and Maco Magazine
Corporation.
Pocket Book of Baby and Child Care, by Benjamin
Spock. Pocket Books 7,500,000
F God’s Little Acre, by Erskine Caldwell. New American 6,340,524
Library
F In His Steps, by Charles Monroe Sheldon. Advance 6,000,000
(orig)
F I, the Jury, by Mickey Spillane. New American 4,372,837
Library
F The Big Kill, by Mickey Spillane. New American 4,150,840
Library
F My Gun Is Quick, by Mickey Spillane. New American 3,907,419
Library
The Pocket Cook Book, by Elizabeth Woody. Pocket
Books (orig) 3,800,000
F The Long Wait, by Mickey Spillane. New American
Library 3,763,374
F One Lonely Night, by Mickey Spillane. New American
Library 3,732,882
F Kiss Me, Deadly, by Mickey Spillane. New American
Library 3,692,045
F Vengeance Is Mine! by Mickey Spillane. New American
Library 3,645,000
How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale
Carnegie. Pocket Books 3,478,000
F Journeyman, by Erskine Caldwell, New American
Library 3,476,140
F Tragic Ground, by Erskine Caldwell, New American
Library 3,357,675
F Duel in the Sun, by Niven Busch. Popular Library 3,200,000
F Tobacco Road, by Erskine Caldwell. New American
Library 3,131,220
A Message to Garcia, by Elbert Hubbard. Roycroft
(orig) 3,000,000
F The Chinese Room, by Vivian Connell. Bantam Books 2,915,000
The Service Cook Book, by Ida Bailey Allen. Service,
Inc. (orig) 2,750,000
F A House in the Uplands, by Erskine Caldwell. New
American Library 2,730,000
F From Here to Eternity, by James Jones. New American
Library 2,516,635
F Trouble in July, by Erskine Caldwell. New American
Library 2,508,983
F Georgia Boy, by Erskine Caldwell. New American
Library; Avon 2,478,488
F Pocket Book of Short Stories, ed. by M. E. Speare.
Pocket Books (orig) 2,438,000
F See Here, Private Hargrove, by Marion Hargrove.
Pocket Books 2,260,000
F Singing Guns, by Max Brand. Pocket Books 2,219,000
F The Amboy Dukes, by Irving Shulman. Avon 2,200,000
F The Sure Hand of God, by Erskine Caldwell. New
American Library 2,188,052
F Tales of the South Pacific, by James Michener. Pocket
Books 2,131,000
The Pocket Book of Verse, ed. by M. E. Speare. Pocket
Books (orig) 2,127,000
F The Case of the Curious Bride, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 2,120,000
F Pocket Book of Erskine Caldwell Stories, ed. by Henry
Seidel Canby. Pocket Books 2,107,000
F The Glorious Pool, by Thorne Smith. Pocket Books 2,085,000
The Pocket Dictionary, by W. J. Pelo. Pocket Books 2,075,000
F Battle Cry, by Leon Uris. Bantam Books 2,067,000
F Mr. Roberts, by Thomas Heggen. Pocket Books;
Armed Services Editions 2,055,120
F The Case of the Lame Canary, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 2,038,000
F Women’s Barracks, by Tereska Torres. Gold Medal
Books (orig) 2,036,048
F The Case of the Sulky Girl, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 2,000,000
A House Is Not a Home, by Polly Adler. Popular
Library 2,000,000
How to Prepare Your Income Tax, by David Joseph.
Garden City Books (orig) 2,000,000
F The Case of the Substitute Face, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 1,990,000
F The Passionate Witch, by Thorne Smith. Pocket Books 1,950,000
F The Case of the Lucky Legs, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 1,927,000
The Greatest Story Ever Told, by Fulton Oursler.
Permabooks 1,911,155
F The Case of the Baited Hook, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,886,092
F The Case of the Stuttering Bishop, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,875,000
F The Case of the Counterfeit Eye, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,870,000
F Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck. Bantam Books 1,843,000
F House of Flesh, by Bruno Fischer. Gold Medal Books
(orig) 1,800,212
F The Case of the Caretaker’s Cat, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,799,000
I’ll Cry Tomorrow, by Lillian Roth, Mike Connolly
and Jerold Frank. Popular Library 1,750,000
Jailbait, by William Bernard. Popular Library 1,750,000
You Are What You Eat, by Victor H. Lindlahr. Journal
of Lifetime Living 1,730,000
F Lost Horizon, by James Hilton. Pocket Books 1,726,000
F Magnificent Obsession, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Pocket
Books 1,689,000
F The Case of the Dangerous Dowager, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,667,715
F The Bishop’s Jaegers, by Thorne Smith. Pocket Books 1,646,000
F The Case of the Velvet Claws, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 1,638,762
F Kitty, by Rosamond Marshall. Pocket Books; New
American Library 1,630,175
F A Woman in the House, by Erskine Caldwell. New
American Library 1,623,630
F This Is Murder, by Erle Stanley Gardner. Pocket
Books 1,622,771
F The Naked and the Dead, by Norman Mailer. New
American Library 1,620,005
F The Case of the Haunted Husband, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,607,714
J Facts of Life and Love for Teen-Agers, by Evelyn
Millis Duvall. Popular Library 1,580,000
F The Clue of the Forgotten Murder, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,569,436
F This Very Earth, by Erskine Caldwell. New American
Library 1,566,255
F The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,559,320
Love Without Fear, by Eustace Chesser. New American
Library 1,555,320
F Topper, by Thorne Smith. Pocket Books 1,542,000
F Duke, by Hal Ellson. Popular Library 1,540,000
About the Kinsey Report, ed. by Donald P. Geddes
and Eve Currie. New American Library 1,516,380
Pocket Book of Cartoons, ed. by Bennett Cerf. Pocket
Books (orig) 1,507,000
30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary, by Wilfred J.
Funk and Norman Lewis. Pocket Books 1,502,000
F Spring Fire, by Vin Packer. Gold Medal Books (orig) 1,463,917
Believe It or Not, ed. by Robert L. Ripley. Pocket
Books 1,457,000
F Strange Fruit, by Lillian Smith. New American
Library 1,448,070
F The Case of the Buried Clock, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 1,426,101
Pocket Book of War Humor, ed. by Bennett Cerf.
Pocket Books (orig) 1,422,000
F The Case of the Howling Dog, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 1,411,739
F The Postman Always Rings Twice, by James M. Cain.
Pocket Books 1,410,000
F Serenade, by James M. Cain. New American Library 1,402,765
F Cry Tough! by Irving Shulman. Avon 1,400,000
F A Swell Looking Girl, by Erskine Caldwell. New
American Library (orig) 1,397,593
Pocket Book of Boners. Pocket Books 1,387,000
F A Stranger in Paris (Christmas Holiday), by W. Somerset
Maugham. Bantam Books 1,381,000
F Nevada, by Zane Grey. Bantam Books 1,374,000
F The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,366,385
F The Case of the Turning Tide, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 1,351,396
F The Revolt of Mamie Stover, by William Bradford
Huie. New American Library 1,350,000
F The Tormented, by Theodore Pratt. Gold Medal
Books (orig) 1,344,912
F The Case of the Empty Tin, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 1,337,091
F The Damned, by John D. MacDonald. Gold Medal
Books (orig) 1,335,768
F The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,328,196
F Lady Chatterley’s Lover, by D. H. Lawrence. New
American Library 1,327,338
F The Spirit of the Border, by Zane Grey. Pocket Books 1,325,000
F The Case of the Borrowed Brunette, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,323,406
F The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,322,676
F Sanctuary, by William Faulkner. New American
Library 1,322,214
F Duchess Hotspur, by Rosamond Marshall. New
American Library 1,315,090
F The Razor’s Edge, by W. Somerset Maugham. Pocket
Books 1,310,000
F The Case of the Silent Partner, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 1,301,027
F No Time for Sergeants, by Mac Hyman. New American
Library 1,300,000
F Rampart Street, by Everett and Olga Webber. Pocket
Books 1,300,000
F The Case of the Rolling Bones, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 1,299,803
F A Place Called Estherville, by Erskine Caldwell. New
American Library 1,281,920
F Damon Runyon Favorites. Pocket Books 1,279,000
English-Spanish, Spanish-English Dictionary, comp. by
Carlos Castillo and Otto F. Bond. Pocket Books 1,295,000
My Flag Is Down, by James Maresca. Bantam Books 1,251,000
F The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, by Sloan Wilson.
Pocket Books 1,250,000
F Young Lonigan, by James T. Farrell. New American
Library 1,249,210
English Through Pictures (The Pocket Book of Basic
English), by I. A. Richards and C. M. Gibson. Pocket
Books (orig) 1,245,000
New American Webster Dictionary. New American
Library (orig) 1,239,121
F Cocotte, by Theodore Pratt. Gold Medal Books (orig) 1,237,773
F Golden Sleep, by Vivian Connell. New American
Library 1,237,140
F The Bigger They Come, by A. A. Fair. Pocket Books 1,233,555
F Hill Girl, by Charles Williams. Gold Medal Books
(orig) 1,226,890
F Farewell, My Lovely, by Raymond Chandler. Pocket
Books 1,225,000
F The Case of the Gold-Digger’s Purse, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,223,570
F The Adventures of Ellery Queen. Pocket Books 1,208,000
F The Thin Man, by Dashiell Hammett. Pocket Books 1,208,000
F Pocket Book of Modern American Short Stories, ed. by
Philip Van Doren Stern. Pocket Books (orig) 1,205,000
F 13 French Street, by Gil Brewer. Gold Medal Books
(orig) 1,200,365
Sex Habits of American Women, by Fritz Wittels.
Avon (orig) 1,200,000
F The Cautious Amorist, by Norman Lindsay. Bantam
Books 1,198,000
F The Best of Damon Runyon, ed. by E. C. Bentley.
Pocket Books 1,195,000
F The Wild Palms, by William Faulkner. New American
Library 1,171,245
F The Wayward Bus, by John Steinbeck. Bantam Books 1,167,000
Cartoon Laffs. True Magazine. Gold Medal Books
(orig) 1,162,375
F The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,159,418
F Murder Up My Sleeve, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 1,157,160
F The New Adventures of Ellery Queen. Pocket Books 1,155,000
F Destry Rides Again, by Max Brand. Pocket Books 1,138,000
F Darling, It’s Death, by Richard Prather. Gold Medal
Books (orig) 1,125,112
F The Case of the Drowning Duck, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,122,344
F The Dutch Shoe Mystery, by Ellery Queen. Pocket
Books 1,122,000
I Never Left Home, by Bob Hope. Simon and Schuster 1,121,088
F Mildred Pierce, by James M. Cain. New American
Library 1,112,161
F Knock on Any Door, by Willard Motley. New American
Library 1,105,045
F I Have Gloria Kirby, by Richard Himmel. Gold
Medal Books (orig) 1,100,617
More Dennis the Menace, by Hank Ketcham. Avon 1,100,000
F The Chinese Orange Mystery, by Ellery Queen.
Pocket Books 1,098,000
F 1984, by George Orwell. New American Library 1,093,975
F Rawhide Range, by Ernest Haycox. Popular Library
(orig) 1,090,000
F The D.A. Calls It Murder, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 1,088,299
F The Case of the Smoking Chimney, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,076,503
The Pocket Entertainer, ed. by Shirley Cunningham.
Pocket Books (orig) 1,068,000
F The Other Room, by Worth T. Hedden. Bantam
Books 1,065,000
F The Young Lions, by Irwin Shaw. New American
Library 1,063,730
F Never Love a Stranger, by Harold Robbins. Bantam
Books 1,062,440
F What Makes Sammy Run, by Budd Schulberg. Bantam
Books 1,056,000
F The Case of the Careless Kitten, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,051,799
F The Beach House, by Stephen Longstreet. Popular
Library 1,050,000
F Mistress Glory, by Susan Morley. New American
Library 1,049,040
F The Case of the Perjured Parrot, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,046,912
F The Case of the Lonely Heiress, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pocket Books 1,043,266
F Halfway House, by Ellery Queen. Pocket Books 1,043,000
F The Street, by Ann Petry. New American Library 1,042,505
The Sexual Side of Marriage, by Max J. Exner. Pocket
Books 1,040,000
F Cassidy’s Girl, by David Goodis. Gold Medal Books
(orig) 1,036,497
F The Case of the Backward Mule, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. Pocket Books 1,032,196
F The Spanish Cape Mystery, by Ellery Queen. Pocket
Books 1,019,000
F Jeeves, by P. G. Wodehouse. Pocket Books 1,012,000
F Ramrod, by Luke Short. Popular Library 1,012,000
Martha Logan’s Meat Cook Book. Pocket Books (orig) 1,010,000
F Never Come Morning, by Nelson Algren. Avon 1,010,000
F The Night Life of the Gods, by Thorne Smith. Pocket Books 1,009,000
F The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. Bantam Books 1,007,000
Pocket Book of Crossword Puzzles, by Margaret
Petherbridge. Pocket Books 1,001,000
F Bonjour Tristesse, by Françoise Sagan. Dell 1,000,000
F Butterfield 8, by John O’Hara. Avon 1,000,000
F Fast Company, by Marco Page. Pocket Books 1,000,000
F I Can Get It for You Wholesale, by Jerome Weidman. Avon 1,000,000
BEST SELLER SUBJECTS
BEST SELLER SUBJECTS
Many individuals, groups and organizations are interested in finding out
what the best sellers are in certain general categories. I have tried to
cover in this section the subjects most frequently asked about. Sales
figures for cook books are without doubt those most often sought.
Religion perhaps comes next (the individual title most asked about above
all other books is the Bible). There is interest in the sales of mystery
and detective stories, and, to a less extent, in “westerns” and
juveniles. Questions about reference books are usually concerned with
their quality. Their standing over the years, implying frequent
revisions (although number of editions is not mentioned here unless
there has been a change of title) is reflected in sales figures. The
same statement is applicable to subscription volumes and sets.
“Novelties” are included because of the stir they often make although
they are usually short-lived. The reverse is true of poetry. One of the
most honored of the creative arts over the centuries, its sales in the
short span of time and place covered here, have been comparatively
small.
COOKERY
Probably more questions are asked in the field of best sellers about the
Bible, next about cook books. All sorts of people and business
organizations ask what the best-selling cook books are and how many
copies of cook books are published and sold. Most interested are the
magazines, especially those designed for the woman at home, and next the
producers of radio and TV programs. It is no coincidence that, next to
the Bible and books on religious subjects, cook books have sold the best
and the most consistently in the non-fiction field since 1895. It is
quite apparent from a study of the best seller lists that only the need
for advice on feeding the spirit surpasses the need for advice--and
books--on feeding the body.
Paradoxically, cook books are seldom seen on the bookstore reports that
appear weekly, monthly, and annually in newspapers and magazines. When a
new, especially salable, and well-publicized cook book is brought out or
when a new edition of an older, standard cook book is published, it does
appear on these lists for a short time. Booksellers are not averse to
listing standard books that sell year in and year out on their reports,
but such reports, dominated as they would be by the Bible, dictionaries,
cook books and other standard books would become monotonous. What
periodical would care to publish them?
Figures on the number of new cook books published annually have been
compiled by the _Publishers’ Weekly_ only since 1952. Cook books have
always been included in the category of domestic science, or, more
recently, home economics. This is one of the smallest categories. In
1955 it comprised 255 titles out of 12,589 new books and new editions
published in the United States. Though small, it is one of the most
important in the book trade and therefore for the general public. It is
quite likely that the number of poor cook books in that 255 is
infinitesimal in proportion to the number of poor novels in the 2073
issued in 1955.
Nearly every cook book is planned to meet a particular need or some
special taste. They vary from the general compendium for the household
and from quantity cook books such as those for large institutions to
little volumes concerned solely with cooking such specialties as
mushrooms or omelettes. There are national and regional cook books,
collections of the favorite recipes of well-known persons, books on
various techniques such as barbecuing or using an electric mixer, and
books for people on every kind of diet. Many of the new cook books and
the new editions of standard books have resulted from the many new
methods of cookery and the new ways of packaging foods developed during
recent years. The number of new books and new editions has remained
fairly steady during the past four years: 102 in 1952; 86 in 1953; 77 in
1954; and 91 in 1955.
The leading best seller among cook books, the _Better Homes and Gardens
Cook Book_ is also one of the top best sellers in all fields. It ranks
fourth in the overall list of best sellers during the past sixty years,
first in the list of best sellers in hardbound editions only. The top
ten on the cookbook best seller list are mostly the standard
encyclopedic type that are reissued from time to time in new editions
embodying new culinary methods. They range in age from the old standby,
familiarly called “Fannie Farmer” or the “Boston Cook Book” to the _Good
and Easy Cook Book_ of 1954. A number of the books are sponsored by
women’s magazines or by food companies.
Included among cook books are the closely allied diet books. They appear
farther down the list, as do also more specialty cook books. Mabel
Claire’s _Modern Cook Book_ has been sold throughout the United States
through department stores under the name of each particular store, viz.
_Smith’s Cook Book_. Next in age to “Fannie Farmer” among the cook books
which have sold over half a million copies is _Diet and Health with Key
to the Calories_. A sensational seller in the 20’s, it appeared on the
annual lists of 1922 and 1923, rose to top place in non-fiction in both
1924 and 1925, and appeared for the fifth year on the 1926 list. _Look
Younger Live Longer_ was third on the best seller list of 1950, first in
1951. One cook book not listed here because its sales records are no
longer available was a wartime best seller of 1917, _Better Meals for
Less Money_.
* * * * *
Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. 1931 Meredith 5,806,586
The Pocket Cook Book, by Elizabeth Woody. 1942 Pocket Books 3,800,000
Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book. 1950 McGraw-Hill 3,500,000
The American Woman’s Cook Book, ed. by Ruth Berolzheimer.
1938 Garden City Books 3,400,000
The Boston Cooking School Cook Book, by Fannie Farmer.
1896. Ninth ed. by Wilma Lord Perkins. 1951 Little, Brown 3,058,778
The Service Cook Book, by Ida Bailey Allen.
1933 Service, Inc. 2,750,000
Betty Crocker’s Good and Easy Cook Book.
1954 Simon and Schuster 2,400,000
The Good Housekeeping Cook Book. 1933 Rinehart 1,190,048
The Joy of Cooking, by Irma S. Rombauer. 1931 (The
New Joy of Cooking, with Marion Rombauer Becker.
1951) Bobbs-Merrill 1,855,434
You Are What You Eat, by Victor H. Lindlahr. 1940
Journal of Lifetime Living 1,730,000
The Settlement Cook Book, by Mrs. Simon Kander. 1930
Simon and Schuster 1,200,000
Martha Logan’s Meat Cook Book. 1942 Pocket Books 1,010,000
Modern Cook Book, by Mabel Claire. 1932 Greenberg 900,000
Ann Pillsbury’s Baking Book. 1950 Barnes 840,000
Diet and Health with Key to the Calories, by Lulu Hunt
Peters. 1922 Reilly & Lee 800,000
Look Younger, Live Longer, by Gayelord Hauser. 1950
Farrar, Straus and Cudahy 600,000
Other Successful Cook Books
Not inclusive by any means, this list is representative of the variety
of successful books in the field. Here are some of the culinary
specialties, a teen-age cook book, diet books, and the high-priced, _The
Gourmet Cookbook_, which, at $10, appeals to the audience indicated by
its title. _Eat and Reduce_ has also had a large sale in South America;
its publisher claims that it has had the largest sale there of any
American book in Spanish translation.
* * * * *
Cooking for Two, by Janet Hill. Little, Brown 422,172
America’s Cook Book. Scribner 375,000
Duncan Hines Adventures in Good Cooking and The Art
of Carving in the Home. Adventures in Good Eating, Inc. 300,000
Sunset Barbecue Book. Lane 246,439
Duncan Hines Dessert Book. Pocket Books 225,000
Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cook Book. Meredith 156,910
Toll House Recipes, by Ruth Wakefield. Little, Brown 135,000
Better Homes and Gardens Diet Book. Meredith 134,072
Barbecue Cook Book. Lane 132,903
The Gourmet Cookbook. Gourmet Distributing Corp. 115,000
Let’s Cook It Right, by Adelle Davis. Harcourt, Brace 105,452
The Gold Cook Book, by Louis P. deGouy. Greenberg 100,000
Ida Bailey Allen Sandwich Book. 100,000
DETECTION AND MYSTERY
Almost a condensed version of the overall best seller list is this
record of the best sellers in detection and mystery, so close to the top
of all best sellers are these books by Mickey Spillane and Erle Stanley
Gardner, which of course lead in their own field. This is the biggest
list both in number of titles and in total sales of all in the best
seller special subjects section. There are 112 books which have sold
half a million copies or more on this list, and 56 of them are by Erle
Stanley Gardner and/or A. A. Fair, the pen name he uses for his stories
which feature the detectives Bertha Cool and Donald Lam. Next in
numerical representation is Ellery Queen, with 29 titles, including one
appearing here under the pen name of Barnaby Ross. But Mickey Spillane
leads all the rest in sales of individual titles. He has written only
seven books, but they are the top seven on the list.
The original dates of publication are included and the original
publishers except when books are out of print in their original
editions, in which case the name of the present reprint publisher is
given. The dates range from 1908 when Mary Roberts Rinehart’s _The
Circular Staircase_ (in 1920 turned into a hit play, _The Bat_, and
later into a movie) was first published, up to 1954 and _The Glass
Village_ by Ellery Queen.
I have not attempted to draw any distinguishing lines inside the
detection and mystery field. Everything is included which would fall
into the general classification--detection, spy stories, pursuit
stories, psychological mysteries, gangster tales, romantic mysteries,
and stories of violent action. The list illustrates well the radical
changes that have occurred in public taste in this field, changes which
can be considered greater than in any other single subject of creative
writing.
Probably the earliest American best seller (outside of Edgar Allan Poe’s
mystery tales and their big sales did not occur in his lifetime) was
_The Leavenworth Case_ by Anna Katharine Green. It was published in 1878
and has sold over half a million copies. Louis Vance, Meredith
Nicholson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Mary Roberts Rinehart were authors
who appeared regularly on all the annual best seller lists after the
turn of the century. In the late ’20’s S. S. Van Dine created Philo
Vance, a new type of detective. Through the ’20’s and ’30’s Agatha
Christie was considered the favorite of highly literate detective story
readers. Many of her books appear on this list of best sellers, among
them the one that made her famous, The _Murder of Roger Ackroyd_. _The
Thin Man_ came along in 1934, introducing a new sort of writing in
detective fiction. This story, of swift action and terse phrasing, was
the starting point of a new school, the hard-boiled mystery, from which
has emerged the sex-and-guts detective of the ’50’s.
In an article in the _Saturday Review_ called _A Cosmic View of the
Private Eye_, John Paterson writes in praise of the hardboiled detective
as evolved by Hammett and Chandler, of the change from “the
‘transcendant’ detective of an older, safely established order to one in
a bewildering world of disintegrated values.... He is, in the final
analysis, the apotheosis of the everyman of good will who, alienated by
the values of his time, seeks desperately and mournfully to live without
shame, to live without compromise to his integrity.”
In 1946 a select group of readers of _The Pleasures of Publishing_, a
bi-weekly publication of the Columbia University Press, cast their votes
for Dorothy Sayers as their favorite detective story writer. In order of
choice, following her, were John Dickson Carr (Carter Dickson), Erle
Stanley Gardner, A. Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Raymond
Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Manning Coles and Rex Stout. A Gallup Poll,
in 1950, in which 53 per cent of those questioned were college
graduates, showed Erle Stanley Gardner as their selection for the best
mystery writer of all time.
In the early 1950’s Mickey Spillane’s seven books featuring the ruthless
detective Mike Hammer led all others in sales of individual titles. As
far as total sales of all his books go, Spillane is not up to Gardner.
His sales are about 27,000,000; the sales of all Gardner’s books,
including Canadian sales, amount to over 86,000,000 copies. Erle Stanley
Gardner must be considered, then, the most popular writer of detective
stories in this country, in fact the most popular twentieth century
writer of fiction. He is definitely not of the hard-boiled school; he
presents a deductive problem usually resolved in a dramatic courtroom
scene starring Perry Mason, the lawyer-detective. Perry Mason is not the
rough and ready type. In fact he is so gentlemanly that the suggestion
has been made that it would be an interesting experiment to send the
frustrated Della Street, Mason’s secretary, and the frustrated Archie
Goodwin, whose romantic episodes are always being interrupted by his
boss, Nero Wolfe, off on a weekend together in Atlantic City.
The first Perry Mason mystery, _The Case of the Velvet Claws_, was
published in 1933. It was dictated to a stenographer in three and
one-half days. Nor has Mr. Gardner let down since. He is a prodigious
writer. In 1956 the publication of his fiftieth Perry Mason story was
celebrated. In addition he has written over 30 other books including the
A. A. Fair mysteries, a series featuring the “D.A.” as detective, and
three books of non-fiction--over 80 books in 23 years.
When Mickey Spillane’s fifth thriller, _The Big Kill_, was published in
its paperbound edition, something of a record in print orders was made.
The printing consisted of 2,500,000 copies and at the same time new
printings of one million copies each of his first four books were made.
Although Spillane is the mystery phenomenon of the 1950’s he must be
considered only third in line in popularity of American mystery story
writers of all time. Ellery Queen, pseudonym of two men, Frederic Dannay
and Manfred B. Lee, estimates the sale of his works at 35,000,000 plus a
foreign sale of from 15 to 20 million. Queen, the son of a New York City
police official, is always the hero-detective of the books that bear
his name as author. His two originators have published 32 books since
their first in 1929, _The Roman Hat Mystery_. They have also written a
number of juvenile mysteries under the name of Ellery Queen, Jr.
Probably next in order of popularity with American detective story
readers is the English writer, Agatha Christie. Her detectives, of the
deductive school, are principally Hercule Poirot and the quiet little
Englishwoman, Miss Marple. Running close to the Christie novels in sales
are those by Brett Halliday, featuring the man of action, Mike Shayne,
tough-fisted and with an eye for blondes--or brunettes.
Figures for total sales of the output of other popular writers have been
estimated mainly from the reports of the paperbound publishers, who are
responsible for the big sales in this field: over seven million, Richard
S. Prather; over six million, Wade Miller, John Dickson Carr (Carter
Dickson), and William Ard; over five million, Raymond Chandler, Leslie
Charteris, E. Phillips Oppenheim, George Harmon Coxe; over four million,
Mary Roberts Rinehart (her total sales, including hardbound books are
much greater than this. She has written well over 50 books, but not all
of them mysteries.); over three million, Georges Simenon, Dashiell
Hammett, F. Van Wyck Mason, Rex Stout and Helen Reilly; over two
million, Frances and Richard Lockridge, James Hadley Chase, Bruno
Fischer, Leslie Ford, Helen McCloy, Mignon Eberhart, Henry Kane, Edgar
Wallace, Bill Ballinger, Sax Rohmer, Ed Lacy, and Peter Cheyney.
Individual detective stories which appeared on the annual best seller
lists but not on the overall mystery best seller list, some of their
sales figures not available now, are, chronologically, _The Hound of the
Baskervilles_, by A. Conan Doyle (100,569 sold), _The House of a
Thousand Candles_, by Meredith Nicholson (289,944 sold), _The Brass
Bowl_, by Louis J. Vance (184,071 sold), _The Port of Missing Men_, by
Meredith Nicholson (150,429 sold), _The Black Bag_, by Louis J. Vance
(35,247 sold), _The Man in Lower Ten_, by Mary Roberts Rinehart (113,360
sold), _The Window at the White Cat_, by Mary Roberts Rinehart (152,002
sold), _The Pawns Count_, by E. Phillips Oppenheim, _The Greene Murder
Case_, by S. S. Van Dine, _The Bishop Murder Case_, by S. S. Van Dine,
and _The Door_, by Mary Roberts Rinehart.
I, the Jury, by Mickey Spillane. 1947 Dutton 4,441,837
The Big Kill, by Mickey Spillane. 1951 Dutton 4,158,840
My Gun Is Quick, by Mickey Spillane. 1950 Dutton 3,912,419
The Long Wait, by Mickey Spillane. 1951 Dutton 3,774,374
Kiss Me, Deadly, by Mickey Spillane. 1952 Dutton 3,773,045
One Lonely Night, by Mickey Spillane. 1951 Dutton 3,737,882
Vengeance Is Mine! by Mickey Spillane. 1950 Dutton 3,649,500
The Case of the Lucky Legs, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1934 Morrow 2,744,413
The Case of the Curious Bride, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1934 Morrow 2,315,388
The Case of the Sulky Girl, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1933 Morrow 2,184,168
The Case of the Lame Canary, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1937 Morrow 2,119,362
The Case of the Dangerous Dowager, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1937 Morrow 2,073,589
The Case of the Substitute Face, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1938 Morrow 2,040,167
The Case of the Baited Hook, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1940 Morrow 2,023,489
The Case of the Stuttering Bishop, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1936 Morrow 2,019,162
The Case of the Counterfeit Eye, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1935 Morrow 1,980,195
The Case of the Caretaker’s Cat, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1935 Morrow 1,879,792
This Is Murder, by Erle Stanley Gardner. 1935 Morrow 1,868,039
The Case of the Velvet Claws, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1933 Morrow 1,863,346
The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1936 Morrow 1,814,946
House of Flesh, by Bruno Fischer. 1950 Gold Medal Books 1,800,212
The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1944 Morrow 1,754,784
The Clue of the Forgotten Murder, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1935 Morrow 1,737,780
The Case of the Haunted Husband, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1941 Morrow 1,695,359
The Adventures of Ellery Queen. 1934 Pocket Books 1,676,000
The New Adventures of Ellery Queen. 1940 Stokes 1,603,000
The Spanish Cape Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1935
Pocket Books 1,603,000
The Case of the Howling Dog, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1934 Morrow 1,593,199
The Chinese Orange Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1934
Pocket Books 1,565,000
The Case of the Borrowed Brunette, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1946 Morrow 1,537,214
The Case of the Buried Clock, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1943 Morrow 1,530,206
The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1943 Morrow 1,510,245
The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1938 Morrow 1,506,660
The Dutch Shoe Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1931 Pocket
Books 1,506,000
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie. 1926
Dodd, Mead (est.) 1,500,000
The Case of the Gold-Digger’s Purse, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1945 Morrow 1,492,948
The Case of the Cautious Coquette, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1949 Morrow 1,465,537
The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1945 Morrow 1,424,228
Calamity Town, by Ellery Queen. 1942 Pocket Books 1,412,000
The Case of the Turning Tide, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1941 Morrow 1,408,319
The D.A. Calls It Murder, by Erle Stanley Gardner. 1937
Morrow 1,407,310
The Case of the Silent Partner, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1940 Morrow 1,402,931
The Case of the Empty Tin, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1941 Morrow 1,377,388
The Case of the Rolling Bones, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1939 Morrow 1,368,767
Murder Up My Sleeve, by Erle Stanley Gardner. 1938
Morrow 1,359,975
The Bigger They Come, by A. A. Fair. 1939 Morrow 1,295,319
The Case of the Crooked Candle, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1944 Morrow 1,273,775
The Thin Man, by Dashiell Hammett. 1934 Knopf 1,243,445
The Four of Hearts, by Ellery Queen. 1938 Stokes 1,235,000
Farewell My Lovely, by Raymond Chandler. 1940 Knopf 1,228,880
The Case of the Perjured Parrot, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1939 Morrow 1,212,047
The Egyptian Cross Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1932
Pocket Books 1,194,000
The Case of the Lonely Heiress, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1948 Morrow 1,193,009
The D.A. Draws a Circle, by Erle Stanley Gardner. 1939
Morrow 1,192,862
The Case of the Drowning Duck, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1942 Morrow 1,188,293
The Case of the Smoking Chimney, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1943 Morrow 1,181,877
The Case of the Backward Mule, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1946 Morrow 1,164,181
The Siamese Twin Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1933
Pocket Books 1,161,000
The Case of the Careless Kitten, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1942 Morrow 1,153,876
The Tragedy of X, by Barnaby Ross (Ellery Queen). 1932
Viking Press 1,142,000
Halfway House, by Ellery Queen. 1936 Pocket Books 1,138,000
And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie. 1940
Dodd, Mead (est.) 1,128,776
Darling, It’s Death, by Richard Prather. 1952 Gold
Medal Books 1,125,112
I Have Gloria Kirby, by Richard Himmel. 1951 Gold
Medal Books 1,000,617
The Case of the Fan-Dancer’s Horse, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1947 Morrow 1,096,372
The Great Impersonation, by E. Phillips Oppenheim.
1920 Little, Brown 1,092,690
The Dragon’s Teeth, by Ellery Queen. 1939 Stokes 1,039,000
The D.A. Goes to Trial, by Erle Stanley Gardner. 1940
Morrow 1,037,482
The Case of the Lazy Lover, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1947 Morrow 1,013,139
The French Powder Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1930
Stokes 1,006,000
Fast Company, by Marco Page. 1938 Dodd, Mead (est.) 1,005,000
The D.A. Holds a Candle, by Erle Stanley Gardner. 1938
Morrow 994,655
The Case of the Negligent Nymph, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1950 Morrow 940,552
The Door Between, by Ellery Queen. 1937 Pocket Books 931,000
The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1949 Morrow 911,676
The Case of the Vagabond Virgin, by Erle Stanley Gardner.
1948 Morrow 911,504
Cure It with Honey, by Thurston Scott. 1951 Harper 904,643
The Roman Hat Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1929 Stokes 896,000
The DA. Galls a Turn, by Erle Stanley Gardner. 1944
Morrow 866,118
The D.A. Breaks the Seal, by Erle Stanley Gardner. 1946
Morrow 861,568
The Greek Coffin Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1932 Pocket
Books 845,000
The D.A. Cooks a Goose, by Erle Stanley Gardner. 1942
Morrow 844,280
Night Cry, by William L. Stuart. 1948 Dial Press 818,585
The Circular Staircase, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. 1908
Rinehart 800,000
The Case of the One-Eyed Witness, by Erle Stanley
Gardner. 1951 Morrow 782,208
The Murderer Is a Fox, by Ellery Queen. 1945 Little,
Brown 776,000
The Origin of Evil, by Ellery Queen. 1951 Little, Brown 763,000
The Devil to Pay, by Ellery Queen. 1938 Pocket Books 759,000
Murder for Christmas, by Agatha Christie. 1939 Dodd,
Mead (est.) 750,000
Murder in the Calais Coach, by Agatha Christie. 1934
Dodd, Mead (est.) 750,000
The American Gun Mystery, by Ellery Queen. 1933 Avon 744,000
The Punch and Judy Murders, by Carter Dickson. 1937
Morrow 742,452
Two Clues, by Erle Stanley Gardner. 1947 Morrow 726,126
The Tragedy of Y, by Ellery Queen. 1932 Lippincott 720,000
Crows Can’t Count, by A. A. Fair. 1946 Morrow 711,894
The A B C Murders, by Agatha Christie. 1936 Dodd,
Mead (est.) 700,000
Bats Fly at Dusk, by A. A. Fair. 1942 Morrow 683,157
Give ’Em the Ax, by A. A. Fair. 1944 Morrow 680,198
The Judas Window, by Carter Dickson. 1938 Morrow 660,164
The Peacock Feather Murders, by Carter Dickson. 1937
Morrow 640,090
The Saint Goes West, by Leslie Charteris. 1942
Doubleday 637,819
Top of the Heap, by A. A. Fair. 1952 Morrow 635,752
Some Women Won’t Wait, by A. A. Fair. 1953 Morrow 634,311
The Tragedy of Z, by Ellery Queen. 1933 Avon 592,000
Phantom Lady, by William Irish. 1942 Lippincott 583,000
Ten Days’ Wonder, by Ellery Queen. 1948 Little, Brown 576,000
Drury Lane’s Last Case, by Ellery Queen. 1933 Pocket Books 554,000
The King Is Dead, by Ellery Queen. 1952 Little, Brown 548,000
Double, Double, by Ellery Queen. 1950 Pocket Books 525,000
The Scarlet Letters, by Ellery Queen. 1953 Little, Brown 515,000
Cat of Many Tails, by Ellery Queen. 1949 Pocket Books 507,000
The Glass Village, by Ellery Queen. 1954 Little, Brown 506,000
JUVENILES
Statistics on best sellers in the children’s book field are more
difficult to assemble accurately and consistently than in any other. The
following list of 75 books is an attempt to record the individual
titles, published in the United States since 1895, that have sold a
quarter of a million copies or more.
There are many of the oldest favorites and classics on the list of early
best sellers, those published before 1895. As these books have gone out
of copyright they have been issued by various publishers, perhaps newly
illustrated or in re-edited or condensed versions. It becomes impossible
to collect exact statistics for all these scattered versions, even for
some published later than 1895. Many of the original publishers have
gone out of existence and even some modern publishers do not have sales
records that go back very far. When there have been many publishers and
many versions of the same story, it is an all but impossible task to
assemble all the sales records, hence the absence of such favorites as
_The Tale of Peter Rabbit_, by Beatrix Potter. Modern versions of old
favorites are not included in the list unless one specific volume,
perhaps with a special illustrator, has accurate sales records, like
_The Real Mother Goose_ and _Walt Disney’s Uncle Remus_. Inexpensive
paperbound books in series are not included.
Juvenile fiction has a disconcerting habit of changing its audience.
Some of these best sellers like _Freckles_ and _Penrod_ started their
careers as adult fiction. Others were launched as juveniles and have
since added an adult audience, like the A. A. Milne books. The majority
of the books on this list were, however, planned for the youngest group
of juvenile readers.
A unique venture in selling to the older age group of children has been
the Teen Age Book Club, started over ten years ago. Its books are
paperbound, are sold at 25 and 35 cents, and are usually reprints, many
of them of adult titles suitable for teen age reading. In the school
year 1954-55 the Club sold 2,800,000 paperback books to student members
and over 10,000,000 in the past six years. The club’s top sellers in the
1954-1955 period were _Magnificent Obsession_ by Lloyd C. Douglas and
_The Real Story of Lucille Ball_ by Eleanor Harris.
The top sellers on the following list of best sellers might be said to
sell to captive audiences. They are not regular trade books, but are
“musts” for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Their very large sales totals,
covering yearly distribution, merit places for them here. Additionally
the Boy Scouts of America has given me some typical figures for some of
their other books. These are for the year 1955; _Wolf Cub Scout Books_,
970,000; _Bear Cub Scout Books_, 750,000; _Lion Webelos Cub Scout
Books_, 595,000.
There are huge quantities of children’s books sold which can only be
indicated here. The 10-cent to one dollar stores, department stores, and
newsstands are the chief outlets for these books which include coloring
books, cut-out books, and paper-doll books, for example, as well as
versions of the classics and juvenile fiction. One of the big sections
of this type of production and sale of children’s books is comprised of
“series.” Children latch on to a favorite character and follow him or
her through every imaginable adventure in volume after volume. Total
estimates of sales for some of these series are available. Not all of
these listed just below fall, however, into the class of those just
described. The _Landmark Books_ and _First Book Series_, for example,
have their greatest sales through regular bookstore outlets.
_Little Golden Books_, originated in 1942, have sold 285,000,000 in the
United States and Canada.
The _Frank Merriwell_ series, by Burt L. Standish, which flourished in
the ’20’s had an estimated sale of 126,000,000.
The 20 _Uncle Arthur Bedtime Stories_, by Arthur S. Maxwell, begun in
1927, have sold 19,601,979 copies.
The _Golden Play Books_, 15 cents each, have sold 10,000,000.
_Miss Frances’ Ding Dong School Books_ have sold over 10,000,000 since
1953. Their publicity is tied in with Miss Frances’ TV program for
children, and they sell at 25 cents each.
The _Burgess Animal Books_, by Thornton Burgess, have sold well over
8,000,000 copies.
With over 4,000,000 sales are the _Bedtime Story Book_ series by
Thornton Burgess and the _Childhood of Famous Americans_ series.
In the 3,000,000 group are the _Landmark Books_ with over 75 titles, the
_Golden Nature Guides_, the _Pollyanna Glad Books_, 15 titles, the _Twin
Books_ of Lucy Fitch Perkins, 24 of them, and the _Raggedy Ann Books_,
originated by Johnny Gruelle in 1918. The _Raggedy Ann Books_ have also
had many by-products in the way of cut-out books, mechanical books, and
the Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls.
Sixty titles of the _First Book Series_, edited by Helen Hoke Watts,
have sold 2,265,903 copies.
The famous _Elsie Dinsmore_ books by Martha Finley have sold well over
2,000,000. There are 28 titles, the first published in 1868.
Around the 2,000,000 mark is the _Little Colonel_ series by Annie
Fellows Johnston.
Twenty titles in the _Petersham Story Book_ series have sold 1,728,000;
Walter Farley’s _Black Stallion_ books, ten of them, have sold
1,250,000; the _Andrew Lang Fairy Tale Series_ has sold 1,268,367, and
11 volumes of the _Five Little Peppers_ series by Margaret Sidney have
sold 1,415,978 through one publisher since 1937. The first book in this
series was published in 1880, and the total sale is, of course, much
greater.
In the over one million group are the _Colby Books_; the _Real Book
Series_; the _Oz_ books of L. Frank Baum; the _Magic Talking Books_,
with records on their covers; the _Seahorse Fun Books_ at $1 each; the
_Teen-Age Library_; 21 volumes of the _Young Readers Bookshelf_; the
_Buddy Books_; and such older stories as the _Ruth Fielding_, _Betty
Gordon_, and _Motor Boys_ books.
Illustrating the pull of comic books (not magazines) are the _Classics
Illustrated Series_ and the _Classics Illustrated Junior Series_. These
two lines were designed to present worth-while educational subjects in
the comic book format which children like so much. Well over a million
copies of the books in each series have been sold. The publisher of some
of the older comic books, predecessors of today’s big sellers, report a
total sale of over 30,000,000 of such titles as _Bringing Up Father_,
_Mutt and Jeff_, _Little Orphan Annie_ and _Dick Tracy_.
Books distributed only through the low-price stores are those issued by
such firms as the Whitman Publishing Company and the Saalfield
Publishing Company. The Saalfield _Play Books_, mostly coloring and
paper-doll books, which sell for 25 cents and under, have a lifetime
each of from six months to two years. They are always issued in first
printings of at least a quarter of a million. No records of individual
books are kept. During the 1955 Davy Crockett craze, Grosset & Dunlap
sold about two million copies of three Davy Crockett books, including
one million of _The Picture Story of Davy Crockett_ and 600,000 of _The
Davy Crockett Coloring Book_.
* * * * *
Boy Scouts Handbook. 1910 Boy Scouts of America 14,975,000
Girl Scouts Handbook. 1916 Girl Scouts of America 4,500,000
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum.
1900 Bobbs-Merrill 2,830,049
Freckles by Gene Stratton Porter. 1904 Doubleday 2,089,523
The Girl of the Limberlost, by Gene Stratton Porter.
1909 Doubleday 2,053,892
Facts of Life and Love for Teen-Agers, by Evelyn Willis
Duvall, 1950 Association Press 1,670,000
Laddie, by Gene Stratton Porter. 1913 Doubleday 1,586,529
The Golden Dictionary, by Ellen Wales Walpole. 1944
Simon and Schuster 1,450,000
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, by Kate Douglas Wiggin.
1903 Houghton Mifflin 1,357,714
The Little Engine That Could, ed. by Watty Piper. 1929
Platt & Munk 1,149,633
Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter. 1913 Page 1,059,000
Egermeier’s Bible Story Book. 1923. Rev. by Arlene S.
Hall. 1955 Warner Press 1,000,000
Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman. 1899
Lippincott (est.) 1,000,000
Pollyanna Grows Up, by Eleanor H. Porter. 1920 Page 1,000,000
Lassie Come-Home, by Eric Knight. 1940 Winston 819,000
Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery. 1908 Page 812,000
Penrod, by Booth Tarkington. 1914 Doubleday 784,125
Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne. 1926 Dutton 780,000
When We Were Very Young, by A. A. Milne. 1925 Dutton 735,000
Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling. 1902 Doubleday 700,775
The Real Mother Goose. 1916 Rand, McNally 700,000
The White Bunny and His Magic Nose, by Lily Duplaix.
1945 Simon and Schuster 689,000
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, by Alice Hegan Rice.
1903 Appleton-Century-Crofts 650,000
The Golden Christmas Book, by Gertrude Crampton.
1947 Simon and Schuster 628,000
Seventeen, by Booth Tarkington. 1916 Harper 619,716
Better Homes and Gardens Story Book. 1950 Meredith 609,274
Just David, by Eleanor H. Porter. 1916 Houghton Mifflin 604,957
Shoe Book of Nursery Rhymes. 1945 Capitol 592,572
Walt Disney’s Bambi. 1941 Simon and Schuster 583,000
Animal Stories, by Georges Duplaix. 1944 Simon and Schuster 553,000
The Golden Encyclopedia, by Dorothy Bennett. 1946
Simon and Schuster 548,000
The Golden Egg Book, by Margaret Wise Brown. 1947
Simon and Schuster 534,000
Now We Are Six, by A. A. Milne. 1927 Dutton 500,000
The Rainbow Dictionary, by Wendell Wright. 1947 World 500,000
The House at Pooh Corner, by A. A. Milne. 1928 Dutton 488,000
Walt Disney’s Uncle Remus. 1947 Simon and Schuster 443,000
The Dutch Twins, by Lucy Fitch Perkins. 1911 Houghton Mifflin 438,416
Storytime Tales, il. by Corinne Malvern. 1950 Simon and
Schuster 426,000
The Golden Song Book, by Katherine Tyler Wessells.
1945 Simon and Schuster 420,000
The Gateway to Storyland, ed. by Watty Piper. 1925 (Also
issued as Nursery Tales Children Love) Platt & Munk 414,585
Tenggren’s Farm Stories. 1946 Simon and Schuster 398,000
Tenggren’s Story Book. 1944 Simon and Schuster 388,000
The Golden Mother Goose. 1948 Simon and Schuster 382,000
Tenggren’s Cowboys and Indians. 1948 Simon and Schuster 356,000
Stories That Never Grow Old, ed. by Watty Piper. 1938
(Also issued as Tales from Storyland) Platt & Munk 354,722
Walt Disney’s Cinderella. 1950 Simon and Schuster 353,000
The Golden Bible: Old Testament. 1946 Simon and Schuster 350,000
Judy and Jim, by Hilda Miloche and Wilma Kane. 1947
Simon and Schuster 349,000
The Golden Book of Poetry, ed. by Jane Werner. 1947
Simon and Schuster 347,000
Pat the Bunny, by Dorothy Kunhardt. 1940 Simon and Schuster 339,000
Fairy Tales That Never Grow Old (Also issued as Stories
Children Love) 1923 Platt & Munk 325,292
Book of Cowboys, by Holling C. Holling. 1936 Platt & Munk 323,109
Set the Clock, by Dorothy N. King. 1916 Watts 319,700
The Golden Book of Nursery Tales. 1952 Simon and Schuster 303,000
The Story of Doctor Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting. 1920 Lippincott 302,562
Book of Indians, by Holling C. Holling. 1935 Platt & Munk 302,250
The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf. 1936 Viking Press 300,000
The Great Big Animal Book, il. by Feodor Rojankovsky.
1950 Simon and Schuster 298,000
Scat Scat, by Sally R. Francis. 1940 Platt & Munk 297,860
The Big Clock Book. 1949 Capitol 286,560
The Brimful Book, by Watty Piper. 1927 Platt & Munk 283,438
Baby Animals, by Garth Williams. 1952 Simon and Schuster 275,000
The Animals’ Merry Christmas, by Kathryn Jackson.
1950 Simon and Schuster 264,000
The Road in Storyland, ed. by Watty Piper. (Also issued
as Folk Tales) 1932 Platt & Munk 264,140
The Story of Davy Crockett, by Enid La Monte
Meadowcroft. 1952 Grosset & Dunlap 260,000
The Adventures of Reddy Fox, by Thornton W. Burgess.
1913 Little, Brown 256,150
Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett. 1955 Simon and Schuster 252,000
Anne of Avonlea, by L. M. Montgomery. 1920 Page 250,000
Anne of the Island, by L. M. Montgomery. 1915 Page 250,000
The Black Stallion, by Walter Farley. 1941 Random House 250,000
Chronicles of Avonlea, by L. M. Montgomery. 1912 Page 250,000
One God: The Ways We Worship Him, by Florence
Mary Fitch. 1944 Lothrop, Lee & Shepard 250,000
The Story of Babar, by Jean de Brunhoff. 1933 Random House 250,000
Telltime the Rabbit, by William Hall. 1945 Crowell 250,000
Why the Chimes Rang, by Raymond M. Alden. 1908 Bobbs-Merrill 250,000
NOVELTIES AND GAMES
Periodically, a new fad hits the American public. It may be a dance or a
song, a slang phrase or a game. Sometimes such a fad is opportunely made
the basis of a book that sells until fickle taste turns elsewhere.
Sometimes a new brand of book creates the fad as happened with the
_Cross Word Puzzle Books_, which perhaps should head the list of best
sellers in this field, but have been excluded because they constitute a
series.
Cross word puzzles had been enjoyed by a select group of fans for some
years before 1934 when the then new and untried firm of Simon and
Schuster made a collection of the puzzles that had been appearing in the
New York _World_. The book was compiled by Prosper Buranelli, F. Gregory
Hartswick and Margaret Petherbridge, and it had the added innovation of
a pencil that went along with each book in a slot on the binding. The
rest is history. Not only did the books themselves create a host of
cross word puzzle fans but cross word puzzles have continued ever since
as popular newspaper features. They have developed into “Little
Foolers,” diagramless puzzles and _Double-Crostics_ for super experts.
Simon and Schuster alone had published 73 of the _Cross Word Puzzle
Books_ through 1955 and 35 _Double-Crostics_. Two million one hundred
thousand _Cross Word Puzzle Books_ were sold through 1955, 200,000 of
the _Double-Crostics_ books. The editorship of the _Cross Word Puzzle
Books_ has been continued by Margaret Petherbridge Farrar, that of the
_Double-Crostics_ initiated by Elizabeth S. Kingsley and continued by
Doris Nash Wortman.
There are not nearly so many _Believe It Or Not_ books as _Cross Word
Puzzle Books_. This was originally also a newspaper feature, conceived
and drawn by Robert L. Ripley, who capitalized on the _Believe It or
Not_ fad not only in books and newspaper syndication but in shows,
exhibits and many other ways. _Boners_ and _Ask Me Another_, great fads
in their day, were also published in successive volumes after the first.
Humor, usually in a ribald vein, is dominant on this list of novelty
best sellers. There are many cartoon and joke books on it, and pictorial
humor like the _Zoo_ books of Clare Barnes, Jr. _The Specialist_,
monologue by a onetime vaudeville headliner, continues to sell and has
been published in ten other countries. _Dennis_, which started as a
newspaper picture feature, has probably only started on its best-selling
career, with its first two volumes listed here. Another popular cartoon
feature reproduced in a number of paperbound books is Walt Kelly’s
_Pogo_. About 1,600,000 of the Pogo books have been sold, though no
individual title has sold enough to win a place among these 19 books
that have sold over 275,000 copies.
There are eight manuals of games making up the second list of more
serious game books, half of them bridge books. Bridge has always been a
best-selling subject from the time of Milton C. Work and auction bridge
even before the ’20’s. Robert F. Foster’s auction and contract bridge
books sold over 1,000,000 copies. The late ’20’s and ’30’s when contract
bridge replaced auction was the Culbertson heyday. In the ’40’s and
’50’s bridge instruction books increased in number and continued to sell
well. Outstanding in the ’50’s are those by Charles Goren, who estimates
the sales of his seven titles at over two million. Canasta book sales
hit their high in 1949. The publisher of _Invitation to Chess_, by
Irving Chernev and Kenneth Harkness, believes it to be the best-selling
book on chess with 74,058 copies sold.
* * * * *
Novelty Books
Believe It or Not Books, by Robert L. Ripley. 1929 Simon
and Schuster 2,030,628
Pocket Book of Cartoons, ed. by Bennett Cerf. 1943
Pocket Books 1,507,000
Dear Sir, by Juliet Lowell. 1944 Duell, Sloan & Pearce 1,488,097
Pocket Book of War Humor, ed. by Bennett Cerf. 1943
Pocket Books 1,422,000
Dennis the Menace, by Hank Ketcham. 1952 Holt 1,400,000
Pocket Book of Boners. 1943 Pocket Books 1,387,000
More Dennis the Menace, by Hank Ketcham. 1953 Holt 1,290,208
Cartoon Laffs. True Magazine. 1952 Gold Medal Books 1,162,375
The Pocket Entertainer, ed. by Shirley Cunningham.
1942 Pocket Books 1,068,000
The Specialist, by Chic Sale. 1929 Specialist 1,000,000
For Doctors Only, by Francis Leo Golden. 1948 Fell 810,000
Texas Brags, by John Randolph. 1944 Randolph 500,000
Cobean’s Naked Eye. 1950 Harper 695,000
All About Girls. 1950 Avon 520,000
Bet It’s a Boy, by Betty B. Blunt. 1940 Watts 500,000
White Collar Zoo, by Clare Barnes, Jr. 1949 Doubleday 499,787
Bachelor’s Jokebook, by Leo Guild. 1953 Avon 480,000
Home Sweet Zoo, by Clare Barnes, Jr. 1950 Doubleday 303,027
The Sad Sack, by George Baker. 1946 Simon and Schuster 278,392
Game Books
Pocket Book of Crossword Puzzles, by Margaret Petherbridge.
1943 Pocket Books 1,001,000
The Culbertson Summary. 1935 Winston 983,628
The Culbertson Self-Teacher. 1935 Winston 972,079
Canasta, by Josephine Artayeta de Viel and Ralph
Michael. 1949 Farrar Straus and Cudahy 600,000
Point Count Bidding, by Charles Goren. 1949 Simon and Schuster 573,475
How to Win at Canasta, by Oswald Jacoby. 1949 Doubleday 464,655
Canasta, the Argentine Rummy Game, by Ottilie H.
Reilly. 1949 Washburn 238,985
PAMPHLETS
A very special branch of all book sales consists of pamphlets. They are
probably the least publicized and the least important to the retail
bookseller of all printed matter. Yet their volume of production and
sales is very large. The latest available statistics are those issued in
1949 by the Bureau of Census. The figures are for the year 1947. In that
year 402,290,000 pamphlets were sold with a value of $20,656,000. The
comparable figures for books were 487,216,000 sold with a value of
$435,124,000. In that year there were 9,182 new books and new editions
of books published. No complete record of individual pamphlet titles has
been kept, but it seems likely from the census figures that there are
more new pamphlets than new books produced each year. The great mass of
pamphlets issued is probably attributable to the Government Printing
Office, to State printing offices, and to universities.
A pamphlet is customarily defined as paperbound printed matter of 64
pages or less. Usually the subject is very specialized. Pamphleteering
usually means printing or writing material to be printed in support of a
cause or to denounce a wrong. This type of pamphlet publishing makes up
a very small part of twentieth century output, although it does exist.
Typical twentieth century pamphleteering is informative rather than
crusading in purpose. Among popular pamphlets of this sort are the Town
Hall Meeting and Chicago Round Table discussions on the air of current
topics, which are regularly printed and distributed. An original series
is _Public Affairs Pamphlets_ issued by the Public Affairs Committee, a
nonprofitmaking organization which, in its own words, has “revived and
modernized pamphleteering as a primary method of conveying important
knowledge to a wide and diversified audience.” In its nineteen years of
existence this organization has sold over 22 million pamphlets at 25
cents each. Its pamphlets are often co-sponsored and distributed
through other national organizations such as the American Red Cross.
Many are used in large corporations’ employee reading racks. Some are
sold on newsstands.
Public Affairs Committee’s own best sellers are _What About Girls_,
1,188,306; _Races of Mankind_, 966,997; _Blood’s Magic for All_,
747,471; _Facing the Facts About Cancer_, 683,953; _Epilepsy, The Ghost
Is Out of the Closet_, 604,800; and _Building Your Marriage_, 522,031.
The Government Printing Office is probably the leading producer of
printed matter in the United States. Established by Congress in 1895,
the year the first best seller lists were made, it presently sells about
47,000,000 items each year and distributes some 78,000,000 without
charge, principally to libraries. Profits, which have amounted to more
than $1,500,000 annually since 1950, are turned over to the Treasury
Department. All the material is authored by government departments and
agencies.
The Superintendent of Documents has supplied the titles and sales
figures of some representative best sellers issued by the Government
Printing Office, from which the following titles have been selected.
They range in price from five cents to $1.50: _Infant Care_ (Children’s
Bureau), 10,012,934; _Prenatal Care_ (Children’s Bureau), 4,959,321;
_The Child from One to Six_ (Children’s Bureau), 3,893,329; _Your
Federal Income Tax_, 1,838,516; _Your Child from Six to Twelve_
(Children’s Bureau), 1,415,432; _First Aid_ (Bureau of Mines), 771,410;
_Modern Miracle Men_ (Senate Document), 685,982; _Aircraft Powerplant
Handbook_ (C.A.A.), 562,279; _Pilots Weather Handbook_, 520,194; _What
You Should Know About Biological Warfare_ (Federal Civil Defense
publication), 480,246. Other varied subjects are _Lee Mansion_, 181,511;
_Window Curtains_, 69,722; _Pointers on Making Good Lawns_, 207,845;
_Making Cellars Dry_, 153,367; _Prospecting for Uranium_, 330,795.
POETRY AND DRAMA
Poetry is the stepchild of the best sellers. Individual books of poems
seldom appear on the annual best seller lists. In the list following,
_John Brown’s Body_, _The White Cliffs_ (second on the 1941 list), and
_I’m a Stranger Here Myself_, are among the eleven books of poetry that
have made the annual lists during sixty years. The two Pocket Books were
sold through the outlets for paperbound books, sales of which are never
reflected in the bookstore best seller lists.
The other books which have appeared on the annual best seller lists in
the course of sixty years, and for only some of which sales figures are
obtainable, are chronologically, _Poems of Alan Seeger_, 1917; _Rhymes
of a Red Cross Man_, by Robert W. Service, which headed both the 1917
and 1918 lists; _Over Here_, by Edgar Guest, 1918; _Treasury of War
Poetry_, by G. H. Clark, 1918 (67,860 sold); _In Flanders Fields_, by
John McCrae, 1919 (17,000 sold); _The Years Between_, by Rudyard
Kipling, 1919 (35,805 sold); _The Light of Faith_, by Edgar Guest, 1926
and; _Fatal Interview_, by Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1931 (64,450 sold).
It is obvious from these annual and overall lists that it is war poetry
which has had the popular bookstore sale.
Estimates of the total sales of all the works of modern poets put Edgar
Guest and Robert W. Service in the lead. There have been, however,
substantial bookstore sales of individual titles and collected works of
poets not previously mentioned, among them, Robert Frost, Edwin
Arlington Robinson, T. S. Eliot, and Carl Sandburg. Poetry anthologies
are also standard volumes sales-wise in the stores, such as those edited
by Louis Untermeyer and Oscar Williams.
* * * * *
The Pocket Book of Verse, ed. by M. E. Speare. 1940
Pocket Books 2,127,000
A Heap O’ Livin’, by Edgar Guest. 1916 Reilly & Lee 1,000,000
The Pocket Book of Ogden Nash. 1955 Pocket Books 930,000
John Brown’s Body, by Stephen Vincent Benét. 1929 Doubleday 612,000
The White Cliffs, by Alice Duer Miller. 1941 Coward-McCann 344,338
I’m a Stranger Here Myself, by Ogden Nash. 1938 Little, Brown 149,727
Drama
Plays in book form have a small but devoted audience. In sixty years
only three books of plays have appeared on the annual best seller lists,
none on the overall lists. The three books are _Three Plays_ by Eugène
Brieux, in 1912, _Saint Joan_ by Bernard Shaw in 1924, and _Strange
Interlude_ by Eugene O’Neill, a best seller of 1928, which sold between
100,000 and 150,000 copies. More recently, in 1950, _The Lady’s Not for
Burning_ by Christopher Fry has appeared on bookstore lists, although
its sales were not large enough to place it on any list of the year. New
American Library has announced that its sales, in paperbound editions,
make Tennessee Williams the leading modern playwright in terms of book
sales. About 750,000 copies of his plays have been sold in the 25-cent
editions. A recent development in the selling of plays in book form is
the Fireside Theatre. This is a book club started in 1949, which selects
plays in book form for its membership. In the past few years its average
circulation of individual plays has been 11,000 copies. Most popular of
its selections have been _Teahouse of the August Moon_ by John Patrick,
_Bell, Book and Candle_ by John Van Druten, _Wonderful Town_ by Jerome
Chodorov and Joseph Fields, and _The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial_ by
Herman Wouk. All through this book are a great many books from which
plays and motion pictures have been made.
REFERENCE
Reference books, strictly speaking, are the dictionaries, encyclopedias,
atlases which comprise the first list in this section. They are chiefly
concerned with words and language usage or are compendia of facts.
There are almost as many editions of dictionaries as there are of the
Bible. In many cases it is impossible to collect sales statistics for
specific volumes. Unfortunately this situation results in some notable
omissions from this list. The G. & C. Merriam Company, one of the oldest
dictionary publishers, established in 1831, was the first publisher of
the Webster dictionary after Noah Webster himself. This first
Merriam-Webster dictionary was issued in 1847, and has gone through many
revisions. The principal twentieth-century editions are the _Webster’s
New International Dictionary_ and _Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary_. The
publisher will not release sales figures, but it is evident that they
run into many millions. The only figures that have been available are
scanty, but they give an inkling of the rest. This is the four and
one-half million copy sale of _Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary_
between 1936 and 1949 when the sixth edition was issued.
Other large publishers of dictionaries have given some general figures
about their sales. The World Publishing Company, with eight separate
dictionaries, has averaged a total of about 1,800,000 copies a year for
the past five years. All the Funk & Wagnalls dictionaries have sold well
over the half-million mark.
One of the best-known American reference works is _Robert’s Rules of
Order_. First published in 1876, it has sold close to a million and
one-half copies. Another important reference work originally published
in the nineteenth century is Bartlett’s _Familiar Quotations_. In the
years 1937-1955 during which it has been a Little, Brown & Company
publication, that firm has sold 807,632 copies.
* * * * *
Merriam-Webster Pocket Dictionary. 1947 Pocket Books 6,000,000
The Pocket Dictionary, by W. J. Pelo. 1941 Pocket Books 2,075,000
The Thorndike Century Beginning Dictionary, by E. L.
Thorndike. 1952 Scott, Foresman 2,000,000
The Thorndike Century Junior Dictionary by E. L.
Thorndike. 1952 Scott, Foresman 2,000,000
30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary, by Wilfrid Funk
and Norman Lewis. 1942 W. Funk 1,766,454
Roget’s Pocket Thesaurus. 1923 Pocket Books 1,725,000
The American Everyday Dictionary, ed. by Jess Stein.
1953 Random House 1,710,000
The English-Spanish, Spanish-English Dictionary, comp.
by Carlos Castillo and Otto F. Bond. 1948 University
of Chicago Press 1,299,711
English Through Pictures, by I. A. Richards and C. M.
Gibson. 1945 Pocket Books 1,245,000
New American Webster Dictionary. 1951 New American Library 1,239,121
Thorndike-Barnhart Comprehensive Desk Dictionary,
ed. by Clarence L. Barnhart. 1951 Doubleday 1,150,621
The New Century Dictionary of the English Language.
1927 Appleton-Century-Crofts 1,100,000
Thorndike-Barnhart Handy Pocket Dictionary, ed. by
Clarence L. Barnhart. Rev. ed. 1953 Garden City Books 1,037,750
Appleton’s English-Spanish, Spanish-English Dictionary,
by Arturo Cuyas. 1903 Appleton-Century-Crofts 800,000
Nature Atlas of America, by E. L. Jordan. 1952 Hammond 750,000
The American Vest Pocket Dictionary, ed. by Clarence L.
Barnhart. 1951 Random House 655,000
The American College Dictionary, ed. by Clarence L.
Barnhart. 1947 Random House 625,000
Winston Dictionary: College ed. 1926 Winston 529,480
Goode’s World Atlas. 1922 Rand, McNally 500,000
The Columbia Encyclopedia, ed. by William Bridgwater
and Elizabeth J. Sherwood. 1935 Columbia University Press 500,000
Anthology of Children’s Literature, by Edna Johnson and
others. 1935 Houghton Mifflin 500,000
Rainbow Dictionary, by Wendell W. Wright. 1947 World 500,000
Winston Dictionary: Encyclopedic ed. 1926 Winston 480,900
A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, by H. W. Fowler.
1926 Oxford University Press 400,000
Technical Reference Works
Lines of demarcation in the field of technical reference works are not
well defined. In some cases it is a matter of opinion whether a
technical book is a reference work or a textbook; it may be both.
Probably the only large area of book sales not covered, for many
reasons, in the present book is that of textbooks. Soaring enrollments
in elementary and high schools and in colleges and estimates of future
school population at an even greater increase than that of the past
decade make textbooks among the books most in demand and most necessary
for the future. There are not many textbooks that have, so far, sold in
the millions. Though they are often revised they also frequently become
out of date comparatively soon after publication. One of the problems of
defining textbook sales has been expressed by a college textbook
publisher who writes, “ ... it is not possible for a publisher to know
how many copies of one of his best sellers have actually been sold.
Since 1942 we have sold about 100,000 copies of a literature
anthology--but at least five times as many sales of this title have been
made through the second-hand facilities on college campuses all over the
country.... Although not every college student sells every one of his
textbooks, the overwhelming majority sell the overwhelming majority of
the books that they buy new and as many of the second-hand volumes as
they can dispose of. For these reasons there is often little
relationship between the number of books that a college publisher
_sells_ of a given title in a given year and the total number of copies
of this same title that are sold during that year.”
Fields of textbook publishing, vary as well as their sales. For example,
a very different type from the regular elementary or college textbooks
are the publications of Berlitz Publications, Inc., known
internationally for its book and record language teaching methods.
Charles F. Berlitz calls attention to three of the basic Berlitz books,
the _Libro Español_, the _Premier Livre_ and the English _First Book_.
Since 1880 they have sold, respectively, about 4,200,000, 6,100,000, and
5,300,000 copies. One of the oldest American textbook lines, in the
elementary field, is the _McGuffey Readers_, remembered, often fondly,
by those who were school children in the late nineteenth, early
twentieth, centuries. The first _McGuffey Reader_ was published in 1836.
The sales of all have been estimated at over 122,000,000. Even older was
the “blue-black speller,” Noah Webster’s _The American Spelling Book_,
sales of which have been estimated at over 60 million.
The following list has been confined to technical reference works, some
of which may be used as textbooks, but most of which are mainly
purchased for use outside regular educational courses--by craftsmen,
technicians, amateur or would-be technicians, homeowners, and others.
Mention may be made here of the large sales of a series of year books in
a specialized technical field. The Spectator has published nearly 90
yearly editions of the _Life Index_ and _Fire Index_, giving annual
insurance statistics. In the aggregate, 3,600,000 of the _Life Index_
have been sold, and 1,900,000 of the _Fire Index_.
* * * * *
The Radio Amateur’s Handbook. 1926 American Radio
Relay League 2,000,000
Telefixit, by John P. Kenneally. 1951 Coleman Publications 1,125,000
Elements of Radio, by Abraham Marcus and Ralph E.
Horton. 1943 Prentice-Hall 1,075,000
Machinery’s Handbook. 1914 Industrial Press 1,000,000
How We Live, by Fred G. Clark and Richard S.
Rimanoczy. 1949 Van Nostrand 961,300
Motor Service’s New Automotive Encyclopedia (Dyke’s
mobile and Gasoline Engine Encyclopedia). 1921
Goodheart-Wilcox 950,000
Physics, by E. Hausmann and Edgar P. Slack. 1935 Van Nostrand 676,765
American Machinists’ Handbook, ed. by Frank Colvin
and F. A. Stanley. 1909 McGraw-Hill 500,000
How to Become a Radio Amateur. 1930 American
Radio Relay League 500,000
Measuring Intelligence (A Measurement of Intelligence),
by L. M. Terman and M. A. Merrill. 1916 Houghton Mifflin 500,000
Modern Electric and Gas Refrigeration, by A. D. Althouse
and C. H. Turnquist. 1933 Goodheart-Wilcox 400,000
The Boy Mechanic. 1913 Popular Mechanics Press 355,000
Henley’s Twentieth Century Book of Ten Thousand
Formulas, Processes and Trade Secrets. 1907 Henley 350,000
General Leathercraft, by Raymond Cherry. 1940 McKnight
& McKnight 344,000
Home Mechanics Handbook, ed. by Ray E. Haines. 1945
Van Nostrand 257,325
The A.R.R.L. Antenna Book. 1939 American Radio Relay League 250,000
An Atlas of Human Anatomy, by Franz Frohse and others.
1942 Barnes & Noble 250,000
Learning the Radiotelegraph Code. 1942 American Radio
Relay League 250,000
Practical Electricity and House Wiring, by Herbert P.
Richter. 1952 Drake 250,000
Manuals and Guides
Here is an assortment of manuals for the use of individuals in specific
fields and for students working for specific goals. Most of them are
published annually. The date of the first year’s publication is given.
At the top should be the _American Red Cross First Aid Text Book_, best
seller of World War II. Its complete sales record is not now available,
but it can be estimated at about 20,000,000. A World War I best seller
from the 1917 list is _The Plattsburg Manual_.
* * * * *
Boy Scouts Handbook. 1910 Boy Scouts of America 14,975,000
Your Income Tax, by J. K. Lasser. 1939 Simon and Schuster 12,000,000
Girl Scout Handbook. 1916 Girl Scouts of America 4,500,000
Practice for the Army Tests, by David Turner. 1942 Arco 1,152,000
The Radio Amateur’s License Manual. 1930 American
Radio Relay League 1,000,000
The Officer’s Guide. 1932 Military Service 609,000
Your Personal Income Tax Guide, by David B. Chase.
1942 Simon and Schuster 600,000
New Drill Regulations (Infantry Drill Regulations). 1932
Military Service 527,000
Company Administration and Personnel Records. 1933
Military Service 523,000
Reference Works for the Home
These books differ from the reference works listed previously in that
they are primarily intended for guidance in domestic affairs. Cook
books, which are generically in this group, are treated under their
separate heading. The bulk of the sales in the very large figure for
_The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care_ are those of the
paperbound edition, entitled _Pocket Book of Baby and Child Care_. The
_Vest Pocket Calorie Counter_ is an inexpensive little book for
practical use by people who wish to lose or to gain weight. All the
other books have appeared only in regular size, hardbound editions.
* * * * *
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, by
Benjamin Spock. 1946 Duell, Sloan & Pearce 7,500,000
Better Homes and Gardens Baby Book. 1943 Meredith 1,766,284
Vest Pocket Calorie Counter. 1935 Garden City Books 1,300,000
Etiquette, by Emily Post. 1922 Funk & Wagnalls (est.) 1,000,000
Better Homes and Gardens Handyman’s Book. 1951 Meredith 840,888
Expectant Motherhood, by Nicholson J. Eastman. 1940
Little, Brown 794,052
Better Homes and Gardens Garden Book. 1951 Meredith 779,975
The Book of Etiquette, by Lillian Eichler. 1922 Nelson
Doubleday 756,432
Modern Medical Counsellor, by Hubert Swartout and
others. 1943 Review & Herald 638,116
Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete Book of Etiquette. 1952 Doubleday 500,000
The Complete Book of Interior Decorating, by Mary
Derieux and Isabelle Stevenson. 1949 Hawthorn 500,000
The Complete Book of Mothercraft. 1952 Hawthorn 500,000
The Complete Book of Sewing, by Constance Talbot.
1949 Hawthorn 500,000
The Home Doctor (The Family Physician), by Herman
Pomeranz and Irvin S. Koll. 1951 Hawthorn 500,000
RELIGION
Any discussion of best sellers in the field of religion must start with
the Bible, which is listed in this book only among best sellers first
published in the United States before 1895. Unquestionably it is the
best seller of all time in this country, most certainly the best seller
in the mid-twentieth century. A new version of the Bible, first issued
in 1952, has outsold everything else on the best seller lists of the
’50’s. This _Revised Standard Version_ topped the year’s list in 1952,
1953, and 1954, and sold over four million copies in a little more than
three years. This, however, is only one Bible. Beginning with John
Eliot’s translation of the New Testament into the language of the
Massachusetts Indians in 1661, the Bible has been issued by very many
different publishers, in different editions and translations, and in
parts.
How to find the sales figures for all these volumes through the years?
Shall the complete Bible only be estimated or shall its various
portions, published separately, be included in its overall sale? Such
questions are academic since the exact measurement of Bible sales even
for the past sixty years is an impractical task. Its continuing
widespread sales in its variety of editions, and the sales figures that
_are_ available prove its predominance as _the_ best seller in this
country.
My own estimate of average yearly sales of the complete Bible in the
United States is in the neighborhood of seven million copies.
In 1956 there were editions of the complete Bible available from
fourteen different regular Bible publishers, including Catholic, Jewish,
Episcopal, and Protestant versions. Some of these publishers had more
than one edition of the Bible; most of them had, in addition, portions
of the Bible bound separately, commentaries, concordances, Bible
dictionaries and atlases, Bible helps and lesson books, prayer books,
hymnals and missals. Beyond these there are certain other versions of
the Bible which are produced occasionally by the trade publishers, those
who are not ordinarily considered Bible publishers. They swell the total
although the sales of their Bibles are small in comparison with sales of
the standard versions such as the _King James_. Examples of volumes of
this type are _The Bible Designed to Be Read as Living Literature_,
which has sold 194,929 copies since 1936, _The Dartmouth Bible_, which
has sold 31,000 copies since its publication in 1950, and _The Runner’s
Bible_, which has had a sale of 158,000 since 1915.
My seven-million estimate of Bible sales is based upon figures submitted
by some of the regular Bible publishers (not all are willing to give
them), aided by estimates made by two experienced men in the field of
Bible publishing. One is David H. Scott, Manager of the Bible department
of Harper & Brothers, who estimates the total number of _King James
Bibles_ sold through commercial channels at about five million copies a
year. The other is Ben D. Zevin, President of the World Publishing
Company, who puts the figures at seven million. Mr. Zevin gives an
approximate figure of fifty million for the number of Bibles sold by
his company in its fifty years of publishing. Most Bible publishers do
not know and only a few are willing to hazard an estimate of the number
of Bibles sold in their firms’ existence.
In addition to the Bibles sold commercially in the United States, many
are given away or sold at cost by such organizations as The Gideons and
the American Bible Society, which is “primarily a missionary
organization interested in the distribution of the Holy Scriptures as
widely as possible.” In the years from 1809 through 1954 it has
distributed over thirty-eight million complete Bibles in the United
States. The majority have been sold at or slightly below cost; in some
cases they have been given as free grants. The Society also provides New
Testaments and Bibles regularly to members of the armed forces, without
charge. The government, during World War II, for the first time in
American military history, issued a Bible to every man and woman who
entered the Armed Services, A _King James_ or _Douay New Testament_ was
given to those of Protestant or Catholic faith and a condensation of the
Old Testament to those of Jewish faith, 17,000,000 volumes in all.
Sales of books on religious subjects for general reading _can_ be
definitely determined, at least for those published since 1895. The
following list of twenty-four best sellers in this category includes
books that have sold half a million copies or more. They have been
written from the point of view of many different religions; they range
in publication date from 1896 to 1952. More of these titles have
appeared on the annual best seller lists than the titles in any of the
other subject lists. 1953 was the biggest year of all for religious
books on the annual best seller lists, with six out of the first ten in
non-fiction. _Peace of Mind_ appeared on three consecutive lists,
1946-1948, _A Man Called Peter_ in 1952, 1953 and 1955, and _The Power
of Positive Thinking_ was sixth in 1952, second only to the _Revised
Standard Version_ of the Bible in 1953, 1954 and 1955.
* * * * *
The Greatest Story Ever Told, by Fulton Oursler, 1949
Doubleday 3,580,570
The Story of the Bible, by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut. 1904 Winston 3,000,000
The Song of Our Syrian Guest, by William Allen Knight.
1903 Pilgrim Press 2,070,500
Bible Readings for the Home Circle. 1914 Review & Herald 2,051,448
The Power of Positive Thinking, by Norman Vincent
Peale. 1952 Prentice-Hall 2,000,000
The Greatest Book Ever Written, by Fulton Oursler. 1951
Doubleday 1,674,438
In Tune with the Infinite, by Ralph Waldo Trine. 1897
Bobbs-Merrill 1,597,314
A Man Called Peter, by Catherine Marshall. 1951 McGraw-Hill 1,303,000
Peace of Mind, by Joshua L. Liebman. 1946 Simon and Schuster 1,102,364
Strength for Service to God and Country, by Norman F.
Nygaard. 1942 Abingdon Press 1,050,000
Great Controversy, by Ellen G. White. 1926 Review & Herald 1,005,381
Egermeier’s Bible Story Book, by Elsie E. Egermeier. 1923
Rev. by Arlene S. Hall 1955 Warner Press 1,000,000
The Story of the Other Wise Man, by Henry van Dyke.
1896 Harper 936,191
Abundant Living, by E. Stanley Jones. 1942 Abingdon Press 749,180
The Man Nobody Knows, by Bruce Barton. 1925 Bobbs-Merrill 726,892
The Seven Storey Mountain, by Thomas Merton. 1948
Harcourt Brace 669,048
Daily Strength for Daily Needs, by Mary W. Tileston.
1901 Little, Brown 606,060
The Sermon on the Mount, by Emmet Fox. 1934 Harper 590,633
A Guide to Confident Living, by Norman Vincent Peale.
1948 Prentice-Hall 575,000
Human Destiny, by Pierre Lecomte du Noüy. 1947 Longmans, Green 560,000
Angel Unaware, by Dale Evans Rogers. 1935 Revell 500,000
Mr. Jones, Meet the Master, by Peter Marshall. 1949 Revell 500,000
Quiet Talks on Power, by S. D. Gordon. 1904 Revell 500,000
The Story of the Bible, by Hendrik W. Van Loon. 1933 Liveright 500,000
Other Successful Religious Books
Here are some more very successful sellers in the religious book field,
added because of the great surge of public interest in books on
religious subjects, both non-fiction and fiction, during the past
decade. Most of these titles were first published in that period: _The
Greatest Faith Ever Known_, by Fulton Oursler (sales 369,970 copies);
_This I Believe, Series 1_ (281,014); _On Being a Real Person_, by Harry
Emerson Fosdick (230,000); _Life Is Worth Living, Series 1_, by Fulton
J. Sheen (223,500); _Peace of Soul_, by Fulton J. Sheen (223,000);
_Power Through Constructive Thinking_, by Emmet Fox (206,000); _Christ
and the Fine Arts_, by Pearl Maus (200,000); _The Life of Christ_, by
Giovanni Papini (200,000); _The Bible Designed to Be Read as Living
Literature_ (194,929); _The Return to Religion_, by Henry C. Link
(181,739); _The Prayers of Peter Marshall_ (140,500); _The Secret of
Happiness_, by Billy Graham (137,282); _This I Believe, Series 2_
(129,034); _Religions in America_ (102,570).
Religious Novels
Twenty religious novels have sold over half a million copies since 1895.
A book has been considered a religious novel if it has a dominantly
religious theme or if its central character is closely related to
religion--a minister or priest, or a Biblical character. There are
perhaps many other novels which have religious overtones. I have tried,
however, to confine this list to books in which the religious theme is
predominant, essential to the plot. It is interesting, in sharp contrast
to religious non-fiction, that only half of the books in the following
list have been published since 1940.
There are a number of other religious novels which were best sellers in
their year of publication: _A Singular Life_, by Mrs. Ward and _The
Damnation of Theron Ware_, by Harold Frederic, 1896; _The Christian_, by
Hall Caine, 1897; _The Inside of the Cup_, by Winston Churchill, 1913;
_The Sky Pilot in No Man’s Land_, by Ralph Connor, 1919; _Simon Called
Peter_, by Robert Keable and _Maria Chapdelaine_, by Louis Hemon, 1922;
_Elmer Gantry_, by Sinclair Lewis, 1927; _Joseph and His Brethren_, by
H. W. Freeman, 1929; _Shadows on the Rock_, by Willa Cather, 1931;
_Three Loves_, by A. J. Cronin, 1932; _Forgive Us Our Trespasses_, by
Lloyd G. Douglas, 1933; _The Nazarene_, by Sholem Asch, 1939; _Mary_, by
Sholem Asch, 1949; _The Foundling_, by Cardinal Spellman, 1951; and
_Moses_, by Sholem Asch, 1951.
* * * * *
In His Steps, by Charles Monroe Sheldon. 1897 Advance (est.) 8,000,000
The Razor’s Edge, by W. Somerset Maugham. 1944 Doubleday 3,221,843
The Robe, by Lloyd C. Douglas. 1942 Houghton Mifflin 2,674,951
Magnificent Obsession, by Lloyd C. Douglas. 1929
Houghton Mifflin 2,318,142
The Silver Chalice, by Thomas B. Costain. 1952 Doubleday 2,236,004
The Song of Bernadette, by Franz Werfel. 1942 Viking
Press (est.) 1,594,000
The Shepherd of the Hills, by Harold Bell Wright. 1907
Appleton-Century-Crofts 1,200,000
The Calling of Dan Matthews, by Harold Bell Wright.
1916 Appleton-Century-Crofts 925,000
Green Light, by Lloyd C. Douglas. 1935 Houghton Mifflin 839,989
The Keys of the Kingdom, by A. J. Cronin. 1941 Little, Brown 819,629
The Big Fisherman, by Lloyd G. Douglas. 1948 Houghton Mifflin 814,637
The Miracle of the Bells, by Russell Janney. 1946 Prentice-Hall 770,000
Quo Vadis, by Henryk Sienkiewicz. 1896 Little, Brown 754,000
The Re-creation of Brian Kent, by Harold Bell Wright.
1919 Appleton-Century-Crofts 750,000
The Chain, by Paul I. Wellman. 1949 Doubleday 689,350
The Bishop’s Mantle, by Agnes Sligh Turnbull. 1948 Macmillan 626,843
Black Rock, by Ralph Connor. 1908 Revell 600,000
The Sky Pilot, by Ralph Connor. 1899 Revell 600,000
The Cardinal, by Henry Morton Robinson. 1950 Simon and Schuster 588,395
The Apostle, by Sholem Asch. 1943 Putnam 554,000
SUBSCRIPTION BOOKS
Subscription books differ from all the other books listed in this volume
in the method by which they are sold. They are not sold in bookstores,
except occasionally in secondhand bookstores, but are sold by
house-to-house canvassing, by mail order or advertising in periodicals,
and over the air. They are usually sets of books, consisting of many
volumes. The “book agent” used to sell sets of well-established authors
like Shakespeare, Dickens and Thackeray. Nowadays subscription books are
usually encyclopedias, for both children and adults. Methods of selling
have changed from the old horse-and-buggy days, although even now some
of the subscription book houses have hundreds of salesmen in the field.
Subscription selling, which usually implies installment selling, has
flourished in this country ever since the days of Parson Weems. For the
purpose of this book no attempt has been made to go that far back into
the past. Twenty-one present-day subscription and mail order houses were
queried as to their sales. Those who gave factual replies are listed
here with their responses as to their sales and sales figures.
ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA--_Encyclopaedia Britannica_, _Britannica
Junior_, _Britannica Book of the Year_, _Britannica World Atlas_.
In the case of these four publications, total sales figures would
run into the millions of dollars. Even the _Atlas_ enjoys a sales
volume in excess of one million copies annually.
FRONTIER PRESS COMPANY--We have sold over three million copies of
_The Standard Dictionary of Facts_ and another one million copies
of _The Lincoln Library_. The twenty-second edition of _The Lincoln
Library_ came from the press October, 1955. The first edition was
in February, 1924. _The Standard Dictionary of Facts_ was
copyrighted first in 1908. The seventeenth edition was copyrighted
in 1927.
FIELD ENTERPRISES, INC.--There have been printed and distributed
over 625,000 sets of the 15-volume _Childcraft_ in the last ten
years. _The World Book Encyclopedia_ has sold well over a million
sets during the same period of time.
GROLIER SOCIETY, INC.--_Book of Knowledge Annual_, 1940-1955,
2,365,000 copies. _Story of Our Time_, 1947-1955, 506,000 copies.
_Americana Annual_, 1938-1955, 2,000,000 copies. _The Book of
Knowledge_, 1910-1955, 2,300,000 sets. _Encyclopedia Americana_
(first published 1829, first published as a 30-volume set, 1921),
1921-1955, 1,250,000 sets. _Land and People_, 1928-1955, 405,000
sets.
A. N. MARQUIS COMPANY--_Who’s Who in America_, since the first
edition appeared in 1899, has sold in the millions. There have been
twenty editions since 1899. At least half a million _Who’s Who_
volumes have been sold in the last fifteen years alone.
UNITED EDUCATORS, INC.--Our estimates indicate that sales of _The
American Educator_ (10 volumes) and _My Book House_ (12 volumes)
are well over one million, with _The Wonderland of Knowledge_ (14
volumes) slightly under one million.
UNIVERSITY SOCIETY, INC.--_International Library of Music_ and the
_Bookshelf for Boys & Girls_. Both sets have been revised
periodically since 1900 and both have sold over half a million
copies.
WESTERNS
This list of western stories which have sold over half a million copies
is short but it represents a rapidly growing and consistently selling
field. Western stories sell increasingly well, especially in their
25-cent paperbound editions. One of the books on this list, _Rawhide
Range_, is a paperbound “original.” Western stories are far from
reaching the big totals of the detective stories--for one reason few
women read western stories. But there are probably just as many if not
more women mystery fans than men. Like the Mystery Writers of America,
the western story writers have formed their own organization, Western
Writers of America, and publish a professional magazine, _The Roundup_,
similar to MWA’s _The Third Degree_. Science fiction is another type of
writing growing in popularity, but as yet there are not enough big sales
of individual titles to warrant its inclusion as a section of this book.
These three fields, mysteries, westerns, and science fiction, often
overlap; it is occasionally difficult to classify a story definitely in
one of the three.
Zane Grey is the author of five of the thirteen top-selling westerns
listed below, and he is undoubtedly the best-selling western author of
the past sixty years, with his overall total of nearly 28,000,000. _The
Virginian_, by Owen Wister, oldest of the thirteen, is second on the
list. The fiftieth anniversary of its publication was celebrated in
1952. It has been a stage play and there have been four movie versions.
The book has added to American expressions the hero’s famous line, “When
you call me that, _smile_!” _The Virginian_ is the only book on the
list, besides the Zane Grey titles, which has appeared on annual best
seller lists. Nine out of these thirteen books were published before
1943.
Although not many western authors have piled up big sales with
individual titles, they are prolific, usually producing at least two or
three new stories per year. Some of the writers of westerns whose total
sales are high are: William MacLeod Raine, over 19,000,000; Ernest
Haycox, over 13,000,000; Todhunter Ballard, over 5,000,000; Clarence E.
Mulford, William Colt MacDonald, Peter Field, and Clarence Budington
Kelland, over 4,00,000; Norman Fox, Wayne Overholser, and Luke Short,
over 2,000,000; Evan Evans and Al Cody, over 1,000,000.
* * * * *
Nevada, by Zane Grey. 1928 Harper 1,834,116
The Virginian, by Owen Wister. 1902 Macmillan 1,623,000
Singing Guns, by Max Brand. 1938 Dodd, Mead 1,229,000
Destry Rides Again, by Max Brand. 1930 Dodd, Mead 1,158,000
The Riders of the Purple Sage, by Zane Grey. 1912 Harper 1,094,000
Rawhide Range, by Ernest Haycox. 1952 Popular Library 1,090,000
Bugles in the Afternoon, by Ernest Haycox. 1944 Little, Brown 1,044,747
Ramrod, by Luke Short. 1943 Macmillan 1,018,992
The Mysterious Rider, by Zane Grey. 1921 Harper 796,950
The Man of the Forest, by Zane Grey. 1920 Harper 774,500
The Spirit of the Border, by Zane Grey. 1906 Pocket Books 750,000
Fightin’ Fool, by Max Brand. 1939 Dodd, Mead 605,000
Gone to Texas, by John W. Thomason, Jr. 1935 Scribner 550,000
BEST SELLERS
BY YEARS
1895-1955
1895
Fiction
1. BESIDE THE BONNIE BRIER BUSH, by Ian Maclaren. Dodd, Mead
2. TRILBY, by George du Maurier. Harper
3. ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HORN, by Frank R. Stockton. Scribner
4. THE MANXMAN, by Hall Caine. Appleton
5. PRINCESS ALINE, by Richard Harding Davis. Harper
6. DAYS OF AULD LANG SYNE, by Ian Maclaren. Dodd, Mead
7. THE MASTER, by Israel Zangwell. Harper.
8. THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, by Anthony Hope. Holt
9. REGENERATION, by Max Nordau. Appleton
10. MY LADY NOBODY, by Maarten Maartens. Harper
* * * * *
The year in which the first American best seller lists were published
was in the era of bicycles (which were to stage a return nearly fifty
years later during the gas rationing days of World War II) and the
Gibson girl, with her pompadour hair-do. Rural free delivery was
established in that year, an event that was to have a notable effect
upon merchandising of every kind, including the marketing of books.
Romantic novels like _The Prisoner of Zenda_ by Anthony Hope and Richard
Harding Davis’ _Princess Aline_, which was illustrated by Charles Dana
Gibson, suited the mood of the period, though the homely _Beside the
Bonnie Brier Bush_ of Ian Maclaren and the exotic _Trilby_ were the top
best sellers. Best remembered of the first ten are these two, both of
them tremendously successful in play form. Only two of the books on this
first list were written by American authors. The other eight titles, by
British and European authors, would have been unprotected by copyright
in this country five years earlier, and several publishers or printers
could have issued them without any legal arrangement with the rightful
publishers. The passage of the international copyright law in 1891
resulted in orderly publication--a fact which helped to make possible
the compiling of best seller lists.
1896
Fiction
1. TOM GROGAN, by F. Hopkinson Smith. Houghton Mifflin
2. A LADY OF QUALITY, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Scribner
3. THE SEATS OF THE MIGHTY, by Gilbert Parker. Appleton
4. A SINGULAR LIFE, by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward. Houghton Mifflin
5. THE DAMNATION OF THERON WARE, by Harold Frederic. Stone & Kimball
6. A HOUSE-BOAT ON THE STYX, by John Kendrick Bangs. Harper
7. KATE CARNEGIE, by Ian Maclaren. Dodd, Mead
8. THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE, by Stephen Crane. Appleton
9. SENTIMENTAL TOMMY, by J. M. Barrie. Scribner
10. BESIDE THE BONNIE BRIER BUSH, by Ian Maclaren. Dodd, Mead
* * * * *
Gold was discovered in the Klondike. Bryan ran for President. Books on
bimetallism and the gold standard were the most widely-read non-fiction.
The best-known of them, _Coin’s Financial School_, enjoyed a revival. In
Boston the _Aeronautical Annual_ was, strangely enough, a best seller.
1896 was the year in which the first movies were shown--introducing a
new medium of entertainment that was to have noticeable effect upon the
business of publishing. The popularity of the historical novel,
America’s favorite reading all through the 1890’s and the early 20th
century and revived again and again, was marked by the sales of such
books as _A Lady of Quality_ and _The Seats of the Mighty_. _Tom
Grogan_, heading the 1896 list, marks the first appearance of that
long-time favorite, F. Hopkinson Smith. The success of _A Singular Life_
and _The Damnation of Theron Ware_ illustrates the continuance of
interest in religious novels from the previous decade, when _Robert
Elsmere_, by Mrs. Humphry Ward, and _John Ward, Preacher_, by Margaret
Deland, were high favorites. The list shows an increase in the number of
books by American authors. Books by six of these authors--F. Hopkinson
Smith, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Gilbert Parker, Harold Frederic, John
Kendrick Bangs, and Stephen Crane--are still in demand by collectors of
American first editions.
1897
Fiction
1. QUO VADIS, by Henryk Sienkiewicz. Little, Brown
2. THE CHOIR INVISIBLE, by James Lane Allen. Macmillan
3. SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE, by Richard Harding Davis. Scribner
4. ON THE FACE OF THE WATERS, by Flora Annie Steel. Macmillan
5. PHROSO, by Anthony Hope. Stokes
6. THE CHRISTIAN, by Hall Caine. Appleton
7. MARGARET OGILVY, by J. M. Barrie. Scribner
8. SENTIMENTAL TOMMY, by J. M. Barrie. Scribner
9. THE PURSUIT OF THE HOUSE-BOAT, by John Kendrick Bangs. Harper
10. THE HONORABLE PETER STIRLING, by Paul Leicester Ford. Holt
* * * * *
Although the “400” ruled New York society and decreed the conventions of
the nation, the great novel of the day was that famous story of the
early Christians, _Quo Vadis_. This year marked the appearance of
Little, Brown & Company as a publisher of best sellers. James McIntyre
of that firm showed genius in reaching large markets, especially
difficult at that period with a book with a Latin title, the author of
which had a long Polish name. The semi-religious novels of Hall Caine
were coming into prominence too. This year also saw the first appearance
among best sellers of Paul Leicester Ford, whose books, together with
those of Winston Churchill (the American novelist), Charles Major, Mary
Johnston, and others, were the record makers of their day in the field
of historical fiction. _The Honorable Peter Stirling_ had an interesting
publishing history. Its publisher, Henry Holt & Company, was chiefly
known for scholarly volumes and textbooks, although in 1895 it had taken
a successful fling in trade publishing with _The Prisoner of Zenda_.
_Peter Stirling_, issued in a small first printing, did not reach large
sales until one San Francisco bookseller announced that the chief
character was modeled upon President Cleveland. Word-of-mouth
advertising brought the sales of the book eventually to 228,000 copies.
1898
Fiction
1. CALEB WEST, by F. Hopkinson Smith. Houghton Mifflin
2. HUGH WYNNE, by S. Weir Mitchell. Century
3. PENELOPE’S PROGRESS, by Kate Douglas Wiggin. Houghton Mifflin
4. HELBECK OF BANNISDALE, by Mrs. Humphry Ward. Macmillan
5. QUO VADIS, by Henryk Sienkiewicz. Little, Brown
6. THE PRIDE OF JENNICO, by Agnes and Egerton Castle. Macmillan
7. THE DAY’S WORK, by Rudyard Kipling. Doubleday, McClure
8. SHREWSBURY, by Stanley Weyman. Longmans, Green
9. SIMON DALE, by Anthony Hope. Stokes
10. THE ADVENTURES OF FRANÇOIS, by S. Weir Mitchell. Century
THE BATTLE OF THE STRONG, by Gilbert Parker. Houghton Mifflin
* * * * *
“Remember the _Maine_!” swept the nation following the battleship’s
destruction by an explosion in Havana Harbor, which brought the United
States into war with Spain on April 25. The Spanish fleet was destroyed
in Manila Bay on May 1. The Philippines (temporarily captured by the
Japanese forty-four years later) were annexed, and the peace treaty was
signed on December 10. “The end of the war came at an opportune time for
autumn business,” says a book trade letter of the period. Several
authors were included on the best seller list for the first
time--Rudyard Kipling, whose books created a furor, Kate Douglas Wiggin,
and S. Weir Mitchell. The sale of Mitchell’s _Hugh Wynne_ was not
handicapped by the book’s being published in two volumes, nor was that
_Helbeck of Bannisdale_, by Mrs. Humphry Ward, also a two-volume novel.
Though Mark Twain was writing at this period, his books never appeared
on bookstore best seller lists, for most of them were issued by
subscription companies whose house-to-house sales were not recorded in
best seller reports from bookstores.
1899
Fiction
1. DAVID HARUM, by Edward Noyes Westcott. Appleton.
2. WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER, by Charles Major. Bowen-Merrill
3. RICHARD CARVEL, by Winston Churchill. Macmillan
4. THE DAY’S WORK, by Rudyard Kipling. Doubleday, McClure
5. RED ROCK, by Thomas Nelson Page. Scribner
6. AYLWIN, by Theodore Watts-Dunton. Dodd, Mead
7. JANICE MEREDITH, by Paul Leicester Ford. Dodd, Mead
8. MR. DOOLEY IN PEACE AND WAR, by Finley Peter Dunne. Small, Maynard
9. NO. 5 JOHN STREET, by Richard Whiteing. Century
10. THE MARKET PLACE, by Harold Frederic. Stokes
* * * * *
An International Peace Conference sponsored by the Russian government
met at The Hague. Aguinaldo staged an insurrection in the Philippines.
The Boer War began. The great novel of the day, _David Harum_, a novel
that became a stage hit and many years later a movie with Will Rogers in
the title role, was the story of a down-to-earth countryman of upper New
York State. _When Knighthood Was in Flower_ was the first best-selling
novel to bear the Indianapolis imprint of the Bowen-Merrill Company,
later the Bobbs-Merrill Company, a firm which developed a technique of
exploiting popular fiction that greatly influenced American publishing.
_When Knighthood Was in Flower_, _Janice Meredith_, and _Richard Carvel_
are perhaps the best-remembered of the novels of this great era of
historical fiction. _Richard Carvel_ introduced Winston Churchill to the
best seller lists, an American author who was to attain leading places
on many later annual lists and whose name was much better known then in
America than that of Winston Spencer Churchill of England. Also on the
1899 list appeared _Mr. Dooley_, Finley Peter Dunne’s humorous character
who was quoted for many years.
1900
Fiction
1. TO HAVE AND TO HOLD, by Mary Johnston. Houghton Mifflin
2. RED POTTAGE, by Mary Cholmondeley. Harper
3. UNLEAVENED BREAD, by Robert Grant. Scribner
4. THE REIGN OF LAW, by James Lane Allen. Macmillan
5. EBEN HOLDEN, by Irving Bacheller. Lothrop
6. JANICE MEREDITH, by Paul Leicester Ford. Dodd, Mead
7. THE REDEMPTION OF DAVID CORSON, by Charles Frederic
Goss. Bowen-Merrill
8. RICHARD CARVEL, by Winston Churchill. Macmillan
9. WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER, by Charles Major. Bowen-Merrill
10. ALICE OF OLD VINCENNES, by Maurice Thompson. Bowen-Merrill
* * * * *
1900 was the year of the Boxer Rebellion in China, the great hurricane
and flood in Galveston, Texas, and the first excavation for the New York
subway. The new century began with historical novels dominating the
nation’s reading: _To Have and to Hold_, _Janice Meredith_, _Alice of
Old Vincennes_, and others. _David Harum_ had a follower in the field of
rural wisdom in _Eben Holden_, which for a short time brought D. Lothrop
& Co. (of _Five Little Peppers_ fame) into the field of adult
publishing. Bowen-Merrill was prominent on the list with three titles,
two of them by Hoosier novelists Charles Major and Maurice Thompson.
1901
Fiction
1. THE CRISIS, by Winston Churchill. Macmillan
2. ALICE OF OLD VINCENNES, by Maurice Thompson. Bowen-Merrill
3. THE HELMET OF NAVARRE, by Bertha Runkle. Century
4. THE RIGHT OF WAY, by Gilbert Parker. Harper
5. EBEN HOLDEN, by Irving Bacheller. Lothrop
6. THE VISITS OF ELIZABETH, by Elinor Glyn. John Lane
7. THE PUPPET CROWN, by Harold MacGrath. Bowen-Merrill
8. RICHARD YEA-AND-NAY, by Maurice Hewlett. Macmillan
9. GRAUSTARK, by George Barr McCutcheon. Stone & Kimball
10. D’RI AND I, by Irving Bacheller. Lothrop
* * * * *
President McKinley was shot while attending the Pan-American Exposition,
and Theodore Roosevelt took office on September 14. Though this was a
year of financial panic, famous novels sold in the hundreds of
thousands. The first book of a previously unknown author, _The Helmet of
Navarre_, made such a success as a serial in _The Century_ that it was
published in an unprecedented first printing of 100,000 copies. Turning
from the Revolutionary setting of _Richard Carvel_ to the Civil War
scene for his new book, Winston Churchill established _The Crisis_ as
the best seller of the year. _Alice of Old Vincennes_ climbed from tenth
place on the best seller list of the previous year to second place, via
national advertising and promotion such as books had seldom before been
given. _Graustark_, with the Chicago imprint of Stone & Kimball,
established a lasting reputation for George Barr McCutcheon, another of
the Hoosier school of writers. Together with Harold MacGrath’s _The
Puppet Crown_, it marked a new trend in fiction--toward the light
romance of intrigue and adventure in high society.
1902
Fiction
1. THE VIRGINIAN, by Owen Wister. Macmillan
2. MRS. WIGGS OF THE CABBAGE PATCH, by Alice Caldwell Hegan. Century
3. DOROTHY VERNON OF HADDON HALL, by Charles Major. Macmillan
4. THE MISSISSIPPI BUBBLE, by Emerson Hough. Bowen-Merrill
5. AUDREY, by Mary Johnston. Houghton Mifflin
6. THE RIGHT OF WAY, by Gilbert Parker. Harper
7. THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, by A. Conan Doyle. McClure, Phillips
8. THE TWO VANREVELS, by Booth Tarkington. McClure, Phillips
9. THE BLUE FLOWER, by Henry van Dyke. Scribner
10. SIR RICHARD CALMADY, by Lucas Malet. Dodd, Mead
* * * * *
While “ragtime” swept America, Debussy’s _Pelleas et Melisande_ was a
popular success in Paris. The first “skyscrapers” were being built. the
best seller list. Advance orders for Mary Johnston’s _Audrey_ exceeded
100,000 copies. Several new writing reputations were established by 1902
sales--those of Owen Wister, Emerson Hough, and Alice Caldwell Hegan
(later Mrs. Rice). The book, the play, in which Dustin Farnum acted for
ten years, and the movie in which Gary Cooper portrayed “The Virginian”
have made the hero’s famous words “When you call me that, _smile_,”
familiar in many an American household. Eventually _The Virginian_ was
to sell well over a million and a half copies. Owen Wister dedicated it
to his lifelong friend, Theodore Roosevelt. The Hoosier school added
Booth Tarkington to its best-selling membership with his third book,
_The Two Vanrevels_. His first novel, _The Gentleman from Indiana_, had
been published in 1899. On this list too a detective story appeared for
the first time. It was _The Hound of the Baskervilles_, by that most
famous writer of detective fiction, the creator of Sherlock Holmes.
1903
Fiction
1. LADY ROSE’S DAUGHTER, by Mrs. Humphry Ward. Harper
2. GORDON KEITH, by Thomas Nelson Page. Scribner
3. THE PIT, by Frank Norris. Doubleday, Page
4. LOVEY MARY, by Alice Hegan Rice. Century
5. THE VIRGINIAN, by Owen Wister. Macmillan
6. MRS. WIGGS OF THE CABBAGE PATCH, by Alice Hegan Rice. Century
7. METTLE OF THE PASTURE, by James Lane Allen. Macmillan
8. LETTERS OF A SELF-MADE MERCHANT TO HIS SON, by
George Horace Lorimer. Small, Maynard
9. THE ONE WOMAN, by Thomas Dixon, Jr. Doubleday, Page
10. THE LITTLE SHEPHERD OF KINGDOM COME, by John Fox, Jr. Scribner
* * * * *
1903 was the year of the first successful airplane flight, made by the
Wright brothers on December 17. The past few years had been a period of
financial crisis; now the era of great industrial expansion was
beginning. Big business and high finance were introduced as themes for
the best seller by Frank Norris, _The Pit_. With _Lovey Mary_, Alice
Hegan Rice repeated the success of her _Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage
Patch_. Both were in the Century Company’s famous series of short dollar
novels, a series which reached its sales climax with _The Lady of the
Decoration_ in 1907. A new author, John Fox, Jr., appeared with the
first of two novels that were to become almost synonymous with the words
“best seller.” There was only one English author on the list, Mrs.
Humphry Ward; but her _Lady Rose’s Daughter_ was in number one position.
For the first time, a non-fiction title appears, autobiography by the
famous _Saturday Evening Post_ editor. Up to 1912 no distinction was
made on the lists between fiction and non-fiction.
1904
Fiction
1. THE CROSSING, by Winston Churchill. Macmillan
2. THE DELIVERANCE, by Ellen Glasgow. Doubleday, Page
3. THE MASQUERADER, Anonymous (Katherine Cecil Thurston). Harper
4. IN THE BISHOP’S CARRIAGE, by Miriam Michelson. Bobbs-Merrill
5. SIR MORTIMER, by Mary Johnston. Harper
6. BEVERLY OF GRAUSTARK, by George Barr McCutcheon. Dodd, Mead
7. THE LITTLE SHEPHERD OF KINGDOM COME, by John Fox, Jr. Scribner
8. REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM, by Kate Douglas Wiggin. Houghton Mifflin
9. MY FRIEND PROSPERO, by Henry Harland. McClure, Phillips
10. THE SILENT PLACES, by Stewart Edward White. McClure, Phillips
* * * * *
The Russo-Japanese War was raging, and Americans were, on the whole,
sympathetic to Japan. Advertisements of the year offered new rolls for
phonographs, automobile road maps, one-piece collar buttons, and
Sapolio. The World’s Fair was on in St. Louis, the New York subway was
opened, the Panama Canal was begun, and the first successful tunnel
under the Hudson River was finished. In the magazines and newspapers the
“literature of exposure” was appearing. Lincoln Steffens was writing;
Thomas W. Lawson produced _Friday the Thirteenth_; and Ida Tarbell’s
_History of the Standard Oil Company_ was running in _McClure’s
Magazine_. Among books, historical and romantic fiction dominated the
best seller lists and the “sex problem” reared its head. Again Winston
Churchill topped all other novelists of the year. An edition of 110,000
copies of Ellen Glasgow’s _The Deliverance_ was published; like most of
these early 20th-century novels, it was priced at $1.50.
1905
Fiction
1. THE MARRIAGE OF WILLIAM ASHE, by Mrs. Humphry Ward. Harper
2. SANDY, by Alice Hegan Rice. Century
3. THE GARDEN OF ALLAH, by Robert Hichens. Stokes
4. THE CLANSMAN, by Thomas Dixon, Jr. Doubleday, Page
5. NEDRA, by George Barr McCutcheon. Dodd, Mead
6. THE GAMBLER, by Katherine Cecil Thurston. Harper
7. THE MASQUERADER, Anonymous (Katherine Cecil Thurston). Harper
8. THE HOUSE OF MIRTH, by Edith Wharton. Scribner
9. THE PRINCESS PASSES, by C. N. and A. M. Williamson. Holt
10. ROSE O’ THE RIVER, by Kate Douglas Wiggin. Houghton Mifflin
* * * * *
Novels were beginning to utilize motor cars and wireless telegraphy, the
new inventions of the period, in their plots. “Realism” appeared in
literature. Novels and plays on business themes were popular. One of the
stage hits based on a business theme was Charles Klein’s _The Lion and
the Mouse_. Maxine Elliott and Mrs. Fiske were stars of the period. The
first issue of _Variety_ was published on December 16. _The Clansman_,
Thomas Dixon’s novel of the Ku Klux Klan, which was to become, as _The
Birth of a Nation_, one of the most famous feature pictures of the
silent movies, was well up on this year’s best seller list. The
Williamsons made the list with one of their first automobile romances.
They specialized in the type of story in which the heroine falls in love
with her chauffeur, who is actually the scion of a titled British
family. “Motormania” hit the nation in a big way and practically all the
publicity pictures of authors showed them at the wheels of their 1905
automobiles.
1906
Fiction
1. CONISTON, by Winston Churchill. Macmillan
2. LADY BALTIMORE, by Owen Wister. Macmillan
3. THE FIGHTING CHANCE, by Robert W. Chambers. Appleton
4. THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CANDLES, by Meredith Nicholson. Bobbs-Merrill
5. JANE CABLE, by George Barr McCutcheon. Dodd, Mead
6. THE JUNGLE, by Upton Sinclair. Doubleday, Page
7. THE AWAKENING OF HELENA RITCHIE, by Margaret Deland. Harper
8. THE SPOILERS, by Rex Beach. Harper
9. THE HOUSE OF MIRTH, by Edith Wharton. Scribner
10. THE WHEEL OF LIFE, by Ellen Glasgow. Doubleday, Page
* * * * *
One of the most influential novels ever published in this country, Upton
Sinclair’s _The Jungle_, awoke the American public to the menace of the
“meat trust” and resulted in the passage of the Pure Foods and Drugs
Act. Theodore Roosevelt, who took the “big stick” to some of the big
corporations, championed simplified spelling as well as trust busting.
John Philip Sousa was the March King of the nation. William Vaughan
Moody’s _The Great Divide_ was a Broadway success. William Randolph
Hearst was defeated for the governorship of New York State. Here for the
first time was an all-American best seller list, which Winston Churchill
headed for the third time, with another novel which, like _The Crisis_
and _The Crossing_ made good use of the letter C. Robert W. Chambers’
_The Fighting Chance_ was published in a first printing of 50,000
copies, in six weeks went to 100,000 and soon to 200,000. One of the
first hits in the mystery-adventure field which was not a costume
romance was Meredith Nicholson’s _House of a Thousand Candles_.
1907
Fiction
1. THE LADY OF THE DECORATION, by Frances Little. Century
2. THE WEAVERS, by Gilbert Parker. Harper
3. THE PORT OF MISSING MEN, by Meredith Nicholson. Bobbs-Merrill
4. THE SHUTTLE, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Stokes
5. THE BRASS BOWL, by Louis J. Vance. Bobbs-Merrill
6. SATAN SANDERSON, by Hallie Erminie Rives. Bobbs-Merrill
7. THE DAUGHTER OF ANDERSON CROW, by George Barr McCutcheon. Dodd, Mead
8. THE YOUNGER SET, by Robert W. Chambers. Appleton
9. THE DOCTOR, by Ralph Connor. Revell
10. HALF A ROGUE, by Harold MacGrath. Bobbs-Merrill
* * * * *
1907 was a year of financial panic. Harrison Fisher was the popular
artist of the time, along with Howard Chandler Christy, who illustrated
_Beverly of Graustark_, and James Montgomery Flagg. The Harrison Fisher
“gift book” annual was called _A Dream of Fair Women_, each colored
illustration inspired by a popular poem. 1907 was the year in which Ian
Maclaren died; he was the great popular novelist of the previous decade
and author of the first best seller of these yearly lists, _Beside the
Bonnie Brier Bush_. Novelist Stewart Edward White was photographed in
his two-cylinder Maxwell runabout; Mrs. Pat Campbell arrived to tour the
country; Farrar and Chaliapin were singing at the Metropolitan, and Mary
Garden at the Manhattan Opera House; the _Lusitania_ made its first
voyage to New York; and _The Man from Home_, by Booth Tarkington and
Harry Leon Wilson, was the theatrical hit of the year. The Century
Company’s short dollar fiction series, which had started with the
publication of _Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch_, reached another high
with _The Lady of the Decoration_. Robert W. Chambers’ new novel, _The
Younger Set_, marking the interest in sophisticated society romance, had
sales of 200,000 copies, equaling the sale of his _The Fighting Chance_
in 1906. Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis publishers, had four titles on the
list, to the envy of many an eastern publisher.
1908
Fiction
1. MR. CREWE’S CAREER, by Winston Churchill. Macmillan
2. THE BARRIER, by Rex Beach. Harper
3. THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE, by John Fox, Jr. Scribner
4. THE LINE OF THE MASK, by Harold MacGrath. Bobbs-Merrill
5. THE SHUTTLE, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Stokes
6. PETER, by F. Hopkinson Smith. Scribner
7. LEWIS RAND, by Mary Johnston. Houghton Mifflin
8. THE BLACK BAG, by Louis J. Vance. Bobbs-Merrill
9. THE MAN FROM BRODNEY’S, by George Barr McCutcheon. Dodd, Mead
10. THE WEAVERS, by Gilbert Parker. Harper
* * * * *
Belgium annexed the Congo. Maude Adams was playing in Barrie’s _What
Every Woman Knows_, and Augustus Thomas’ _The Witching Hour_ was another
theatrical success. The Harrison Fisher annual was _Bachelor Belles_.
Winston Churchill was again first on the best seller list, having
deserted his southern historical scenes for a New Hampshire setting. The
first printing of _The Trail of the Lonesome Pine_, third on the list,
was sold out in a few months. One of the best-known popular songs used
the book’s title--a songwriting habit that has persisted. Frances
Hodgson Burnett was still a best seller twenty-two years after her
greatest hit, _Little Lord Fauntleroy_. Nine of the authors were
Americans, but all were “repeaters” from previous years, a
characteristic of the fiction lists, which report favorite writers year
after year.
1909
Fiction
1. THE INNER SHRINE, Anonymous (Basil King). Harper
2. KATRINE, by Elinor Macartney Lane. Harper
3. THE SILVER HORDE, by Rex Beach. Harper
4. THE MAN IN LOWER TEN, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Bobbs-Merrill
5. THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE, by John Fox, Jr. Scribner
6. TRUXTON KING, by George Barr McCutcheon. Dodd, Mead
7. 54-40 OR FIGHT, by Emerson Hough. Bobbs-Merrill
8. THE GOOSE GIRL, by Harold MacGrath. Bobbs-Merrill
9. PETER, by F. Hopkinson Smith. Scribner
10. SEPTIMUS, by William J. Locke. John Lane
* * * * *
William Howard Taft was inaugurated as President of the United States;
the first “Model T” Ford rolled off the assembly line; Peary reached the
North Pole; and suffragettes were chaining themselves to London railings
in this year 1909. Rube Goldberg’s _Foolish Questions_ was a regular
feature of the New York _Evening Mail_, Frances Starr was appearing in
_The Easiest Way_, and Mary Garden triumphed as Salome. “The art of the
moving picture is still in its infancy,” wrote Frederic Taber Cooper.
Dr. Eliot’s _Five-Foot Shelf_ made its first appearance. In the
publication of Basil King’s _The Inner Shrine_, best-selling book of
1909, Harper used anonymity to build up curiosity. The same publisher
had also employed that method in selling Katherine Cecil Thurston’s hit
book of 1904 and 1905, _The Masquerader_, and was to use it again in
1910 with Basil King’s _The Wild Olive_. This promotion stunt can be
used only infrequently or its effect is blunted. Another example of its
success, twenty years later, was the publication of Ursula Parrott’s
_Ex-Wife_ in 1929 by Cape & Smith. _The Man in Lower Ten_, by Mary
Roberts Rinehart, was the first American detective story to make the
annual best seller list. It was illustrated in color by Howard Chandler
Christy. William J. Locke, who had long been popular and is best
remembered for his _Beloved Vagabond_, was introduced to the list, in
tenth place, with one of his typically whimsical tales.
1910
Fiction
1. THE ROSARY, by Florence Barclay. Putnam
2. A MODERN CHRONICLE, by Winston Churchill. Macmillan
3. THE WILD OLIVE, Anonymous (Basil King). Harper
4. MAX, by Katherine Cecil Thurston. Harper
5. THE KINGDOM OF SLENDER SWORDS, by Hallie Erminie Rives. Bobbs-Merrill
6. SIMON THE JESTER, by William J. Locke. John Lane
7. LORD LOVELAND DISCOVERS AMERICA, by C. N. and
A. M. Williamson. Doubleday, Page
8. THE WINDOW AT THE WHITE CAT, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Bobbs-Merrill
9. MOLLY MAKE-BELIEVE, by Eleanor Abbott. Century
10. WHEN A MAN MARRIES, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Bobbs-Merrill
* * * * *
The end of an era had come with the death of Edward VII of England. 1910
was also the year of the death, in her ninety-second year, of Julia Ward
Howe, author of _The Battle Hymn of the Republic_. Japan annexed Korea.
The _Mauretania_ was queen of the Atlantic. Edmond Rostand’s
_Chantecler_ was produced in Paris; and Maeterlinck’s _Blue Bird_, in
London. Montague Glass’ _Potash and Perlmutter_ stories were running in
the _Saturday Evening Post_, and the newspaper “funnies” of the day were
_The Hall Room Boys_ and Bud Fisher’s _Mutt and Jeff_. Everyone was
humming Ethelbert Nevin’s song, “The Rosary,” which was used in the plot
of the year’s best-selling novel--the first to take precedence over a
new Churchill novel at the top of the list in a number of years. So
popular and profitable was the book that its publisher’s new building on
West 45th Street, in New York, was dubbed “The Rosary.” But its author,
Florence Barclay, along with such other authors as the Williamsons and
Eleanor Abbott, is almost forgotten today. On the other hand, Mary
Roberts Rinehart, represented by two books on the 1910 list, is still a
best seller.
1911
Fiction
1. THE BROAD HIGHWAY, by Jeffery Farnol. Little, Brown
2. THE PRODIGAL JUDGE, by Vaughan Kester. Bobbs-Merrill
3. THE WINNING OF BARBARA WORTH, by Harold Bell Wright. Book Supply Co.
4. QUEED, by Henry Sydnor Harrison. Houghton Mifflin
5. THE HARVESTER, by Gene Stratton Porter. Doubleday, Page
6. THE IRON WOMAN, by Margaret Deland. Harper
7. THE LONG ROLL, by Mary Johnston. Houghton Mifflin
8. MOLLY MAKE-BELIEVE, by Eleanor Abbott. Century
9. THE ROSARY, by Florence Barclay. Putnam
10. THE COMMON LAW, by Robert W. Chambers. Appleton
* * * * *
“Alexander’s Ragtime Band” was the song of the year. It swept the
country in 1911, and staged a return some twenty-seven years later. As a
result of the 1938 movie of that title, an additional 1,000,000 copies
of the song were sold. Along with ragtime came the first big wave of
mechanized music--the player piano and the phonograph, forerunners of
radio, talking screen and TV. The New York Public Library at 42nd Street
and Fifth Avenue, which, with other libraries, is a final repository for
many of the forgotten best sellers of yesterday, was opened on May 23.
Top seller of the year, _The Broad Highway_, by the new English writer,
Jeffery Farnol, marked the last high spot of this long era of the
historical novel. A total of 305,000 copies were sold in both original
and reprint editions. Here was the first appearance of Harold Bell
Wright, who built an extraordinary following, perhaps largely among a
public not generally buyers of books. Gene Stratton Porter, many of
whose books are among the big American best sellers of all time, made
her first appearance on these lists with _The Harvester_. _Freckles_ had
been published in 1904 but had missed making an annual list largely
because its great sale came after it had gone into a 50-cent reprint
edition. _The Winning of Barbara Worth_ was priced at $1.30 and
_Queed_, a first novel that caught the public fancy, at $1.35--both
prices typical of their time.
1912
Fiction
1. THE HARVESTER, by Gene Stratton Porter. Doubleday, Page
2. THE STREET CALLED STRAIGHT, by Basil King. Harper
3. THEIR YESTERDAYS, by Harold Bell Wright. Book Supply Co.
4. THE MELTING OF MOLLY, by Maria Thompson Daviess. Bobbs-Merrill
5. A HOOSIER CHRONICLE, by Meredith Nicholson. Houghton Mifflin
6. THE WINNING OF BARBARA WORTH, by Harold Bell Wright. Book Supply Co.
7. THE JUST AND THE UNJUST, by Vaughan Kester. Bobbs-Merrill
8. THE NET, by Rex Beach. Harper
9. TANTE, by Anne Douglas Sedgwick. Century
10. FRAN, by J. Breckenridge Ellis. Bobbs-Merrill
Non-Fiction
1. THE PROMISED LAND, by Mary Antin. Houghton Mifflin
2. THE MONTESSORI METHOD, by Maria Montessori. Stokes
3. SOUTH AMERICA, by James Bryce. Macmillan
4. A NEW CONSCIENCE AND AN ANCIENT EVIL, by Jane Addams. Macmillan
5. THREE PLAYS, by Eugene Brieux. Brentano
6. YOUR UNITED STATES, by Arnold Bennett. Harper
7. CREATIVE EVOLUTION, by Henri Bergson. Holt
8. HOW TO LIVE ON TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY, by Arnold Bennett. Doran
9. WOMAN AND LABOR, by Olive Schreiner. Stokes
10. MARK TWAIN, by Albert Bigelow Paine. Harper
* * * * *
Woodrow Wilson was elected President of the United States, defeating
both William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt; the latter’s Bull Moose
candidacy split the Republican party. Arizona and New Mexico were
admitted to the Union. The dramatic sinking of the great liner
_Titanic_, with many notables on board and with enormous loss of life,
stunned two continents. In this year began the heyday of the Harold Bell
Wright-Gene Stratton Porter popularity. Both their 1911 best sellers
reappeared on the 1912 list, Mrs. Porter’s reaching top place. Anne
Douglas Sedgwick’s _Tante_ gave a note of literary distinction to a none
too distinguished group of novels. _The Publishers’ Weekly_ added
non-fiction best-selling records this year and again in 1913, then
dropped them for three years until the sales of books about World War I
made non-fiction titles big sellers again. Previously fiction and
non-fiction had been lumped together, with the result that the list
consisted entirely of fiction and a book of general literature seldom if
ever reached a yearly best seller list. Not until the 1920’s did
non-fiction sales equal those of fiction, when such books as H. G.
Wells’ _Outline of History_ began to come along. Non-fiction best
sellers tell more about the subjects in which the public was interested
than which authors were their favorites. The first non-fiction
best-seller list featured “self-help” books, biography, travel, social
and economic problems, philosophy--recurring topics through all the
later years. Notable was the appearance of two books by Arnold Bennett
on the list.
1913
Fiction
1. THE INSIDE OF THE CUP, by Winston Churchill. Macmillan
2. V.V.’S EYES, by Henry Sydnor Harrison. Houghton Mifflin
3. LADDIE, by Gene Stratton Porter. Doubleday, Page
4. THE JUDGMENT HOUSE, by Sir Gilbert Parker. Harper
5. HEART OF THE HILLS, by John Fox, Jr. Scribner
6. THE AMATEUR GENTLEMAN, by Jeffery Farnol. Little, Brown
7. THE WOMAN THOU GAVEST ME, by Hall Caine. Lippincott
8. POLLYANNA, by Eleanor H. Porter. Page
9. THE VALIANTS OF VIRGINIA, by Amélie Rives. Bobbs-Merrill
10. T. TEMBAROM, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Century
Non-Fiction
1. CROWDS, by Gerald Stanley Lee. Doubleday, Page
2. GERMANY AND THE GERMANS, by Price Collier. Scribner
3. ZONE POLICEMAN 88, by Harry A. Franck. Century
4. THE NEW FREEDOM, by Woodrow Wilson. Doubleday, Page
5. SOUTH AMERICA, by James Bryce. Macmillan
6. YOUR UNITED STATES, by Arnold Bennett. Harper
7. THE PROMISED LAND, by Mary Antin. Houghton Mifflin
8. AUCTION BRIDGE TO-DAY, by Milton C. Work. Houghton Mifflin
9. THREE PLAYS, by Eugene Brieux. Brentano
10. PSYCHOLOGY AND INDUSTRIAL EFFICIENCY, by Hugo
Munsterberg. Houghton Mifflin
* * * * *
In 1901, 1904, 1906, 1908, and again in 1913 a novel by Winston
Churchill headed fiction sales. Hall Caine’s _The Woman Thou Gavest Me_
sold 346,000 in the year. _Pollyanna_ made her first appearance,
beginning a series that continued to sell over many years, although
latterly as juvenile reading. Non-fiction included (a year before the
outbreak of World War I) a book on Germany and President Wilson’s
statement of his program. Brieux’ plays appeared for the second
year--one of the few books of drama in all these lists. The discussion
of one of the plays, _Damaged Goods_, when performed in New York, on a
startling theme for its times, probably accounted for the book’s large
sale. Milton Work, first bridge authority to achieve a national sale for
his instruction book, was later succeeded by Culbertson and then Goren.
1914
Fiction
1. THE EYES OF THE WORLD, by Harold Bell Wright. Book Supply Co.
2. POLLYANNA, by Eleanor H. Porter. Page
3. THE INSIDE OF THE CUP, by Winston Churchill. Macmillan
4. THE SALAMANDER, by Owen Johnson. Bobbs-Merrill
5. THE FORTUNATE YOUTH, by William J. Locke. John Lane
6. T. TEMBAROM, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Century
7. PENROD, by Booth Tarkington. Doubleday, Page
8. DIANE OF THE GREEN VAN, by Leona Dalrymple. Reilly & Britton
9. THE DEVIL’S GARDEN, by W. B. Maxwell. Bobbs-Merrill
10. THE PRINCE OF GRAUSTARK, by George Barr McCutcheon. Dodd, Mead
* * * * *
In midsummer an Austrian archduke was murdered in the obscure Balkan
town of Sarajevo, and by fall all Europe was at war. The United States
had just opened the Panama Canal to the world’s seaborne traffic. At
home, everyone was singing one of Jerome Kern’s first great song hits,
“They Didn’t Believe Me,” from _The Girl from Utah_. Harold Bell Wright
attained first place as most popular novelist of the year, closely
followed by Eleanor Porter with _Pollyanna_ and Winston Churchill with
his story of a liberal minister, which had been the 1913 leader. Among
the new names were those of Owen Johnson, already known for his
appealing stories of Lawrenceville School, Leona Dalrymple, with _Diane
of the Green Van_ under the new Chicago imprint of Reilly & Britton (now
Reilly & Lee), and W. B. Maxwell. It is interesting to note that in this
year of 1914 two best sellers were adult novels about boys. Once in a
long while such a story hits the hearts of its readers--as did J. D.
Salinger’s _Catcher in the Rye_ many years later. Perhaps the most
famous book on this list is that novel of youth, whose hero, Penrod,
belongs in the permanent roll of American literature.
1915
Fiction
1. THE TURMOIL, by Booth Tarkington. Harper
2. A FAR COUNTRY, by Winston Churchill. Macmillan
3. MICHAEL O’HALLORAN, by Gene Stratton Porter. Doubleday, Page
4. POLLYANNA GROWS UP, by Eleanor H. Porter. Page
5. K, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Houghton Mifflin
6. JAFFERY, by William J. Locke. John Lane
7. FELIX O’DAY, by F. Hopkinson Smith. Scribner
8. THE HARBOR, by Ernest Poole. Macmillan
9. THE LONE STAR RANGER, by Zane Grey. Harper
10. ANGELA’S BUSINESS, by Henry Sydnor Harrison. Houghton Mifflin
* * * * *
U. S. war industries were booming. The _Lusitania_ was sunk by a German
submarine on May 7. “Hello Frisco” was the song of the day, celebrating
the opening of the New York-San Francisco telephone line; the first
transatlantic speech was given by radio, and the first telephone message
sent across the Atlantic. Poison gas made its appearance on Europe’s
battlefields. Billy Sunday was exhorting a good many Americans into
repentance. _The Birth of a Nation_, first great feature film, based
upon _The Clansman_, a best seller of 1905, opened in New York. F.
Hopkinson Smith, author of _Felix O’Day_, a best seller of 1915, whose
novels had been best sellers ever since the 1890’s, died in his
seventy-seventh year. _The Turmoil_, a Booth Tarkington major novel,
headed the list of fiction. _K_, by Mary Roberts Rinehart, in fifth
place, is her best-known non-mystery novel. Here came the first of the
many Zane Grey books to appear on the lists, and another new name was
that of Ernest Poole, whose novel of New York harbor has a
well-established place in American fiction.
1916
Fiction
1. SEVENTEEN, by Booth Tarkington. Harper
2. WHEN A MAN’S A MAN, by Harold Bell Wright. Book Supply Co.
3. JUST DAVID, by Eleanor H. Porter. Houghton Mifflin
4. MR. BRITLING SEES IT THROUGH, by H. G. Wells. Macmillan
5. LIFE AND GABRIELLA, by Ellen Glasgow. Doubleday, Page
6. THE REAL ADVENTURE, by Henry Kitchell Webster. Bobbs-Merrill
7. BARS OF IRON, by Ethel M. Dell. Putnam
8. NAN OF MUSIC MOUNTAIN, by Frank H. Spearman. Scribner
9. DEAR ENEMY, by Jean Webster. Century
10. THE HEART OF RACHAEL, by Kathleen Norris. Doubleday, Page
* * * * *
The First World War was in its third year. The New York-New Jersey area
was rocked by the Black Tom explosion, supposedly engineered by German
secret agents. Woodrow Wilson was re-elected on the campaign slogan, “He
kept us out of war,” and “preparedness” became the watchword of the day.
For the second year in succession Booth Tarkington headed the list of
best sellers, this time with _Seventeen_, novel of adolescence, almost
as well known as his famous _Penrod_. _Seventeen_ has sold over half a
million copies. In fourth place was _Mr. Britling Sees It Through_, by
H. G. Wells, which gave thousands of Americans a better understanding of
the war. Here is the first appearance of Kathleen Norris with _The Heart
of Rachael_. _Dear Enemy_ was written by the author of the
better-remembered _Daddy Long Legs_, which, because of its slow steady
sale, did not appear on any annual list. Along with such books as
_Penrod_, _Seventeen_, and the Pollyanna stories, it marks a noticeable
trend through this period toward novels about very young people written
to entertain adults.
1917
Fiction
1. MR. BRITLING SEES IT THROUGH, by H. G. Wells. Macmillan
2. THE LIGHT IN THE CLEARING, by Irving Bacheller. Bobbs-Merrill
3. THE RED PLANET, by William J. Locke. John Lane
4. THE ROAD TO UNDERSTANDING, by Eleanor Porter. Houghton Mifflin
5. WILDFIRE, by Zane Grey. Harper
6. CHRISTINE, by Alice Cholmondeley. Macmillan
7. IN THE WILDERNESS, by Robert S. Hichens. Stokes
8. HIS FAMILY, by Ernest Poole. Macmillan
9. THE DEFINITE OBJECT, by Jeffery Farnol. Little, Brown
10. THE HUNDREDTH CHANCE, by Ethel M. Dell. Putnam
General Non-Fiction
1. RHYMES OF A RED CROSS MAN, by Robert W. Service. Barse & Hopkins
2. THE PLATTSBURG MANUAL, by O. O. Ellis and E. B. Garey. Century
3. RAYMOND, by Sir Oliver Lodge. Doran
4. POEMS OF ALAN SEEGER. Scribner
5. GOD THE INVISIBLE KING, by H. G. Wells. Macmillan
6. LAUGH AND LIVE, by Douglas Fairbanks. Britton Publishing Co.
7. BETTER MEALS FOR LESS MONEY, by Mary Green. Holt
War Books
1. THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND, by Ian Hay. Houghton Mifflin
2. MY HOME IN THE FIELD OF HONOR, by Frances W. Huard. Doran
3. A STUDENT IN ARMS, by Donald Hankey. Dutton
4. OVER THE TOP, by Arthur Guy Empey. Putnam
5. CARRY ON, by Coningsby Dawson. John Lane
6. GETTING TOGETHER, by Ian Hay. Houghton Mifflin
7. MY SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR, by Frederick Palmer. Dodd, Mead
8. THE LAND OF DEEPENING SHADOW, by D. Thomas Curtin. Doran
9. ITALY, FRANCE AND BRITAIN AT WAR, by H. G. Wells. Macmillan
10. THE WORN DOORSTEP, by Margaret Sherwood. Little, Brown
* * * * *
The United States declared war on Germany on April 6. The first of the
A.E.F. landed in France in June. Liberty Loans were launched and Mary
Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin drew enormous crowds to
buy bonds, as they made appearances in such places as the steps of the
New York Public Library. Revolution swept imperial Russia. Jazz was the
rage in America. Large hotels and restaurants introduced _thés dansants_
featuring fox trots. As Americans donned khaki and rolled puttees, _Mr.
Britling_ rose to top place in fiction, selling 350,000 copies in
fifteen months. Irving Bacheller reappeared, after sixteen years, with
his _Light in the Clearing_ in second place, followed by many other
familiar names--Locke, Porter, Grey, Hichens, etc.--though none of these
books is remembered as its author’s best. Although most of the fiction
was on the mediocre side, non-fiction and war books (both added
classifications in this year) showed what the war-minded American public
wanted, for most this “general non-fiction” list reflected the emotions
and emergencies of wartime America. First was the poetry of Robert W.
Service, then _The Plattsburg Manual_ for future officers. Sir Oliver
Lodge aroused great interest when he, a noted scientist, proclaimed his
belief in communion with the dead, in this case with his son, who had
been killed in the war. Alan Seeger’s poem, _I Have a Rendezvous with
Death_, was responsible for the continued sale of his book through the
war years. _Over the Top_, best-remembered of World War I books,
glorified the doughboy and sold 350,000 copies in 1917.
1918
Fiction
1. THE U. P. TRAIL, by Zane Grey. Harper
2. THE TREE OF HEAVEN, by May Sinclair. Macmillan
3. THE AMAZING INTERLUDE, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Doran
4. DERE MABLE, by Edward Streeter. Stokes
5. OH, MONEY! MONEY! by Eleanor H. Porter. Houghton Mifflin
6. GREATHEART, by Ethel M. Dell. Putnam
7. THE MAJOR, by Ralph Connor. Revell
8. THE PAWNS COUNT, by E. Phillips Oppenheim. Little, Brown
9. A DAUGHTER OF THE LAND, by Gene Stratton Porter. Doubleday, Page
10. SONIA, by Stephen McKenna. Doran
General Non-Fiction
1. RHYMES OF A RED CROSS MAN, by Robert W. Service. Barse & Hopkins
2. TREASURY OF WAR POETRY, by G. H. Clark. Houghton Mifflin
3. WITH THE COLORS, by Everard J. Appleton. Stewart, Kidd
4. RECOLLECTIONS, by Viscount Morley. Macmillan
5. LAUGH AND LIVE, by Douglas Fairbanks. Britton Publishing Co.
6. MARK TWAIN’S LETTERS, ed. by Albert Bigelow Paine. Harper
7. ADVENTURES OF RICHARD HARDING DAVIS, by Richard
Harding Davis. Scribner
8. OVER HERE, by Edgar Guest. Reilly & Lee
9. DIPLOMATIC DAYS, by Edith O’Shaughnessy. Harper
10. POEMS OF ALAN SEEGER. Scribner
War Books
1. MY FOUR YEARS IN GERMANY, by James W. Gerard. Doran
2. THE GLORY OF THE TRENCHES, by Coningsby Dawson. John Lane
3. OVER THE TOP, by Arthur Guy Empey. Putnam
4. A MINSTREL IN FRANCE, by Harry Lauder. Hearst’s
International Library Co.
5. PRIVATE PEAT, by Harold R. Peat. Bobbs-Merrill
6. OUTWITTING THE HUN, by Lieut. Pat O’Brien. Harper
7. FACE TO FACE WITH KAISERISM, by James W. Gerard. Doran
8. CARRY ON, by Coningsby Dawson. John Lane
9. OUT TO WIN, by Coningsby Dawson. John Lane
10. UNDER FIRE, by Henri Barbusse. Dutton
* * * * *
“The Long Long Trail” wound on into the last year of war, which began
with a great German offensive and ended with dancing in the streets as
the first premature Armistice Day was celebrated. Zane Grey’s _U. P.
Trail_ was the most popular novel of the year, firmly establishing his
reputation as a writer of western adventure that was to last for more
than two decades. _The Tree of Heaven_ introduced an English writer of
consequence to the American best seller list. _Dere Mable_, considered
the prototype of soldier humor, flashed into popularity as did _See
Here, Private Hargrove_ a quarter of a century later. Edward Streeter’s
book, which might well have been classed as a war book instead of
fiction, quickly sold half a million copies. Not for thirty-one years
did Edward Streeter’s name reappear on the annual lists, with _Father of
the Bride_ in 1949, which made almost as big a hit. E. Phillips
Oppenheim, whose stories of intrigue, mystery, and adventure have been
read by at least two generations in England and America, made his first
appearance on the list. There are four books of poetry among
non-fiction, all with wartime appeal--a type of writing that was
noticeably missing among World War II best sellers with one exception.
Edgar Guest, through his thirty-five years of writing, has had probably
the largest popular audience for poetry since James Whitcomb Riley in
the 1890’s. Two important volumes of memoirs received attention in that
war year of 1918--_Mark Twain’s Letters_ edited by Albert Bigelow Paine
and the _Recollections_ of Viscount Morley. Ambassador Gerard’s book on
Germany had a noticeable influence on American public opinion just as
William L. Shirer’s _Berlin Diary_, Ambassador Davies’ _Mission to
Moscow_, and Ambassador Grew’s _Ten Tears in Japan_ were to have in
World War II. One of the most widely discussed books from a literary
point of view was _Under Fire_. Three books by Coningsby Dawson, star
reporter of World War I and extremely popular lecturer in the United
States, appeared on this list of war books.
1919
Fiction
1. THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE, by V. Blasco Ibanez. Dutton
2. THE ARROW OF GOLD, by Joseph Conrad. Doubleday, Page
3. THE DESERT OF WHEAT, by Zane Grey. Harper
4. DANGEROUS DAYS, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Doran
5. THE SKY PILOT IN NO MAN’S LAND, by Ralph Connor. Doran
6. THE RE-CREATION OF BRIAN KENT, by Harold Bell Wright. Book Supply Co.
7. DAWN, by Gene Stratton Porter. Houghton Mifflin
8. THE TIN SOLDIER, by Temple Bailey. Penn Publishing Co.
9. CHRISTOPHER AND COLUMBUS, by “Elizabeth.” Doubleday, Page
10. IN SECRET, by Robert W. Chambers. Doran
Non-Fiction
1. THE EDUCATION OF HENRY ADAMS, by Henry Adams. Houghton Mifflin
2. THE YEARS BETWEEN, by Rudyard Kipling. Doubleday, Page
3. BELGIUM, by Brand Whitlock, Appleton
4. THE SEVEN PURPOSES, by Margaret Cameron. Harper
5. IN FLANDERS FIELDS, by John McCrae. Putnam
6. BOLSHEVISM, by John Spargo. Harper
* * * * *
The fight for the League of Nations was on, after the Paris Peace
Conference, with Henry Cabot Lodge its most vigorous opponent in the
Senate. President Wilson took his dream of world organization to the
people in a nation-wide tour. Calvin Coolidge was settling the Boston
police strike, an act that was to win him national fame and help to
bring him eventually to the White House. The “high cost of living” made
the daily headlines. The first airplane crossed the Atlantic, a Navy
plane that flew from Nova Scotia to Portugal. _The Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse_, an outstanding war novel of more romantic appeal that _Mr.
Britling_ of 1916-1917, headed 1919 fiction. Dutton used spectacular
display advertising to push it. Its price, $1.90, was a new high for a
book destined for wide sales. Later, _The Four Horsemen_ became one of
the first movies to build the great popularity of Rudolf Valentino. With
_The Arrow of Gold_, Doubleday, Page succeeded in giving Joseph Conrad
the wide audience he deserved. Here is the first appearance of two very
popular women novelists, “Elizabeth” (Countess von Arnim), and Temple
Bailey, the latter of whom Charles Shoemaker, of the Penn Publishing
Company of Philadelphia, brought to the front and made a competitor of
such writers as Kathleen Norris for the great audience of romantic women
readers. Non-fiction best seller and war book records were merged in
1919. What has become a classic of our literature, _The Education of
Henry Adams_, took top place among non-fiction. Like Alan Seeger’s
_Poems_, John McCrae’s _In Flanders Fields_ became a best seller on the
strength of a single poem, the title poem in this case. Kipling’s _The
Years Between_ contained some poems about World War I.
1920
Fiction
1. THE MAN OF THE FOREST, by Zane Grey. Harper
2. KINDRED OF THE DUST, by Peter B. Kyne. Cosmopolitan Book Co.
3. THE RE-CREATION OF BRIAN KENT, by Harold Bell Wright. Book Supply Co.
4. THE RIVER’S END, by James Oliver Curwood. Cosmopolitan Book Co.
5. A MAN FOR THE AGES, by Irving Bacheller. Bobbs-Merrill
6. MARY-MARIE, by Eleanor H. Porter. Houghton Mifflin
7. THE PORTYGEE, by Joseph C. Lincoln. Appleton
8. THE GREAT IMPERSONATION, by E. Phillips Oppenheim. Little, Brown
9. THE LAMP IN THE DESERT, by Ethel M. Dell. Putnam
10. HARRIET AND THE PIPER, by Kathleen Norris. Doubleday, Page
Non-Fiction
1. NOW IT CAN BE TOLD, by Philip Gibbs. Harper
2. THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE PEACE, by John M. Keynes. Harcourt,
Brace
3. ROOSEVELT’S LETTERS TO HIS CHILDREN, ed. by Joseph B. Bishop. Scribner
4. THEODORE ROOSEVELT, by William Roscoe Thayer. Scribner
5. WHITE SHADOWS IN THE SOUTH SEAS, by Frederick O’Brien. Century
6. AN AMERICAN IDYLL, by Cornelia Stratton Parker. Atlantic Monthly Press
* * * * *
The first election returns broadcast in the United States announced the
success of Warren G. Harding’s campaign for the Presidency. Women voted
for the first time in the 1920 election and helped to put across the
amendment to the Constitution that ushered in the prohibition era, the
era in which such books as _This Side of Paradise_, _Flaming Youth_,
and _The Plastic Age_ brought into the limelight the uninhibited
“younger generation.” Zane Grey again topped best-selling fiction with
_The Man of the Forest_. William Randolph Hearst was in the book
publishing field for a time; his Cosmopolitan Book Company put two
favorites--Peter B. Kyne and James Oliver Curwood, both writers of
outdoor adventure stories--on the best seller list. Joseph C. Lincoln,
teller of homely New England tales, joined the best sellers with _The
Portygee_. Heading non-fiction was Philip Gibbs, a favorite reporter of
World War I, who found a waiting market for a volume of war episodes,
_Now It Can Be Told_. A new publisher, Harcourt, Brace & Company,
appeared on the list with a book of historical importance, _The Economic
Consequences of the Peace_, by John M. Keynes. Public interest in
President Theodore Roosevelt’s letters, written with charm and
spontaneity, and in the biography of him by William Roscoe Thayer, was
highlighted by his recent death. Frederick O’Brien’s _White Shadows in
the South Seas_ started a new vogue in travel literature and aroused the
public’s interest in exotic lands.
1921
Fiction
1. MAIN STREET, by Sinclair Lewis. Harcourt, Brace
2. THE BRIMMING CUP, by Dorothy Canfield. Harcourt, Brace
3. THE MYSTERIOUS RIDER, by Zane Grey. Harper
4. THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, by Edith Wharton. Appleton
5. THE VALLEY OF SILENT MEN, by James Oliver Curwood.
Cosmopolitan Book Co.
6. THE SHEIK, by Edith M. Hull. Small, Maynard
7. A POOR WISE MAN, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Doran
8. HER FATHER’S DAUGHTER, by Gene Stratton Porter. Doubleday, Page
9. THE SISTERS-IN-LAW, by Gertrude Atherton. Stokes
10. THE KINGDOM ROUND THE CORNER, by Coningsby Dawson. Cosmopolitan Book Co.
Non-Fiction
1. THE OUTLINE OF HISTORY, by H. G. Wells. Macmillan
2. WHITE SHADOWS IN THE SOUTH SEAS, by Frederick O’Brien. Century
3. THE MIRRORS OF DOWNING STREET, by a Gentleman with a Duster (Harold Begbie). Putnam
4. MYSTIC ISLES OF THE SOUTH SEAS, by Frederick O’Brien. Century
5. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARGOT ASQUITH. Doran
6. PEACE NEGOTIATIONS, by Robert Lansing. Houghton Mifflin
* * * * *
“Normalcy” was President Harding’s word for the administration he hoped
to provide--but the best-selling novel of the year was a “debunker” of
normal small-town life, the book that skyrocketed Sinclair Lewis into
fame. _Main Street_ sold 295,000 copies in 1921 and brought a new
realistic vein into American popular literature which had, for many
years, been dominated by royal romance and western adventure. Lewis’s
book was published by the young firm of Harcourt, Brace & Company,
which also provided the second novel on the list, _The Brimming Cup_, by
Dorothy Canfield, one of the most beloved writers of a quarter century.
Edith Wharton, already a literary notable, appeared on the list for the
first time since 1906 with her most famous book, _The Age of Innocence_.
Here, too, was the first appearance of Gertrude Atherton, and of
Coningsby Dawson as a writer of fiction. Next to _Main Street_, the
novel that became most famous was _The Sheik_, by Edith M. Hull, a
writer whose name had been familiar on best seller lists for many years
but whose 1921 book sold like wildfire and eventually became the movie
vehicle which made Rudolf Valentino the screen idol of his day. A
landmark among best sellers headed non-fiction--H. G. Wells’ _Outline of
History_, which was issued first as a two-volume set at $10.50, was
later marketed in one volume at $5.00, and a few years later had an
edition of half a million at $1.00. _White Shadows of the South Seas_
was even more popular in its second year; a second and similar book by
Frederick O’Brien also appeared on this list. One of the first
“debunking” biographies was _The Mirrors of Downing Street_, published
under a pseudonym. The visit to this country of Margot Asquith, wife of
the English Prime Minister, stirred interest in her autobiography, and
Wilson’s Secretary of State scored a success with his history of World
War peace negotiations. This is almost the last of non-fiction best
sellers to deal directly with World War I, only three years after its
close. Hylan had just been elected Mayor of New York City; Curran
defeated Fiorello La Guardia in the Republican primary; and Emperor
Hirohito of Japan went on a world peace tour.
1922
Fiction
1. IF WINTER COMES, by A. S. M. Hutchinson. Little, Brown
2. THE SHEIK, by Edith M. Hull. Small, Maynard
3. GENTLE JULIA, by Booth Tarkington. Doubleday, Page
4. THE HEAD OF THE HOUSE OF COOMBE, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Stokes
5. SIMON CALLED PETER, by Robert Keable. Dutton
6. THE BREAKING POINT, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Doran
7. THIS FREEDOM, by A. S. M. Hutchinson. Little, Brown
8. MARIA CHAPDELAINE, by Louis Hemon. Macmillan
9. TO THE LAST MAN, by Zane Grey. Harper
10. BABBITT, by Sinclair Lewis. Harcourt, Brace
HELEN OF THE OLD HOUSE, by Harold Bell Wright. Appleton
Non-Fiction
1. THE OUTLINE OF HISTORY, H. G. Wells. Macmillan
2. THE STORY OF MANKIND, by Hendrik Willem Van Loon. Boni & Liveright
3. THE AMERICANIZATION OF EDWARD BOK, by Edward Bok. Scribner
4. DIET AND HEALTH, by Lulu Hunt Peters. Reilly & Lee
5. THE MIND IN THE MAKING, by James Harvey Robinson. Harper
6. THE OUTLINE OF SCIENCE, by J. Arthur Thomson. Putnam
7. OUTWITTING OUR NERVES, by Josephine A. Jackson and Helen M. Salisbury. Century
8. QUEEN VICTORIA, by Lytton Strachey. Harcourt, Brace
9. MIRRORS OF WASHINGTON, Anonymous (Clinton W. Gilbert). Putnam
10. PAINTED WINDOWS, by a Gentleman with a Duster (Harold Begbie). Putnam
* * * * *
Bobbed hair--short skirts--low waistlines--mah-jongg--Paul Whiteman at
the Palais Royale--and _Babbitt_, which introduced a new descriptive
word into our language, are all reminders of 1922. That was the year,
too, in which the _Reader’s Digest_ was launched. It was to have a
definite effect upon the sale of books it “digested” and to start a
tremendous wave of magazine book digests. The English writer, A. S. M.
Hutchinson, had two novels on the best seller list, with _If Winter
Comes_, which sold 350,000 copies in its first ten months, in first
place. _The Sheik_ carried over into its second year, this time next to
the leader. _The Head of the House of Coombe_ brought Frances Hodgson
Burnett into her fourth decade of best sellerdom. _Simon Called Peter_,
a war novel dealing with a religious problem, was a sensation on both
sides of the Atlantic and sold 152,000 copies. _Maria Chapdelaine_, with
its background the northern Quebec woods, was a critical as well as a
popular success. _The Outline of History_ in its lower-priced edition
made top place in non-fiction for the second year. Along with Hendrik
Van Loon’s _Story of Mankind_, James Harvey Robinson’s _Mind in the
Making_, and J. Arthur Thomson’s _Outline of Science_, it ushered in a
period of “outline” books on various cultural and scientific subjects
that was to reach a climax with the sales of _The Story of Philosophy_
four years later. Edward Bok, who had made a reputation as editor of the
_Ladies’ Home Journal_, provided a new version of the American success
story. Two health books achieved big sales. Lytton Strachey’s first
outstanding biography was his life of Queen Victoria. _Mirrors of
Washington_ and _Painted Windows_ followed in the anonymous footsteps of
_The Mirrors of Downing Street_.
1923
Fiction
1. BLACK OXEN, by Gertrude Atherton. Boni & Liveright
2. HIS CHILDREN’S CHILDREN, by Arthur Train. Scribner
3. THE ENCHANTED APRIL, by “Elizabeth.” Doubleday, Page
4. BABBITT, by Sinclair Lewis. Harcourt, Brace
5. THE DIM LANTERN, by Temple Bailey. Penn Publishing Co.
6. THIS FREEDOM, by A. S. M. Hutchinson. Little, Brown
7. THE MINE WITH THE IRON DOOR, by Harold Bell Wright. Appleton
8. THE WANDERER OF THE WASTELAND, by Zane Grey. Harper
9. THE SEA-HAWK, by Rafael Sabatini. Houghton Mifflin
10. THE BREAKING POINT, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Doran
Non-Fiction
1. ETIQUETTE, by Emily Post. Funk & Wagnalls
2. THE LIFE OF CHRIST, by Giovanni Papini. Harcourt, Brace
3. THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF WALTER H. PAGE, ed. by Burton J. Hendrick. Doubleday, Page
4. THE MIND IN THE MAKING, by James Harvey Robinson. Harper
5. THE OUTLINE OF HISTORY, by H. G. Wells. Macmillan
6. DIET AND HEALTH, by Lulu Hunt Peters. Reilly & Lee
7. SELF-MASTERY THROUGH CONSCIOUS AUTO-SUGGESTION, by Emile Coué. American Library Service
8. THE AMERICANIZATION OF EDWARD BOK, by Edward Bok. Scribner
9. THE STORY OF MANKIND, by Hendrik Willem Van Loon. Boni & Liveright
10. A MAN FROM MAINE, by Edward Bok. Scribner
* * * * *
All America was chanting “Yes, We Have No Bananas.” Over in Germany
Hitler’s beer hall _Putsch_ missed fire. President Harding died, and
Calvin Coolidge was quietly sworn in as President of the United States
by his father in a simple ceremony in a small New England village. All
over the country the revived Ku Klux Klan flourished; white-sheeted men
marched openly and fiery crosses burned at night. The magazine _Time_
was founded in 1923. With _Black Oxen_, based on the rather sensational
theme of physical rejuvenation, Gertrude Atherton achieved the great
popular success of her long writing career. _Babbitt_ and _This Freedom_
held over into a second year on a fiction list of typical wide-audience
appeal, marked with first appearances of Arthur Train and Rafael
Sabatini. _Etiquette_, by Emily Post, who had previously been known as a
novelist, topped non-fiction sales and developed into a staple bookstore
item for the years to come. Papini’s _Life of Christ_, a presentation of
the life of Jesus in terms of the new psychology, sold well over 100,000
copies in 1923. The Page _Letters_ made a new record for a two-volume
biography, with 75,000 sold in a year. Mrs. Peters’ _Diet and Health_,
in its second year on the list, had just about reached 200,000. Robinson
and Van Loon in their second years, Wells in his third, and Bok in his
second, the latter with another book besides his _Americanization_ on
the list, gave evidence of the long life of non-fiction. Coué became a
conversational byword through the ideas expressed in his little
self-help book.
1924
Fiction
1. SO BIG, by Edna Ferber. Doubleday, Page
2. THE PLASTIC AGE, by Percy Marks. Century
3. THE LITTLE FRENCH GIRL, by Anne Douglas Sedgwick. Houghton Mifflin
4. THE HEIRS APPARENT, by Philip Gibbs. Doran
5. A GENTLEMAN OF COURAGE, by James Oliver Curwood. Cosmopolitan Book Co.
6. THE CALL OF THE CANYON, by Zane Grey. Harper
7. THE MIDLANDER, by Booth Tarkington. Doubleday, Page
8. THE COAST OF FOLLY, by Coningsby Dawson. Cosmopolitan Book Co.
9. MISTRESS WILDING, by Rafael Sabatini. Houghton Mifflin
10. THE HOMEMAKER, by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. Harcourt, Brace
Non-Fiction
1. DIET AND HEALTH, by Lulu Hunt Peters. Reilly & Lee
2. THE LIFE OF CHRIST, by Giovanni Papini. Harcourt, Brace
3. THE BOSTON COOKING SCHOOL COOK BOOK; new ed. by Fannie Farmer. Little, Brown
4. ETIQUETTE, by Emily Post. Funk & Wagnalls
5. ARIEL, by André Maurois. Appleton
6. THE CROSS WORD PUZZLE BOOKS, by Prosper Buranelli and others. Simon & Schuster
7. MARK TWAIN’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY. Harper
8. SAINT JOAN, by Bernard Shaw. Brentano
9. THE NEW DECALOGUE OF SCIENCE, by Albert E. Wiggam. Bobbs-Merrill
10. THE AMERICANIZATION OF EDWARD BOK, by Edward Bok. Scribner
* * * * *
“Twenty-four votes for Underwood” rang through the nation as the 1924
Democratic Convention in the old Madison Square Garden on New York’s
Madison Square went on through the hot summer days and nights. At
Aeolian Hall, Paul Whiteman brought jazz into the realm of classical
music with his introduction of George Gershwin’s _Rhapsody in Blue_ to
the concert stage. _What Price Glory_, realistic war drama, was the
theatrical hit of the year. The Teapot Dome scandal thoroughly
discredited the Harding regime, and Calvin Coolidge, who had become
President upon Harding’s death, was reelected. Edna Ferber was a new
name on best seller lists. Her _So Big_ skyrocketed. _The Plastic Age_,
a revelation of campus life and the “lost generation,” achieved the best
sellerdom that F. Scott Fitzgerald’s _This Side of Paradise_ (1920)
never reached. Attempts to suppress Percy Marks’ novel only added to the
demand for it. Anne Douglas Sedgwick returned to the list for the first
time since 1912. In its third year, _Diet and Health_ outsold every
other non-fiction title. Papini’s _Life of Christ_, approaching 200,000,
was in second place for the second year. The _Boston Cooking School Cook
Book_, which has sold over 3,000,000 copies through its long career from
its first publication in 1896, appeared in a new and best-selling
edition. _Etiquette_ continued to sell. A French writer, Andre Maurois,
found a big American audience for his biography of Shelley. Shaw’s
_Saint Joan_ was one of the few dramas in all these years to make an
annual list. The first and highly successful venture of the new
publishing house of Simon and Schuster was that of putting cross word
puzzles, long a newspaper feature, into book form. The demand was so
great that this firm has continued ever since to publish several volumes
of cross word puzzles and the later _Double-Crostics_ each year. Since
1924 many novelty books of various kinds from _Ask Me Another_, _Believe
It Or Not_ and _Boners_ to the photographic books of Clare Barnes, Jr.,
have followed in the wake of this first experiment.
1925
Fiction
1. SOUNDINGS, by A. Hamilton Gibbs. Little, Brown
2. THE CONSTANT NYMPH, by Margaret Kennedy. Doubleday, Page
3. THE KEEPER OF THE BEES, by Gene Stratton Porter. Doubleday, Page
4. GLORIOUS APOLLO, by E. Barrington. Dodd, Mead
5. THE GREEN HAT, by Michael Arlen. Doran
6. THE LITTLE FRENCH GIRL, by Anne Douglas Sedgwick. Houghton Mifflin
7. ARROWSMITH, by Sinclair Lewis. Harcourt, Brace
8. THE PERENNIAL BACHELOR, by Anne Parrish. Harper
9. THE CAROLINIAN, by Rafael Sabatini. Houghton Mifflin
10. ONE INCREASING PURPOSE, by A. S. M. Hutchinson. Little, Brown
Non-Fiction
1. DIET AND HEALTH, by Lulu Hunt Peters. Reilly & Lee
2. THE BOSTON COOKING SCHOOL COOK BOOK; new ed. by Fannie Farmer. Little, Brown
3. WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG, by A. A. Milne. Dutton
4. THE MAN NOBODY KNOWS, by Bruce Barton. Bobbs-Merrill
5. THE LIFE OF CHRIST, by Giovanni Papini. Harcourt, Brace
6. ARIEL, by André Maurois. Appleton
7. TWICE THIRTY, by Edward Bok. Scribner
8. TWENTY-FIVE YEARS, by Lord Grey. Stokes
9. ANATOLE FRANCE HIMSELF, by J. J. Brousson. Lippincott
10. THE CROSS WORD PUZZLE BOOKS, by Prosper Buranelli and others.
1st--4th series. Simon & Schuster
* * * * *
Coolidge prosperity--the Scopes case in Tennessee, in which Clarence
Darrow and William Jennings Bryan argued the theory of evolution, basis
of the play _Inherit the Wind_ in 1955--Red Grange--the Florida
boom--the crash of the Shenandoah--are all memories of 1925.
_Soundings_, first in fiction, sold nearly 100,000 copies. Better
remembered is _The Constant Nymph_, made into a stage hit and the basis
of both British and American movies. _Glorious Apollo_, woven around the
character of Byron, was the start of E. Barrington’s (Mrs. L. Adams
Beck) extremely successful series of novels about real people of the
past. Michael Arlen made a much talked-about hit with what was
considered a daring novel, _The Green Hat_, later a highly successful
stage play starring Katharine Cornell. Sinclair Lewis’ third novel,
_Arrowsmith_, confirmed his place in American literature and probably
was an important factor in his being awarded the Nobel Prize.
_Arrowsmith_ dealt with the medical profession as _Babbitt_ had with the
businessman and as _Elmer Gantry_ was to deal, in 1927, with the
ministry. Here was the first appearance of Anne Parrish, long a favorite
writer. The records of both _Diet and Health_ and _The Boston Cooking
School Cook Book_ gave evidence of the exceptionally energetic
distribution of books which gave practical advice on the always popular
subject of food. _When We Were Very Young_, permanent contribution to
the literature of childhood by A. A. Milne, previously known chiefly as
a playwright, was the first book in the field of semi-juvenile,
semi-adult writing to hit the lists in many years. Bruce Barton topped
Papini’s _Life of Christ_, then in its third year on the best seller
lists, with an American businessman’s version of Jesus’ life. Lord
Grey’s reminiscences gave a foretaste of the advent of more basic books
on World War I than the reporters’ narratives published during and
immediately after the war years.
1926
Fiction
1. THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HELEN OF TROY, by John Erskine. Bobbs-Merrill
2. GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, by Anita Loos. Boni & Liveright
3. SORRELL AND SON, by Warwick Deeping. Knopf
4. THE HOUNDS OF SPRING, by Sylvia Thompson. Little, Brown
5. BEAU SABREUR, by P. C. Wren. Stokes
6. THE SILVER SPOON, by John Galsworthy. Scribner
7. BEAU GESTE, by P. C. Wren. Stokes
8. SHOW BOAT, by Edna Ferber. Doubleday, Page
9. AFTER NOON, by Susan Ertz. Appleton
10. THE BLUE WINDOW, by Temple Bailey. Penn Publishing Co.
Non-Fiction
1. THE MAN NOBODY KNOWS, by Bruce Barton. Bobbs-Merrill
2. WHY WE BEHAVE LIKE HUMAN BEINGS, by George A. Dorsey. Harper
3. DIET AND HEALTH, by Lulu Hunt Peters. Reilly & Lee
4. OUR TIMES, Vol. I, by Mark Sullivan. Scribner
5. THE BOSTON COOKING SCHOOL COOK BOOK; new ed. by Fannie Farmer. Little, Brown
6. AUCTION BRIDGE COMPLETE, by Milton C. Work. Winston
7. THE BOOK NOBODY KNOWS, by Bruce Barton. Bobbs-Merrill
8. THE STORY OF PHILOSOPHY, by Will Durant. Simon & Schuster
9. THE LIGHT OF FAITH, by Edgar A. Guest. Reilly & Lee
10. JEFFERSON AND HAMILTON, by Claude G. Bowers. Houghton, Mifflin
* * * * *
The middle 1920’s were the years of pioneering along the air lanes of
the world. Admiral Byrd made the first flight over the North Pole in
1926. Babe Ruth became Sultan of Swat. Philadelphia opened the
Sesquicentennial Exhibition. In Germany, Hitler’s _Mein Kampf_ had been
published. The Book-of-the-Month Club, which was to introduce an
extremely successful method of marketing books, was founded in 1926. New
fiction writers were coming to the fore in America--John Erskine, with
his first great hit, _The Private Life of Helen of Troy_, historical
fiction written in a new manner; Warwick Deeping, English author, whose
_Sorrell and Son_ found a responsive note in thousands of American
hearts (his book marking the first appearance of the firm of Alfred A.
Knopf, Inc., on the annual best seller lists); and P. C. Wren, whose
more popular _Beau Geste_ was published late in the previous year and
did not make the 1925 list, and whose second book, _Beau Sabreur_, also
appeared among 1926 best sellers. Galsworthy was at the height of his
American sales, with one of the novels in _The Modern Comedy_, companion
volume to _The Forsyte Saga_. Edna Ferber followed _So Big_ with the
perennially famous _Show Boat_, familiar to all Americans as book, play,
movie, and song. With his _Man Nobody Knows_ heading non-fiction, Bruce
Barton added an interpretation of the Bible in his series of books on
practical religion. George Dorsey rode the wave of the new interest in
psychology with _Why We Behave Like Human Beings_, and _Diet and Health_
continued on in its fifth year, the new edition of _The Boston Cooking
School Cook Book_ in its third. Mark Sullivan’s first volume of _Our
Times_ marked a new interest in our recent past that was continued some
years later by such books as Frederick Lewis Allen’s _Only Yesterday_
and _Since Yesterday_. Evidence of the bridge craze was the 65,000
copies of Milton Work’s new manual ordered before publication and the
sale of over 100,000 copies of Foster’s _Simplified Auction Bridge_
within ten months after publication. (“Contract” had not yet come
along.) Will Durant’s _Story of Philosophy_, which had previously
appeared in part in the five-cent booklets published as Little Blue
Books by the Haldeman-Julius Co. of Wichita, Kansas, marked the peak of
the “outline” era, selling 95,000 copies in 1926 alone.
1927
Fiction
1. ELMER GANTRY, by Sinclair Lewis. Harcourt, Brace
2. THE PLUTOCRAT, by Booth Tarkington. Doubleday, Page
3. DOOMSDAY, by Warwick Deeping, Knopf
4. SORRELL AND SON, by Warwick Deeping. Knopf
5. JALNA, by Mazo de la Roche. Little, Brown
6. LOST ECSTASY, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Doran
7. TWILIGHT SLEEP, by Edith Wharton. Appleton
8. TOMORROW MORNING, by Anne Parrish. Harper
9. THE OLD COUNTESS, by Anne Douglas Sedgwick. Houghton Mifflin
10. A GOOD WOMAN, by Louis Bromfield. Stokes
Non-Fiction
1. THE STORY OF PHILOSOPHY, by Will Durant. Simon & Schuster
2. NAPOLEON, by Emil Ludwig. Boni & Liveright
3. REVOLT IN THE DESERT, by T. E. Lawrence. Doran
4. TRADER HORN, Vol. I, by Alfred Aloysius Horn and Ethelreda Lewis. Simon & Schuster
5. WE, by Charles A. Lindbergh. Putnam
6. ASK ME ANOTHER, by Julian Spafford and Lucien Esty. Viking Press
7. THE ROYAL ROAD TO ROMANCE, by Richard Halliburton. Bobbs-Merrill
8. THE GLORIOUS ADVENTURE, by Richard Halliburton. Bobbs-Merrill
9. WHY WE BEHAVE LIKE HUMAN BEINGS, by George A. Dorsey. Harper
10. MOTHER INDIA, by Katherine Mayo. Harcourt, Brace
* * * * *
Mechanical and scientific progress continued in 1927, height of the
whole period of invention and exploration that followed World War I.
Lindbergh made the flight to Paris that thrilled the world, and later in
the year wrote about it in a book that became a best seller. Ford
produced his new Model A, the first Ford with a gear shift. The Holland
Tunnel under the Hudson River was officially opened. The stock market
was booming. The disastrous Mississippi floods occurred the same year
that the musical play based upon Edna Ferber’s novel of Ol’ Man River
was produced in New York. The Literary Guild, following book marketing
methods similar to those of the Book-of-the-Month Club, started to
function in 1927, and one of its first selections, _Trader Horn_, made
the yearly list. The publication of _Elmer Gantry_ with an initial
printing of 100,000 copies and sales of over 200,000 in the first ten
weeks found Sinclair Lewis at the peak of popularity. Booth Tarkington
was high on the list. So was Warwick Deeping, with two books; _Sorrell
and Son_, holding over from 1926, sold 133,830 copies in the two years.
Mazo de la Roche, a Canadian contributor to American best seller lists,
like Gilbert Parker, Ralph Connor, and Louis Hémon of past years, made a
great hit with _Jalna_, first book in a notable series about the
Whiteoak family of Canada. The ninth volume in the series, but the
earliest chronologically, was published seventeen years afterward, in
1944, and there were more Jalna stories in the ’50’s. Louis Bromfield
made his first appearance on the list with _A Good Woman_. _The Story of
Philosophy_ was the outstanding non-fiction title of the year. Emil
Ludwig, who was to write so many popular biographies, revived the always
latent interest in Napoleon. _Revolt in the Desert_ was a book of
permanent historical importance by the great English hero of World War
I, the mysterious and daring Lawrence of Arabia. Trader Horn came from
South Africa to tell tall tales which caught the public’s fancy. As
Simon and Schuster had done, a new firm, the Viking Press, scored its
first best-selling success with a series of novelty books. Its _Ask Me
Another_ quiz book was an immediate hit, selling 100,000 copies in its
first four weeks and becoming the first of a series which made quizzes a
popular pastime for years--perhaps germinating “Information Please!” and
the “$64,000 Question.” With two best sellers in 1927, Richard
Halliburton captured a public which wanted adventure with glamour, a
trend in travel and escape reading that had begun with O’Brien’s _White
Shadows in the South Seas_ a number of years before. Dorsey carried on
the interest in popular science, and in _Mother India_ Katherine Mayo
wrote the first book to make a large audience aware of modern India’s
problems.
1928
Fiction
1. THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY, by Thornton Wilder. A. & C. Boni
2. WINTERSMOON, by Hugh Walpole. Doubleday, Doran
3. SWAN SONG, by John Galsworthy. Scribner
4. THE GREENE MURDER CASE, by S. S. Van Dine. Scribner
5. BAD GIRL, by Vina Delmar. Harcourt, Brace
6. CLAIRE AMBLER, by Booth Tarkington. Doubleday, Doran
7. OLD PYBUS, by Warwick Deeping. Knopf
8. ALL KNEELING, by Anne Parrish. Harper
9. JALNA, by Mazo de la Roche. Little, Brown
10. THE STRANGE CASE OF MISS ANNIE SPRAGG, by Louis Bromfield. Stokes
Non-Fiction
1. DISRAELI, by Andre Maurois. Appleton
2. MOTHER INDIA, by Katherine Mayo. Harcourt, Brace
3. TRADER HORN, Vol. I, by Alfred Aloysius Horn and Ethelreda Lewis. Simon & Schuster
4. NAPOLEON, by Emil Ludwig. Liveright
5. STRANGE INTERLUDE, by Eugene O’Neill. Liveright
6. WE, by Charles A. Lindbergh. Putnam
7. COUNT LUCKNER, THE SEA DEVIL, by Lowell Thomas. Doubleday, Doran
8. GOETHE, by Emil Ludwig. Putnam
9. SKYWARD, by Richard E. Byrd. Putnam
10. THE INTELLIGENT WOMAN’S GUIDE TO SOCIALISM AND CAPITALISM, by George Bernard Shaw. Brentano
* * * * *
With the outward scars of World War I healed, war itself outlawed by the
Kellogg-Briand Pact, and the big bull market well under way, Americans
were flocking to Europe by every conceivable means, from freighter to
mammoth liner. Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly the Atlantic.
At home, gangsters, bootleggers, and racketeers were riding high. The
first all-talking movie, _The Lights of New York_, was presented, and
Walt Disney was working on his first Mickey Mouse picture. _The Bridge
of San Luis Rey_, a novel that attained such fame that the Pulitzer
Prize committee departed from its usual custom of giving its award to a
story laid in the United States, was leader of 1928 fiction. This novel
with a South American background, Thornton Wilder’s first great success,
sold 240,000 copies in its first year. English writers with devoted
American audiences were next on the list. A new writer of detective
stories, S. S. Van Dine (pseudonym of Willard Huntington Wright),
flashed into the book world with big sales. _The Greene Murder Case_ was
one of the first of many novels that made Philo Vance almost as familiar
a fictional character as Sherlock Holmes, and the first detective story
to appear on an annual list since Mary Roberts Rinehart’s _The Window at
the White Cat_ in 1910. Booth Tarkington’s _Claire Ambler_ had an added
interest because it was the first book to be issued under the new
imprint of Doubleday, Doran & Co., a merger of the old firms of
Doubleday, Page and George H. Doran. Biography was the subject of about
half the non-fiction list. André Maurois followed his successful _Ariel_
with the life of Disraeli. Emil Ludwig’s _Napoleon_ held over into its
second year and he added a biography of Goethe to the list. American
antipathy to all things German having subsided, readers devoured Lowell
Thomas’ account of a German war hero’s exploits. _Mother India_ and _We_
were both best sellers for the second year. Eugene O’Neill’s play,
widely publicized for its feat of holding audiences through five hours,
with intermission for dinner, sold well in book form. Admiral Byrd
followed Lindbergh’s account of sky adventure with his story of his 1926
flight to the North Pole. Bernard Shaw addressed the intelligent woman
on political theory.
1929
Fiction
1. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, by Erich Maria Remarque. Little, Brown
2. DODSWORTH, by Sinclair Lewis. Harcourt, Brace
3. DARK HESTER, by Anne Douglas Sedgwick. Houghton Mifflin
4. THE BISHOP MURDER CASE, by S. S. Van Dine. Scribner
5. ROPER’S ROW, by Warwick Deeping. Knopf
6. PEDER VICTORIOUS, by O. E. Rölvaag. Harper
7. MAMBA’S DAUGHTERS, by DuBose Heyward. Doubleday, Doran
8. THE GALAXY, by Susan Ertz. Appleton
9. SCARLET SISTER MARY, by Julia Peterkin. Bobbs-Merrill
10. JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN, by H. W. Freeman. Holt
Non-Fiction
1. THE ART OF THINKING, by Ernest Dimnet. Simon & Schuster
2. HENRY THE EIGHTH, by Francis Hackett. Liveright
3. THE CRADLE OF THE DEEP, by Joan Lowell. Simon & Schuster
4. ELIZABETH AND ESSEX, by Lytton Strachey. Harcourt, Brace
5. THE SPECIALIST, by Chic Sale. Specialist Publishing Co.
6. A PREFACE TO MORALS, by Walter Lippmann. Macmillan
7. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, by Robert L. Ripley Simon & Schuster
8. JOHN BROWN’S BODY, by Stephen Vincent Benet. Doubleday, Doran
9. THE TRAGIC ERA, by Claude G. Bowers. Houghton, Mifflin
10. THE MANSIONS OF PHILOSOPHY, by Will Durant. Simon & Schuster
* * * * *
The Coolidge boom turned into Hoover prosperity, only to totter in
September with the first warning crash of this country’s greatest
financial depression. But the market still wavered on the brink of
disaster, and book sales were booming. The great novel of World War I,
_All Quiet on the Western Front_, written by a German, appeared eleven
years after the war’s close, to sell 300,000 in its first year. It was
issued here in a first printing of 100,000; 700,000 were printed in
Germany. Famous all over the world, it was made into a Hollywood
super-feature. Sinclair Lewis did another portrait of the American
businessman in _Dodsworth_, a book that was made into a highly
successful play, later a movie. S. S. Van Dine’s _Bishop Murder Case_
was as high on the list as his _Greene Murder Case_ had been. Ole
Rölvaag’s _Peder Victorious_ was a sequel to his first novel of the
Dakota prairies, _Giants in the Earth_ (1927). American regional
literature was awakening more and more interest. The South provided two
new novelists of distinction, DuBose Heyward of _Porgy_ fame, and Julia
Peterkin, who won the Pulitzer Prize with her first book. Perfecting its
technique for selecting and developing best sellers, the young firm of
Simon & Schuster, which had started only five years previously with _The
Cross Word Puzzle Book_, was responsible for four books on the
non-fiction list. _The Art of Thinking_, by a French writer, caught on
with a public interested in self-improvement and sold 125,000 in 1929.
The sensational spit-in-the-wind _Cradle of the Deep_ followed in Trader
Horn’s footsteps. _Believe It or Not_, first of Robert Ripley’s
collections of his popular newspaper features, went over 50,000. _The
Mansions of Philosophy_ did not become the great success that Will
Durant’s _Story of Philosophy_ had been. _Henry the Eighth_ and
_Elizabeth and Essex_ were added to the many notable biographies of the
period. Word-of-mouth publicity made Chic Sale’s tiny little book of
decidedly homely humor a runaway best seller. Since 1929 its sales have
exceeded 1,000,000 copies. Walter Lippmann, outstanding political
commentator, made his first appearance among best sellers in 1929. _John
Brown’s Body_, one of the early selections of the Book-of-the-Month
Club, attained unusual sales for a book of poetry, in this case one long
narrative poem. Its first printing was 70,000 copies. At that time the
Book-of-the-Month Club’s membership was about 50,000.
1930
Fiction
1. CIMARRON, by Edna Ferber. Doubleday, Doran
2. EXILE, by Warwick Deeping. Knopf
3. THE WOMAN OF ANDROS, by Thornton Wilder. A. & C. Boni
4. YEARS OF GRACE, by Margaret Ayer Barnes. Houghton Mifflin
5. ANGEL PAVEMENT, by J. B. Priestley. Harper
6. THE DOOR, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Farrar & Rinehart
7. ROGUE HERRIES, by Hugh Walpole. Doubleday, Doran
8. CHANCES, by A. Hamilton Gibbs. Little, Brown
9. YOUNG MAN OF MANHATTAN, by Katharine Brush. Farrar & Rinehart
10. TWENTY-FOUR HOURS, by Louis Bromfield. Stokes
Non-Fiction
1. THE STORY OF SAN MICHELE, by Axel Munthe. Dutton
2. THE STRANGE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARDING, by Gaston B. Means and May Dixon Thacker. Guild Publishing Corp.
3. BYRON, by André Maurois. Appleton
4. THE ADAMS FAMILY, by James Truslow Adams. Little, Brown
5. LONE COWBOY, by Will James. Scribner
6. LINCOLN, by Emil Ludwig. Little, Brown
7. THE STORY OF PHILOSOPHY, by Will Durant. Garden City Publishing Co.
8. THE OUTLINE OF HISTORY, by H. G. Wells. Garden City Publishing Co.
9. THE ART OF THINKING, by Ernest Dimnet. Simon & Schuster
10. THE RISE OF AMERICAN CIVILIZATION, by Charles and Mary Beard. Macmillan
* * * * *
1930 was a year of financial depression, bank crashes, brokers’
suicides, and the unemployed selling apples on the streets of New York,
with people turning to the inexpensive diversion of miniature golf to
take their minds off money troubles. France started to build the
Maginot Line that was designed to protect her forever from military
aggression. Edna Ferber led fiction sales for the second time in six
years. Her _Cimarron_ was a story of pioneer Oklahoma. The fame of his
first novel carried Thornton Wilder’s story of ancient Greece high on
the list, though interest in it quickly flagged. _Years of Grace_ was
the first novel by a new writer from Chicago; it won the Pulitzer Prize
and made its author one of the established favorites in the fiction
scene. _The Good Companions_, published in 1929, had made a great
audience for the English novelist, playwright, and essayist, J. B.
Priestley, an audience that eagerly bought his new book, _Angel
Pavement_. Mrs. Rinehart scored with another mystery novel twenty-one
years after her _Man in Lower Ten_ had become one of the first American
best sellers in the detective fiction field. Hers was the first best
seller on these lists to be published by the new firm of Farrar &
Rinehart--established by John Farrar, formerly editor of _The Bookman_,
and two of Mrs. Rinehart’s sons. The first book of the _Herries
Chronicle_ by Hugh Walpole was an immediate favorite and founded a
fictional dynasty that rivaled Galsworthy’s Forsytes in popularity. A
young American writer scored a big success with _Young Man of Manhattan_
(also a Farrar & Rinehart publication), combining realism and romance in
a story of the uproarious 1920’s. In non-fiction, leader of the year was
Dr. Axel Munthe’s _Story of San Michele_, one of those freak best
sellers that start out in a modest way, catch on through recommendation
by one reader to another until sales begin to pile up and advertising
takes over. This, the first of the best-selling “doctor” books, has sold
181,000 copies. The vogue for autobiographies by notables or unusual
figures in the professions began, but neither lawyers nor preachers have
proved as magnetic in the literary field as doctors. The sensational
_Strange Death of President Harding_ (300,000 sold) had been preceded in
1927 by another book of the same caliber, _The President’s Daughter_,
revealing unsavory Washington scandal in an era of corruption. _Byron_
was Maurois’ third consecutive success, and Ludwig again offered a
biography to an assured public. James Truslow Adams and the Beards made
their first appearances as best-selling historians. Will James rose to
popularity with his cowboy reminiscences and drawings. The Durant and
Wells books both returned to the lists in new dollar editions.
1931
Fiction
1. THE GOOD EARTH, by Pearl S. Buck. John Day
2. SHADOWS ON THE ROCK, by Willa Cather. Knopf
3. A WHITE BIRD FLYING, by Bess Streeter Aldrich. Appleton
4. GRAND HOTEL, by Vicki Baum. Doubleday, Doran
5. YEARS OF GRACE, by Margaret Ryer Barnes. Houghton Mifflin
6. THE ROAD BACK, by Erich Maria Remarque. Little, Brown
7. THE BRIDGE OF DESIRE, by Warwick Deeping. McBride
8. BACK STREET, by Fannie Hurst. Cosmopolitan Book Co.
9. FINCH’S FORTUNE, by Mazo de la Roche. Little, Brown
10. MAID IN WAITING, by John Galsworthy. Scribner
Non-Fiction
1. EDUCATION OF A PRINCESS, by Grand Duchess Marie. Viking Press
2. THE STORY OF SAN MICHELE, by Axel Munthe. Dutton
3. WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND, Anonymous (Drew Pearson and Robert S. Allen). Liveright
4. BONERS. Viking Press
5. CULBERTSON’S SUMMARY, by Ely Culbertson. Bridge World
6. CONTRACT BRIDGE BLUE BOOK, by Ely Culbertson. Bridge World
7. FATAL INTERVIEW, by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Harper
8. THE EPIC OF AMERICA, by James Truslow Adams. Little, Brown
9. MEXICO, by Stuart Chase. Macmillan
10. NEW RUSSIA’S PRIMER, by M. Ilin. Houghton Mifflin
* * * * *
Contract bridge hit the nation with full force in this year of continued
depression. Katharine Cornell was appearing on Broadway in _The Barretts
of Wimpole Street_ (one of the most popular plays presented for American
soldiers overseas in World War II) and “De Lawd” made his appearance in
_The Green Pastures_. _Of Thee I Sing_, with George Gershwin’s music,
was the first musical play ever to win the Pulitzer Prize. _The Good
Earth_, by Pearl S. Buck, topped all novels of the year, making a
permanent place in our literature for itself and her other novels of
China. Mrs. Buck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. Her
book marked the first appearance on these lists of a publication of the
John Day Company. There were five novelists new among best sellers in
1931, all of them women, all American but one. Willa Cather’s books had
been highly esteemed and widely read for years, but not until
publication of _Shadows on the Rock_ did one of them become a leading
best seller. Bess Streeter Aldrich’s preceding book, _A Lantern in Her
Hand_, had won many readers by word-of-mouth publicity, gaining an
audience for her next, _A White Bird Flying_. _Grand Hotel_, by the only
one of the five not an American, is the most famous of them all. Fannie
Hurst, fifth new name on the list, already had a great following among
magazine and book readers, but it was _Back Street_ that put her among
the top-ranking best sellers. A new woman writer topped non-fiction,
too, a member of the Russian royal family, the sale of whose
autobiography reflected the widespread interest in Russia. Through all
these years many memoirs of imperial and revolutionary times in that
country were published; interest was awakened also in the Soviet
experiment, with other writers like M. Ilin, whose _New Russia’s Primer_
was tenth on the list, exploring postwar Russia. _Washington
Merry-Go-Round_ was a natural successor to _Mirrors of Washington_ of
nearly a decade before, but it packed more dynamite. Published
anonymously, it proved to have been written by columnists Drew Pearson
and Robert Allen. _Boners_ was another fad book in the _Cross Word
Puzzle_, _Ask Me Another_ and _Believe It or Not_ line. With several
succeeding volumes it sold into the hundreds of thousands. As the new
contract bridge replaced auction, there was demand for new guides to the
game; Ely Culbertson was the one who cashed in on the opportunity in a
big way, taking the place held by Milton Work five years before, later
to be succeeded himself by Charles Goren with his “point count” system.
Edna St. Vincent Millay reached the list for the first time with _Fatal
Interview_, and thus became the first new best-selling writer of serious
poetry besides Stephen Vincent Benét since World War I days.
1932
Fiction
1. THE GOOD EARTH, by Pearl S. Buck. John Day
2. THE FOUNTAIN, by Charles Morgan. Knopf
3. SONS, by Pearl S. Buck. John Day
4. MAGNOLIA STREET, by Louis Golding. Farrar & Rinehart
5. THE SHELTERED LIFE, by Ellen Glasgow. Doubleday, Doran
6. OLD WINE AND NEW, by Warwick Deeping. Knopf
7. MARY’S NECK, by Booth Tarkington. Doubleday, Doran
8. MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Willett, Clark
9. INHERITANCE, by Phyllis Bentley. Macmillan
10. THREE LOVES, by A. J. Cronin. Little, Brown
Non-Fiction
1. THE EPIC OF AMERICA, by James Truslow Adams. Little, Brown
2. ONLY YESTERDAY, by Frederick Lewis Allen. Harper
3. A FORTUNE TO SHARE, by Vash Young. Bobbs-Merrill
4. CULBERTSON’S SUMMARY, by Ely Culbertson. Bridge World
5. VAN LOON’S GEOGRAPHY, by Hendrik Willem Van Loon. Simon & Schuster
6. WHAT WE LIVE BY, by Ernest Dimnet. Simon & Schuster
7. THE MARCH OF DEMOCRACY, by James Truslow Adams. Scribner
8. WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND, Anonymous (Drew Pearson and Robert S. Allen). Liveright; Blue Ribbon Books
9. THE STORY OF MY LIFE, by Clarence Darrow. Scribner
10. MORE MERRY-GO-ROUND, Anonymous (Drew Pearson and Robert S. Allen). Liveright
* * * * *
In the worst year of the depression came the bonus march on Washington
and the ensuing battle of Anacostia Flats. James J. Walker resigned
under a cloud as Mayor of New York City. Radio was in full swing, with
Rudy Vallee its topnotch artist. Father Coughlin’s radio talks were
gaining listeners. Technocracy was the newest theory on how to cure the
depression. Colonel and Mrs. Lindbergh’s small son was kidnaped from his
crib in Hopewell, N. J. Over in China, Japan seized Shanghai in her
undeclared war on that country. _The Good Earth_ headed fiction for a
second year, with Pearl Buck’s second novel, continuing the story of the
same Chinese family, taking third place. _The Fountain_, in second
place, received unusual critical attention. From England too came
_Magnolia Street_, _Inheritance_, with which Macmillan vigorously
reentered the field of best-selling fiction, and _Three Loves_, A. J.
Cronin’s first best seller. Ellen Glasgow and Booth Tarkington both
continued their many years’ popularity. Lloyd Douglas came rather
quietly into the list in eighth place. He was a retired minister, over
fifty, when his first novel was published. It was a book that caught on
throughout the country, chiefly in the Midwest, by word-of-mouth
personal recommendation, the first of many novels that were to put him
in the highest ranks of best-selling novelists. James Truslow Adams, who
had been developing a reputation as an American historian, found a
popular audience with two books, one of which, first in non-fiction in
1932, had also appeared on the previous year’s list. Frederick Lewis
Allen of _Harper’s Magazine_, as Mark Sullivan had done, found a waiting
audience of people who enjoyed reading about things they remembered,
events of the not-too-far-distant past. Vash Young, businessman like
Bruce Barton before him, combined inspirational writing with practical
advice in a little volume timed for that period of financial depression
when salesmen particularly needed a lift. Hendrik Van Loon, going under
Simon & Schuster’s sponsorship, added another volume to his illustrated
surveys of human knowledge. Ernest Dimnet followed his _Art of Thinking_
with a new book, as did Pearson and Allen with _More Merry-Go-Round_.
Their first book was still selling merrily, switching during the course
of the year into a reprint edition. The trade policy regarding reprints
was changing and non-fiction titles were now released much more quickly
in popular-priced editions. Clarence Darrow, who seven years before had
shared the spotlight in the Scopes trial, wrote a best-selling
autobiography.
1933
Fiction
1. ANTHONY ADVERSE, by Hervey Allen. Farrar & Rinehart
2. AS THE EARTH TURNS, by Gladys Hasty Carroll. Macmillan
3. ANN VICKERS, by Sinclair Lewis. Doubleday, Doran
4. MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Willett, Clark
5. ONE MORE RIVER, by John Galsworthy. Scribner
6. FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Houghton Mifflin
7. THE MASTER OF JALNA, by Mazo de la Roche. Little, Brown
8. MISS BISHOP, by Bess Streeter Aldrich. Appleton-Century
9. THE FARM, by Louis Bromfield. Harper
10. LITTLE MAN, WHAT NOW? by Hans Fallada. Simon & Schuster
Non-Fiction
1. LIFE BEGINS AT FORTY, by Walter B. Pitkin. Whittlesey House
2. MARIE ANTOINETTE, by Stefan Zweig. Viking Press
3. BRITISH AGENT, by R. H. Bruce Lockhart. Putnam
4. 100,000,000 GUINEA PIGS, by Arthur Kallet and F. J. Schlink. Vanguard Press
5. THE HOUSE OF EXILE, by Nora Waln. Little, Brown
6. VAN LOON’S GEOGRAPHY, by Hendrik Willem Van Loon. Simon & Schuster
7. LOOKING FORWARD, by Franklin D. Roosevelt, John Day
8. CONTRACT BRIDGE BLUE BOOK OF 1933, by Ely Culbertson. Bridge World
9. THE ARCHES OF THE YEARS, by Halliday Sutherland. Morrow
10. THE MARCH OF DEMOCRACY, Vol. II, by James Truslow Adams. Scribner
* * * * *
“Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” was the theme song of 1933 as
Franklin D. Roosevelt, taking office as chief executive of the nation,
quickly declared a bank holiday. The NRA and the AAA were created. The
World’s Fair opened in Chicago. _Tobacco Road_, which by 1939 was to
break the record for successive Broadway performances, was produced. The
United States abandoned the gold standard, liquor made a legitimate
reappearance with the repeal of the 18th Amendment, the speakeasy era
passed out of existence, and the public took up jigsaw puzzles in a big
way. In Berlin the Reichstag was burned. _Anthony Adverse_, selling
300,000 copies in its first six months, captured readers of many levels
of taste and turned public interest definitely toward the historical
novel for the first time since the early decades of the century.
_Anthony Adverse_, too, began a trend toward the novel of unusual
length, a feature which hit the fancy of the public again in _Gone with
the Wind_. Continuing its big-time fiction drive begun with Phyllis
Bentley’s _Inheritance_ in 1932, Macmillan found in Gladys Hasty Carroll
a new writer from Maine. Lewis, Aldrich, and Bromfield repeated
best-seller performances, as did Galsworthy with his third book in the
new saga and Mrs. Aldrich with a predecessor of _Mr. Chips_ and _Miss
Dove_. Lloyd Douglas’ _Magnificent Obsession_ climbed steadily. In tenth
place appeared a new writer from Germany, Hans Fallada, author of the
first fiction success for the firm that had up till now been outstanding
in non-fiction. A new self-help book hit the non-fiction top for a long
run, selling 88,897 copies in 1933, of a total 164,000 sale. Biography,
with characters from France, Russia, China, and a doctor’s story, _The
Arches of the Years_, took four of the places on the list. Kallet and
Schlink issued their interpretation of the claims of modern advertising
in _100,000,000 Guinea Pigs_, a volume that led the way for many other
books of the “exposure” type and drew increased attention to consumer
movements. Culbertson continued to sell year after year. As Woodrow
Wilson had done twenty years before, Franklin Roosevelt began his
administration with a best-selling book on his policies. For the first
time the firms of Whittlesey House, Morrow, and the Vanguard Press made
their appearance on these lists. 1933 also saw a best seller from
Appleton-Century, a combination of two publishing houses which had been
individually responsible for many best-selling titles since the
beginning of these records.
1934
Fiction
1. ANTHONY ADVERSE, by Hervey Allen. Farrar & Rinehart
2. LAMB IN HIS BOSOM, by Caroline Miller. Harper
3. SO RED THE ROSE, by Stark Young. Scribner
4. GOOD-BYE, MR. CHIPS, by James Hilton. Little, Brown
5. WITHIN THIS PRESENT, by Margaret Ayer Barnes. Houghton Mifflin
6. WORK OF ART, by Sinclair Lewis. Doubleday, Doran
7. PRIVATE WORLDS, by Phyllis Bottome. Houghton Mifflin
8. MARY PETERS, by Mary Ellen Chase. Macmillan
9. OIL FOR THE LAMPS OF CHINA, by Alice Tisdale Hobart. Bobbs-Merrill
10. SEVEN GOTHIC TALES, by Isak Dinesen. Smith & Haas
Non-Fiction
1. WHILE ROME BURNS, by Alexander Woollcott. Viking Press
2. LIFE BEGINS AT FORTY, by Walter B. Pitkin. Whittlesey House
3. NIJINSKY, by Romola Nijinsky. Simon & Schuster
4. 100,000,000 GUINEA PIGS, by Arthur Kallet and F. J. Schlink. Vanguard Press
5. THE NATIVE’S RETURN, by Louis Adamic. Harper
6. STARS FELL ON ALABAMA, by Carl Carmer. Farrar & Rinehart
7. BRAZILIAN ADVENTURE, by Peter Fleming. Scribner
8. FORTY-TWO YEARS IN THE WHITE HOUSE, by Ike Hoover. Houghton Mifflin
9. YOU MUST RELAX, by Edmund Jacobson. Whittlesey House
10. THE LIFE OF OUR LORD, by Charles Dickens. Simon & Schuster
* * * * *
The Townsend plan and Upton Sinclair’s EPIC party followed on the heels
of Technocracy as economic cure-alls. Dillinger, greatest American
bandit of the era, was killed, and the Dionne quintuplets were born.
Parisians rioted over evidence of government corruption, and F.D.R.
signed the Philippine Independence Act. Dust storms devastated Kansas
and Oklahoma. _Anthony Adverse_ sold 176,100 more copies in 1934,
bringing it to the top of the fiction list again, but this was only the
beginning! The South contributed two new novelists, Caroline Miller with
the Pulitzer Prize novel, _Lamb in His Bosom_, and Stark Young with _So
Red the Rose_, both books laid in the old South. Another two-year period
of best-sellerdom began with James Hilton’s first success, _Good-Bye,
Mr. Chips_, the first book, too, to achieve country-wide fame through
radio commendation--the book about which Alexander Woollcott went
“quietly mad.” There were seven new names on the list in all. The
English writer, Phyllis Bottome, scored a hit with her story of
insanity, marking a trend toward novels studying abnormal psychological
situations. Mary Ellen Chase, who had taught English to two decades of
Smith College girls, proved that she herself could write vigorously.
_Mary Peters_ was another Maine story and subject of another big
Macmillan promotion campaign. Alice Tisdale Hobart wrote a telling story
of China; and _Seven Gothic Tales_ introduced an author from Denmark
whose unique tales created a devoted audience for her work in this
country. Alexander Woollcott had become radio’s favorite voice and
expert story-teller as well as book promoter. People bought his own
book, _While Rome Burns_, as well as those he recommended. In 1934
_While Rome Burns_ sold 83,545 copies. Eventually it reached a sale of
over 500,000. _Life Begins at Forty_ was second in 1934, and another
self-help book, _You Must Relax_, was in ninth place. Louis Adamic’s
extremely interesting account of his native Yugoslavia found many
readers, as did Carl Carmer’s picturesque interpretation of the State of
Alabama, a book that inspired a popular song and laid the foundations
for the author’s reputation in the field of American folklore. A
century-old book by the prince of best sellers, Charles Dickens, was
rescued for a time from obscurity.
1935
Fiction
1. GREEN LIGHT, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Houghton Mifflin
2. VEIN OF IRON, by Ellen Glasgow. Harcourt, Brace
3. OF TIME AND THE RIVER, by Thomas Wolfe. Scribner
4. TIME OUT OF MIND, by Rachel Field. Macmillan
5. GOOD-BYE, MR. CHIPS, by James Hilton. Little, Brown
6. THE FORTY DAYS OF MUSA DAGH, by Franz Werfel. Viking Press
7. HEAVEN’S MY DESTINATION, by Thornton Wilder. Harper
8. LOST HORIZON, by James Hilton. Morrow
9. COME AND GET IT, by Edna Ferber. Doubleday, Doran
10. EUROPA, by Robert Briffault. Scribner
Non-Fiction
1. NORTH TO THE ORIENT, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Harcourt, Brace
2. WHILE ROME BURNS, by Alexander Woollcott. Viking Press
3. LIFE WITH FATHER, by Clarence Day. Knopf
4. PERSONAL HISTORY, by Vincent Sheean. Doubleday, Doran
5. SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM, by T. E. Lawrence. Doubleday, Doran
6. FRANCIS THE FIRST, by Francis Hackett. Doubleday, Doran
7. MARY QUEEN OF SCOTLAND AND THE ISLES, by Stefan Zweig. Viking Press
8. RATS, LICE AND HISTORY, by Hans Zinsser. Little, Brown
9. R. E. LEE, by Douglas Southall Freeman. Scribner
10. SKIN DEEP, by M. C. Phillips. Vanguard Press
* * * * *
The Nazis, in full power in Germany, began their anti-Jewish campaign.
Mussolini invaded Ethiopia. In the United States the social security
laws were passed and the WPA was inaugurated. Will Rogers was killed in
an airplane crash. Boondoggling, Huey Long, and cafe society were
conversational topics. Swing music hit the country, with Benny Goodman
its leading exponent. _Porgy and Bess_, originating in DuBose Heyward’s
novel, _Porgy_, was the first musical produced by the Theatre Guild.
With his third book, which sold 103,286 copies in 1935, Lloyd Douglas
became the most popular novelist in the country. Ellen Glasgow, who had
been a best seller for nearly four decades, achieved a high place with
her latest novel. Six years previously, Thomas Wolfe’s _Look Homeward,
Angel_ had brought him into literary prominence. His second novel, _Of
Time and the River_, found a popular audience. Rachel Field, widely
known as a writer of books for children and as their illustrator as
well, made a national reputation with an adult novel. James Hilton’s
_Mr. Chips_ went into its second year. One of his earlier novels, now
reissued and also praised by Mr. Woollcott, was close behind it on the
list. Both books were to repeat their fame as movies. By now book club
printings had reached about 75,000 copies. Although no yearly records
were kept of juvenile best sellers, it is interesting to note that a
famous juvenile, _The Little Colonel_, brought out in reprint edition,
sold 100,000 copies in 1935. The name of Lindbergh reappeared on the
non-fiction list after eight years. This time it was Anne Morrow
Lindbergh who wrote of air adventure. It was her literary skill as well
as her name, with all its associations from the first Paris flight
through the tragic events of kidnaping and trial, that made her book
non-fiction top seller of the year, reaching 185,000 copies. _While Rome
Burns_, first in 1934, was second in 1935. _Life with Father_, as a
book, laid the groundwork for the famous play’s record run on Broadway.
Vincent Sheean’s _Personal History_ forecast the important part that
newspapermen were to play in the field of books during the coming war
years. The foundations for the success of _Seven Pillars of Wisdom_ had
been laid eight years previously by Lawrence’s _Revolt in the Desert_.
The legend of the man had grown and this, with a notable publicity
campaign, accounted for the fact that an expensive book, one that was
not “written down” for the sake of appeal to a wide public, was a best
seller of the year. _Revolt in the Desert_ had been in fact a
popularization of part of the original _Seven Pillars of Wisdom_.
Notable biographies by Hackett, Zweig, and Freeman had many readers.
Hans Zinsser popularized some interesting aspects of medical lore; and
_Skin Deep_ became still another best-selling “consumer” book, following
_100,000,000 Guinea Pigs_.
1936
Fiction
1. GONE WITH THE WIND, by Margaret Mitchell. Macmillan
2. THE LAST PURITAN, by George Santayana. Scribner
3. SPARKENBROKE, by Charles Morgan. Macmillan
4. DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK, by Walter D. Edmonds. Little, Brown
5. IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE, by Sinclair Lewis. Doubleday, Doran
6. WHITE BANNERS, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Houghton Mifflin
7. THE HURRICANE, by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. Little, Brown
8. THE THINKING REED, by Rebecca West. Viking Press.
9. THE DOCTOR, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Farrar & Rinehart
10. EYELESS IN GAZA, by Aldous Huxley. Harper
Non-Fiction
1. MAN THE UNKNOWN, by Alexis Carrel. Harper
2. WAKE UP AND LIVE! by Dorothea Brande. Simon & Schuster
3. THE WAY OF A TRANSGRESSOR, by Negley Farson. Harcourt, Brace
4. AROUND THE WORLD IN ELEVEN YEARS, by Patience, Richard, and Johnny Abbe. Stokes
5. NORTH TO THE ORIENT, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Harcourt, Brace
6. AN AMERICAN DOCTOR’S ODYSSEY, by Victor Heiser. Norton
7. INSIDE EUROPE, by John Gunther. Harper
8. LIVE ALONE AND LIKE IT, by Marjorie Hillis. Bobbs-Merrill
9. LIFE WITH FATHER, by Clarence Day. Knopf
10. I WRITE AS I PLEASE, by Walter Duranty. Simon & Schuster
* * * * *
The Rome-Berlin Axis was announced and Germany entered the Rhineland.
Edward VIII of England renounced his throne to marry the woman he loved.
Revolution against the established government in Spain broke out in
bloody civil war. American inventiveness turned to air conditioning and
streamlining. Destructive floods rolled through the East and Midwest.
Published in June, _Gone with the Wind_ was to dominate all fiction
sales for two years, creating publishing history with sales never before
reached by fiction in so short a time. One million copies were sold in
its first six months, and the book and its author, whose first novel it
was and who never wrote another, established themselves firmly in
American literary legend. George Santayana, Spanish by birth and long a
professor of philosophy at Harvard, wrote a best-selling novel, _The
Last Puritan_, first of a number of novels by various authors on
patrician and intellectual Boston. Walter Edmonds was a new name in
historical fiction, adding to the period’s growing trend toward long
historical novels which was started by _Anthony Adverse_ and pointed up
again by _Gone with the Wind_. Nordhoff and Hall were a writing team
from the South Seas who had first written after World War I of their
experiences in France and who had previously made a big hit with _Mutiny
on the Bounty_, a sea chronicle based on old records. Rebecca West and
Aldous Huxley, notable English writers, appeared for the first time on
an American annual best seller list. The non-fiction list was typical of
the variety of authorship and subject matter which often comes to the
fore in public approval. A surgeon writing for the layman headed the
list, followed by a self-improvement book and a newspaperman’s story.
Fourth came the travel experiences of three smart youngsters,
delightedly read by adults. Travel of all kinds predominated the list in
this year when the rumblings of coming war were growing louder. Mrs.
Lindbergh’s book was still a best seller, followed by the narrative of
the experiences in out-of-the-way countries of a doctor with a notable
career throughout the world in medical research, which also marked the
first appearance of the W. W. Norton imprint on these lists. _Inside
Europe_ was the first book in an excellent series on political
interpretation the world over by reporter John Gunther. _Live Alone and
Like It_, which sold 100,000 copies in 1936, was another self-help book
written in humorous and entertaining fashion. Tenth was one of the first
and one of the most notable books on Russia that foreign correspondents
were to write.
1937
Fiction
1. GONE WITH THE WIND, by Margaret Mitchell. Macmillan
2. NORTHWEST PASSAGE, by Kenneth Roberts. Doubleday, Doran
3. THE CITADEL, by A. J. Cronin. Little, Brown
4. AND SO--VICTORIA, by Vaughan Wilkins. Macmillan
5. DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK, by Walter D. Edmonds. Little, Brown
6. THE YEARS, by Virginia Woolf. Harcourt, Brace
7. THEATRE, by W. Somerset Maugham. Doubleday, Doran
8. OF MICE AND MEN, by John Steinbeck. Covici, Friede
9. THE RAINS CAME, by Louis Bromfield. Harper
10. WE ARE NOT ALONE, by James Hilton. Little, Brown
Non-Fiction
1. HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE, by Dale Carnegie. Simon & Schuster
2. AN AMERICAN DOCTOR’S ODYSSEY, by Victor Heiser. Norton
3. THE RETURN TO RELIGION, by Henry C. Link. Macmillan
4. THE ARTS, by Hendrik Willem Van Loon. Simon & Schuster
5. ORCHIDS ON YOUR BUDGET, by Marjorie Hillis. Bobbs-Merrill
6. PRESENT INDICATIVE, by Noel Coward. Doubleday, Doran
7. MATHEMATICS FOR THE MILLION, by Lancelot Hogben. Norton
8. LIFE WITH MOTHER, by Clarence Day. Knopf
9. THE NILE, by Emil Ludwig. Viking Press
10. THE FLOWERING OF NEW ENGLAND, by Van Wyck Brooks. Dutton
* * * * *
U. S. travelers flocked to Paris for the Exposition and to London for
the coronation of King George VI. Japan began her long war against
China. The dirigible _Hindenburg_ burst into fire as it made its first
landing at Lakehurst, N.J. Charlie McCarthy, candid cameras, and skiing
were current crazes in America, which was also swept by a wave of the
new “sit-down” strikes. _Pins and Needles_, produced by the Labor Stage,
was to break musical show records by 1939. _Gone with the Wind_ swung
into an even more triumphant leadership of fiction sales, eventually
selling 5,000,000 copies. Translation rights were being sought in a
score of languages and GWTW became as well-known initials as NBC or WPA.
Kenneth Roberts of Maine had published four other historical novels
before he achieved national recognition with _Northwest Passage_. A. J.
Cronin was more popular than ever, with one of his best-liked novels,
_The Citadel_, which sold 161,108 copies in 1937. A new writer of
historical fiction from England, Vaughan Wilkins, made his debut on the
list, as did Virginia Woolf and W. Somerset Maugham, although their
books had had large American audiences for many years. John Steinbeck’s
first selling success came with _Of Mice and Men_. His _Tortilla Flat_,
in 1935, had made its mark with the critics. Louis Bromfield departed
from his usual American scene with a novel of India. Half the fiction
was contributed in 1937 by English writers, half by American. The
best-known self-help book of them all, _How to Win Friends and Influence
People_, topped all non-fiction with sales of 729,000 copies in 1937, in
addition to its 12,000 from the previous year. With its reappearance in
a 25-cent edition, it was to sell nearly 5,000,000. _The Return to
Religion_, one of the few titles in the non-fiction religious field to
reach the annual lists in some time, in contrast to the predominance of
religion in both earlier and later years, sold 83,000 copies. Continuing
his series of books on various fields of human knowledge, Hendrik Van
Loon produced a best seller whose illustrations and format added to its
sales appeal. Marjorie Hillis followed her _Live Alone and Like It_ with
another entertaining book along self-help lines, and Noel Coward first
appeared among best sellers with his autobiography. _Mathematics for the
Million_ was not written down for mass interest; on the contrary, the
public had to rise to the scholarly but effective presentation of a
difficult subject. Clarence Day continued his delightful family
chronicle with _Life with Mother_. Emil Ludwig deserted, temporarily,
the lives of great men for the biography of a river. With _The Flowering
of New England_, a distinguished literary critic began a series of books
on American cultural history, though this was not the first volume
chronologically.
1938
Fiction
1. THE YEARLING, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Scribner
2. THE CITADEL, by A. J. Cronin. Little, Brown
3. MY SON, MY SON! by Howard Spring. Viking Press
4. REBECCA, by Daphne du Maurier. Doubleday, Doran
5. NORTHWEST PASSAGE, by Kenneth Roberts. Doubleday, Doran
6. ALL THIS, AND HEAVEN TOO, by Rachel Field. Macmillan
7. THE RAINS CAME, by Louis Bromfield. Harper
8. AND TELL OF TIME, by Laura Krey. Houghton Mifflin
9. THE MORTAL STORM, by Phyllis Bottome. Little, Brown
10. ACTION AT AQUILA, by Hervey Allen. Farrar & Rinehart
Non-Fiction
1. THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVING, by Lin Yutang. John Day
2. WITH MALICE TOWARD SOME, by Margaret Halsey. Simon & Schuster
3. MADAME CURIE, by Eve Curie. Doubleday, Doran
4. LISTEN! THE WIND, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Harcourt, Brace
5. THE HORSE AND BUGGY DOCTOR, by Arthur E. Hertzler. Harper
6. HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE, by Dale Carnegie. Simon &
Schuster
7. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, by Carl Van Doren. Viking Press
8. I’M A STRANGER HERE MYSELF, by Ogden Nash. Little, Brown
9. ALONE, by Richard E. Byrd. Putnam
10. FANNY KEMBLE, by Margaret Armstrong Macmillan
* * * * *
“Peace in our time” was declared at Munich after the Czech crisis and
after Hitler had annexed Austria. American jitters were induced by a
Martian radio attack, with Orson Welles as entrepreneur. _God Bless
America_, which Irving Berlin had written in 1917, was revived by Kate
Smith to become what some chose to call our second national anthem.
Bingo and the big apple were fads of the year, and “Wrong-Way” Corrigan
amused two continents. “Information Please!” the quiz program that
topped all quiz programs, presented many authors on the radio as well as
its “regulars” and, emceed by Clifton Fadiman, then literary critic of
_The New Yorker_, added to the interest in and knowledge of books on the
part of its vast radio audience. _The Yearling_, novel of a Florida boy
and his beloved fawn, outsold other fiction and took its place as an
American classic read by both young and old. _The Citadel_, third in
1937, went up to second place in 1938. From England came two writers new
to the list and quickly taken up by the public, Howard Spring and Daphne
du Maurier. _Rebecca_ has gone on selling in reprint editions and was
natural material for an extremely popular movie. _Northwest Passage_ and
_The Rains Came_, perhaps Bromfield’s greatest fiction seller, carried
on into their second years. Rachel Field’s best-known novel, which also
became a feature movie, was based upon events in her own family history.
_And Tell of Time_ was a historical story of Texas by a second new
American woman writer on this list. Hervey Allen turned to American
Civil War history with his first novel since the great _Anthony_. With
the Sino-Japanese war going into its second year, an interpretation of
China by a Chinese man of letters outsold all other non-fiction,
reaching 124,415 copies. This included book club sales. Margaret Halsey
scored the British in her clever and humorous _With Malice Toward Some_.
The daughter of Madame Curie told the story of her mother’s life, which
was taken to the hearts of readers aware of the woman scientist’s
greatness. The autobiography of a country doctor was halfway down the
list. The response to Carl Van Doren’s definitive life of Franklin was
enthusiastic. Another new bestselling American biographer was Margaret
Armstrong, with _Fanny Kemble_. Ogden Nash was a constantly quoted
favorite from the pages of _The New Yorker_ and other magazines, even
before the publication of _I’m a Stranger Here Myself_. Admiral Byrd
gave his record of months in the Antarctic, newspaper accounts of which
had previously thrilled and mystified millions.
1939
Fiction
1. THE GRAPES OF WRATH, by John Steinbeck. Viking Press
2. ALL THIS, AND HEAVEN TOO, by Rachel Field. Macmillan
3. REBECCA, by Daphne du Maurier. Doubleday, Doran
4. WICKFORD POINT, by John P. Marquand. Little, Brown
5. ESCAPE, by Ethel Vance. Little, Brown
6. DISPUTED PASSAGE, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Houghton Mifflin
7. THE YEARLING, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Scribner
8. THE TREE OF LIBERTY, by Elizabeth Page. Farrar & Rinehart
9. THE NAZARENE, by Sholem Asch. Putnam
10. KITTY FOYLE, by Christopher Morley. Lippincott
Non-Fiction
1. DAYS OF OUR YEARS, by Pierre van Paassen. Hillman-Curl
2. REACHING FOR THE STARS, by Nora Waln. Little, Brown
3. INSIDE ASIA, by John Gunther. Harper
4. AUTOBIOGRAPHY WITH LETTERS, by William Lyon Phelps. Oxford University Press
5. COUNTRY LAWYER, by Bellamy Partridge. Whittlesey House
6. WIND, SAND AND STARS, by Antoine de St. Exupery. Reynal & Hitchcock
7. MEIN KAMPF, by Adolf Hitler. Reynal & Hitchcock
8. A PECULIAR TREASURE, by Edna Ferber. Doubleday, Doran
9. NOT PEACE BUT A SWORD, by Vincent Sheean. Doubleday, Doran
10. LISTEN! THE WIND, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Harcourt, Brace
* * * * *
The New York World’s Fair opened, with exhibits from nearly all the
countries of the world except Germany, and was visited by the new King
and Queen of England. The Spanish Civil War ended with the surrender of
the Loyalists. Late in the year Germany invaded Poland--the period of
peace between two world wars had ended. A novel of the “Okies,” those
dispossessed by the dust storms of 1934, made John Steinbeck top best
seller of the nation. Bookstores sold 300,000 copies during the year.
_All This and Heaven Too_ and _Rebecca_ both climbed higher on the
best-seller ladder in their second year. John P. Marquand had written a
penetrating novel of Boston, _The Late George Apley_, in 1937. Known
popularly as the writer of the “Mr. Moto” spy stories, he attained
critical and commercial success with his first serious novel, though it
did not make the list of the year in which it was published. As often
happens with a newly prominent writer, the second book after a first
success achieved greater national sales in its first year of
publication, though not necessarily total sales, than did the earlier
book. _Escape_, written by Grace Zaring Stone under the pseudonym of
Ethel Vance, was the first best-selling fiction based upon events in
Hitler’s Germany. Continuing the trend of the long historical novel was
_The Tree of Liberty_. Another trend--toward fiction of Biblical
times--was marked by the sales of _The Nazarene_, scholarly story by a
writer new to this country, whose work was translated from the Yiddish.
Christopher Morley, long-beloved poet, essayist, and novelist, found a
best-selling audience with his portrayal of a modern working girl,
_Kitty Foyle_, later played on the screen by Ginger Rogers. Contemporary
history began to loom large in the world of books. Best seller of
non-fiction was written by Pierre van Paassen, a Hollander who took a
world view of political events in his reminiscences, as had Vincent
Sheean in 1935. In _Reaching for the Stars_, Nora Waln described the
tragedy of life in Germany under the Nazis as she had witnessed it.
Gunther continued his political surveys with _Inside Asia_. Long an
influential commentator on books, Professor Phelps of Yale had an
assured audience for his autobiography and Oxford University Press
(American branch) had its first big popular seller. _Country Lawyer_,
amusing narrative of old-time upstate New York life, introduced the
legal profession into best sellerdom, where medical lives were already
well established. _Wind, Sand and Stars_, by a French writer and
aviator, added to the literature of flight. _Mein Kampf_, Bible of Nazi
Germany, was published with its full text for the first time over here.
A best seller over many years in the fiction field, Edna Ferber wrote
best-selling non-fiction as well with her autobiography, _A Peculiar
Treasure_.
1940
Fiction
1. HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY, by Richard Llewellyn. Macmillan
2. KITTY FOYLE, by Christopher Morley. Lippincott
3. MRS. MINIVER, by Jan Struther. Harcourt, Brace
4. FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, by Ernest Hemingway. Scribner
5. THE NAZARENE, by Sholem Asch. Putnam
6. STARS ON THE SEA, by F. van Wyck Mason. Lippincott
7. OLIVER WISWELL, by Kenneth Roberts. Doubleday, Doran
8. THE GRAPES OF WRATH, by John Steinbeck. Viking Press
9. NIGHT IN BOMBAY, by Louis Bromfield. Harper
10. THE FAMILY, by Nina Fedorova. Little, Brown
Non-Fiction
1. I MARRIED ADVENTURE, by Osa Johnson. Lippincott
2. HOW TO READ A BOOK, by Mortimer Adler. Simon & Schuster
3. A SMATTERING OF IGNORANCE, by Oscar Levant. Doubleday, Doran
4. COUNTRY SQUIRE IN THE WHITE HOUSE, by John T. Flynn. Doubleday, Doran
5. LAND BELOW THE WIND, by Agnes Newton Keith. Little, Brown
6. AMERICAN WHITE PAPER, by Joseph W. Alsop, Jr., and Robert Kintnor. Simon & Schuster
7. NEW ENGLAND: INDIAN SUMMER, by Van Wyck Brooks. Dutton
8. AS I REMEMBER HIM, by Hans Zinsser. Little, Brown
9. DAYS OF OUR YEARS, by Pierre van Paassen. Dial Press
10. BET IT’S A BOY, by Betty B. Blunt. Stephen Daye Press
* * * * *
After months of the so-called “phony” war, the German blitz broke loose,
engulfing Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France. Millions in America
grabbed each new edition of the newspapers as the Nazis stormed nearer
Paris. War gloom was at its deepest as Hitler attacked England from the
air, and American sympathy went out to the besieged and bombarded
Britishers. In the fall Wendell Willkie polled an enormous popular vote,
but Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the United States for
a third term. A novel of the Welsh coal miners, beautifully written and
with an emotional appeal that quickly made the best-seller grade,
brought a new name to the head of the fiction list. _How Green Was My
Valley_ sold 176,280 copies through the bookstores. Third, by a new
English writer, was _Mrs. Miniver_, the central character of which
charmed the American public in the book and the movie. Its author, Jan
Struther, was possibly the most frequent guest on “Information, Please!”
_For Whom the Bell Tolls_, Ernest Hemingway’s first great best seller,
told of an American in the Spanish Civil War. A new name in historical
fiction was F. van Wyck Mason, though, like John P. Marquand, he had
long been liked in another field of fiction--as a writer of
international adventure stories featuring an Army Intelligence hero. The
first in his series of novels on the early maritime history of this
country, _Three Harbours_, did not reach an annual list, but the second,
_Stars on the Sea_, did. It was a novel of unusual length, as was
_Oliver Wiswell_, another Kenneth Roberts historical novel. _I Married
Adventure_, Osa Johnson’s narrative of years in far, wild countries with
her explorer husband, Martin Johnson, topped nonfiction with sales of
288,000, including book club copies. _How to Read a Book_ was an
interesting success. “Information, Please!” contributed another book
success when one of its most popular stars the whimsical and musical
Oscar Levant entertained with _A Smattering of Ignorance_. _Country
Squire in the White House_, campaign literature of 1940, sold over
100,000 copies. _Land Below the Wind_ was an Atlantic-Little, Brown
prize-winning book about Borneo. With the exception of _American White
Paper_ and _Days of Our Years_ (the first Dial Press book on these
lists), it is amazing to note that by the end of the first year of the
war no non-fiction best seller could in any way be considered a “war
book.” _New England: Indian Summer_ was the second volume of Van Wyck
Brooks’ best-selling literary history. _As I Remember Him_ was the
biography of his “romantic self” by Hans Zinsser, author of _Rats, Lice
and History_. _Bet It’s a Boy_, a little cartoon book of obstetrical
humor, sold over 100,000 in the year.
1941
Fiction
1. THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM, by A. J. Cronin. Little, Brown
2. RANDOM HARVEST, by James Hilton. Little, Brown
3. THIS ABOVE ALL, by Eric Knight. Harper
4. THE SUN IS MY UNDOING, by Marguerite Steen. Viking Press
5. FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, by Ernest Hemingway. Scribner
6. OLIVER WISWELL, by Kenneth Roberts. Doubleday, Doran
7. H. M. PULHAM, ESQUIRE, by John P. Marquand. Little, Brown
8. MR. AND MRS. CUGAT, by Isabel Scott Rorick. Houghton Mifflin
9. SARATOGA TRUNK, by Edna Ferber. Doubleday, Doran
10. WINDSWEPT, by Mary Ellen Chase. Macmillan
Non-Fiction
1. BERLIN DIARY, by William L. Shirer. Knopf
2. THE WHITE CLIFFS, by Alice Duer Miller. Coward-McCann
3. OUT OF THE NIGHT, by Jan Valtin. Alliance Book Corp.
4. INSIDE LATIN AMERICA, by John Gunther. Harper
5. BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS, by Winston S. Churchill. Putnam
6. YOU CAN’T DO BUSINESS WITH HITLER, by Douglas S. Miller. Little, Brown
7. READING I’VE LIKED, ed. by Clifton Fadiman. Simon & Schuster
8. REVEILLE IN WASHINGTON, by Margaret Leech. Harper
9. EXIT LAUGHING, by Irvin S. Cobb. Bobbs-Merrill
10. MY SISTER AND I, by Dirk van der Heide. Harcourt, Brace
* * * * *
“Never had so many owed so much to so few” as England’s gallant airmen
defended their island. The worst threat of invasion was over but Germany
had attacked Russia and held nearly all the continent as her own
_Festung Europa_. One Sunday afternoon toward the end of the year, when
most American families had their radios tuned to the Philharmonic, came
the stunning announcement that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor.
The United States immediately entered the war against Japan, Germany,
and Italy. War books predominated the 1941 list of best sellers,
although we were actually at war only during the last month of the year.
In fiction two best-selling war novels, both by English authors, were in
second and third places. James Hilton had already written several best
sellers (his _Random Harvest_ was about World War I), but Eric Knight,
later killed in a plane crash, was best known as the author of an
outstanding dog story, _Lassie Come-Home_. First on the list was the
latest Cronin novel, rival in popularity to _The Citadel_. _The Keys of
the Kingdom_ sold 236,496 copies through the trade, plus 234,328 through
the Book-of-the-Month Club, whose membership had reached a figure far
beyond that of its early years. Marguerite Steen, author of many novels,
joined best sellers with a long historical novel. _For Whom the Bell
Tolls_ and _Oliver Wiswell_ appeared in their second year, and John P.
Marquand added another portrait of consequence to his gallery of
Bostonians. _Mr. and Mrs. Cugat_, from the pages of _The New Yorker_,
which more and more produced fiction and essays later made into popular
books (_Life with Father_ first appeared there), introduced another new
author. Edna Ferber had a story of old New Orleans, and Mary Ellen Chase
a second best seller about Maine. The war led in earnest in non-fiction.
Correspondent William Shirer’s _Berlin Diary_ made history by forming
opinion and preparing American understanding of one of the enemies with
whom we were to be at war by December. It sold 213,769 copies through
the bookstores, 236,496 through the Book-of-the-Month Club in 1941. _The
White Cliffs_, first Coward-McCann best seller on these lists, a
narrative poem of wartime England, later basis of a movie and a popular
song, made a record sale for a book of poetry, reaching 250,000 copies
in its first three years. The underground life of Gestapo vs. Communist
came into Jan Valtin’s _Out of the Night_. John Gunther followed his
_Inside Europe_ and _Inside Asia_ with a third best seller. American
interest in England’s great crisis was reflected in the sales of Prime
Minister Winston Churchill’s speeches. _You Can’t Do Business with
Hitler_ struck an important prewar note. The touching story of a Dutch
refugee boy, _My Sister and I_, a title which also inspired a popular
song of the day, made a total of seven books on the 1941 non-fiction
list that were concerned with the war in one way or another. The other
three places were filled by Clifton Fadiman’s anthology, _Reading I’ve
Liked_, arousing interest in a wide audience because of his great
popularity on “Information, Please!” and as book critic of _The New
Yorker_; by a historical portrait of Washington, D. C., _Reveille in
Washington_; and by the autobiography of a longtime favorite author and
humorist, Irvin S. Cobb.
1942
Fiction
1. THE SONG OF BERNADETTE, by Franz Werfel. Viking Press
2. THE MOON IS DOWN, by John Steinbeck. Viking Press
3. DRAGON SEED, by Pearl S. Buck. John Day
4. AND NOW TOMORROW, by Rachel Field. Macmillan
5. DRIVIN’ WOMAN, by Elizabeth Pickett. Macmillan
6. WINDSWEPT, by Mary Ellen Chase. Macmillan
7. THE ROBE, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Houghton Mifflin
8. THE SUN IS MY UNDOING, by Marguerite Steen. Viking Press
9. KINGS ROW, by Henry Bellamann. Simon & Schuster
10. THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM, by A. J. Cronin. Little, Brown
Non-Fiction
1. SEE HERE, PRIVATE HARGROVE, by Marion Hargrove. Holt
2. MISSION TO MOSCOW, by Joseph E. Davies. Simon & Schuster
3. THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS, by Elliot Paul. Random House
4. CROSS CREEK, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Scribner
5. VICTORY THROUGH AIR POWER, by Major Alexander P. de Seversky. Simon & Schuster
6. PAST IMPERFECT, by Ilka Chase. Doubleday, Doran
7. THEY WERE EXPENDABLE, by W. L. White. Harcourt, Brace
8. FLIGHT TO ARRAS, by Antoine de St. Exupery. Reynal & Hitchcock
9. WASHINGTON IS LIKE THAT, by W. M. Kiplinger. Harper
10. INSIDE LATIN AMERICA, by John Gunther. Harper
* * * * *
The early months of 1942 marked the low point of the war as far as the
United States was concerned. The Philippines were overrun after
MacArthur’s desperate stand on Corregidor, Australia and our lifelines
to that continent were threatened, and Singapore fell. Then in April we
struck our first offensive blow with the bombing of Tokyo. In August
came the first attack on Guadalcanal. Americans were introduced to
rationing, and pleasure-driving in automobiles was prohibited. Almost
unnoticed, ex-Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany died in exile. Again the appeal
of religious fiction was evidenced by the great sale of _The Song of
Bernadette_, which reached almost half a million copies in 1942. With
its reprint edition, timed for the release of a notable movie, it sold
over 900,000 in two years. John Steinbeck’s _The Moon Is Down_, later a
stage play, was a story of the German occupation of Norway which, like
_Bernadette_, approached the 500,000 mark in 1942. Pearl Buck’s novel of
war in China, _Dragon Seed_, sold around 400,000 copies in its original
edition and was also made into a notable 1944 movie. _The Robe_,
published in October, a novel of the time of Christ, started toward its
record-breaking sales figure--it was still high on best seller lists the
country over two years later. In that time it was never less than fifth
on the monthly National Best Seller List of _Publishers’ Weekly_, and it
passed the 1,000,000 mark on its second birthday. The rookie of World
War II, Private Hargrove, was the star of the hit book of 1942
non-fiction; sales in all editions went over 2,000,000, far
outdistancing the comparable _Dere Mable_ of World War I. Seven war
books dominated the non-fiction list. Besides _Private Hargrove_ there
were Ambassador Davies’ report on Russia (later a controversial movie);
_The Last Time I Saw Paris_ (first Random House best seller of these
lists), nostalgic portrait of the Paris that had been, by Elliot Paul,
whose _Life and Death of a Spanish Town_ had previously portrayed the
coming of fascism to Spain; _Victory Through Air Power_, a noted flyer,
plane designer, and manufacturer’s forecast of strategy; _They Were
Expendable_, first American record of personal exploit in World War II
to become a national best seller, by correspondent W. L. White, the
first book to be named an “Imperative” by the newly formed Council on
Books in Wartime; _Flight to Arras_, war experiences of the French
aviator who had written _Wind, Sand and Stars_; and _Inside Latin
America_ in its second year. Marjorie Rawlings, of _The Yearling_ fame
in fiction, contributed charming sketches of her Florida countryside. A
highly entertaining autobiography by a star of stage, movie, and radio,
and a picture of Washington life comprised the unwarlike part of the
list.
1943
Fiction
1. THE ROBE, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Houghton Mifflin
2. THE VALLEY OF DECISION, by Marcia Davenport. Scribner
3. SO LITTLE TIME, by John P. Marquand. Little, Brown
4. A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, by Betty Smith. Harper
5. THE HUMAN COMEDY, by William Saroyan. Harcourt, Brace
6. MRS. PARKINGTON, by Louis Bromfield. Harper
7. THE APOSTLE, by Sholem Asch. Putnam
8. HUNGRY HILL, by Daphne du Maurier. Doubleday, Doran
9. THE FOREST AND THE FORT, by Hervey Allen. Farrar & Rinehart
10. THE SONG OF BERNADETTE, by Franz Werfel. Viking Press
Non-Fiction
1. UNDER COVER, by John Roy Carlson. Dutton
2. ONE WORLD, by Wendell L. Willkie. Simon & Schuster
3. JOURNEY AMONG WARRIORS, by Eve Curie. Doubleday, Doran
4. ON BEING A REAL PERSON, by Harry Emerson Fosdick. Harper
5. GUADALCANAL DIARY, by Richard Tregaskis. Random House
6. BURMA SURGEON, by Lt. Col. Gordon Seagrave. Norton
7. OUR HEARTS WERE YOUNG AND GAY, by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough. Dodd, Mead
8. U.S. FOREIGN POLICY, by Walter Lippmann. Little, Brown
9. HERE IS YOUR WAR, by Ernie Pyle. Holt
10. SEE HERE, PRIVATE HARGROVE, by Marion Hargrove. Holt
* * * * *
With the landing of a great Allied armada in North Africa came the
turning point of the war. Our troops moved on into Sicily and Italy,
and, from Britain, Germany and the occupied countries of Europe were
blasted from the air. In the Pacific our Navy began moving in on
Jap-held islands. Again a religious novel topped fiction--_The Robe_,
which had been published late the previous year. With paper supply cut
to 90 per cent of the 1942 level, Houghton Mifflin was hard put to it to
meet the demand. As new printings of _The Robe_ appeared, the book
shrank in height and thickness, though the text was not cut. Marcia
Davenport was a new best-selling author whose _Valley of Decision_,
story of a Pennsylvania mine-owning family, met with great success. The
daughter of Alma Gluck, she had already written two well-liked books
with musical background, a biography of Mozart and a novel, _Of Lena
Geyer_. By the end of 1943, _Valley of Decision_ had been on 14
consecutive monthly lists and _Bernadette_ on 13. Novels reflected the
war only slightly; it was the background for only two best sellers of
the year, _So Little Time_, in which John Marquand deserted his
customary Boston scene, and William Saroyan’s tender and moving story of
a California family, which became a memorable movie as well. This was
Saroyan’s first appearance on an annual best seller list. A new author
with a first novel whose title was to become as familiar as _Gone with
the Wind_ was Betty Smith, who put neglected Brooklyn on the fiction
map. The four other authors were all familiar names among best
sellers--Sholem Asch with his second religious novel, Daphne du Maurier
with the successor to _Rebecca_, Hervey Allen with the first book of his
projected series of American historical novels, and Franz Werfel with
_The Song of Bernadette_ in its second year. Three novels on the 1943
list were religious in theme. Only two titles on the non-fiction list
were not “war books.” These were Dr. Fosdick’s _On Being a Real Person_,
which sold over 200,000, and the gay reminiscences of a trip to
pre-World War I Europe by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough.
_Under Cover_, an opinion-making report of subversive activities in this
country, sold 600,000 copies in its original edition. Wendell Willkie’s
wartime trip around the world created an eager market for his report,
which reached over 1,500,000 copies. Since it was published
simultaneously in a cloth and a paperbound edition, the latter greatly
outselling the former and having a wide newsstand and drugstore sale,
Willkie’s book might well have stood at the head of this list. But these
lists are based upon bookstore sales only, and therefore the reports on
_Under Cover_ outdistanced those on _One World_. _One World_ was also an
“Imperative” of the Council on Books in Wartime, has been translated
into sixteen languages, and has sold 3,000,000 copies throughout the
world. Eve Curie was again a best seller, this time with an account of
her trip to the war fronts of the globe. _Guadalcanal Diary_ was a
correspondent’s report of our hard-fought campaign. _Burma Surgeon_
related the experiences of a doctor who became an Army medical officer
when the Japanese took over the country in which he had labored long as
a medical missionary. Walter Lippmann, influential newspaper columnist
who had been a best seller in 1929 with _A Preface to Morals_, gave his
views on what our foreign policy had been and should be, another Council
“Imperative.” In _Here Is Your War_ newspaperman Ernie Pyle revealed the
human qualities of the infantryman as he saw them in North Africa--a
book that found country-wide response as had the newspaper articles upon
which it was based. _See Here, Private Hargrove_ was still going strong
in its second year.
1944
Fiction
1. STRANGE FRUIT, by Lillian Smith. Reynal & Hitchcock
2. THE ROBE, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Houghton Mifflin
3. A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, by Betty Smith. Harper
4. FOREVER AMBER, by Kathleen Winsor. Macmillan
5. THE RAZOR’S EDGE, by W. Somerset Maugham. Doubleday, Doran
6. THE GREEN YEARS, by A. J. Cronin. Little, Brown
7. LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN, by Ben Ames Williams. Houghton Mifflin
8. GREEN DOLPHIN STREET, by Elizabeth Goudge. Coward-McCann
9. A BELL FOR ADANO, by John Hersey. Knopf
10. THE APOSTLE, by Sholem Asch. Putnam
Non-Fiction
1. I NEVER LEFT HOME, by Bob Hope. Simon & Schuster; Home Guide
2. BRAVE MEN, by Ernie Pyle. Holt
3. GOOD NIGHT, SWEET PRINCE, by Gene Fowler. Viking Press
4. UNDER COVER, by John Roy Carlson. Dutton
5. YANKEE FROM OLYMPUS, by Catherine Drinker Bowen. Little, Brown
6. THE TIME FOR DECISION, by Sumner Welles. Harper
7. HERE IS YOUR WAR, by Ernie Pyle. Holt
8. ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM, by Margaret Landon. John Day
9. THE CURTAIN RISES, by Quentin Reynolds. Random House
10. TEN YEARS IN JAPAN, by Joseph C. Grew. Simon & Schuster
* * * * *
The news of the invasion of northern Europe that the world had been
waiting and hoping for so long was broadcast early on the morning of
June 6. With the Allies closing in on Germany from all sides, confidence
rose that the end of the war was in sight. In the fall, as Dewey and
Roosevelt campaigned for the Presidency, two influential and greatly
admired men on the national political scene died within a few days of
each other, Al Smith and Wendell Willkie, the latter also the author of
one of the great best sellers, _One World_. _Strange Fruit_, poignant
first novel of white and black in the South, published by the
comparatively new firm of Reynal & Hitchcock, was first on the fiction
list of the year. It was later banned in Boston as was another first
novel, fourth among best sellers, _Forever Amber_. Kathleen Winsor was
the much publicized and photogenic author of _Forever Amber_, a novel of
Restoration England which emphasized the bawdiness of the period. There
were two religious novels on the list--_The Robe_ in its third year of
best-sellerdom and _The Apostle_ in its second. Another first novel, _A
Tree Grows in Brooklyn_, was in third place. It had been fourth the year
before. The war was the background in only two novels, in _The Razor’s
Edge_ and in _A Bell for Adano_, which was John Hersey’s first novel but
third book about the war. It was the story of an American AMG officer in
Italy and of the problems he faced in administering the affairs of a
region recently swept of the Nazis. Ben Ames Williams, long a favorite
fiction and magazine writer, appeared on a yearly list for the first
time. _Green Dolphin Street_ was a historical novel which won for its
author, Elizabeth Goudge, the $125,000 prize offered by the film
producers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. War books of 1944, seven out of the ten
in non-fiction, were notable because of their timeliness, their coverage
of the diverse phases of the war, and their excellence of presentation.
One was written by a comedian who journeyed to the war fronts to
entertain the troops, three by war correspondents, one by an
investigator of subversive activities, and two by statesmen. Bob Hope’s
book, published in a paper as well as a cloth edition, far outstripped
the rest in sales, going well over the million mark. Ernie Pyle was the
newspaperman responsible for two books on the list. He was awarded a
Pulitzer Prize for his reporting from the war fronts. Quentin Reynolds
had written many excellent books, from the war correspondent’s vantage
point, since the start of the war, but not until _The Curtain Rises_ was
published did he make the annual list. The books by former Under
Secretary of State Sumner Welles and former Ambassador Grew were
outstanding examples of those which, like _Berlin Diary_ and _One
World_, influenced American thinking. First of the three non-war books
of the year was _Good Night, Sweet Prince_, a biography of one of the
most famous stars of stage and screen, John Barrymore of the glamorous
theatrical family. The other two non-war books were also biographies.
_Yankee from Olympus_, in fifth place, was primarily the story of
Justice Holmes but included as well other members of a family that held
a prominent place in American life and letters over many years. _Anna
and the King of Siam_ was the interesting story of a woman who went to
Siam in the 19th century as governess to the King’s daughters. It
became, many years later, basis of the popular musical, and then the
movie, _The King and I_.
1945
Fiction
1. FOREVER AMBER, by Kathleen Winsor. Macmillan
2. THE ROBE, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Houghton Mifflin
3. THE BLACK ROSE, by Thomas B. Costain. Doubleday
4. THE WHITE TOWER, by James Ramsey Ullman. Lippincott
5. CASS TIMBERLANE, by Sinclair Lewis. Random House
6. A LION IS IN THE STREETS, by Adria Locke Langley. Whittlesey House
7. SO WELL REMEMBERED, by James Hilton. Little, Brown
8. CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE, by Samuel Shellabarger. Little, Brown
9. EARTH AND HIGH HEAVEN, by Gwethalyn Graham. Lippincott
10. IMMORTAL WIFE, by Irving Stone. Doubleday
Non-Fiction
1. BRAVE MEN, by Ernie Pyle. Holt
2. DEAR SIR, by Juliet Lowell. Duell, Sloan & Pearce
3. UP FRONT, by Bill Mauldin. Holt
4. BLACK BOY, by Richard Wright. Harper
5. TRY AND STOP ME, by Bennett Cerf. Simon & Schuster
6. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, by George and Helen Papashvily. Harper
7. GENERAL MARSHALL’S REPORT. Simon & Schuster
8. THE EGG AND I, by Betty MacDonald. Lippincott
9. THE THURBER CARNIVAL, by James Thurber. Harper
10. PLEASANT VALLEY, by Louis Bromfield. Harper
* * * * *
The world was shocked at Roosevelt’s death at Warm Springs in April. The
long-awaited VE day came in May and, in August, VJ day, after the atomic
bomb had exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The UN charter was signed
in San Francisco. War shortages still prevailed in the book industry;
though “thin” books were necessary to conserve paper and other
production materials a very “fat” book was 1945’s best-selling novel,
the already-famous _Forever Amber_, selling 868,630 copies in its second
year. Two hundred and seventy thousand copies of the second novel on the
1945 list were sold during that year, also its second year, bringing the
total of _The Robe_ close to 2,000,000 at that time. These two novels at
the top of the 1945 list were the only ones that year that were not book
club selections or dividends or issued in the Armed Services Editions of
which 90,000,000 books had been distributed to men in the service. Three
new novelists appeared during the year--James Ramsey Ullman, Adria Locke
Langley, and Gwethalyn Graham--most of the others were well-known and
popular writers. There were no war novels on the 1945 fiction list;
historical fiction predominated. War books, however, took first, second,
third and seventh places in non-fiction. _Brave Men_, published late in
1944 and second for that year, sold 687,450 copies through the
bookstores, and, with its book club sales, well over a million. _Dear
Sir_, the little book of war humor, unexpectedly showed up with the
total of 654,391. The leading autobiography of 1945, _Black Boy_, sold
195,000 copies, and, with book club, 546,000. _General Marshall’s
Report_ sold 133,770 copies, of which 15,000 were clothbound, 118,770,
paper-bound--representing a trend toward two editions, in cloth and
paper, of a single title which was further developed in succeeding
years. In general non-fiction did not attain the high sales of fiction,
though _Brave Men_ (its author had been killed early in the year by a
Japanese sniper’s bullet) outdistanced every book in both
classifications.
1946
Fiction
1. THE KING’S GENERAL, by Daphne du Maurier. Doubleday
2. THIS SIDE OF INNOCENCE, by Taylor Caldwell. Scribner
3. THE RIVER ROAD, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. Messner
4. THE MIRACLE OF THE BELLS, by Russell Janney. Prentice-Hall
5. THE HUCKSTERS, by Frederic Wakeman. Rinehart
6. THE FOXES OF HARROW, by Frank Yerby. Dial Press
7. ARCH OF TRIUMPH, by Erich Maria Remarque. Appleton-Century
8. THE BLACK ROSE, by Thomas B. Costain. Doubleday
9. B. F.’S DAUGHTER, by John P. Marquand. Little, Brown
10. THE SNAKE PIT, by Mary Jane Ward. Random House
Non-Fiction
1. THE EGG AND I, by Betty MacDonald. Lippincott
2. PEACE OF MIND, by Joshua L. Liebman. Simon & Schuster
3. AS HE SAW IT, by Elliott Roosevelt. Duell, Sloan & Pearce
4. THE ROOSEVELT I KNEW, by Frances Perkins. Viking Press
5. LAST CHAPTER, by Ernie Pyle. Holt
6. STARLING OF THE WHITE HOUSE, by Thomas Sugrue and Col. Edmund Starling. Simon & Schuster
7. I CHOSE FREEDOM, by Victor Kravchenko. Scribner
8. THE ANATOMY OF PEACE, by Emery Reves. Harper
9. TOP SECRET, by Ralph Ingersoll. Harcourt, Brace
10. A SOLO IN TOM-TOMS, by Gene Fowler. Viking Press
* * * * *
1946 was the year in which the American public first listened to an
atomic explosion--at Bikini Atoll, via radio, in which Mother Cabrini
was the first American citizen to be raised to sainthood and in which
the end of World War II was officially proclaimed by President Truman.
_Call Me Mister_ and _Annie Get Your Gun_ were popular stage productions
and _The Best Years of Our Lives_, the movie of the year. Daphne du
Maurier, whose _The King’s General_ headed the 1946 best seller list,
was a novelist familiar to readers of best sellers. Her _Hungry Hill_
was a best seller of 1943 and her famous _Rebecca_ appeared on the lists
of both 1938 and 1939. Through the bookstores, 228,235 copies of _The
King’s General_ were sold in 1946; including sales through three book
clubs, its total was 1,095,571. Besides _The King’s General_, there were
four other historical novels on the 1946 list of best-selling fiction.
_This Side of Innocence_, by Taylor Caldwell, took second place with a
bookstore sale of about 221,000 copies. This novel had, in addition, the
largest sale ever attained at that time by any Literary Guild selection,
over 1,055,000, making a grand total of 1,276,000. Another longtime
popular novelist, Frances Parkinson Keyes, reached the annual list for
the first time with her _River Road_, with sales of 225,000, plus a book
club sale adding up to 950,000. Fourth of the historical novels was a
first novel by Frank Yerby, later to become one of the biggest-selling
novelists of the ’40’s and ’50’s. _The Foxes of Harrow_ sold 172,000
through the bookstores, and, with sales from three book clubs, attained
a total of 1,200,000 during the year. Eighth was _The Black Rose_, a
Thomas B. Costain historical. A widely publicized first novel, _The
Miracle of the Bells_, by Russell Janney, reached fourth place, the only
title on the fiction list which was not the selection of any book club.
Another writer new to the best seller lists, Frederic Wakeman, had a
trade sale of over 180,000 for his _The Hucksters_, with a total of
712,434, with book club sales. _Arch of Triumph_, by Erich Maria
Remarque, whose great novel of World War I, _All Quiet on the Western
Front_, topped the 1929 best seller list, was in seventh place. _B. F.’s
Daughter_, by John P. Marquand, a favorite novelist, sold 129,000 copies
through the trade plus 680,000 book club copies, a total of 809,000.
_The Snake Pit_, by Mary Jane Ward, making her first appearance on the
list and starting a trend for psychiatric novels, sold about 125,000,
which, with the book club sale, made a total of 600,000. All these
figures for fiction in the first postwar year seemed staggering in the
cold light of less prosperous earlier and later years. With production
problems still keeping publishers busy trying to keep up with demand,
books were sold in quantities never before reached, though the actual
number of new titles was at its lowest in about 40 years. Said
_Publishers’ Weekly_, “Never before have so few titles gone to so many
readers ... the major book clubs ... think nothing of printing a
half-million copies of a current selection.” Nonfiction figures were not
quite so startling. Though Betty MacDonald’s first book, _The Egg and
I_, sold 496,000 copies through the bookstores and a total of 1,038,500
with its book club sale, Joshua L. Liebman’s _Peace of Mind_, which was
to be the non-fiction best seller of 1947 and still on the annual list
in 1948, reached second place with a mere 242,000 copies. There were two
biographies of the late President among 1946 best sellers, and a volume
of White House reminiscences, two war books, a book on the peace, and
two biographies, one a Russian political autobiography.
1947
Fiction
1. THE MIRACLE OF THE BELLS, by Russell Janney. Prentice-Hall
2. THE MONEYMAN, by Thomas B. Costain. Doubleday
3. GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT, by Laura Z. Hobson. Simon & Schuster
4. LYDIA BAILEY, by Kenneth Roberts, Doubleday
5. THE VIXENS, by Frank Yerby. Dial Press
6. THE WAYWARD BUS, by John Steinbeck. Viking Press
7. HOUSE DIVIDED, by Ben Ames Williams. Houghton Mifflin
8. KINGSBLOOD ROYAL, by Sinclair Lewis. Random House
9. EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE, by Marcia Davenport. Scribner
10. PRINCE OF FOXES, by Samuel Shellabarger. Little, Brown
Non-Fiction
1. PEACE OF MIND, by Joshua L. Liebman. Simon & Schuster
2. INFORMATION PLEASE ALMANAC, 1947, ed. by John Kieran. Garden City Publishing Co.
3. INSIDE U.S.A., by John Gunther. Harper
4. A STUDY OF HISTORY, by Arnold J. Toynbee. Oxford University Press
5. SPEAKING FRANKLY, by James F. Byrnes. Harper
6. HUMAN DESTINY, by Pierre Lecomte du Nouy. Longmans, Green
7. THE EGG AND I, by Betty MacDonald. Lippincott
8. THE AMERICAN PAST, by Roger Butterfield. Simon & Schuster
9. THE FIRESIDE BOOK OF FOLK SONGS, ed. by Margaret B. Boni. Simon & Schuster
10. TOGETHER, by Katharine T. Marshall. Tupper & Love
* * * * *
The Taft-Hartley Act was passed by Congress in 1947 and the Marshall
Plan announced; the Freedom Train, exhibiting the great historical
documents of the U.S.A., and the Friendship Train, bearing food for
devastated Europe, were started on their ways. Street-cars disappeared
from Manhattan Island and flying saucers were seen in the sky. New
Yorkers went to the theatre to see _All My Sons_, _A Streetcar Named
Desire_ and the first plays by Gian-Carlo Menotti to be produced here.
Henry Ford died at his home in Michigan, leaving an estate of over 500
million dollars. Titles which rang up most sales in the bookstores
during 1947 were _The Miracle of the Bells_, a first novel by Russell
Janney, in fiction, and _Peace of Mind_, by Rabbi Liebman, in
non-fiction. The non-fiction title outsold the fiction title by about
30,000 copies. Both books were also on the 1946 best seller list. _The
Miracle of the Bells_ had a larger sale, one of over 240,000 copies, in
its second year. With book club sales it had reached an overall figure,
by the end of 1947, of approximately 400,000. Only two novels and three
books of non-fiction on the combined list had no book club or
extra-bookstore sales whatsoever. Half the fiction list in 1947 was made
up of historical novels. Thomas B. Costain’s _The Moneyman_, in second
place in fiction, selling 185,000 through the trade, started out with an
advance sale double that of his earlier historical romance, _The Black
Rose_. The other historical novels on the 1947 list were _Lydia Bailey_,
_The Vixens_, _House Divided_, and _Prince of Foxes_, all by well-known
and popular authors. _The Vixens_ sold 152,706 copies through
bookstores, plus over 125,000 Fiction Book Club sale. _House Divided_,
one of the two “bookstore only” novels on the list, sold just over
125,000. _Prince of Foxes_ sold 107,000 copies--with its Literary Guild
sales, over 1,125,000. The heightened postwar interest in problems of
race relations was reflected in the sale of _Gentleman’s Agreement_, by
Laura Z. Hobson, dealing with Jewish-Gentile relations, and _Kingsblood
Royal_, in which Sinclair Lewis presented the dilemma of a white man who
discovered that he had Negro blood. _Gentleman’s Agreement_ sold 172,615
copies through bookstores, over a million in 1947 through all media. The
Lewis book had an overall sale of about 800,000, of which 115,000 were
sold in the stores. _The Wayward Bus_, by John Steinbeck, sold 520,000,
including trade, book club, and Armed Services Editions. _East Side,
West Side_, by Marcia Davenport, the other of the two “bookstore only”
novels, had a sale of approximately 111,000. _Peace of Mind_, one of the
first of the big sellers in the “inspirational” market that boomed in
the ’40’s and ’50’s, had a bigger sale in its second year in the
bookstores, 270,669. Its overall sale by the end of 1947 was 577,693.
Nearly 300,000 copies of the first _Information Please Almanac_ were
sold--the famous radio program was at the height of its popularity--and
the _Almanac_ was the second best seller of that year. John Gunther’s
1947 “Inside” book, _Inside U.S.A._, was in third place, with 187,000
copies printed. It was among the four non-fiction best sellers which may
be roughly classified as historical and political. The others were
Arnold Toynbee’s _A Study of History_, with 123,000 trade sale plus
60,000 book club; _Speaking Frankly_, Secretary of State Byrnes’ memoirs
of the war years, with 125,000 printed; and _The American Past_, picture
history by Roger Butterfield, with a sale of about 68,000. Besides
_Peace of Mind_, another religious book was a big 1947 seller. _Human
Destiny_, by Pierre Lecomte du Nouy, reached sixth place with a sale of
105,000 and a book club printing of 320,000. _The Egg and I_, which had
been the 1946 leader in non-fiction, appeared again in 1947 with sales
of 101,138 copies in that year. Its two-year total was in the
neighborhood of a million and a quarter. Besides the MacDonald book, the
only other 1947 best seller which could be classified as biography, a
category that formerly dominated non-fiction lists, was _Together_, the
life of General Marshall written by his wife. It sold 59,156 copies
through the stores, 300,000 with its book club sales.
1948
Fiction
1. THE BIG FISHERMAN, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Houghton Mifflin
2. THE NAKED AND THE DEAD, by Norman Mailer. Rinehart
3. DINNER AT ANTOINE’S, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. Messner
4. THE BISHOP’S MANTLE, by Agnes Sligh Turnbull. Macmillan
5. TOMORROW WILL BE BETTER, by Betty Smith. Harper
6. THE GOLDEN HAWK, by Frank Yerby. Dial Press
7. RAINTREE COUNTY, by Ross Lockridge, Jr. Houghton Mifflin
8. SHANNON’S WAY, by A. J. Cronin. Little, Brown
9. PILGRIM’S INN, by Elizabeth Goudge. Coward-McCann
10. THE YOUNG LIONS, by Irwin Shaw. Random House
Non-Fiction
1. CRUSADE IN EUROPE, by Dwight D. Eisenhower. Doubleday
2. HOW TO STOP WORRYING AND START LIVING, by Dale Carnegie. Simon & Schuster
3. PEACE OF MIND, by Joshua L. Liebman. Simon & Schuster
4. SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN THE HUMAN MALE, by A. C. Kinsey and others. Saunders
5. WINE, WOMEN AND WORDS, by Billy Rose. Simon & Schuster
6. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE SHMOO, by Al Capp. Simon & Schuster
7. THE GATHERING STORM, by Winston Churchill. Houghton Mifflin
8. ROOSEVELT AND HOPKINS, by Robert E. Sherwood. Harper
9. A GUIDE TO CONFIDENT LIVING, by Norman Vincent Peale. Prentice-Hall
10. THE PLAGUE AND I, by Betty MacDonald. Lippincott
* * * * *
Americans were talking about the “pumpkin papers” in the Chambers-Hiss
case in 1948, watching and listening to the first symphony and opera
telecasts. They were seeing _Mister Roberts_ and _Kiss Me Kate_ on the
stage. _Slow Boat to China_, _Nature Boy_ and Citation became familiar
words. Published in mid-November of 1948, Lloyd C. Douglas’s second
Biblical novel _The Big Fisherman_ outdistanced all the other fiction
titles of that year. It had an advance of 245,000 copies and, by the end
of the year, had sold 366,692. Comparable figures for _The Robe_, issued
in 1942, were an advance of 42,000 and a sale of about 100,000 by the
end of the year. _The Robe_ was a best seller for 32 months, a record
only bettered in later years by _Peace of Mind_ and _The Power of
Positive Thinking_ by Dr. Peale. The first postwar novel about World War
II to make the annual list was in second place. This was _The Naked and
the Dead_, by Norman Mailer, a new writer who received a great deal of
important critical attention. His book sold 137,185 copies in the stores
plus about 60,000 through the Book Find Club. Another World War II novel
and also a first novel, though its author, Irwin Shaw, was well known as
a playwright and short story writer, reached tenth place on the list.
His _The Young Lions_ had a sale of 78,050 in 1948. There was another
first novelist on 1948’s list, also highly regarded by the critics, Ross
Lockridge, Jr., who committed suicide not long after his _Raintree
County_ had achieved great success. All the rest of the best-selling
novels of 1948 were by authors of longtime popularity. Frances Parkinson
Keyes’ _Dinner at Antoine’s_ was in third place with a sale of 114,249
copies. It was followed by Agnes Sligh Turnbull’s novel with a religious
theme, _The Bishop’s Mantle_, which sold over 100,000 copies through the
trade, its Dollar Book Club and other sales bringing it close to the
million mark. Betty Smith’s successor to _A Tree Grows in Brooklyn_,
_Tomorrow Will Be Better_, was fifth. With its bookstore sale of 102,163
and its Dollar Book Club sales, Frank Yerby’s _The Golden Hawk_ passed
the million mark, making it probably the best-selling novel of the year
in sales to the public through all media. Memoirs of the war and war
years were prominent among the non-fiction best sellers of the year.
General Eisenhower’s _Crusade in Europe_ topped them with sales in a
little over a month, of 239,265 copies plus a large book club sale.
Prime Minister Churchill’s first volume in his great history of World
War II, _The Gathering Storm_, was seventh on the list, and Robert E.
Sherwood’s _Roosevelt and Hopkins_, eighth. The trend toward big sales
for books on man’s intimate psychological, spiritual, and physical
problems accelerated. Four books on the list could be placed in such
categories: _How to Stop Worrying and Start Living_, _Peace of Mind_,
_Sexual Behavior in the Human Male_, and _A Guide to Confident Living_.
Dale Carnegie’s book followed his great success, _How to Win Friends and
Influence People_, with a sale of 235,636 in its first year. Joshua
Liebman’s _Peace of Mind_, in its third year as a leading seller was
close behind it with 227,705. Book phenomenon of the year, the Kinsey
Report, sold about 225,000 copies. Dr. Peale’s first best seller, _A
Guide to Confident Living_, had sales of 78,000 copies in 1948. Three
books in lighter moods completed the list: entrepreneur Billy Rose’s
_Wine, Women and Words_, with sales of 155,655, of which only 28,149
were clothbound copies; cartoonist Al Capp’s _The Life and Times of the
Shmoo_, selling 141,977 in paper covers; and egg fancier Betty
MacDonald’s _The Plague and I_.
1949
Fiction
1. THE EGYPTIAN, by Mika Waltari. Putnam
2. THE BIG FISHERMAN, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Houghton Mifflin
3. MARY, by Sholem Asch. Putnam
4. A RAGE TO LIVE, by John O’Hara. Random House
5. POINT OF NO RETURN, by John P. Marquand. Little, Brown
6. DINNER AT ANTOINE’S, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. Messner
7. HIGH TOWERS, by Thomas B. Costain. Doubleday
8. CUTLASS EMPIRE, by Van Wyck Mason. Doubleday
9. PRIDE’S CASTLE, by Frank Yerby. Dial Press
10. FATHER OF THE BRIDE, by Edward Streeter. Simon & Schuster
Non-Fiction
1. WHITE COLLAR ZOO, by Clare Barnes, Jr. Doubleday
2. HOW TO WIN AT CANASTA, by Oswald Jacoby. Doubleday
3. THE SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN, by Thomas Merton. Harcourt, Brace
4. HOME SWEET ZOO, by Clare Barnes, Jr. Doubleday
5. CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. Crowell
6. THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD, by Fulton Oursler. Doubleday
7. CANASTA, THE ARGENTINE RUMMY GAME, by Ottilie H. Reilly. Ives Washburn
8. CANASTA, by Josephine Artayeta de Viel and Ralph Michael. Pellegrini & Cudahy
9. PEACE OF SOUL, by Fulton J. Sheen. Whittlesey House
10. A GUIDE TO CONFIDENT LIVING, by Norman Vincent Peale. Prentice-Hall
* * * * *
As President Truman began a second term, people were disturbed by high
coffee prices and returned to coffee hoarding. New Yorkers were asked to
hoard water because of shortage--until the disastrous floods came to
the northeastern states in the latter part of 1949. Tickets for _South
Pacific_, the biggest musical hit in years, were only obtainable at
impossible prices. Historical novels came back into their own in 1949,
comprising more than half the fiction list, two of the six built on
Biblical characters. Best-selling novel was _The Egyptian_, by Mika
Waltari. It was a story of ancient Egypt and the Near East, a
translation from the Finnish of a writer not previously published in
this country. Though sales of _The Big Fisherman_ were much smaller in
1949 than in 1948, when it topped the annual list, it was, nevertheless,
second for the year, selling 162,615 in comparison with 1948’s 366,692.
Another Biblical novel, _Mary_, by Sholem Asch, was third. Historical
romances by the perennially best-selling authors, Costain, Mason, and
Yerby were in seventh, eighth and ninth places. _High Towers_ had a
trade sale of 84,710 plus a Dollar Book Club sale of 824,434. _Cutlass
Empire_ also had a large book club sale in addition to its 80,668
through bookstores. _Pride’s Castle_ sold 73,503 plus a Dollar Book Club
sale that brought it up over the million mark. On a theme far from
Biblical was modern novelist John O’Hara’s _A Rage to Live_. Its sales
were 135,000 copies. _Point of No Return_, by John P. Marquand, later to
be the basis of a very successful stage play, as was his _Late George
Apley_, was fifth with 128,164 copies sold through the trade and a total
sale, including book club, of 528,164. _Dinner at Antoine’s_, which had
been third on the 1948 list, sold 95,000 more copies in 1949. With its
Dollar Book Club sale it reached over a million. Thirty-one years after
his big seller of World War I, _Dere Mable_, appeared on the best seller
list, Edward Streeter reappeared with his entertaining novel, _Father of
the Bride_ (later a movie), which sold 73,281 copies plus
Book-of-the-Month Club distribution. Feature of 1949 non-fiction was the
predominance of what could be called non-reading books--picture books
and game books. The hilarious “Zoo” books by Clare Barnes, Jr.,
photographs of animals caricaturing certain moments of humans, were the
big hits of the year. _White Collar Zoo_ took first place with its sale
of 395,000 copies. _Home Sweet Zoo_, published on December 2, wound up
in fourth place, selling 262,000 copies in the last month of the year.
The Canasta craze that hit the U.S. was reflected in the appearance of
three Canasta books. Oswald Jacoby’s _How to Win at Canasta_ was second
with a sale of 385,333. _Canasta, the Argentine Rummy Game_, by Ottilie
H. Reilly, sold 206,000 copies. _Canasta_, by Josephine Artayeta de Viel
and Ralph Michael, sold over 200,000 in the bookstores and, in a cheaper
edition, about 400,000 more through other outlets. Thomas Merton’s _The
Seven Storey Mountain_ led the religious titles which made up most of
the remainder of the non-fiction list. It sold 307,400 copies in 1949.
Fulton Oursler’s _The Greatest Story Ever Told_ was sixth with 205,426
sold through the trade, 286,906 through book clubs. _Peace of Soul_, the
then Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen’s rejoinder to Dr. Liebman’s _Peace of
Mind_, was ninth with a total of 182,652. _A Guide to Confident Living_,
which had been ninth on the 1948 list, was tenth in 1949, selling
158,000 copies, 15,000 of them in the month of December. The remaining
“reading” book on the list, in fact the only one not religious, not a
picture or game book, was the humorous family biography, _Cheaper by the
Dozen_, by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. It sold
241,093 copies in the stores and 257,000 through the Book-of-the-Month
Club.
1950
Fiction
1. THE CARDINAL, by Henry Morton Robinson. Simon & Schuster
2. JOY STREET, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. Messner
3. ACROSS THE RIVER AND INTO THE TREES, by Ernest Hemingway. Scribner
4. THE WALL, by John Hersey. Knopf
5. STAR MONEY, by Kathleen Winsor. Appleton-Century-Crofts
6. THE PARASITES, by Daphne du Maurier. Doubleday
7. FLOODTIDE, by Frank Yerby. Dial Press
8. JUBILEE TRAIL, by Gwen Bristow. Crowell
9. THE ADVENTURER, by Mika Waltari. Putnam
10. THE DISENCHANTED, by Budd Schulberg. Random House
Non-Fiction
1. BETTY CROCKER’S PICTURE COOK BOOK. McGraw-Hill
2. THE BABY. Simon & Schuster
3. LOOK YOUNGER, LIVE LONGER, by Gayelord Hauser. Farrar, Straus & Young
4. HOW I RAISED MYSELF FROM FAILURE TO SUCCESS IN SELLING, by Frank Bettger. Prentice-Hall
5. KON-TIKI, by Thor Heyerdahl. Rand McNally
6. MR. JONES, MEET THE MASTER, by Peter Marshall. Revell
7. YOUR DREAM HOME, by Hubbard Cobb. Wise
8. THE MATURE MIND, by H. A. Overstreet. Norton
9. CAMPUS ZOO, by Clare Barnes, Jr. Doubleday
10. BELLES ON THEIR TOES, by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. Crowell
* * * * *
Television came into its own in 1950 with the tremendous interest shown
in the Kefauver committee’s crime investigation hearings. The President
recalled General MacArthur after the start of the Korean War and
authorized continued work on the H bomb. The theatre-in-the-round was
arousing interest, and people were humming _Goodnight, Irene_.
Heavyweight champion Joe Louis met defeat before the gloves of Ezzard
Charles. George Bernard Shaw died at the age of 94. The majority of the
1950 fiction best sellers were modern stories in contrast to the
predominance of historical novels in 1949. _The Cardinal_, top seller of
the year, was by an author new to the best seller lists, as also were
_Jubilee Trail_ and _The Disenchanted_. All the others were by authors
who had appeared on annual best seller lists at least once. Trade
interest in _The Cardinal_ was heightened by its publication in both
cloth and paperbound editions, the first major trial of this
merchandising method for a best-selling novel. It sold 435,516 copies in
paper, 152,879 in cloth, a total of 588,395. Frances Parkinson Keyes’
_Joy Street_, second in fiction sales, reached its place with only one
month in the bookstores. It was published on December 1 with an advance
of 110,000. Re-orders made its total, by the end of the year, 140,285.
Third and fourth were two novels by well-known writers in which World
War II was the background--a much less important background in Ernest
Hemingway’s _Across the River and Into the Trees_ than in John Hersey’s
fine novel of the Jewish quarter in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. _Across the
River and Into the Trees_ sold 104,000 copies. _The Wall_ sold 97,860
plus a Book-of-the-Month Club distribution of 230,000. Kathleen Winsor
followed up the success of _Forever Amber_ with the story of a modern
girl, _Star Money_. The total sale of _The Parasites_ by Daphne du
Maurier, including that of the Book League, was 401,891. Its trade sale
was 82,347 copies. From seventh to ninth places came the only
best-selling historical novels of the year. Frank Yerby’s _Floodtide_,
81,000, outsold his _Pride’s Castle_ of 1949. In addition, it had a
large Dollar Book Club sale. _Jubilee Trail_, by Gwen Bristow, was over
half a million with its Literary Guild copies. Ninth was _The
Adventurer_, by Mika Waltari, whose _The Egyptian_ had topped the 1949
list. Budd Schulberg’s novel, presumably based on the life of F. Scott
Fitzgerald _The Disenchanted_, wound up the fiction. It sold 70,000
through the trade, 255,000 including book club copies. Again in 1950
“reading” books were scarce among the top ten sellers in non-fiction.
Eight out of the ten fell into “how to,” picture book, or “self-help”
categories, if the Marshall and Overstreet books may be included in the
last-named group. The two remaining titles, _Kon-Tiki_, by Thor
Heyerdahl and _Belles on Their Toes_, by the Gilbreth writing team, sold
respectively 128,848 copies and over 300,000 with book club copies.
Leading the bookstore list of 1950 non-fiction best sellers was _Betty
Crocker’s Picture Cook Book_, with a trade sale of 300,000. General
Mills sold about 200,000 more. _The Baby_, humorous picture book, sold
about 250,000 copies in the bookstores, with a sale, including
newsstands, of 322,236. _Look Younger, Live Longer_, by Gayelord Hauser,
sold about 200,000 copies in bookstores, with its health food store
sale, 275,135. Frank Bettger’s _How I Raised Myself from Failure to
Success in Selling_, in fourth position, sold 195,000 copies. Sixth was
_Mr. Jones, Meet the Master_, by Peter Marshall, reaching a sale of
125,000. _Your Dream Home_, by Hubbard Cobb, sold over 100,000 copies
through bookstores, close to one million by mail, making it actually the
top best seller of the year through all channels. _The Mature Mind_, by
H. A. Overstreet, was the only title among the first ten that appeared
on every monthly list through 1950. It sold 91,341 copies plus a
Book-of-the-Month Club sale of 247,500. _Campus Zoo_, another humorous
picture book, compiled by Clare Barnes, Jr., two of whose “Zoo” books
were on the 1949 list, sold 81,724.
1951
Fiction
1. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, by James Jones. Scribner
2. THE CAINE MUTINY, by Herman Wouk. Doubleday
3. MOSES, by Sholem Asch. Putnam
4. THE CARDINAL, by Henry Morton Robinson. Simon & Schuster
5. A WOMAN CALLED FANCY, by Frank Yerby. Dial Press
6. THE CRUEL SEA, by Nicholas Monsarrat. Knopf
7. MELVILLE GOODWIN, U.S.A., by John P. Marquand. Little, Brown
8. RETURN TO PARADISE, by James A. Michener. Random House
9. THE FOUNDLING, by Cardinal Spellman. Scribner
10. THE WANDERER, by Mika Waltari. Putnam
Non-Fiction
1. LOOK YOUNGER, LIVE LONGER, by Gayelord Hauser. Farrar, Straus & Young
2. BETTY CROCKER’S PICTURE COOK BOOK. McGraw-Hill
3. WASHINGTON CONFIDENTIAL, by Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer. Crown
4. BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS GARDEN BOOK. Meredith
5. BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS HANDYMAN’S BOOK. Meredith
6. THE SEA AROUND US, by Rachel L. Carson. Oxford University Press
7. THORNDIKE-BARNHART COMPREHENSIVE DESK DICTIONARY, ed. by Clarence L. Barnhart. Doubleday
8. POGO, by Walt Kelly. Simon & Schuster
9. KON-TIKI, by Thor Heyerdahl. Rand McNally
10. THE NEW YORKER TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY ALBUM. Harper
* * * * *
Nearly seven years after the end of World War II an Army novel with a
Pearl Harbor finale, topped the fiction sales of the year, and three
other novels with war backgrounds were high on the list. In England
Winston Churchill resumed his post as Prime Minister, two high-ranking
British diplomats disappeared presumably behind the Iron Curtain, and
King George opened the Festival of Britain. Sinclair Lewis and
Henri-Philippe Petain died, the former aged 65, the latter, 95. In the
United States, people were stirred by General MacArthur’s address to
Congress after his recall from the Far East command. Joe Di Maggio
retired from baseball, and Ben Hogan won the Open Golf Championship.
_From Here to Eternity_, James Jones’ first novel, outsold every other
fiction title in the bookstores, reaching a total of 240,000. _The Caine
Mutiny_, by Herman Wouk, story of the wartime Navy, was not far behind
it with a sale of 236,000 copies. In sixth place was another war novel
of the sea, _The Cruel Sea_, by Nicholas Monsarrat, which sold
approximately 70,000 copies. Seventh, was John P. Marquand’s latest best
seller, with a war background, _Melville Goodwin, USA_. Religious novels
took third, fourth and ninth places: _Moses_, by Sholem Asch; _The
Cardinal_, by Henry Morton Robinson, which was the top 1950 seller and
which sold 88,709 copies in 1951; and _The Foundling_, by Cardinal
Spellman, with sales of 61,000. There were only two historical novels on
the list: _A Woman Called Fancy_, by Frank Yerby (75,666), and _The
Wanderer_, by Mika Waltari. James A. Michener’s postwar _Return to
Paradise_ sold 65,000 copies. On the non-fiction list the title which
was third in 1950 took top place in 1951, Gayelord Hauser’s _Look
Younger, Live Longer_. Including the sales of the new edition which came
out in 1951, but not including sales through health food stores, its
total for the year was 286,735. _Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book_,
which was first in 1950, was second in 1951 with sales of 233,500
copies. Third was one of only three books on the non-fiction list that
can be called “reading” books to distinguish them from the “subject”
books--and two picture books--that comprise seven out of the ten. That
was _Washington Confidential_, the first of the “Confidential” books by
Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer to make an annual list. It sold 227,131
copies. The two other “reading” titles were Rachel L. Carson’s _The Sea
Around Us_, with a sale of 167,181, and _Kon-Tiki_, by Thor Heyerdahl
(fifth in 1950), which sold 140,461 copies in 1951. Continuing the
“subject” books, two _Better Homes and Gardens_ titles, the _Garden
Book_ and the _Handyman’s Book_, were fourth and fifth, with
sales through bookstores of 221,213 and 206,989 copies. The
_Thorndike-Barnhart Comprehensive Desk Dictionary_ sold 162,623 copies,
not including book club or school distribution. Eighth and tenth were
the two “picture” books, Walt Kelly’s comic strip book for adults,
_Pogo_, selling 145,731 copies, and the cartoon collection, _The New
Yorker Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Album_. As a rule standard works like
dictionaries and cook books were not included on these _Publishers’
Weekly_ annual best seller lists except in the years when they were new.
That is why the Thorndike-Barnhart dictionary was included on the 1951
list but other standard works like the _World Almanac_ and Lasser’s
_Your Income Tax_, which sells about 200,000 copies annually, were not.
1952
Fiction
1. THE SILVER CHALICE, by Thomas B. Costain. Doubleday
2. THE CAINE MUTINY, by Herman Wouk. Doubleday
3. EAST OF EDEN, by John Steinbeck. Viking Press
4. MY COUSIN RACHEL, by Daphne du Maurier. Doubleday
5. STEAMBOAT GOTHIC, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. Messner
6. GIANT, by Edna Ferber. Doubleday
7. THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, by Ernest Hemingway. Scribner
8. THE GOWN OF GLORY, by Agnes Sligh Turnbull. Houghton Mifflin
9. THE SARACEN BLADE, by Frank Yerby. Dial Press
10. THE HOUSES IN BETWEEN, by Howard Spring. Harper
Non-Fiction
1. THE HOLY BIBLE: REVISED STANDARD VERSION. Nelson
2. A MAN CALLED PETER, by Catherine Marshall. McGraw-Hill
3. U.S.A. CONFIDENTIAL, by Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer. Crown
4. THE SEA AROUND US, by Rachel L. Carson. Oxford University Press
5. TALLULAH, by Tallulah Bankhead. Harper
6. THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING, by Norman Vincent Peale. Prentice-Hall
7. THIS I BELIEVE, ed. by Edward P. Morgan; foreword by Edward R. Murrow. Simon & Schuster
8. THIS IS IKE, ed. by Wilson Hicks. Holt
9. WITNESS, by Whittaker Chambers. Random House
10. MR. PRESIDENT, by William Hillman. Farrar, Straus & Young
* * * * *
In contrast to the best sellers of a few preceding years, the best
sellers of 1952 showed few interesting or new trends, and, in general,
their sales totals were lower. The novels on the list were all written
by well-established authors, most of whom had appeared on annual best
seller lists many times. In 1951 there were four war novels among the
best sellers; in 1952 the only one was a repeat, _The Caine Mutiny_.
There were two historical novels as there were the previous year; two
with religious themes as compared with 1951’s three. Because of a very
large December sale _The Silver Chalice_ won top place in fiction to the
surprise even of its publisher because the second place title, _The
Caine Mutiny_, also a Doubleday book and a best seller for 21 months,
had been running ahead throughout the year. When their sales were
totaled, however, _The Silver Chalice_ turned up with a sale of 221,000
copies, _The Caine Mutiny_ with 189,000. Herman Wouk’s novel was also
second on the 1951 list with 236,000 sold that year. _East of Eden_ sold
140,000; _My Cousin Rachel_ 130,000; _Steamboat Gothic_ over 120,000;
_Giant_ 119,000; _The Gown of Glory_ 62,500 and _The Saracen Blade_ over
55,000. Outstanding on the 1952 non-fiction list was the Nelson Bible
with its close to two-million-copy sale. Three other titles of religious
interest among the 1952 best sellers again pointed up the continuing
popular appeal of religious books. _A Man Called Peter_, which had been
on the list for 15 months, was second with sales of 205,000 copies. It
had sold 94,000 in 1951. _The Power of Positive Thinking_ was in sixth
place with a total of 102,340 sold and _This I Believe_ seventh with
98,500. _U.S.A. Confidential_, third, sold 163,961 copies. _The Sea
Around Us_, on the list for 17 months and seventh in 1951 with a sale of
167,181, was fourth for 1952, selling 105,795. Four biographies, two of
them of political figures, as befitted the election year, made up the
rest of the non-fiction list: _Tallulah_; _This Is Ike_, which sold
about 90,000 copies, including both cloth and paperbound editions;
_Witness_, selling 80,000 copies; and _Mr. President_ totalling 77,246.
Sales of non-fiction titles on the best seller list were larger than
those of fiction but still they did not equal by any means the sales of
the titles on the similar list in 1951. One reason is that “how-to”
books, with their very large sales, made up most of 1951’s list; in
preceding years the non-fiction lists had been heavily weighted with
Canasta, “Zoo,” and standard books of information so that these
non-fiction lists did not reflect the same _reading_ interests among the
new, general books as did the fiction lists. For 1952, the cook books
which had been out for several years and the cartoon books, which were
current popular novelty items, were omitted in order to give a better
picture from the literary point of view of what general topics
interested the public most. The public was greatly interested, also, in
1952, outside the book field, in the forthcoming coronation of Queen
Elizabeth II, in the political campaign in which General Eisenhower
defeated Adlai Stevenson, and in the new Cinerama.
1953
Fiction
1. THE ROBE, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Houghton Mifflin
2. THE SILVER CHALICE, by Thomas B. Costain. Doubleday
3. DÉSIRÉE, by Annemarie Selinko. Morrow
4. BATTLE CRY, by Leon M. Uris. Putnam
5. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, by James Jones. Scribner
6. THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY, by Ernest K. Gann. Sloane
7. BEYOND THIS PLACE, by A. J. Cronin. Little, Brown
8. TIME AND TIME AGAIN, by James Hilton. Little, Brown
9. LORD VANITY, by Samuel Shellabarger. Little, Brown
10. THE UNCONQUERED, by Ben Ames Williams. Houghton Mifflin
Non-Fiction
1. THE HOLY BIBLE: REVISED STANDARD VERSION. Nelson
2. THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING, by Norman Vincent Peale. Prentice-Hall
3. SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN THE HUMAN FEMALE, by Alfred C. Kinsey and others. Saunders.
4. ANGEL UNAWARE, by Dale Evans Rogers. Revell
5. LIFE IS WORTH LIVING, by Fulton J. Sheen. McGraw-Hill
6. A MAN CALLED PETER, by Catherine Marshall. McGraw-Hill
7. THIS I BELIEVE, ed. by Edward P. Morgan; foreword by Edward R. Murrow. Simon & Schuster
8. THE GREATEST FAITH EVER KNOWN, by Fulton Oursler and G. A. O. Armstrong. Doubleday
9. HOW TO PLAY YOUR BEST GOLF, by Tommy Armour. Simon & Schuster
10. A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME, by Polly Adler. Rinehart
* * * * *
There were record-breaking floods in the low-lying countries of Europe
in 1953. Josef Stalin died in Moscow early in the year. Eugene O’Neill
died in Boston on November 27. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norkey
conquered the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest. The unusual aspect
of 1953’s fiction best seller list was that the leading novel and two
others were popularly-priced editions of older novels, which had been
best sellers several years previously in their original editions. Two
were re-priced and re-publicized to coincide with new movies based upon
them. The biggest fiction sales of 1953 were chalked up by the $1.98
movie edition of _The Robe_, which had been originally published in
1942. It was the top seller of 1943, second in 1944 and in 1945. It is
remarkable that, eleven years after its first publication, it topped all
fiction with its sale of 180,000. In addition, 8,000 copies of the $3.75
edition were sold. The movie of the same title was the first film to be
shown in the then new CinemaScope process. In second place on the
fiction list was 1952’s best seller, _The Silver Chalice_. After a sale
of 221,000 copies in 1952, it sold 135,000 in 1953 including about
89,000 in the $1.98 edition, which was on sale only in the last three
months of the year. _Désirée_, leader of sales among novels that were
published in 1953, was third with 115,773 copies. It was one of five
historical novels, half the list, in comparison with two each in 1952
and in 1951. The author was one of three new to the annual best seller
lists. The other two were Leon M. Uris, author of _Battle Cry_, and
Ernest K. Gann, author of _The High and the Mighty_, which sold 63,857
copies in the bookstores. _Battle Cry_ was the only war novel on the
list unless one can so consider the army novel, _From Here to Eternity_,
which was fifth with 68,500 copies sold in its $2.69 movie edition. It
had been 1951’s top-selling novel in its original edition. If outlets
other than bookstores had been considered for these annual lists, _From
Here to Eternity_ would have outdistanced by far any other novel, for
2,000,000 copies of its paperbound 75-cent edition, brought out to
coincide with the appearance of the movie, were sold. The theme of
religion dominated nonfiction best sellers in 1953 as it had in many
preceding years, and nonfiction continued; title for title, to outsell
fiction in the bookstores. For the second year the _Revised Standard
Version_ of the Bible outsold all other current titles. It had been
averaging 49,700 copies a month in buckram and 41,790 in leather
throughout the year. With its big December sale, it went over 1,100,000
for the year. Of the other six books of religious appeal Norman Vincent
Peale’s _The Power of Positive Thinking_ was second with a sale of
340,000 (it had been sixth on the 1952 list); _Angel Unaware_ fourth
with sales of 257,176; _Life Is Worth Living_, with sales of 142,000,
fifth; in sixth place, _A Man Called Peter_, sales in 1953, 130,000;
_This I Believe_ seventh, as it had been in 1952, its 1953 sales
115,000; and eighth, _The Greatest Faith Ever Known_, selling 96,000.
The three remaining non-religious, non-fiction best sellers of the year
were _Sexual Behavior in the Human Female_, third, with sales of 275,000
copies; _How to Play Your Best Golf_, sales 90,000; and _A House Is Not
a Home_, in tenth place with 86,000 sold.
1954
Fiction
1. NOT AS A STRANGER, by Morton Thompson. Scribner
2. MARY ANNE, by Daphne du Maurier. Doubleday
3. LOVE IS ETERNAL, by Irving Stone. Doubleday
4. THE ROYAL BOX, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. Messner
5. THE EGYPTIAN, by Mika Waltari. Putnam
6. NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS, by Mac Hyman. Random House
7. SWEET THURSDAY, by John Steinbeck. Viking Press
8. THE VIEW FROM POMPEY’S HEAD, by Hamilton Basso. Doubleday
9. NEVER VICTORIOUS, NEVER DEFEATED, by Taylor Caldwell. McGraw-Hill
10. BENTON’S ROW, by Frank Yerby. Dial Press
Non-Fiction
1. THE HOLY BIBLE: REVISED STANDARD VERSION. Nelson
2. THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING, by Norman Vincent Peale. Prentice-Hall
3. BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS NEW COOK BOOK. Meredith
4. BETTY CROCKER’S GOOD AND EASY COOK BOOK. Simon & Schuster
5. THE TUMULT AND THE SHOUTING, by Grantland Rice. A. S. Barnes
6. I’LL CRY TOMORROW, by Lillian Roth, Jerold Frank and Mike Connolly. Frederick Fell
7. THE PRAYERS OF PETER MARSHALL, ed. by Catherine Marshall. McGraw-Hill
8. THIS I BELIEVE, 2, ed. by Raymond Swing. Simon & Schuster
9. BUT WE WERE BORN FREE, by Elmer Davis. Bobbs-Merrill
10. THE SATURDAY EVENING POST TREASURY, ed. by Roger Butterfield. Simon & Schuster
* * * * *
As Americans watched the McCarthy hearings on TV, were hopeful about the
Salk polio tests, lived through hurricanes Carol to Hazel, and learned
to pronounce Dien Bien Phu, they also bought more copies of the Bible
in the _Revised Standard Version_ than of any other book. In 1954
R.S.V.B. held its top position among best sellers for the third
consecutive year. Its sales were smaller than they had been in preceding
years, but large enough to outsell any other title, fiction or
non-fiction, by almost 200,000. It sold 710,359 copies in 1954, making a
three-year total of 3,141,670. The majority of novels among the ten best
sellers of the year were by authors whose names have appeared on these
lists many times before, authors of well-established popularity. The
exceptions were: the top title of the year, _Not As a Stranger_, by
Morton Thompson, which pointed up the perennial interest in “medical”
stories; _No Time for Sergeants_, the only first novel on the list, its
author, Mac Hyman, bringing out delightfully some of the more humorous
aspects of life in the U.S. armed forces; and _The View from Pompey’s
Head_. The author of the last-named title, Hamilton Basso, was a
well-known writer, who won a place among the top ten for the first time.
_No Time for Sergeants_ sold 66,216 copies plus a 100,000 book club
sale; _The View from Pompey’s Head_ sold 58,000 plus book club copies.
Fifth on the fiction list was _The Egyptian_. It had been the
top-selling fiction title of 1949 brought back in a $1.98 edition to
coincide with the release of the movie based upon it. More than half the
fiction list was made up of period novels. Along with _The Egyptian_
there were _Mary Anne_ with a sale of 127,000; _Love Is Eternal_ with an
88,000-copy sale; _The Royal Box_, which sold 83,234; _Never Victorious,
Never Defeated_, sales 57,442; and _Benton’s Row_, which, in one month,
sold 54,724. The one remaining novel, neither historical nor by an
author making his first appearance on an annual list, was _Sweet
Thursday_, which sold 65,000 copies. Sales of the non-fiction titles in
the top ten places of the year were greater by over 1,600,000 than the
sales of the top ten novels, and nonfiction also outsold fiction title
by title down the list. Besides the number one book, the Bible, there
were three other best sellers of religious interest in comparison with
1953’s six. _The Power of Positive Thinking_, which was second also in
1953 and sixth in 1952, sold 531,336 copies in 1954, making a total of
971,336 for the three years. In seventh place _The Prayers of Peter
Marshall_ sold 91,000, followed by the second series of _This I Believe_
selling 89,867--19,887 in the clothbound edition, 69,980 in the
paperbound. Two cook books took third and fourth places among
non-fiction, The _Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book_ with a sale of
359,468 copies and _Betty Crocker’s Good and Easy Cook Book_, which sold
290,000 copies. Two autobiographies--that of Grantland Rice, late sports
columnist, and of Lillian Roth of the entertainment world, were in fifth
and sixth places, both somewhat surprise sellers. _The Tumult and the
Shouting_ sold 133,498 copies; _I’ll Cry Tomorrow_, 115,000. _But We
Were Born Free_, by Elmer Davis, was the only book on current affairs on
the list. _The Saturday Evening Post Treasury_, handsome, illustrated
gift book, did especially well at Christmas time, selling 73,159 copies
in two months.
1955
Fiction
1. MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR, by Herman Wouk. Doubleday
2. AUNTIE MAME, by Patrick Dennis. Vanguard Press
3. ANDERSONVILLE, by MacKinlay Kantor. World Publishing Co.
4. BONJOUR TRISTESSE, by Françoise Sagan. Dutton
5. THE MAN IN THE GRAY FLANNEL SUIT, by Sloan Wilson. Simon & Schuster
6. SOMETHING OF VALUE, by Robert Ruark. Doubleday
7. NOT AS A STRANGER, by Morton Thompson. Scribner
8. NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS, by Mac Hyman. Random House
9. THE TONTINE, by Thomas B. Costain. Doubleday
10. TEN NORTH FREDERICK, by John O’Hara. Random House
Non-Fiction
1. GIFT FROM THE SEA, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh Pantheon Books
2. THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING, by Norman Vincent Peale. Prentice-Hall
3. THE FAMILY OF MAN, by Edward Steichen. Simon & Schuster and Maco Magazine Corp.
4. A MAN CALLED PETER, by Catherine Marshall. McGraw-Hill
5. HOW TO LIVE 365 DAYS A YEAR, by John A. Schindler. Prentice-Hall
6. BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS DIET BOOK. Meredith
7. THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS, by Billy Graham. Doubleday
8. WHY JOHNNY CAN’T READ, by Rudolf Flesch. Harper
9. INSIDE AFRICA, by John Gunther. Harper
10. YEAR OF DECISIONS, by Harry S. Truman. Doubleday
* * * * *
The public’s choice of novels during 1955 ranged from some concerned
with young love to others about the complex problems of modern life,
from one laid in the South during the Civil War, to scenes of strife in
South Africa. No trends were particularly discernible, except that there
were fewer historical novels than usual on the list, only two. Four of
the year’s best-selling novels were by new or little-known
writers--Patrick Dennis, Françoise Sagan, Sloan Wilson and Mac Hyman.
Top novel in sales was _Marjorie Morningstar_, by Herman Wouk, whose
_The Caine Mutiny_ was second in 1952. _Marjorie Morningstar_ sold
191,349 copies during the year. _Auntie Mame_ was second with 150,000
copies sold. _Andersonville_ was published late in the year but had a
total of 121,000 exclusive of book club sales. _Bonjour Tristesse_ was
by a young French writer, Françoise Sagan, the only author on both
fiction and non-fiction lists not an American, and the only woman author
on the fiction list. It sold 120,000 copies. _The Man in the Gray
Flannel Suit_ sold just under 100,000. Total for _Something of Value_
was 93,757. _Not As a Stranger_ was the top fiction seller of 1954.
Sales of the original edition and of the $2.69 edition, timed with the
movie based upon it, brought it in its second year to seventh place. _No
Time for Sergeants_, also in its second year, and the basis of a
Broadway hit, sold 92,000 copies in 1955. Its two-year total plus a book
club sale was over a quarter of a million. _The Tontine_ was by a writer
long familiar to readers of best sellers. It sold 75,298 copies. _Ten
North Frederick_, published on Thanksgiving Day, sold 65,900 in just
over a month. In reporting the nonfiction best sellers of each year, it
had become _Publishers’ Weekly’s_ policy not to include standard works
such as dictionaries and cook books, and, in the case of the 1955 list,
the Bible, after such volumes had appeared on the lists for one, two, or
more years. The _Bible, Revised Standard Version_, had headed the annual
list for three years. Its sales of 800,000 copies, more than in 1954,
would have made it top for 1955 as well. It seemed to be an established
fact up through the mid-twentieth century, that the Bible, in whatever
version, was always the best seller. Therefore, in order to mirror more
transient contemporary reading taste, it was omitted from this list and
_Gift from the Sea_ took first place with its sale of 430,000. There
were three books of religious interest on the 1955 best-seller list:
_The Power of Positive Thinking_, appearing for the fourth consecutive
year, sold 378,000; _A Man Called Peter_, with 275,000 sold in its $1.98
movie edition; and _The Secret of Happiness_, which sold 115,697. Third
for 1955 was the beautiful book of photographs plus text, by Edward
Steichen, _The Family of Man_, which had its big sale, of 364,000
copies, in the paperbound edition. In addition there was a hardbound
edition sale of about 15,000. The self-help book, _How to Live 365 Days
a Year_, was fifth with a sale of 235,000. The _Better Homes and Gardens
Diet Book_ sold 130,021 copies in 1955. Winding up the list, in eighth,
ninth, and tenth places, were three books of topical importance: _Why
Johnny Can’t Read_, _Inside Africa_, and _Year of Decisions_ by former
President Harry S. Truman. This first volume in President Truman’s
autobiography sold 74,820 copies. Following the recent trend, the ten
top non-fiction titles outsold the ten top fiction by almost two to one.
The total sale of the non-fiction through the bookstores amounted to
2,168,701 volumes; that of the fiction, 1,102,761. As 1955 ended the
country was still in alarm over President Eisenhower’s illness,
wondering whether he could again be a candidate for the presidency. The
stock market was high, unemployment at its lowest figure. A new
generation had learned all about Davy Crockett. Most imminent cloud in
the political sky was the threat of a clash in the Near East. On the
interplanetary scene came the government’s announcement of its project
for the launching of manmade satellites.
EARLY BEST SELLERS
EARLY BEST SELLERS
These are the titles, published before 1895, when the systematic
recording of best sellers began, which have without question sold a
total of a million copies or more through the years. It is impossible to
arrive at definite sales figures for most of these because each has been
issued by a variety of publishers. Many of these firms are no longer in
existence and few accurate sales records are obtainable now, especially
for the earliest books.
Prayer books, hymn books, textbooks, and similar specialized volumes are
not included in this list, although many of the titles that are included
have appeared in school editions as well as in trade editions. The list
is in chronological order according to American publication.
THE HOLY BIBLE
THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS, by John Bunyan
MOTHER GOOSE
AESOP’S FABLES
THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD, by Oliver Goldsmith
ROBINSON CRUSOE, by Daniel Defoe
POEMS, by Robert Burns
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS, by Jonathan Swift
ARABIAN NIGHTS’ ENTERTAINMENT
AUTOBIOGRAPHY, by Benjamin Franklin
PLAYS, by William Shakespeare
THE SKETCH BOOK OF GEOFFREY CRAYON, GENT., by Washington Irving
IVANHOE, by Sir Walter Scott
KENILWORTH, by Sir Walter Scott
THE SPY, by James Fenimore Cooper
THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, by James Fenimore Cooper
THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON, by Johann R. Wyss
THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
OLIVER TWIST, by Charles Dickens
TALES, by Edgar Allan Poe
TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
THE DEERSLAYER, by James Fenimore Cooper
THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP, by Charles Dickens
ESSAYS, by Ralph Waldo Emerson
POEMS, by Alfred Tennyson
A CHRISTMAS CAROL, by Charles Dickens
THE THREE MUSKETEERS, by Alexandre Dumas
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, by Alexandre Dumas
POEMS, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
FAIRY TALES, by Hans Christian Andersen
JANE EYRE, by Charlotte Brontë
VANITY FAIR, by William Makepeace Thackeray
WUTHERING HEIGHTS, by Emily Brontë
THE OREGON TRAIL, by Francis Parkman
POEMS, by John Greenleaf Whittier
DAVID COPPERFIELD, by Charles Dickens
REVERIES OF A BACHELOR, by Ik Marvell
THE SCARLET LETTER, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
THE WIDE WIDE WORLD, by Susan Warner
THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
MOBY-DICK, by Herman Melville
BLEAK HOUSE, by Charles Dickens
UNCLE TOM’S CABIN, by Harriet Beecher Stowe
HARD TIMES, by Charles Dickens
TEMPEST AND SUNSHINE, by Mary Jane Holmes
WALDEN, by Henry David Thoreau
THE AGE OF FABLE, by Thomas Bulfinch
LEAVES OF GRASS, by Walt Whitman
THE PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID, by J. H. Ingraham
LENA RIVERS, by Mary Jane Holmes
JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN, by Dinah Maria Mulock
THE AUTOCRAT OF THE BREAKFAST TABLE, by Oliver Wendell Holmes
A TALE OF TWO CITIES, by Charles Dickens
EAST LYNNE, by Mrs. Henry Wood
FAIRY TALES, by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm
SILAS MARNER, by George Eliot
LES MISÉRABLES, by Victor Hugo
LADY AUDLEY’S SECRET, by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
ISHMAEL, by Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
SELF-RAISED, OR, OUT OF THE DEPTHS, by Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
HANS BRINKER AND HIS SILVER SKATES, by Mary Mapes Dodge
ST. ELMO, by Augusta J. Evans
THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY, by Edward Everett Hale
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, by Lewis Carroll
LITTLE WOMEN, by Louisa May Alcott
THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM, Translated by Edward Fitzgerald
THE STORY OF A BAD BOY, by Thomas Bailey Aldrich
LITTLE MEN, by Louisa May Alcott
BARRIERS BURNED AWAY, by E. P. Roe
SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES, by Mary Baker Eddy
THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER, by Mark Twain
THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS, by Cardinal Gibbons
BEN-HUR, by Lew Wallace
NANA, by Emile Zola
MADAME BOVARY, by Gustave Flaubert
FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS AND HOW THEY GREW, by Margaret Sidney
POEMS, by James Whitcomb Riley
HEIDI, by Johanna Spyri
TREASURE ISLAND, by Robert Louis Stevenson
A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES, by Robert Louis Stevenson
THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, by Mark Twain
WAR AND PEACE, by Leo Tolstoi
THE BIRDS’ CHRISTMAS CAROL, by Kate Douglas Wiggin
SHE, by H. Rider Haggard
THELMA, by Marie Corelli
ROBERT ELSMERE, by Mrs. Humphry Ward
STORIES, by Guy de Maupassant
BARRACK-ROOM BALLADS, by Rudyard Kipling
BLACK BEAUTY, by Anna Sewell
PLAIN TALES FROM THE HILLS, by Rudyard Kipling
THREE MEN IN A BOAT, by Jerome K. Jerome
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, by A. Conan Doyle
STEPS TO CHRIST, by Ellen G. White
BEAUTIFUL JOE, by Marshall Saunders
COIN’S FINANCIAL SCHOOL, by William H. Harvey
THE CHRISTIAN’S SECRET OF A HAPPY LIFE, by Hannah Whitall Smith
TRILBY, by George du Maurier
BOOKS AND ARTICLES
ABOUT BEST SELLERS
ABOUT BEST SELLERS
America’s Most Censored Author. _Publishers’ Weekly_, May 14, 1949
An interview with Erskine Caldwell.
Anthony Hits a Million! by Sanford Cobb. _Publishers’ Weekly_, Aug. 24,
1935
An account of the publication and sales of _Anthony Adverse_ in the
United States and in other countries.
April 1954--30th Birthday of Crossword Puzzle Books, by John J.
Winterich. _Publishers’ Weekly_, Apr. 17, 1954
Augusta Evans Wilson, 1833-1900, by William Perry Fidler. University of
Alabama Press, 1954.
A biography of the author of _St. Elmo_.
Author Robert Ruark. _Newsweek_, Aug. 19, 1955
The success of _Something of Value_ and of some other “big
money-making authors.”
Best Loved Books of the Twentieth Century, by Vincent Starrett. Bantam
Books, 1955
Many of the essays are on best sellers of the period.
Best Sellers: 1900-1935. The Trend of Popular Reading Taste Since the
Turn of the Century, by Frederick Lewis Allen. _Saturday Review_, Dec.
7, 1935
Analysis of American reading over an extended period. A similar
analysis of the reading of the 1930’s appears as a chapter in Mr.
Allen’s book, _Since Yesterday_, Harper, 1939.
Best Sellers in Fiction During the First Quarter of the Twentieth
Century, by Irving Harlow Hart. _Publishers’ Weekly_, Feb. 14, 1925
Best Sellers in Non-Fiction Since 1921, by Irving Harlow Hart.
_Publishers’ Weekly_, Feb. 4, 1933
Best Sellers of the Fifties, by Don C. Seitz. _Publishers’ Weekly_, Feb.
28, 1931
Discusses _A Prince of the House of David_, by Joseph Holt
Ingraham.
Best Sellers of Yesterday. _The Bookman_, 1910
Articles run throughout the year on such 19th-century best sellers
at _St. Elmo_, _Innocents Abroad_, and _Mr. Barnes of New York_.
The Best Sellers Since 1875: Thirty-Five Books Have Had Sales of More
Than 500,000 Copies Since 1875, by Edward A. Weeks. _Publishers’
Weekly_, Apr. 4, 1934
Big Books: The Story of Best Sellers, by J. A. Goodman and Albert Rice.
_Saturday Evening Post_, Nov. 17, 1934
The sales and marketing of big best sellers of the 1930’s.
The Book in America. A History of the Making and Selling of Books in the
United States, by Hellmut Lehmann-Haupt and others. 2nd ed. R. R. Bowker
Co., 1952
Especially the section “Publishing and Bookselling Since 1890.”
Books, Their Place in a Democracy, by R. L. Duffus. Houghton Mifflin,
1930
The Book Trade in War Time, by Archibald G. Ogden. _Publishers’ Weekly_,
July 8, 1939
Publishing and sales during World War I.
Books and Best Sellers, by Philip Van Doren Stern. _Virginia Quarterly
Review_, Jan., 1942
The making and importance of best sellers of the 1940’s, with some
historical background.
The Case of Erle Stanley Gardner, by Alva Johnston. Morrow, 1947
Chronicles of Barabbas, 1884-1934: Further Chronicles and Comment, 1952,
by George H. Doran. Rinehart, 1952
A famous American publisher includes background and anecdotal
material about many best-selling authors, W. Somerset Maugham, H.
G. Wells, Hugh Walpole, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Ralph Connor, among
them.
Classics and Best-Sellers, by Malcolm Cowley. _New Republic_, Dec. 22,
1947
The Comics, by Coulton Waugh. Macmillan, 1947
“From the Katzenjammer Kids to the Sad Sack.”
The Coming of Age of the Catholic Book Trade, by Joseph A. Duffy.
_Publishers’ Weekly_, Feb. 18, 1950
Includes information on Catholic best sellers, both fiction and
non-fiction.
The Content Characteristics of Best-Selling Novels, by John Harvey.
_Public Opinion Quarterly_, v. 17, no. 1
A statistical approach to “the puzzle of literary success.”
The Critical Period in American Literature, by Grant C. Knight.
University of North Carolina Press
Writers and changing popular taste, 1890-1900.
The Extinction of the Dime Novel, by Firmin Dredd. _The Bookman_, March,
1900
The Fiction Factory, by Quentin Reynolds. Random House, 1956
The history of the magazine publishing firm of Street & Smith gives
sidelights on such best-selling authors as Max Brand and Edgar
Wallace.
Fiction Fashions from 1895 to 1926, by Irving Harlow Hart. _Publishers’
Weekly_, Feb. 5, 1927
The First Hundred Million, by E. Haldeman-Julius. Simon & Schuster, 1928
The publisher of the “Little Blue Books” tells their history.
Forgotten Best Sellers That Influenced America. New York _Times Book
Review_, 1944
Ethan Allen, Author. (Ethan Allen’s _A Narrative of Colonel Ethan
Allen’s Captivity_.) May 7
A Southerner Who Maddened the South. (Hinton Rowland’s _The
Impending Crisis of the South_.) June 11
Horatio Alger, Jr. and Ragged Dick. (Horatio Alger’s _Ragged
Dick_.) July 2
An Outspoken Visitor. (Mrs. Trollope’s _Domestic Manners of the
Americans_.) July 9
A Congressman Rediscovers Atlantis. (Ignatius Donnelly’s
_Atlantis_.) July 30
Gen. Wallace and Ben Hur. (Lew Wallace’s _Ben Hur_.) Aug. 6
Professor Coin, Financial Wizard. (William Hope Harvey’s _Coin’s
Financial School_.) Oct. 15
Monk Hall, Shame of Philadelphia. (George Lippard’s _The Quaker
City, or the Monks of Monk Hall, a Romance of Philadelphia Life,
Mystery and Crime_.) Oct. 22
How to Drive the Sheriff from the Homestead Door. (Susan Warner’s
_The Wide, Wide World_.) Dec. 24
Genteel Queen of Crime, by Nigel Dennis. _Life_, May 14, 1956
Agatha Christie’s life and writing.
Golden Multitudes, by Frank Luther Mott. Macmillan, 1947
A critical and anecdotal history of best sellers in this country
from 1638 to 1947. The author has evolved his own method of
determining a best seller. The lists he has made are based upon the
formula of a book selling at least a number equal to “one per cent
of the total population of continental United States for the decade
in which the book was published.”
“Heidi”--or the Story of a Juvenile Best Seller. _Publishers’ Weekly_,
July 25, 1953
The History of ‘In His Steps’ by Its Author Charles M. Sheldon.
Privately Printed. 1938
The writing and the sales history of _In His Steps_.
Hoosiers Sell Best, by John H. Moriarty. _Indiana Quarterly for
Bookmen._ Jan., 1947
The most popular authors on the yearly lists, 1895-1944 in the
first edition of this book, with statistics of their geographical
origins, by States.
The House of Beadle and Adams and Its Dime and Nickel Novels; The Story
of a Vanished Literature, by Albert Johannsen. University of Oklahoma
Press, 1950
How Large Is Our Book-Reading Public? by Maxwell Aley. _Publishers’
Weekly_, June 6, 1931
How to Build a Best Seller, by George Emerson. _Saturday Review_, Sept.
5, 1953
History of “Operation Kinsey,” the pre-publication publicity for
_Sexual Behavior in the Human Female_.
“In His Steps,” the Story of a Best Seller. _Publishers’ Weekly_, Mar.
2, 1946
“In Tune with the Infinite,” Famous Best Seller, Now 50 Years Old.
_Publishers’ Weekly_, Feb. 22, 1947
The author, Ralph Waldo Trine, the book, and its history.
The Inside Story of the World of Perry Mason, by Frank E. Robbins.
Morrow, 1950
About the chief characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Reprinted from the _Michigan Alumnus Quarterly Review_.
Lincoln’s Doctor’s Dog, by George Stevens. Lippincott, 1939
Account of famous best sellers of the 1930’s.
The Literary Situation, by Malcolm Cowley. Viking Press, 1954
Chiefly a critical study of post-World War II writing, with
chapters on “Cheap Books for the Millions” and “Hardbacks or
Paperbacks?”
Miracle Books, by Leon Whipple. _Survey_, May 1, 1927
Reasons for the sales of big non-fiction best sellers of the
1920’s.
The Most Popular Authors of Fiction Between 1900 and 1925, by Irving
Harlow Hart. _Publishers’ Weekly_, Feb. 21, 1925
The Most Popular Authors of Fiction in the Post-War Period, 1919-1926,
by Irving Harlow Hart. _Publishers’ Weekly_, Mar. 12, 1927
The Nation’s Appetite for Fiction, by Herbert F. Jenkins. _Publishers’
Weekly_, Sept. 24, 1921
Gives information and figures on the sale of many novels of the
post-World War I period.
Of Making Many Books: A Hundred Years of Reading, Writing and
Publishing, by Roger Burlingame. Scribner, 1946
A chapter on “Best-Sellers” is included in this 100th anniversary
history of the publishing house of Charles Scribner’s Sons as well
as background material on such best-selling Scribner authors as
Edith Wharton, F. Hopkinson Smith, S. S. Van Dine, Ernest
Hemingway, John Galsworthy, James Boyd, Harold Frederic, and
others.
The One Hundred “Best Sellers of the Last Quarter Century,” by Irving
Harlow Hart. _Publishers’ Weekly_, Jan. 29, 1921
The One Hundred Leading Authors of Best Sellers in Fiction from 1895 to
1944, by Irving Harlow Hart. _Publishers’ Weekly_, Jan. 19, 1946
This, like all Professor Hart’s studies of best sellers in
_Publishers’ Weekly_, is based upon his intensive analysis, over
the years, of the monthly best seller geographical charts issued by
the _Publishers’ Weekly_ office.
Over the Tops, by Gilbert Seldes. _Saturday Evening Post_, Apr. 25, 1936
On the popularity of books, legitimate plays, musicals, road shows,
moving pictures, sheet music, etc.
Paper-Bound Books in America, by Freeman Lewis. New York Public Library,
1952
The history of paperbound publishing up to 1952.
Poetry Among the Best Sellers, by Alice P. Hackett. _Publishers’
Weekly_, Dec. 1, 1928
Noteworthy poetry sales, especially those of Edna St. Vincent
Millay’s books.
The Popular Book, by James D. Hart. Oxford University Press, 1950
Full of background material and facts about the popular and
best-selling books from the beginning of American reading to 1950.
The Publisher, by Robert Sterling Yard. Houghton Mifflin, 1913
A chapter on “What Makes a Book Sell.”
Reading, Writing, and Religion, by Eugene Exman. _Harper’s Magazine_,
May, 1953
On the increase in the reading and sale of religious books.
Religious Books As Best Sellers. _Publishers’ Weekly_, Feb. 19, 1921
Mary Roberts Rinehart, by Geoffrey T. Hellman. _Life_, June 25, 1946
Some “Best Sellers” of Other Days, by Michael Sadleir. _Publishers’
Weekly_, Mar. 26, 1927
The Story of the McGuffeys, by Alice Mc Guffey Ruggles. American Book
Co., 1950
Subject matter and quality of best sellers and their chances for
survival.
The Strenuous Age in American Literature, by Grant C. Knight. University
of North Carolina Press, 1954
A critical history of the books of the years 1900-1910, against the
social background of the period.
Ten Best Sellers, by W. Somerset Maugham. _Good Housekeeping_, Sept.,
1948
Discussion of the qualities that appealed to the public in ten
famous 19th century novels.
There Were Giants in Those Days, by Mildred Catharine Smith.
_Publishers’ Weekly_, July 13, 1929
_Quo Vadis_ and its advertising campaign.
This Was Publishing, by Donald Sheehan. Indiana University Press, 1952
The business, philosophy and problems of book publishing in the
years from the close of the Civil War to the beginning of World War
I. Information about many individual books and authors.
Twenty-five Years of Best-Sellers, by Harrison Smith. _The English
Journal_, Oct., 1944
Analysis of literature and reading tastes, 1914-1944.
Lew Wallace’s ‘Ben Hur’ Gallops On, by Walter Monfried. Milwaukee
_Journal_, Feb. 27, 1955
What a New Englander Was Likely to Read in 1711, by John J. Winterich.
_Publishers’ Weekly_, Feb. 3, 1951
What Makes a Book Sell? by Robert Banker. _Publishers’ Weekly_, Dec. 4,
1954
Why of the Best Seller, by William Lyon Phelps. _The Bookman_, Dec.,
1921
The quality of best sellers, chiefly _Main Street_ and the novels
of Harold Bell Wright and Gene Stratton Porter.
Writing As a Career, by Thomas H. Uzzell. Harcourt, Brace, 1938
The chapter on “The Popular Novel” analyzes the literary quality of
some novels which have sold over half a million copies since 1875.
TITLE AND AUTHOR INDEX
A B C Murders. The, 61
A. R. R. L. Antenna Book, The, 80
Abbe, Patience, Richard and Johnny, 161
Abbott, Eleanor, 112, 113
About the Kinsey Report, 40
Abundant Living, 85
Across the River and into the Trees, 196, 197
Action at Aquila, 165
Adamic, Louis, 157, 158
Adams, Henry, 127, 128
Adams, James Truslow, 149-151, 153-155
Adams Family, The, 149
Addams, Jane, 115
Adler, Mortimer, 169
Adler, Polly, 7, 22, 38, 205
Adventurer, The, 196, 197
Adventures of Captain Horn, 95
Adventures of Ellery Queen, 16, 42, 58
Adventures of François, The 98
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The, 220
Adventures of Reddy Fox, The, 68
Adventures of Richard Harding Davis, 124
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The, 220
Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The, 219
Aeronautical Annual, 96
Aesop’s Fables, 217
After Noon, 141
Age of Fable, The, 219
Age of Innocence, The, 131, 132
Aircraft Powerplant Handbook, 73
Alcott, Louisa May, 219
Alden, Raymond M., 69
Aldrich, Bess Streeter, 151, 152, 155, 156
Aldrich, Thomas Bailey, 219
Aley, Maxwell, 3
Algren, Nelson, 23, 45
Alice of Old Vincennes, 100, 101
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, 219
All About Girls, 71
All Kneeling, 145
All Quiet on the Western Front, 18, 28, 147, 148, 185
All This, and Heaven Too, 165, 167, 168
Allen, Frederick Lewis, 142, 153, 154
Allen, Hervey, 24, 30, 155, 157, 165, 166, 176, 177
Allen, James Lane, 97, 100, 103
Allen, Ida Bailey, 13, 37, 51
Allen (Ida Bailey) Sandwich Book, 53
Allen, Robert S., 151-154
Alone, 165
Alsop, Joseph W., Jr., 169
Althouse, A. D., 80
Amateur Gentleman, The, 117
Amazing Interlude, The, 124
Amboy Dukes, The, 14, 38
American College Dictionary, The, 77
American Doctor’s Odyssey, An, 161, 163
American Educator, The, 89
American Everyday Dictionary, The, 77
American Gun Mystery, The, 61
American Idyll, An, 129
American Machinists’ Handbook, 80
American Past, The, 187, 189
American Red Cross First Aid Text Book, 80
American Spelling Book, The, 79
American Vest Pocket Dictionary, The, 77
American White Paper, 169, 170
American Woman’s Cook Book, The, 13, 26, 51
Americana Annual, 89
Americanization of Edward Bok, The, 133, 135-137
America’s Cook Book, 52
Analysis of the Kinsey Reports, 17
Anatomy of Peace, The, 184
And Now Tomorrow, 174
And So--Victoria, 163
And Tell of Time, 165, 166
And Then There Were None, 22, 60
Andersen, Hans Christian, 218
Andersonville, 211, 212
Ann Vickers, 155
Anna and the King of Siam, 179, 181
Anne of Avonlea, 68
Anne of Green Gables, 66
Anne of the Island, 68
Annie Jordan, 20, 28
Angel Pavement, 149, 150
Angel Unaware, 86, 205, 207
Angela’s Business, 120
Animal Stories, 66
Animals’ Merry Christmas, The, 68
Anthology of Children’s Literature, 77
Anthony Adverse, 24, 30, 155-158, 162, 166
Antin, Mary, 115, 117
Anything Can Happen, 182
Apostle, The, 88, 176, 179, 180
Appleton, Everard J., 124
Appleton’s English-Spanish, Spanish-English Dictionary, 77
Arabian Nights’ Entertainment, 217
Arch of Triumph, 184, 185
Arches of the Years, The, 155, 156
Ard, William, 56
Ariel, 137, 139, 146
Arlen, Michael, 139, 140
Armour, Tommy, 205
Armstrong, G.A.O., 205
Armstrong, Margaret, 165, 166
Arnim, Countess von, 128
Around the World in Eleven Years, 161
Arrow of Gold, The, 127, 128
Arrowsmith, 9, 139, 140
Art of Thinking, The, 147-149, 154
Artayeta de Viel, Josephine, 71, 193, 195
Arthur, T. S., 10
Arts, The, 163
As He Saw It, 184
As I Remember Him, 169, 170
As the Earth Turns, 155
Asch, Sholem, 87, 88, 167, 169, 176, 177, 179, 193, 194, 199, 200
Ask Me Another, 70, 138, 143, 144, 152
Asquith, Margot, 131, 132
Atherton, Gertrude, 10, 131, 132, 135, 136
Atlas of Human Anatomy, An, 80
Auction Bridge Complete, 141
Auction Bridge To-Day, 117
Audrey, 102
Auntie Mame, 211, 212
Autobiography of Margot Asquith, The, 131
Autobiography with Letters, 167
Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, The, 219
Awakening of Helena Ritchie, The, 106
Aylwin, 99
B. F.’s Daughter, 14, 30, 184, 185
Babbitt, 7, 133, 135, 136, 140
Baby, The, 196, 198
Baby Animals, 68
Bacheller, Irving, 33, 100, 101, 122, 123, 129
Bachelor Belles, 109
Bachelor’s Jokebook, 71
Back Street, 7, 151, 152
Bad Girl, 23, 145
Bailey, Temple, 127, 128, 135, 141
Baker, George, 71
Ballard, Todhunter, 90
Ballinger, Bill, 56
Bangs, John Kendrick, 96, 97
Bankhead, Tallulah, 202
Bannerman, Helen, 24, 30, 66
Barbecue Cook Book, 53
Barbusse, Henri, 125
Barclay, Florence, 22, 29, 112, 113
Barnes, Clare, Jr., 70, 71, 138, 193, 194, 196, 198
Barnes, Margaret Ayer, 149, 151, 157
Barnhart, Clarence L., 77, 199
Barrack-Room Ballads, 220
Barrie, J. M., 96, 97, 109
Barrier, The, 109
Barriers Burned Away, 219
Barrington, E., 139, 140
Bars of Iron, 121
Bartlett, John, 76
Barton, Bruce, 85, 139-142, 154
Basso, Hamilton, 32, 208, 209
Bats Fly at Dusk, 61
Battle Cry, 14, 38, 205, 206
Battle of the Strong, The, 98
Baum, L. Frank, ix, 13, 26, 65
Baum, Vicki, 151
Beach, Rex, 106, 109, 110, 115
Beach House, The, 23, 44
Beamish, Richard J., 31
Beard, Charles and Mary, 149, 150
Beau Geste, 141, 142
Beau Sabreur, 141, 142
Beautiful Joe, 220
Beck, Mrs. L. Adams, 140
Becker, Marion Rombauer, 15, 27, 52
Bedelia, 18
Before the Sun Goes Down, 20, 28
Begbie, Harold, 131, 133
Belgium, 127
Believe It or Not, 18, 40, 69, 70, 138, 147, 148, 152
Bell, Book and Candle, 75
Bell for Adano, A, 179, 180
Bellamann, Henry, 174
Bellamann, Katherine, 32
Belles on Their Toes, 196, 198
Beloved Vagabond, The, 111
Benet, Stephen Vincent, ix, 75, 147, 152
Ben-Hur, 219
Bennett, Arnold, 115-117
Bennett, Dorothy, 67
Bentley, E. C., 21, 43
Bentley, Phyllis, 153, 156
Benton’s Row, 206, 209
Bergson, Henri, 115
Berlin Diary, 7, 126, 171, 172, 180
Bernard, William, 16, 39
Berolzheimer, Ruth, 13, 26, 51
Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush, 95, 96, 107
Best Loved Books of the Twentieth Century, 223
Best of Damon Runyon, The, 21, 43
Bet It’s a Boy, 71, 169, 170
Better Homes and Gardens Baby Book, 16, 27, 82
Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book, ix, 12, 25, 50, 51, 208, 210
Better Homes and Gardens Diet Book, 53, 211, 213
Better Homes and Gardens Garden Book, 32, 82, 199, 200
Better Homes and Gardens Handyman’s Book, 31, 82, 199, 200
Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cook Book, 53
Better Homes and Gardens Story Book, 66
Better Meals for Less Money, 51, 122
Bettger, Frank, 196, 198
Beverley of Graustark, 104, 107
Beyond This Place, 205
Bible Designed to Be Read as Living Literature, The, 83, 86
Bible: King James, 83, 84
Bible Readings for the Home Circle, 85
Bible: Revised Standard Version, 82, 84, 202, 203, 205, 208, 209, 212
Big Clock Book, The, 68
Big Fisherman, The, 32, 87, 190, 191, 193, 194
Big Kill, The, 13, 36, 55, 57
Bigger They Come, The, 20, 42, 59
Birds’ Christmas Carol, The, 220
Bishop, Joseph B., 129
Bishop Murder Case, The, 56, 147, 148
Bishop’s Jaegers, The, 16, 39
Bishop’s Mantle, The, 88, 190, 191
Black Bag, The, 56, 109
Black Beauty, 220
Black Boy, 182, 183
Black Oxen, 10, 135, 136
Black Rock, 88
Black Rose, The, 14, 26, 182, 184, 185, 188
Black Stallion, The, 68
Blasco, Ibanez, V., 127
Bleak House, 218
Blood, Sweat and Tears, 171
Blood’s Magic for All, 73
Blue Flower, The, 102
Blue Window, The, 141
Blunt, Betty B., 71, 169
Bok, Edward, 133-137, 139
Bolshevism, 127
Bond, Otto F., 42, 77
Boners, 70, 138, 151, 152
Boni, Margaret B., 187
Bonjour Tristesse, 22, 45, 211, 212
Book in America, The, 224
Book Nobody Knows, The, 141
Book of Cowboys, 68
Book of Etiquette, The, 33, 82
Book of Indians, 68
Book of Knowledge, The, 89
Book of Knowledge Annual, 89
Books, Their Place in a Democracy, 224
Bookshelf for Boys & Girls, 89
Boston Cooking School Cook Book, The, 13, 26, 51, 137-142
Bottome, Phyllis, 157, 158, 165
Bowen, Catherine Drinker, 179
Bowers, Claude G., 141, 147
Boy Mechanic, The, 80
Boy Scouts Handbook, 65, 81
Braddon, Mary Elizabeth, 219
Brand, Max, 20, 22, 38, 43, 91
Brande, Dorothea, 161
Brass Bowl, The, 56, 107
Brave Men, 24, 30, 179, 182, 183
Brazilian Adventure, 157
Breaking Point, The, 133, 135
Brewer, Gil, 21, 42
Bride of Fortune, 31
Bridge of Desire, The, 151
Bridge of San Luis Rey, The, 145, 146
Bridgwater, William, 77
Brieux, Eugene, 75, 115, 117, 118
Briffault, Robert, 159
Brimful Book, The, 68
Brimming Cup, The, 131, 132
Bristow, Gwen, 196, 197
Britannica Book of the Year, 89
Britannica Junior, 88
Britannica World Atlas, 89
British Agent, 155
Broad Highway, The, 113
Bromfield, Louis, 8, 143-145, 149, 155, 156, 164-166, 169, 176, 182
Bronte, Charlotte, 218
Bronte, Emily, 218
Brooks, Van Wyck, 163, 169, 170
Brousson, J. J., 139
Brown, Margaret Wise, 67
Brunhoff, Jean de, 69
Brush, Katharine, 149
Bryce, James, 115, 117
Buck, Pearl S., ix, 16, 22, 30, 31, 151-154, 174, 175
Bugles in the Afternoon, 23, 91
Building Your Marriage, 73
Bulfinch, Thomas, 219
Bulwer-Lytton, Edward, 218
Bunyan, John, 217
Buranelli, Prosper, 69, 137, 139
Burgess, Thornton, 64, 68
Burlingame, Roger, 227
Burma Surgeon, 176, 178
Burnett, Frances Hodgson, 8, 96, 107, 109, 117, 119, 133, 134
Burns, Robert, 217
Burroughs, Edgar Rice, 33
Busch, Niven, 13, 37
But We Were Born Free, 7, 208, 210
Butler, Samuel, 8
Butterfield, Roger, 187, 189, 208
Butterfield 8, 23, 45
Byrd, Richard E., 141, 145, 146, 165, 166
Byrnes, James F., 187, 189
Byron, George Gordon, 140, 149, 150
Cain, James M., 18, 40, 43
Caine, Hall, 87, 95, 97, 117
Caine Mutiny, The, 14, 27, 199, 200, 202, 203, 212
Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, The, 75
Calamity Town, 18, 59
Caldwell, Erskine, ix, 12-15, 17, 19, 36-40, 42
Caldwell, Taylor, 20, 28, 184, 185, 208
Caleb West, 98
Call of the Canyon, The, 137
Call of the Wild, The, 16, 27
Calling of Dan Matthews, The, 31, 87
Came a Cavalier, 20, 28
Cameron, Margaret, 127
Campus Zoo, 196, 198
Canasta, 71, 193, 195
Canasta, the Argentine Rummy Game, 72, 193, 195
Canby, Henry Seidel, 15, 38
Canfield, Dorothy, 131, 132
Cannery Row, 15, 39
Capp, Al, 190, 192
Captain from Castile, 182
Cardinal, The, 22, 88, 196, 197, 199, 200
Carey, Ernestine Gilbreth, 193, 195, 196, 198
Carlson, John Roy, 176, 179
Carmer, Carl, 157, 158
Carnegie, Dale, 12, 27, 37, 163, 165, 190, 192
Carolinian, The, 139
Carr, John Dickson, 54, 56
Carrel, Alexis, 161
Carroll, Gladys Hasty, 155, 156
Carroll, Lewis, 219
Carry On, 122, 125
Carson, Rachel, 24, 199, 200, 202
Cartoon Laffs, 22, 43, 71
Case of Erle Stanley Gardner, The, 224
Case of the Backward Mule, The, 22, 44, 59
Case of the Bated Hook, The, 15, 39, 57
Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde, The, 16, 41, 58
Case of the Borrowed Brunette, The, 17, 41, 58
Case of the Buried Clock, The, 17, 40, 58
Case of the Careless Kitten, The, 22, 44, 60
Case of the Caretaker’s Cat, The, 16, 39, 57
Case of the Cautious Coquette, The, 18, 32, 58
Case of the Counterfeit Eye, The, 15, 39, 57
Case of the Crooked Candle, The, 20, 59
Case of the Curious Bride, The, 14, 38, 57
Case of the Dangerous Dowager, The, 15, 39, 57
Case of the Drowning Duck, The, 21, 43, 59
Case of the Drowsy Mosquito, The, 17, 41, 58
Case of the Dubious Bridegroom, The, 60
Case of the Empty Tin, The, 19, 41, 59
Case of the Fan-Dancer’s Horse, The, 22, 60
Case of the Gold Digger’s Purse, The, 18, 42, 58
Case of the Half-Wakened Wife, The, 18, 43, 58
Case of the Haunted Husband, The, 16, 39, 58
Case of the Howling Dog, The, 17, 40, 58
Case of the Lame Canary, The, 15, 38, 57
Case of the Lazy Lover, The, 24, 60
Case of the Lonely Heiress, The, 21, 44, 59
Case of the Lucky Legs, The, 13, 38, 57
Case of the Negligent Nymph, The, 60
Case of the One-Eyed Witness, The, 61
Case of the Perjured Parrot, The, 21, 44, 59
Case of the Rolling Bones, The, 19, 42, 59
Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe, The, 18, 41, 58
Case of the Silent Partner, The, 19, 41, 59
Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece, The, 16, 40, 57
Case of the Smoking Chimney, The, 21, 44, 59
Case of the Stuttering Bishop, The, 15, 39, 57
Case of the Substitute Face, The, 15, 38, 57
Case of the Sulky Girl, The, 14, 38, 57
Case of the Turning Tide, The, 19, 41, 59
Case of the Vagabond Virgin, The, 60
Case of the Velvet Claws, The, ix, 16, 39, 55, 57
Caspary, Vera, 18
Cass Timberlane, 182
Cassidy’s Girl, 23, 44
Castillo, Carlos, 42, 77
Castle, Agnes and Egerton, 98
Castle, Marian, 19, 30
Cat of Many Tales, 62
Catcher in the Rye, 119
Cather, Willa, 10, 87, 151, 152
Cautious Amorist, The, 20, 43
Cerf, Bennett, 17, 18, 40, 71, 182
Chain, The, 88
Chambers, Robert W., 106, 107, 113, 127
Chambers, Whittaker, 7, 190, 202
Chances, 149
Chandler, Raymond, 20, 42, 54, 56, 59
Charteris, Leslie, 56, 61
Chase, David B., 81
Chase, Ilka, 174
Chase, James Hadley, 56
Chase, Mary Ellen, 157, 158, 171, 172, 174
Chase, Stuart, 151
Cheaper by the Dozen, 193, 195
Chernev, Irving, 70
Cherry, Raymond, 80
Chesser, Eustace, 21, 40
Cheyney, Peter, 56
Child from One to Six, The, 73
Child’s Garden of Verses, A, 220
Childcraft, 89
Chinese Orange Mystery, The, 17, 43, 58
Chinese Room, The, 13, 37
Chodorov, Jerome, 75
Choir Invisible, The, 97
Cholmondeley, Alice, 122
Cholmondeley, Mary, 100
Christ and the Fine Arts, 86
Christian, The, 87, 97
Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life, The, 220
Christie, Agatha, 18, 22, 54, 56, 58, 60, 61
Christine, 122
Christmas Carol, A, 218
Christmas Holiday, 17, 41
Christopher and Columbus, 127
Chronicles of Avonlea, 68
Chronicles of Barabbas, 224
Churchill, Winston, 8, 10, 12, 20, 28, 32, 87, 97, 99-101, 104, 106, 109, 112, 117, 119, 120
Churchill, Winston Spencer, 99, 171, 172, 190, 191, 200
Cimarron, 149, 150
Circular Staircase, The, ix, 53, 61
Citadel, The, 21, 163-165, 166, 172
Claire, Mabel, 51, 52
Claire Ambler, 145, 146
Clansman, The, 105, 120
Clark, Fred G., 79
Clark, G. H., 74, 124
Clarke, Donald Henderson, 16, 23, 32
Cleft Rock, The, 31
Clue of the Forgotten Murder, The, 16, 40, 58
Coast of Folly, The, 137
Cobb, Hubbard, 24, 30, 196, 198
Cobb, Irvin S., 171, 173
Cobean’s Naked Eye, 71
Cocotte, 20, 42
Cody, Al, 91
Coin’s Financial School, 96, 220
Coles, Manning, 54
Collier, Price, 117
Columbia Encyclopedia, The, 77
Colvin, Frank, 80
Come and Get It, 159
Comics, The, 224
Common Law, The, 113
Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, The, ix, 12, 81
Company Administration and Personnel Records, 81
Complete Book of Interior Decorating, The, 82
Complete Book of Mothercraft, The, 82
Complete Book of Sewing, The, 82
Complete Poems of Robert Frost, The, ix
Coniston, 106
Connell, Vivian, 13, 20, 37, 42
Connolly, Mike, 15, 39, 208
Connor, Ralph, 87, 88, 107, 124, 127, 144
Conrad, Joseph, 127, 128
Constant Nymph, The, 139, 140
Contract Bridge Blue Book, 151
Contract Bridge Blue Book of 1933, 155
Contract Bridge Complete, ix
Cooking for Two, 52
Cooper, James Fenimore, 218
Corelli, Marie, 220
Costain, Thomas B., 8, 14, 23, 25, 26, 30, 31, 87, 182, 184, 185, 187, 188, 193, 194, 202, 205, 211
Coue, Emile, 135, 136
Count of Monte Cristo, The, 218
Country Lawyer, 167, 168
Country Squire in the White House, 169, 170
Coward, Noel, 163, 164
Cowley, Malcolm, 9, 226
Coxe, George Harmon, 56
Cradle of the Deep, The, 147, 148
Crampton, Gertrude, 66
Crane, Stephen, 96
Creative Evolution, 115
Crisis, The, 20, 28, 101, 106
Critical Period in American Literature, The, 225
Crocker’s (Betty) Good and Easy Cookbook, 14, 26, 51, 208, 210
Crocker’s (Betty) Picture Cook Book, 13, 26, 51, 196, 198-200
Crockett (Davy) Coloring Book, The, 65
Cronin, A. J., 8, 21, 31, 87, 153, 154, 163-165, 171, 172, 174, 179, 190, 205
Cross Creek, 174
Cross Word Puzzle Books, The, 69, 137, 139, 148, 152
Crossing, The, 104, 106
Crowds, 117
Crows Can’t Count, 61
Cruel Sea, The, 199, 200
Crusade in Europe, 23, 29, 190, 191
Cry Tough!, 19, 40
Culbertson, Ely, 70, 118, 151, 152, 155, 156
Culbertson Self-Teacher, The, 71
Culbertson Summary, The, 71, 151, 153
Cummins, Maria, 10
Cunningham, Shirley, 23, 44, 71
Cure It with Honey, 60
Curie, Eve, 165, 176, 178
Curie (Madame), 165
Currie, Eve, 40
Curtain Rises, The, 179, 180
Curtin, D. Thomas, 123
Curwood, James Oliver, 129-131, 137
Cutlass Empire, 193, 194
Cuyas, Arturo, 77
D. A. Breaks the Seal, The, 61
D. A. Calls a Turn, The, 60
D. A. Calls It Murder, The, 19, 43, 59
D. A. Cooks a Goose, The, 61
D. A. Draws a Circle, The, 21, 59
D. A. Goes to Trial, The, 23, 60
D. A. Holds a Candle, The, 60
Daddy Long Legs, 121
Daily Strength for Daily Needs, 85
Dalrymple, Leona, 119
Damnation of Theron Ware, The, 87, 96
Damned, The, 19, 41
Dana, Richard Henry, Jr., 218
Dangerous Days, 127
Dannay, Frederic, 55
Dark Hester, 147
Darling, It’s Death, 22, 43, 60
Darrow, Clarence, 139, 153, 154
Dartmouth Bible, The, 83
Daughter of Anderson Crow, The, 107
Daughter of the Land, A, 124
Davenport, Marcia, 176, 177, 187, 188
David Copperfield, 2, 218
David Harum, 21, 28, 99, 100
Davies, Joseph E., 126, 174, 175
Daviess, Maria Thompson, 115
Davis, Adelle, 53
Davis, Elmer, 7, 208, 210
Davis, Richard Harding, 95, 97, 124
Dawn, 127
Dawson, Coningsby, 8, 122, 124-126, 131, 132, 137
Day, Clarence, 159, 161, 163, 164
Day’s Work, The, 98, 99
Days of Auld Lang Syne, 95
Days of Our Years, 167, 169, 170
Dear Enemy, 121
Dear Sir, 18, 71, 182, 183
Deeping, Warwick, 8, 141-145, 147, 149, 151, 153
Deerslayer, The, 218
Definite Object, The, 122
Defoe, Daniel, 217
deGouy, Louis P., 53
De Kruif, Paul, 12, 21
Deland, Margaret, 96, 106, 113
de la Roche, Mazo, 143-145, 151, 155, 156
Deliverance, The, 104
Dell, Ethel M., 121, 122, 124, 129
Delmar, Vina, 23, 145
Dennis, Patrick, 211, 212
Dennis the Menace, 19, 70, 71
Dere Mable, 124, 125, 175, 194
Derieux, Mary, 82
Desert of Wheat, The, 127
Désirée, 16, 28, 205, 206
Desperate Hours, The, 6
Destry Rides Again, 22, 43, 91
Devil to Pay, The, 61
Devil’s Garden, The, 119
Diane of the Green Van, 119
Dickens, Charles, 88, 157, 158, 218, 219
Dickson, Carter, 54, 56, 61
Dictionary of Modern English Usage, A, 78
Diet and Health, 32, 51, 52, 133, 135-142
Dim Lantern, The, 135
Dimnet, Ernest, 147, 149, 153, 154
Dinesen, Isak, 157
Dinner at Antoine’s, 14, 27, 190, 191, 193, 194
Diplomatic Days, 124
Disenchanted, The, 196, 197
Disney, Walt, 146
Disney’s (Walt) Bambi, 66
Disney’s (Walt) Cinderella, 67
Disney’s (Walt) Davy Crockett, 68
Disney’s (Walt) Uncle Remus, 63, 67
Disputed Passage, 167
Disraeli, 145
Dixon, Thomas, Jr., 103, 105, 107
Dodge, Mary Mapes, 219
Dodsworth, 147, 148
Doomsday, 143
Door, The, 57, 149
Door Between, The, 60
Doran, George H., 224
Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall, 102
Dorsey, George A., 141-144
Douay New Testament, 84
Double, Double, 62
Double-Crostics, 69, 138
Douglas, Lloyd C., ix, 8, 13, 15, 26, 32, 39, 63, 87, 153-156, 159-161, 167, 174, 176, 179, 182, 190, 191, 193, 205
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, 54, 56, 102, 220
Dragon Seed, 174, 175
Dragon’s Teeth, The, 23, 60
Dream of Fair Women, A, 107
Dreiser, Theodore, 9
D’ri and I, 101
Drivin’ Woman, 174
Drums Along the Mohawk, 161, 163
Drury Lane’s Last Case, 62
Duchess Hotspur, 18, 41
Duel in the Sun, 13, 37
Duffus, R. L., 224
Duke, 17, 40
Dumas, Alexandre, 218
du Maurier, Daphne, 8, 14, 19, 23, 25, 28, 29, 31, 165-167, 176, 177, 184, 185, 196, 197, 202, 208
du Maurier, George, 95, 220
Dunne, Finley Peter, 99
Duplaix, Georges, 66
Duplaix, Lily, 66
Durant, Will, ix, 31, 141-143, 147-150
Duranty, Walter, 161
Dutch Shoe Mystery, The, 18, 43, 58
Dutch Twins, The, 67
Duvall, Evelyn Willis, 17, 39, 65
Dyke’s Automobile and Gasoline Engine Encyclopedia, 79
Earth and High Heaven, 182
East Lynne, 219
East of Eden, 202, 203
East Side, West Side, 187, 188
Eastman, Nicholson J., 32, 82
Eat and Reduce, 52
Eben Holden, 33, 100, 101
Eberhart, Mignon, 56
Economic Consequences of the Peace, The, 7, 129, 130
Eddy, Mary Baker, 219
Edmonds, Walter D., 161-163
Education of a Princess, 151
Education of Henry Adams, The, 127, 128
Egermeier’s Bible Story Book, 24, 30, 66, 85
Egg and I, The, 22, 29, 182, 184, 186, 187, 189
Egyptian, The, 193, 194, 197, 208, 209
Egyptian Cross Mystery, The, 21, 59
Eichler, Lillian, 33, 82
Eisenhower, Dwight D., 23, 29, 190, 191, 204, 213
Elements of Radio, 79
Eliot, George, 219
Eliot, John, 82
Eliot, T. S., 74
“Elizabeth”, 127, 128, 135
Elizabeth and Essex, 147, 148
Ellis, J. Breckenridge, 115
Ellis, O. O., 122
Ellson, Hal, 17, 40
Elmer Gantry, 87, 140, 143, 144
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 218
Empey, Arthur Guy, 122, 124
Enchanted April, The, 135
Encyclopedia Americana, 89
Encyclopedia Britannica, 88
English-Spanish, Spanish-English Dictionary, 42, 77
English Through Pictures, 42, 77
Epic of America, The, 151, 153
Epilepsy, the Ghost Is Out of the Closet, 73
Erskine, John, 31, 141, 142
Ertz, Susan, 141, 147
Escape, 167, 168
Esty, Lucien, 143
Etiquette, ix, 24, 30, 82, 135-138
Europa, 159
Evans, Augusta J., 219
Evans, Evan, 91
Exile, 149
Exit Laughing, 171
Exner, Max J., 23, 44
Expectant Motherhood, 32, 82
Exupery, Antoine de St., 167, 174
Ex-Wife, 110
Eyeless in Gaza, 161
Eyes of the World, The, 119
Face to Face with Kaiserism, 125
Facing the Facts about Cancer, 73
Facts of Life and Love for Teen-Agers, 17, 39, 65
Fadiman, Clifton, 166, 171, 173
Fair, A. A., 20, 42, 53, 55, 59, 61, 62
Fairbanks, Douglas, 122-124
Fairy Tales That Never Grow Old, 67
Faith of Our Fathers, The, 219
Fallada, Hans, 155, 156
Familiar Quotations, 76
Family, The, 169
Family of Man, The, 211, 213
Family Physician, The, 82
Far Country, A, 120
Farewell My Lovely, 20, 42, 59
Farewell to Arms, A, 19
Farley, Walter, 64, 68
Farm, The, 155
Farmer, Fannie, 13, 26, 51, 137, 139, 141
Farnol, Jeffery, 113, 117, 122
Farrar, Margaret Petherbridge, 69
Farrell, James T., 18, 20, 42
Farson, Negley, 161
Fast Company, 24, 45, 60
Fatal Interview, 74, 151, 152
Father of the Bride, 125, 193, 194
Faulkner, William, 4, 9, 12, 13, 16, 20, 41
Fedorova, Nina, 169
Felix O’Day, 120
Ferber, Edna, ix, 8, 137, 138, 141, 142, 144, 149, 150, 159, 167, 168, 171, 172, 202
Fiction Factory, The, 225
Fidler, William Perry, 223
Field, Peter, 90
Field, Rachel, 159, 160, 165-167, 174
Fields, Joseph, 75
Fifty Years of Best Sellers, 1, 4
Fightin’ Fool, 91
Fighting Chance, The, 106, 108
Finch’s Fortune, 151
Finley, Martha, 64
Fire Index, 79
Fireside Book of Folk Songs, The, 187
First Aid, 73
First Book, 79
First Hundred Million, The, 225
First Hundred Thousand, The, 122
Fischer, Bruno, 16, 39, 56, 58
Fisher, Dorothy Canfield, 137
Fisher, Harrison, 107, 109
Fitch, Florence Mary, 68
Fitzgerald, Edward, 219
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, 138, 197
Five Acres and Independence, 20, 29
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, 100, 220
Flaming Youth, 130
Flaubert, Gustave, 220
Fleming, Peter, 157
Flesch, Rudolf, 7, 211
Fletcher, Inglis, 32
Flight to Arras, 174, 175
Floodtide, 18, 30, 196, 197
Flowering of New England, The, 163, 164
Flynn, John T., 169
Folk Tales, 68
For Doctors Only, 32, 71
For Whom the Bell Tolls, 7, 32, 169-172
Ford, Leslie, 56
Ford, Paul Leicester, ix, 7, 97, 99, 100
Forest and the Fort, The, 176
Forever Amber, 14, 27, 179, 180, 182, 183, 197
Forgive Us Our Trespasses, 87, 155
Forsyte Saga, The, 142
Fortunate Youth, The, 119
Fortune to Share, A, 153
Forty Days of Musa Dagh, The, 159
Forty-Two Years in the White House, 157
Fosdick, Harry Emerson, 86, 176, 177
Foster, Robert F., 70, 142
Foundling, The, 87, 199, 200
Fountain, The, 153, 154
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The, 127, 128
Four of Hearts, The, 20, 59
Fowler, Gene, 179, 184
Fowler, H. W., 78
Fox, Emmet, 85, 86
Fox, John, Jr., 20, 22, 28, 29, 103, 104, 109, 110, 117
Fox, Norman, 91
Foxes of Harrow, The, 16, 27, 184, 185
Fran, 115
Frances (Anatole) Himself, 139
Frances, Miss, 64
Francis, Sally R., 68
Francis, the First, 159
Franck, Harry A., 117
Frank, Jerold, 15, 39, 208
Frank, Pat, 18
Franklin, Benjamin, 166, 217
Franklin (Benjamin), 165
Freckles, 15, 26, 63, 65, 113
Frederic, Harold, 87, 96, 99
Freeman, Douglas Southall, 159, 160
Freeman, H. W., 87, 147
French Powder Mystery, The, 24, 60
Friday the Thirteenth, 104
Frohse, Franz, 80
From Here to Eternity, 9, 13, 37, 199, 200, 205, 206
Frost, Robert, ix, 74
Fry, Christopher, 75
Funk, Wilfred J., 16, 40, 77
Galaxy, The, 147
Galsworthy, John, 141, 142, 145, 150, 151, 155, 156
Gambler, The, 105
Gann, Ernest K., 205, 206
Garden of Allah, The, 105
Gardner, Erle Stanley, ix, 13-24, 32, 38-44, 53-55, 57-61
Garey, E. B., 122
Gateway to Storyland, The, 67
Gathering Storm, The, 190, 191
Geddes, Donald P., 17, 40
General Leathercraft, 80
Gentle Julia, 133
Gentleman from Indiana, The, 102
Gentleman of Courage, A, 137
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 7, 9, 141
Gentleman with a Duster, A, 131, 133
Gentleman’s Agreement, 5, 7, 21, 28, 187, 188
Georgia Boy, 14, 37
Gerard, James W., 124, 125
Germany and the Germans, 117
Getting Together, 123
Giant, 202, 203
Gibbons, Cardinal, 219
Gibbs, A. Hamilton, 139, 149
Gibbs, Philip, 129, 130, 137
Gibson, C. M., 42, 77
Gift from the Sea, 211, 212
Gilbert, Clinton W., 133
Gilbreth, Frank B., Jr., 193, 195, 196, 198
Girl of the Limberlost, The, 15, 26, 65
Girl Scouts Handbook, 65, 81
Give ’Em the Ax, 61
Glasgow, Ellen, 8, 104, 106, 121, 153, 154, 159, 160
Glass Village, The, 53, 62
Glorious Adventure, The, 143
Glorious Apollo, 139, 140
Glorious Pool, The, 14, 38
Glory of the Trenches, The, 124
Glyn, Elinor, 101
God the Invisible King, 122
God’s Little Acre, ix, 12, 36
Goethe, 145, 146
Gold Cook Book, The, 53
Golden, Francis Leo, 32, 71
Golden Bible (The): Old Testament, 67
Golden Book of Nursery Tales, The, 68
Golden Book of Poetry, The, 67
Golden Christmas Book, The, 66
Golden Dictionary, The, 66
Golden Egg Book, The, 67
Golden Encyclopedia, The, 67
Golden Fury, The, 19, 30
Golden Hawk, The, 14, 27, 190, 191
Golden Mother Goose, The, 67
Golden Multitudes, 226
Golden Sleep, 20, 42
Golden Song Book, The, 67
Golding, Louis, 153
Goldsmith, Oliver, 217
Gone to Texas, 91
Gone with the Wind, ix, 2, 9, 12, 26, 156, 161-164, 177
Good Bye, Mr. Chips, 7, 156-160
Good Companions, The, 150
Good Earth, The, ix, 16, 30, 151-154
Good Housekeeping Cook Book, The, 52
Good Morning, Miss Dove, 156
Good Night, Sweet Prince, 179, 181
Good Woman, A, 143, 144
Goode’s World Atlas, 77
Goodis, David, 23, 44
Goose Girl, The, 110
Gordon Keith, 103
Gordon, S. D., 86
Goren, Charles, ix, 70, 71, 118, 152
Goss, Charles Frederic, 100
Goudge, Elizabeth, 18, 28, 31, 179, 180, 190
Gourmet Cookbook, The, 52, 53
Gown of Glory, The, 202, 203
Graham, Billy, 86, 211
Graham, Gwethalyn, 182, 183
Grand Hotel, 151, 152
Grant, Robert, 100
Grapes of Wrath, The, 7, 167, 169
Graustark, 101
Great Big Animal Book, The, 68
Great Controversy, 24, 30, 85
Great Impersonation, The, 23, 60, 129
Greatest Book Ever Written, The, 16, 28, 85
Greatest Faith Ever Known, The, 86, 205, 207
Greatest Story Ever Told, The, ix, 13, 27, 38, 84, 193, 195
Greatheart, 124
Greek Coffin Mystery, The, 61
Green, Anna Katharine, 54
Green, Mary, 122
Green Dolphin Street, 18, 28, 179, 180
Green Hat, The, 139, 140
Green Light, 87, 159
Green Years, The, 179
Greene Murder Case, The, 56, 145, 146, 148
Grew, Joseph E., 126, 179, 180
Grey, Lord, 139, 140
Grey, Zane, 8, 16, 20, 23, 29, 32, 41, 90, 91, 120, 122-125, 127, 129-131, 133, 135, 137
Grimm, Jakob and Wilhelm, 219
Gruelle, Johnny, 64
Guadalcanal Diary, 176, 178
Guest, Edgar, 24, 30, 74, 124, 125, 141
Guide to Confident Living, A, 85, 190, 192, 193, 195
Guild, Leo, 71
Gulliver’s Travels, 217
Gunther, John, 8, 161, 162, 167, 168, 171, 172, 174, 187, 189, 211
H. M. Pulham, Esquire, 171
Hackett, Francis, 147, 159, 160
Haggard, H. Rider, 220
Haines, Ray E., 80
Haldeman, Julius E., 225
Hale, Edward Everett, 219
Half a Rogue, 107
Halfway House, 22, 44, 60
Hall, Arlene S., 24, 30, 66, 85
Hall, James Norman, 14, 31, 161, 162
Hall, William, 69
Halliburton, Richard, ix, 32, 143, 144
Halliday, Brett, 56
Halsey, Margaret, 165, 166
Hammett, Dashiell, 20, 42, 54, 56, 59
Hankey, Donald, 122
Hans Brinker and His Silver Skates, 219
Harbor, The, 120
Hard Times, 218
Hargrove, Marion, 13, 37, 174-176
Harkness, Kenneth, 70
Harland, Henry, 104
Harmonium, 10
Harriet and the Piper, 129
Harris, Eleanor, 63
Harrison, Henry Sydnor, 113, 117, 120
Hart, James D., 10, 227
Hartswick, F. Gregory, 69
Harvester, The, 17, 27, 113, 115
Harvey, William H., 220
Hauser, Gayelord, 52, 196, 198-200
Hausmann, E., 80
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 218
Hay, Ian, 122, 123
Haycox, Ernest, 23, 43, 90, 91
Hayes, Joseph, 6
Head of the House of Coombe, The, 133, 134
Heap o’Livin’, A, 24, 30, 74
Heart of Rachael, The, 121
Heart of the Hills, 117
Heaven’s My Destination, 159
Hedden, Worth T., 22, 44
Hegan, Alice Caldwell, 102
Heggen, Thomas, 17, 38
Heidi, 220
Heirs Apparent, The, 137
Heiser, Victor, 161, 163
Helbeck of Bannisdale, 98
Helen of the Old House, 133
Helmet of Navarre, The, 101
Hemingway, Ernest, 7, 9, 19, 23, 32, 45, 169-171, 196, 197, 202
Hemon, Louis, 87, 133, 144
Hendrick, Burton J., 135
Henley’s Twentieth Century Book of Ten Thousand Formulas, Processes and Trade Secrets, 80
Henry the Eighth, 147, 148
Her Father’s Daughter, 131
Here Is Your War, 31, 176, 178, 179
Herries Chronicle, The, 150,
Hersey, John, 7, 179, 180, 196, 197
Hertzler, Arthur E., 165
Hewlett, Maurice, 101
Heyerdahl, Thor, 22, 196, 198-200
Heyward, DuBose, 147, 148, 160
Hichens, Robert, 105, 122, 123
Hicks, Wilson, 202
High and the Mighty, The, 205, 206
High Towers, 23, 30, 193, 194
Hill, Janet, 52
Hill Girl, 21, 42
Hillis, Marjorie, 161, 163, 164
Hillman, William, 202
Hilton, James, 8, 9, 14, 18, 29, 39, 157-160, 163, 171, 172, 182, 205
Himmel, Richard, 22, 43, 60
Hines (Duncan) Adventures in Good Cooking and The Art of Carving in the Home, 52
Hines (Duncan) Dessert Book, 52
His Children’s Children, 135
His Family, 122
History of ‘In His Steps’, The, 226
History of the Standard Oil Company, 104
History of the World War, 31
Hitler, Adolph, 141, 165, 167-169
Hobart, Alice Tisdale, 31, 32, 157, 158
Hobson, Laura Z., 5, 7, 21, 28, 187, 188
Hogben, Lancelot, 163
Holling, Holling C., 68
Holmes, Mary Jane, 219
Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 219
Holy Bible, The, 217
Home Doctor, The, 82
Home Mechanics Handbook, 80
Home Sweet Zoo, 71, 193, 194
Homemaker, The, 137
Honorable Peter Stirling, The, ix, 7, 97
Hoosier Chronicle, A, 115
Hoover, Ike, 157
Hope, Anthony, 95, 97, 98
Hope, Bob, 20, 43, 179, 180
Horn, Alfred Aloysius, ix, 143-145, 148
Horse and Buggy Doctor, The, 165
Horton, Ralph E., 79
Hough, Emerson, 102, 110
Hound of the Baskervilles, The, 56, 102
Hounds of Spring, The, 141
House at Pooh Corner, The, 67
House-Boat on the Styx, A, 96
House Divided, 187, 188
House in the Uplands, A, 13, 37
House Is Not a Home, A, 22, 38, 205, 207
House of a Thousand Candles, The, 56, 106
House of Beadle and Adams and Its Dime and Nickel Novels, The, 226
House of Exile, The, 155
House of Flesh, 16, 39, 58
House of Mirth, The, 105, 106
House of the Seven Gables, The, 218
Houses in Between, The, 202
How Green Was My Valley, 169, 170
How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling, 196, 198
How To Become a Radio Amateur, 80
How To Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day, 115
How To Live 365 Days a Year, 211, 213
How To Play Your Best Golf, 205, 207
How To Prepare Your Income Tax, 38
How to Read a Book, 169, 170
How To Stop Worrying and Start Living, 190, 192
How To Win at Canasta, 72, 193, 194
How To Win Friends and Influence People, 12, 27, 37, 163-165, 192
How We Live, 79
Howard, Elizabeth M., 20, 28
Huard, Frances W., 122
Hubbard, Elbert, 13, 30, 37
Hucksters, The, 7, 184, 185
Hugh Wynne, 98
Hugo, Victor, 219
Huie, William Bradford, 19, 41
Hull, Edith M., 21, 29, 131-133
Human Comedy, The, 176
Human Destiny, 86, 187, 189
Hundredth Chance, The, 122
Hungry Hill, 23, 29, 176, 185
Hurlbut, Jesse Lyman, 13, 26, 85
Hurricane, The, 161
Hurst, Fannie, 151, 152
Hutchinson, A. S. M., 133-135, 139
Huxley, Aldous, 161, 162
Hyman, Mac, 18, 41, 208, 209, 211, 212
I Can Get It for You Wholesale, 23, 45
I Chose Freedom, 7, 184
I Have Gloria Kirby, 22, 43, 60
I Married Adventure, 169, 170
I Never Left Home, 20, 43, 179
I, the Jury, 12, 36, 57
I Write As I Please, 161
If Winter Comes, 9, 133, 134
Ilin, M., 151, 152
I’ll Cry Tomorrow, 15, 39, 208, 210
I’m a Stranger Here Myself, 74, 75, 165, 166
Immortal Wife, 182
Impatient Virgin, 16, 32
Importance of Living, The, 165
In Flanders Fields, 7, 74, 127, 128
In His Steps, 12, 26, 36, 87
In Secret, 127
In the Bishop’s Carriage, 104
In the Wilderness, 122
In Tune with the Infinite, 17, 27, 85
Infant Care, 73
Infantry Drill Regulations, 81
Information Please Almanac, 1947, 187, 189
Ingersoll, Ralph, 184
Ingraham, J. H., 219
Inheritance, 153, 154, 156
Inner Shrine, The, 110
Inside Africa, 211, 213
Inside Asia, 167, 168, 172
Inside Europe, 161, 162, 172
Inside Latin America, 171, 174, 175
Inside of the Cup, The, 87, 117, 119
Inside Story of the World of Perry Mason, The, 226
Inside U.S.A., 187, 189
Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Socialism and Capitalism, The, 145
International Library of Music, 89
Invitation to Chess, 70
Irish, William, 62
Iron Woman, The, 113
Irving, Washington, 217
Ishmael, 219
It Can’t Happen Here, 7, 161
Italy, France and Britain at War, 123
Ivanhoe, 217
Jackson, Josephine A., 133
Jackson, Kathryn, 68
Jacobson, Edmund, 157
Jacoby, Oswald, 72, 193, 194
Jaffery, 120
Jailbait, 16, 39
Jalna, 143-145
James, Will, 149, 150
Jane Cable, 106
Jane Eyre, 218
Janice Meredith, 99, 100
Janney, Russell, 33, 87, 184, 185, 187, 188
Jeeves, 21, 44
Jefferson and Hamilton, 141
Jerome, Jerome K., 220
Johannsen, Albert, 226
John Brown’s Body, ix, 74, 75, 147, 148
John Ward, Preacher, 96
John Halifax, Gentleman, 219
Johnson, Edna, 77
Johnson, Osa, 169, 170
Johnson, Owen, 119
Johnston, Alva, 224
Johnston, Annie Fellows, 64
Johnston, Mary, 8, 97, 100, 102, 104, 109, 113
Jones, E. Stanley, 85
Jones, James, 13, 37, 199, 200, 205
Jordan, E. L., 77
Joseph, David, 38
Joseph and His Brethren, 87, 147
Journey Among Warriors, 176
Journeyman, 13, 37
Joy of Cooking, The, 15, 27, 52
Joy Street, 19, 28, 196, 197
Jubilee Trail, 196, 197
Judas Window, The, 61
Judgment House, The, 117
Judy and Jim, 67
Jungle, The, 7, 106
Just and the Unjust, The, 115
Just David, 66, 121
Just So Stories, 66
K, 120
Kains, M. G., 20, 29
Kallet, Arthur, 155-157
Kander, Mrs. Simon, 21, 28, 52
Kane, Harnett, 31
Kane, Henry, 56
Kane, Wilma, 67
Kantor, MacKinlay, 211
Kate Carnegie, 96
Katrine, 110
Keable, Robert, 87, 133
Keeper of the Bees, The, 139
Keith, Agnes Newton, 169
Kelland, Clarence Budington, 91
Kelly, Walt, 70, 199, 201
Kemble (Fanny), 165, 166
Kenilworth, 217
Kenneally, John P., 79
Kennedy, Margaret, 139
Kester, Vaughan, 113, 115
Ketcham, Hank, 19, 20, 43, 71
Keyes, Frances Parkinson, 8, 14, 18-20, 25, 27-29, 184, 185, 190, 191, 193, 196, 197, 202, 208
Keynes, John Maynard, 7, 129, 130
Keys of the Kingdom, The, 31, 87, 171, 172, 174
Kieran, John, 187
Kimbrough, Emily, 33, 176, 177
Kindred of the Dust, 129
King, Basil, 110, 112, 115
King, Dorothy N., 68
King Is Dead, The, 62
Kingdom round the Corner, The, 131
Kingdom of Slender Swords, The, 112
King’s General, The, 19, 28, 184, 185
Kings Row, 174
Kingsblood Royal, 7, 187, 188
Kingsley, Elizabeth S., 69
Kinsey, Alfred C., 190, 192, 205
Kintnor, Robert, 169
Kipling, Rudyard, 66, 74, 98, 99, 127, 128, 220
Kiplinger, W. M., 174
Kiss Me, Deadly, 13, 37, 57
Kitty, 14, 39
Kitty Foyle, 165, 167, 169
Knight, Eric, 66, 171, 172
Knight, Grant C., 225, 228
Knight, William Allen, 15, 26, 85
Knock on Any Door, 19, 43
Koll, Irvin S., 82
Kon-Tiki, 22, 196, 198-200
Kravchenko, Victor, 7, 184
Krey, Laura, 165
Kunhardt, Dorothy, 67
Kyne, Peter B., 129, 130
Lacy, Ed, 56
Laddie, 17, 27, 66, 117
Lady Audley’s Secret, 219
Lady Baltimore, 106
Lady Chatterley’s Lover, 19, 41
Lady of Quality, A, 96
Lady of the Decoration, The, 103, 107
Lady Rose’s Daughter, 103
Lady’s Not for Burning, The, 75
Lait, Jack, 20, 199, 200, 202
Lamb in His Bosom, 157, 158
Lamp in the Desert, The, 129
Lamplighter, The, 10
Land and People, 89
Land Below the Wind, 169, 170
Land Birds East of the Rockies, 31
Land of Deepening Shadow, The, 123
Landon, Margaret, 179
Lane, Elinor Macartney, 110
Langley, Adria Locke, 182, 183
Lansing, Robert, 131
Lantern in Her Hand, A, 152
Lasser, J. K., 81, 201
Lassie Come-Home, 66, 172
Last Chapter, 184
Last Days of Pompeii, The, 218
Last of the Mohicans, The, 218
Last Puritan, The, 161, 162
Last Time I Saw Paris, The, 7, 174, 175
Late George Apley, The, 168, 194
Lauder, Harry, 124
Laugh and Live, 122, 124
Lawrence, D. H., 19, 41
Lawrence, T. E., 143, 144, 159, 160
Lawson, Thomas W., 104
Leaf, Munro, 68
Learning the Radiotelegraph Code, 80
Leave Her to Heaven, 15, 26, 179
Leavenworth Case, The, 54
Leaves of Grass, 219
Lee, Edna L., 24, 30
Lee, Gerald Stanley, 117
Lee, Manfred B., 55
Lee Mansion, 73
Lee (R. E.), 159
Leech, Margaret, 171
Lecomte du Nouy, Pierre, 86, 187, 189
Lehmann-Haupt, Hellmut, 224
Lena Rivers, 219
Let’s Cook It Right, 53
Letters of a Self-Made Merchant to His Son, 103
Levant, Oscar, 169, 170
Lewis, Ethelreda, 143, 145
Lewis, Freeman, 227
Lewis, Norman, 16, 40, 77
Lewis, Rand, 109
Lewis, Sinclair, 7, 8, 87, 131, 133, 135, 139, 140, 143, 144, 147, 148, 155-157, 161, 182, 187, 188, 200
Libro Espanol, 79
Liebman, Joshua L., ix, 22, 32, 85, 184, 186-188, 190, 192, 195
Life and Death of a Spanish Town, The, 175
Life and Gabriella, 121
Life and Letters of Walter H. Page, The, 135, 136
Life and Times of the Shmoo, The, 190, 192
Life Begins at Forty, 7, 155, 157, 158
Life Index, 79
Life Is Worth Living, Series 1, 86, 205, 207
Life of Christ, The, 86, 135-140
Life of Our Lord, The, 157
Life with Father, 159-161, 172
Life with Mother, 163, 164
Light in the Clearing, The, 122, 123
Light of Faith, The, 74, 141
Lin Yutang, 165
Lincoln, 149
Lincoln, Joseph C., 129, 130
Lincoln Library, The, 89
Lincoln’s Doctor’s Dog, 8, 226
Lindbergh, Anne Morrow, 154, 159-162, 165, 167, 211
Lindbergh, Charles A., 143, 145, 146, 154
Lindlahr, Victor H., 16, 39, 52
Lindsay, Norman, 20, 43
Line of the Mask, The, 109
Link, Henry C., 86, 163
Lion Is in the Streets, A, 182
Lippmann, Walter, 147, 148, 176, 178
Listen, the Wind, 165, 167
Literary Situation, The, 226
Little, Frances, 107
Little Black Sambo, 24, 30, 66
Little Colonel, The, 160
Little Engine That Could, The, 22, 29, 66
Little French Girl, The, 137, 139
Little Lord Fauntleroy, 109
Little Man, What Now?, 155
Little Men, 219
Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, The, 12, 22, 29, 103, 104
Little Women, 219
Live Alone and Like It, 161, 162, 164
Llewellyn, Richard, 169
Locke, William J., 110, 112, 119, 120, 122, 123
Lockhart, R. H. Bruce, 155
Lockridge, Frances and Richard, 56
Lockridge, Ross, Jr., 190, 191
Lodge, Sir Oliver, 122, 123
Lofting, Hugh, 68
Logan’s (Martha) Meat Cook Book, 24, 44, 52
London, Jack, 16, 27
Lone Cowboy, 149
Lone Star Ranger, The, 120
Long Roll, The, 113
Long Wait, The, 13, 37, 57
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 218
Longstreet, Stephen, 23, 44
Look Homeward, Angel, 160
Look Younger, Live Longer, 51, 52, 196, 198-200
Looking Forward, 7, 155
Loos, Anita, 141
Lord Johnnie, 18
Lord Loveland Discovers America, 112
Lord Vanity, 205
Lorimer, George Horace, 103
Lost Ecstasy, 143
Lost Horizon, 7, 14, 39, 159
Louis Beretti, 23
Love Is Eternal, 23, 29, 208, 209
Love without Fear, 21, 40
Lovey Mary, 103
Lowell, Joan, 147
Lowell, Juliet, 18, 71, 182
Luckner (Count), the Sea Devil, 145
Ludwig, Emil, 143-146, 149, 150, 163, 164
Lusty Wind for Carolina, 32
Lydia Bailey, 19, 28, 187, 188
McCloy, Helen, 56
McCrae, John, 74, 127, 128
McCutcheon, George Barr, 8, 101, 104-107, 109, 110, 119
MacDonald, Betty, 22, 29, 182, 184, 186, 187, 189, 190, 192
MacDonald, John D., 19, 41
MacDonald, William Colt, 90
MacGrath, Harold, 101, 107, 109, 110
McGuffey Readers, 79
Machinery’s Handbook, 79
McKenna, Stephen, 124
Maclaren, Ian, 95, 96, 107
Maartens, Maarten, 95
Madame Bovary, 220
Magnificent Obsession, 15, 39, 63, 87, 153, 155, 156
Magnolia Street, 153, 154
Maid in Waiting, 151
Mailer, Norman, 15, 39, 190, 191
Main Street, 7, 131, 132
Major, Charles, 97, 99, 100, 102
Major, The, 124
Making Cellars Dry, 73
Malet, Lucas, 102
Malvern, Corinne, 67
Mamba’s Daughters, 147
Man Called Peter, A, 20, 28, 84, 85, 202, 203, 205, 207, 211, 212
Man for the Ages, A, 129
Man from Brodney’s, The, 109
Man from Maine, A, 135
Man in Lower Ten, The, 56, 110, 150
Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, The, 7, 19, 42, 211, 212
Man Nobody Knows, The, 85, 139, 141, 142
Man of the Forest, The, 32, 91, 129, 130
Man the Unknown, 161
Man without a Country, The, 219
Mansions of Philosophy, The, 147, 148
Manxman, The, 95
March, F. A., 31
March of Democracy, The, 153
March of Democracy, The, Vol. II, 155
Marcus, Abraham, 79
Maresca, James, 20, 42
Margaret Ogilvy, 97
Maria Chapdelaine, 87, 133, 134
Marie, Grand Duchess, 151
Marie Antoinette, 155
Marjorie Morningstar, 211, 212
Market Place, The, 99
Marks, Percy, 7, 137, 138
Marquand, John P., 8, 14, 30, 167, 168, 170-172, 176, 177, 184, 185, 193, 194, 199, 200
Marriage and Divorce, 36
Marriage of William Ashe, The, 105
Marsh, Ngaio, 54
Marshall, Catherine, 20, 28, 85, 202, 205, 208, 211
Marshall, Edison, 17, 30
Marshall, George C., 189
Marshall, Katharine T., 187
Marshall, Peter, 86, 196-198, 208, 209
Marshall, Rosamond, 14, 18, 39, 41
Marshall’s (General) Report, 182, 183
Marvell, Ik, 218
Mary, 87, 193, 194
Mary Anne, 208, 209
Mary-Marie, 129
Mary Peters, 157, 158
Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles, 159
Mary’s Neck, 153
Mason, F. Van Wyck, 56, 169, 170, 193, 194
Masquerader, The, 104, 105, 110
Master, The, 95
Master of Jalna, The, 155
Mathematics for the Million, 163, 164
Mature Mind, The, 196, 198
Maugham, W. Somerset, 6, 9, 13, 17, 27, 41, 87, 163, 164, 179
Mauldin, Bill, 182
Maupassant, Guy de, 220
Maurois, André, 137-139, 145, 146, 149, 150
Maus, Pearl, 86
Max, 112
Maxwell, Arthur S., 64
Maxwell, W. B., 119
Mayo, Katherine, 7, 143-145
Meadowcroft, Enid La Monte, 68
Means, Gaston B., 149
Measurement of Intelligence, A, 80
Measuring Intelligence, 80
Mein Kampf, 141, 167, 168
Melting of Molly, The, 115
Melville, Herman, 218
Melville Goodwin, U.S.A., 199, 200
Merriam-Webster Pocket Dictionary, 76
Merrill, M. A., 80
Merton, Thomas, 85, 193, 195
Message to Garcia, A, 13, 30, 37
Mettle of the Pasture, 103
Mexico, 151
Michael, Ralph, 71, 193, 195
Michael O’Halloran, 21, 29, 120
Michelson, Miriam, 104
Michener, James, 14, 38, 199, 200
Microbe Hunters, The, 21
Midlander, The, 137
Midsummer Passions, 21
Mildred Pierce, 18, 43, 74, 151, 152
Miller, Alice Duer, ix, 7, 75, 171
Miller, Caroline, 157, 158
Miller, Douglas S., 7, 171
Miller, Wade, 56
Milne, A. A., 33, 63, 66, 67, 139, 140
Miloche, Hilda, 67
Mind in the Making, The, 133-135
Mine with the Iron Door, The, 135
Minstrel in France, A, 124
Miracle of the Bells, The, 33, 87, 184, 185, 187, 188
Mirrors of Downing Street, The, 131, 132, 134
Mirrors of Washington, 133, 134, 152
Misérables, Les, 219
Miss Bishop, 155
Mission to Moscow, 126, 174
Mississippi Bubble, The, 102
Mistress Glory, 23, 44
Mrs. Miniver, 21, 169, 170
Mrs. Parkington, 176
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, 66, 102, 103, 107
Mistress Wilding, 137
Mr. Adam, 18
Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, 171, 172
Mr. Britling Sees It Through, 7, 121-123, 128
Mr. Crewe’s Career, 109
Mr. Dooley in Peace and War, 99
Mr. Jones, Meet the Master, 86, 196, 198
Mr. President, 202, 203
Mr. Roberts, 17, 38
Mitchell, Margaret, ix, 12, 26, 161, 163
Mitchell, S. Weir, 98
Moby Dick, 218
Modern Chronicle, A, 112
Modern Comedy, The, 142
Modern Cook Book, 51, 52
Modern Electric and Gas Refrigeration, 80
Modern Medical Counsellor, 82
Modern Miracle Men, 73
Molly Make-Believe, 112, 113
Moneyman, The, 31, 187, 188
Monsarrat, Nicholas, 199, 200
Montessori, Maria, 115
Montessori Method, The, 115
Montgomery, L. M., 66, 68
Moody, William Vaughan, 106
Moon Is Down, The, 174, 175
Moore, Ruth, 23
More Dennis the Menace, 20, 43, 71
More Merry-Go-Round, 153, 154
Morgan, Charles, 153, 161
Morgan, Edward P., 202, 205
Morley, Christopher, 167-169
Morley, Susan, 23, 44
Morley, Viscount, 124, 125
Mortal Storm, The, 165
Mortimer, Lee, 20, 199-202
Moses, 87, 199, 200
Mother, 17, 27
Mother Goose, 217
Mother India, 7, 143-146
Motley, Willard, 19, 43
Motor Service’s New Automotive Encyclopedia, 79
Mott, Frank Luther, 226
Mulford, Clarence E., 90
Mulock, Dinah Maria, 219
Munsterberg, Hugo, 117
Munthe, Axel, 149-151
Murder for Christmas, 61
Murder in the Calais Coach, 61
Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The, 18, 54, 58
Murder Up My Sleeve, 19, 43, 59
Murderer Is a Fox, The, 61
Murrow, Edward R., 202, 205
Mutiny on the Bounty, 14, 31, 162
My Book House, 89
My Cousin Rachel, 23, 29, 202, 203
My Flag Is Down, 20, 42
My Four Years in Germany, 124
My Friend Prospero, 104
My Gun Is Quick, 13, 36, 57
My Home in the Field of Honor, 122
My Lady Nobody, 95
My Second Year of the War, 123
My Sister and I, 7, 171, 172
My Son, My Son!, 165
Mysterious Rider, The, 32, 91, 131
Mystic Isles of the South Seas, 131
Naked and the Dead, The, 15, 39, 190, 191
Nan of Music Mountain, 121
Nana, 220
Napoleon, 143, 145, 146
Nash, Ogden, 74, 75, 165, 166
Native’s Return, The, 157
Nature Atlas of America, 77
Nazarene, The, 87, 167-169
Nedra, 105
Net, The, 115
Nevada, 16, 41, 91
Never Come Morning, 23, 45
Never Love a Stranger, 22, 44
Never Victorious, Never Defeated, 208, 209
New Adventures of Ellery Queen, The, 17, 43, 58
New American Webster Dictionary, 42, 77
New Century Dictionary of the English Language, The, 77
New Conscience and an Ancient Evil, A, 115
New Decalogue of Science, The, 137
New Drill Regulations, 81
New England: Indian Summer, 169, 170
New Freedom, The, 117
New Joy of Cooking, The, 15, 27, 52
New Russia’s Primer, 151, 152
New Yorker Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Album, The, 199, 201
Nicholson, Meredith, 54, 56, 106, 107, 115
Night Cry, 61
Night in Bombay, 169
Night Life of the Gods, The, 22, 45
Nijinsky, Romola, 157
Nijinsky, 157
Nile, The, 163
1984, 22, 43
No Time for Sergeants, 18, 41, 208, 209, 211, 212
Nordau, Max, 95
Nordhoff, Charles, 14, 31, 161, 162
Norris, Frank, 7, 103
Norris, Kathleen, 17, 27, 121, 128, 129
North to the Orient, 159, 161
Northwest Passage, 163-166
Not as a Stranger, 14, 27, 208, 209, 211, 212
Not Peace But a Sword, 167
Now It Can Be Told, 129, 130
Now We Are Six, 67
No. 5 John Street, 99
Nursery Tales Children Love, 67
Nygaard, Norman F., 23, 29, 85
O’Brien, Frederick, 129-132, 144
O’Brien, Lieut. Pat, 125
O’Brien, Patrick J., 24, 30
Of Lena Geyer, 177
Of Making Many Books, 227
Of Mice and Men, 163, 164
Of Time and the River, 159, 160
Officer’s Guide, The, 81
Oh, Money! Money!, 124
O’Hara, John, 23, 45, 193, 194, 211
Oil for the Lamps of China, 157
Old Countess, The, 143
Old Curiosity Shop, The, 218
Old Man and the Sea, The, 202
Old Pybus, 145
Old Wine and New, 153
Oliver Twist, 218
Oliver Wiswell, 169-172
On Being a Real Person, 86, 176, 177
On the Face of the Waters, 97
One God: The Ways We Worship Him, 68
100,000,000 Guinea Pigs, 155-157, 160
One Increasing Purpose, 139
One Lonely Night, ix, 13, 37, 57
One More River, 155
One Woman, The, 103
One World, 7, 16, 176, 177, 180, 181
O’Neill, Eugene, 9, 75, 145, 146, 205
Only Yesterday, 142, 153
Oppenheim, E. Phillips, 23, 56, 60, 124, 125, 129
Orchids on Your Budget, 163
Oregon Trail, The, 218
Origin of Evil, The, 61
Orwell, George, 22, 43
O’Shaughnessy, Edith, 124
Other Room, The, 22, 44
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, 33, 176
Our Times, v. 1, 141, 142
Oursler, Fulton, ix, 13, 16, 27, 28, 38, 84-86, 193, 195, 205
Out of the Night, 171, 172
Out to Win, 125
Outline of History, The, ix, 15, 26, 116, 131-135, 149
Outline of Science, The, 133, 134
Outwitting Our Nerves, 133
Outwitting the Hun, 125
Over Here, 74, 124
Over the Top, 7, 122-124
Overholser, Wayne, 91
Overstreet, H. A., 196-198
Paassen, Pierre van, 167-169
Packer, Vin, 18, 40
Page, Elizabeth, 167
Page, Marco, 24, 45, 60
Page, Thomas Nelson, 99, 103
Page, Walter H., 135, 136
Paine, Albert Bigelow, 115, 124, 125
Painted Windows, 133, 134
Palmer, Frederick, 123
Papashvily, George and Helen, 182
Paper-Bound Books in America, 227
Papini, Giovanni, 86, 135-140
Parasites, The, 31, 196, 197
Parker, Cornelia Stratton, 129
Parker, Sir Gilbert, 8, 96, 98, 101, 102, 107, 109, 117, 144
Parkman, Francis, 218
Parris Mitchell of Kings Row, 32
Parrish, Anne, 139, 140, 143, 145
Parrott, Ursula, 110
Partridge, Bellamy, 167
Passionate Witch, The, 15, 38
Past Imperfect, 174
Pat the Bunny, 67
Patrick, John, 75
Paul, Elliot, 174, 175
Pavilion of Women, 31
Pawns Count, The, 56, 124
Peace Negotiations, 131
Peace of Mind, ix, 22, 32, 84, 85, 184, 186-192, 195
Peace of Soul, 86, 193, 195
Peacock Feather Murders, The, 61
Peacock Sheds Its Tail, The, 32
Peale, Norman Vincent, ix, 15, 26, 85, 190, 191-193, 202, 205, 206, 208, 211
Pearson, Drew, 151-154
Peat, Harold R., 125
Peck, Harry Thurston, 2
Peculiar Treasure, A, 167, 168
Peder Victorious, 147, 148
Pelo, W. J., 38, 76
Penelope’s Progress, 98
Penrod, 32, 63, 66, 119, 121
Peony, 22
Perennial Bachelor, The, 139
Perkins, Frances, 184
Perkins, Lucy Fitch, 64, 67
Perkins, Wilma Lord, 13, 26, 51
Personal History, 159, 160
Peter, 109, 110
Peterkin, Julia, 24, 30, 147, 148
Peters, Lulu Hunt, 32, 52, 133, 135-137, 139, 141
Petherbridge, Margaret, 24, 45, 69, 71, See Farrar, M. P.
Petry, Ann, 22, 44
Phantom Lady, 62
Phelps, William Lyon, 167, 168
Phillips, M. C., 159
Phroso, 97
Physics, 80
Pickett, Elizabeth, 174
Pickford, Mary, 123
Picture Story of Davy Crockett, The, 65
Pilgrim’s Inn, 31, 190
Pilgrim’s Progress, The, 217
Pillsbury’s (Ann) Baking Book, 33, 52
Pilots Weather Handbook, 73
Piper, Watty, 22, 29, 66-68
Pit, The, 7, 103
Pitkin, Walter B., 155, 157
Place Called Estherville, A, 19, 42
Plague and I, The, 190, 192
Plain Tales from the Hills, 220
Plastic Age, The, 7, 130, 137, 138
Plattsburg Manual, The, 81, 122, 123
Pleasant Valley, 182
Plutocrat, The, 143
Pocket Book of Baby and Child Care, ix, 36, 81
Pocket Book of Basic English, The, 42
Pocket Book of Boners, 19, 40, 71
Pocket Book of Cartoons, 17, 40, 71
Pocket Book of Crossword Puzzles, 24, 45, 71
Pocket Book of Erskine Caldwell Stories, 15, 38
Pocket Book of Modern American Short Stories, 21, 42
Pocket Book of Ogden Nash, The, 74
Pocket Book of Short Stories, 14, 37
Pocket Book of Verse, The, 15, 38, 74
Pocket Book of War Humor, The, 4, 18, 40, 71
Pocket Cook Book, The, 13, 37, 51
Pocket Dictionary, The, 38, 76
Pocket Entertainer, The, 23, 44, 71
Poe, Edgar Allan, 54, 218
Poems of Alan Seeger, 74, 122, 124, 128
Pogo, 70, 199, 201
Point Count Bidding, 71
Point of No Return, 193, 194
Pointers on Making Good Lawns, 73
Pollyanna, 7, 12, 23, 29, 66, 117, 119
Pollyanna Grows Up, 24, 30, 66, 120
Pomeranz, Herman, 82
Poole, Ernest, 120, 122
Poor Wise Man, A, 131
Popular Book, The, 10, 227
Porgy, 148, 160
Port of Missing Men, The, 56, 107
Porter, Eleanor H., 8, 23, 24, 29, 30, 66, 117, 119-122, 124, 129
Porter, Gene Stratton, 8, 12, 15, 17, 21, 25-27, 29, 65, 66, 113, 115-117, 120, 123, 124, 127, 131, 139
Portygee, The, 129, 130
Post, Emily, ix, 24, 30, 82, 135-137
Post, Mary Brinker, 20, 28
Postman Always Rings Twice, The, 18, 40
Potter, Beatrix, 62
Power of Positive Thinking, The, ix, 15, 26, 84, 85, 191, 202, 203, 205, 206, 208, 209, 211, 212
Power Through Constructive Thinking, 86
Practical Electricity and House Wiring, 80
Practice for the Army Tests, 81
Prather, Richard, 22, 43, 56, 60
Pratt, Theodore, 19, 20, 41, 42
Prayers of Peter Marshall, The, 86, 208, 209
Preface to Morals, A, 147, 178
Premier Livre, 79
Prenatal Care, 73
Present Indicative, 163
President’s Daughter, The, 150
Pride of Jennico, The, 98
Pride’s Castle, 17, 29, 193, 194, 197
Priestley, J. B., 149, 150
Prince of Foxes, 14, 31, 187, 188
Prince of Graustark, The, 119
Prince of the House of David, The, 219
Princess Aline, 95
Princess Passes, The, 105
Prisoner of Zenda, The, 95, 97
Private Life of Helen of Troy, The, 31, 141, 142
Private Peat, 125
Private Worlds, 157
Prodigal Judge, The, 113
Promised Land, The, 115, 117
Prospecting for Uranium, 73
Psychology and Industrial Efficiency, 117
Publisher, The, 228
Punch and Judy Murders, The, 61
Puppet Crown, The, 101
Pursuit of the House-Boat, The, 97
Pyle, Ernie, 24, 30, 31, 176, 178-180, 182, 184
Queed, 113, 114
Queen, Ellery, 16-18, 20-24, 42-44, 53, 55, 58-62
Queen, Ellery, Jr., 56
Quiet Talks on Power, 86
Quo Vadis, 88, 97, 98
Races of Mankind, 73
Radio Amateur’s Handbook, The, 79
Radio Amateur’s License Manual, The, 81
Rage to Live, A, 193, 194
Rainbow Dictionary, The, 67, 78
Raine, William MacLeod, 90
Rains Came, The, 163, 165, 166
Raintree County, 190, 191
Rampart Street, 20, 41
Ramrod, 23, 44, 91
Randolph, John, 71
Random Harvest, 18, 171, 172
Rats, Lice and History, 159, 170
Rawhide Range, 23, 43, 90, 91
Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan, 165, 167, 174, 175
Raymond, 122
Razor’s Edge, The, 6, 13, 27, 41, 87, 179, 180
Reaching for the Stars, 167, 168
Reading I’ve Liked, 171, 173
Real Adventure, The, 121
Real Mother Goose, The, 63, 66
Real Story of Lucille Ball, The, 63
Rebecca, 14, 29, 165-168, 177, 185
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, 19, 28, 66, 104
Recollections, 124, 125
Re-creation of Brian Kent, The, 33, 88, 127, 129
Red Badge of Courage, The, 96
Red Planet, The, 122
Red Pottage, 100
Red Rock, 99
Redemption of David Corson, The, 100
Reed, Chester A., 31
Regeneration, 95
Reign of Law, The, 100
Reilly, Helen, 56
Reilly, Ottilie H., 72, 193, 195
Religions in America, 86
Remarque, Erich Maria, 18, 28, 147, 151, 184, 185
Return to Paradise, 199, 200
Return to Religion, The, 86, 163, 164
Reveille in Washington, 171, 173
Reveries of a Bachelor, 218
Reves, Emery, 184
Revolt in the Desert, 143, 144, 160
Revolt of Mamie Stover, The, 19, 41
Reynolds, Quentin, 179, 180, 225
Rhymes of a Red Cross Man, 74, 122, 124
Rice, Alice Hegan, 66, 102, 103, 105
Rice, Grantland, 208, 210
Richard Carvel, 32, 99-101
Richard Yea-and-Nay, 101
Richards, I. A., 42, 77
Richter, Herbert P., 80
Riders of the Purple Sage, The, 23, 29, 91
Right of Way, The, 101, 102
Riley, James Whitcomb, 125, 220
Rimanoczy, Richard S., 79
Rinehart, Mary Roberts, ix, 8, 53, 54, 56, 57, 61, 110, 112, 120, 124, 127, 131, 133, 135, 143, 146, 149, 150, 161
Ripley, Robert L., 18, 40, 70, 147, 148
Rise of American Civilization, The, 149
River Road, The, 18, 29, 184, 185
River’s End, The, 129
Rives, Amélie, 117
Rives, Hallie Erminie, 107, 112
Road Back, The, 151
Road in Storyland, The, 68
Road to Understanding, The, 122
Robbins, Frank E., 226
Robbins, Harold, 22, 44
Robe, The, ix, 13, 26, 87, 174-177, 179, 180, 182, 183, 191, 205, 206
Robert Elsmere, 96, 220
Robert’s Rules of Order, 76
Roberts, Kenneth, 19, 28, 163-165, 169-171, 187
Robinson, Edwin Arlington, 74
Robinson, Henry Morton, 22, 88, 196, 199, 200
Robinson, James Harvey, 133-136
Robinson Crusoe, 217
Roe, E. P., 219
Rogers, Dale Evans, 86, 205
Rogers, Will, 99
Rogers (Will), 24, 30
Roget’s Pocket Thesaurus, 77
Rogue Herries, 149
Rohmer, Sax, 56
Rojankovsky, Feodor, 68
Rolvaag, O. E., 147, 148
Roman Hat Mystery, The, 56, 60
Rombauer, Irma S., 15, 27, 52
Roosevelt, Elliott, 184
Roosevelt, Franklin D., 7, 155, 156, 158, 170, 180, 182
Roosevelt, Theodore, 102, 106, 115, 130
Roosevelt (Theodore), 129
Roosevelt and Hopkins, 190, 191
Roosevelt I Knew, The, 184
Roosevelt’s Letters to His Children, 129
Roper’s Row, 147
Rorick, Isabel Scott, 171
Rosary, The, 7, 12, 22, 29, 112, 113
Rose, Billy, 190, 192
Rose o’ the River, 105
Ross, Barnaby, 22, 53, 60
Roth, Lillian, 15, 39, 208, 210
Royal Box, The, 19, 29, 208, 209
Royal Road to Romance, The, ix, 32, 143
Ruark, Robert, 211
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, The, 219
Ruggles, Alice McGuffey, 228
Runkle, Bertha, 101
Runner’s Bible, The, 83
Runyon, Damon, 21, 43
Runyon (Damon) Favorites, 42
Sabatini, Rafael, 31, 135-137, 139
Sad Sack, The, 71
Sagan, Françoise, 22, 45, 211, 212
St. Elmo, 219
Saint Goes West, The, 61
Saint Joan, 75, 137, 138
Salamander, The, 119
Sale, Chic, 71, 147, 148
Salinger, J. D., 119
Salisbury, Helen M., 133
Sanctuary, 20, 41
Sandburg, Carl, 74
Sandy, 105
Sangaree, 22
Santayana, George, 161, 162
Saracen Blade, The, 20, 202, 203
Saratoga Trunk, 171
Saroyan, William, 176, 177
Satan Sanderson, 107
Saturday Evening Post Treasury, The, 208, 210
Saunders, Marshall, 220
Sayers, Dorothy, 54
Scaramouche, 31
Scarlet Letter, The, 218
Scarlet Letters, The, 62
Scarlet Sister Mary, 24, 30, 147
Scat, Scat, 68
Schindler, John A., 211
Schlink, F. J., 155-157
Schreiner, Olive, 115
Schulberg, Budd, 23, 44, 196, 197
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, 219
Scott, Thurston, 60
Scott, Sir Walter, 217
Sea Around Us, The, 24, 199, 200, 202, 203
Seagrave, Lt. Col. Gordon, 176
Sea-Hawk, The, 135
Seats of the Mighty, The, 96
Secret of Happiness, The, 86, 211, 212
Sedgwick, Anne Douglas, 115, 116, 137-139, 143, 147
See Here, Private Hargrove, 4, 13, 37, 125, 174-176, 178
Seeger, Alan, 74, 122-124, 128
Self-Mastery through Conscious Auto-Suggestion, 135
Self-Raised, or, Out of the Depths, 219
Selinko, Annemarie, 16, 28, 205
Sentimental Tommy, 96, 97
Septimus, 110
Serenade, 18, 40
Sermon on the Mount, The, 85
Service, Robert W., 74, 122-124
Service Cook Book, The, 13, 37, 51
Set the Clock, 68
Seton, Anya, 22, 29
Settlement Cook Book, The, 21, 28, 52
Seven Gothic Tales, 157, 158
Seven Pillars of Wisdom, 159, 160
Seven Purposes, The, 127
Seven Storey Mountain, The, 85, 193, 195
Seventeen, 9, 66, 121
Seversky, Major Alexander P. de, 7, 174
Sewell, Anna, 220
Sex Habits of American Women, 21, 42
Sexual Behavior in the Human Female, 205, 207
Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, 190, 192
Sexual Side of Marriage, The, 23, 44
Shadows on the Rock, 87, 151, 152
Shakespeare, William, 88, 217
Shannon’s Way, 31, 190
Shaw, George Bernard, 9, 75, 137, 138, 145, 146, 197
Shaw, Irwin, 21, 44, 190, 191
She, 220
Sheean, Vincent, 159, 160, 167, 168
Sheehan, Donald, 228
Sheen, Fulton J., 86, 193, 195, 205
Sheik, The, 7, 12, 21, 29, 131-134
Sheldon, Charles Monroe, 12, 26, 36, 87, 226
Shellabarger, Samuel, 14, 31, 182, 187, 205
Shelley, Percy Bysshe, 138
Sheltered Life, The, 153
Shepherd of the Hills, The, 21, 28, 87
Sherwood, Elizabeth J., 77
Sherwood, Margaret, 123
Sherwood, Robert E., 190, 191
Shirer, William L., 7, 126, 171, 172
Shoe Book of Nursery Rhymes, 66
Short, Luke, 23, 44, 91
Show Boat, ix, 141, 142
Shrewsbury, 98
Shulman, Irving, 14, 19, 38, 40
Shuttle, The, 107, 109
Siamese Twin Mystery, The, 22, 59
Sidney, Margaret, 64, 220
Sienkiewicz, Henryk, 88, 97, 98
Silas Marner, 219
Silent Places, The, 104
Silver Chalice, The, 14, 26, 87, 202, 203, 205, 206
Silver Horde, The, 110
Silver Spoon, The, 141
Simenon, Georges, 56
Simon Called Peter, 87, 133, 134
Simon Dale, 98
Simon the Jester, 112
Simple Life, The, 24, 30
Simplified Auction Bridge, 142
Since Yesterday, 142
Sinclair, May, 124
Sinclair, Upton, 7, 106, 157
Singing Guns, 20, 38, 91
Singular Life, A, 87, 96
Sir Mortimer, 104
Sir Richard Calmady, 102
Sisters-in-Law, The, 131
Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., The, 217
Skin Deep, 159, 160
Skinner, Cornelia Otis, 33, 176, 177
Sky Pilot, The, 88
Sky Pilot in No Man’s Land, The, 87, 127
Skyward, 145
Slack, Edgar P., 80
Slaughter, Frank G., 22
Smattering of Ignorance, A, 169, 170
Smith, Betty, 14, 26, 176, 177, 179, 190, 191
Smith F. Hopkinson, 96, 98, 109, 110, 120
Smith, Hannah Whitall, 220
Smith, Lillian, 7, 15, 40, 179
Smith, Thorne, 12, 14-16, 22, 29, 38-40, 45
Snake Pit, The, 7, 184, 185
So Big, 137, 138, 142
So Little Time, 176, 177
So Red the Rose, 157, 158
So Well Remembered, 14, 29, 182
Soldiers of Fortune, 97
Solo in Tom-Toms, A, 184
Some Women Won’t Wait, 62
Something of Value, 211, 212
Song of Bernadette, The, 17, 30, 87, 174-177
Song of Our Syrian Guest, The, 15, 26, 85
Sonia, 124
Sons, 153
Sorrell and Son, 141-144
Soundings, 139, 140
South America, 115, 117
Southworth, Mrs. E. D. E. N., 219
Spafford, Julian, 143
Spanish Cape Mystery, The, 17, 44, 58
Spargo, John, 127
Sparkenbroke, 161
Speaking Frankly, 187, 189
Speare, M. E., 14, 15, 37, 38, 74
Spearman, Frank H., 121
Specialist, The, 70, 71, 147
Spellman, Cardinal, 87, 199, 200
Spillane, Mickey, ix, 12, 13, 36, 37, 53, 55, 57
Spirit of the Border, The, 20, 41, 91
Spock, Benjamin, ix, 12, 36, 81
Spoilers, The, 106
Spoonhandle, 23
Spring, Howard, 165, 166, 202
Spring Fire, 18, 40
Spy, The, 218
Spyri, Johanna, 220
Standard Dictionary of Facts, The, 89
Standish, Burt, L., 64
Stanley, F. A., 80
Star Money, 196, 197
Starling, Col. Edmund, 184
Starling of the White House, 184
Starrett, Vincent, 223
Stars Fell on Alabama, 7, 157
Stars on the Sea, 169, 170
Steamboat Gothic, 20, 202, 203
Steel, Flora Annie, 97
Steen, Marguerite, 24, 30, 171, 172, 174
Steffens, Lincoln, 104
Steichen, Edward, 211, 213
Stein, Jess, 77
Steinbeck, John, 4, 7-9, 15, 16, 39, 43, 163, 164, 167-169, 174, 175, 187, 188, 202, 208
Steps to Christ, 220
Stern, Philip Van Doren, 21, 42
Stevens, George, 226
Stevens, Wallace, 10
Stevenson, Isabelle, 82
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 220
Stockton, Frank R., 95
Stone, Grace Zaring, 168
Stone, Irving, 23, 29, 182, 208
Stories Children Love, 67
Stories That Never Grow Old, 67
Story of a Bad Boy, The, 219
Story of Babar, The, 69
Story of Davy Crockett, The, 68
Story of Doctor Dolittle, The, 68
Story of Ferdinand, The, 68
Story of Mankind, The, 133-135
Story of My Life, The, 153
Story of Our Time, 89
Story of Philosophy, The, ix, 31, 134, 141-144, 148, 149
Story of San Michele, The, 149-151
Story of the Bible, The, 13, 26, 85, 86
Story of the McGuffeys, The, 228
Story of the Other Wise Man, The, 31, 85
Storytime Tales, 67
Stout, Rex, 54, 56
Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 218
Strachey, Lytton, 133-134, 147
Strange Case of Miss Annie Spragg, The, 145
Strange Death of President Harding, The, 149, 150
Strange Fruit, 7, 15, 40, 179, 180
Strange Interlude, 75, 145
Strange Woman, 17, 27
Stranger in Paris, A, 41
Street, The, 22, 44
Street Called Straight, The, 115
Streeter, Edward, 124, 125, 193, 194
Strength for Service to God and Country, 23, 29, 85
Strenuous Age in American Literature, The, 228
Struther, Jan, 21, 169, 170
Stuart, William L., 61
Student in Arms, A, 122
Study of History, A, 187, 189
Sugrue, Thomas, 184
Sullivan, Mark, 141, 142, 154
Sun Also Rises, The, 23, 45
Sun Is My Undoing, The, 24, 30, 171, 174
Sunset Barbecue Book, 52
Sure Hand of God, The, 14, 38
Sutherland, Halliday, 155
Swan Song, 145
Swartout, Hubert, 82
Sweet Thursday, 208, 209
Swell Looking Girl, A, 19, 40
Swift, Jonathan, 217
Swing, Raymond, 208
Swiss Family Robinson, The, 218
T. Tembarom, 117, 119
Talbot, Constance, 82
Tale of Peter Rabbit, The, 62
Tale of Two Cities, A, 219
Tales from Storyland, 67
Tales of the South Pacific, 14, 38
Tallulah, 202, 203
Tante, 115, 116
Tarbell, Ida, 104
Tarkington, Booth, 8, 9, 32, 66, 102, 107, 119-121, 133, 137, 143-146, 153, 154
Tarzan of the Apes, 33
Teahouse of the August Moon, 75
Telefixit, 79
Telltime the Rabbit, 69
Tempest and Sunshine, 219
Ten Days’ Wonder, 62
Ten Nights in a Bar-Room, 10
Ten North Frederick, 211, 212
Ten Years in Japan, 126, 179
Tenggren’s Cowboys and Indians, 67
Tenggren’s Farm Stories, 67
Tenggren’s Story Book, 67
Tennyson, Alfred, 218
Terman, L. M., 80
Texas Brags, 71
Thacker, May Dixon, 149
Thackeray, William Makepeace, 85, 218
Thayer, William Roscoe, 129, 130
Theatre, 163
Their Yesterdays, 115
Thelma, 220
They Were Expendable, 7, 32, 174, 175
Thin Man, The, 20, 42, 54, 59
Thinking Reed, The, 161
13 French Street, 21, 42
30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary, 16, 40, 77
34-40 or Fight, 110
This Above All, 171
This Freedom, 133, 135, 136
This I Believe, Series 1, 86, 202, 203, 205, 207
This I Believe, Series 2, 86, 208, 209
This Is Ike, 202, 203
This Is Murder, 16, 39, 57
This Side of Innocence, 20, 28, 184, 185
This Side of Paradise, 129, 138
This Very Earth, 17, 40
This Was Publishing, 228
Thomas, Lowell, 145, 146
Thomason, John W., Jr., 91
Thompson, Maurice, 100, 101
Thompson, Morton, 14, 27, 208, 209, 211
Thompson, Sylvia, 141
Thomson, J. Arthur, 133, 134
Thoreau, Henry David, 10, 219
Thorndike, E. L., 76
Thorndike-Barnhart Comprehensive Desk Dictionary, 77, 199, 201
Thorndike-Barnhart Handy Pocket Dictionary, 77
Thorndike-Century Beginning Dictionary, The, 76
Thorndike-Century Junior Dictionary, The, 76
Three Harbours, 170
Three Loves, 87, 153, 154
Three Men in a Boat, 220
Three Musketeers, The, 218
Three Plays, 75, 115, 117
Thurber Carnival, The, 182
Thurston, Katherine Cecil, 104, 105, 110, 112
Tileston, Mary W., 85
Time and Time Again, 205
Time for Decision, The, 179
Time Out of Mind, 159
Tin Soldier, The, 127
To Have and To Hold, 100
To the Last Man, 133
Tobacco Road, 13, 37
Together, 187, 189
Toll House Recipes, 53
Tolstoi, Leo, 220
Tom Grogan, 96
Tomorrow Morning, 143
Tomorrow Will Be Better, 190, 191
Tontine, The, 211, 212
Top of the Heap, 62
Top Secret, 184
Topper, 14, 29, 40
Tormented, The, 19, 41
Torres, Tereska, 15, 38
Tortilla Flat, 164
Toynbee, Arnold J., 187, 189
Trader Horn, Vol. 1, ix, 143-145
Tragedy of X, The, 22, 60
Tragedy of Y, The, 61
Tragedy of Z, The, 62
Tragic Era, The, 147
Tragic Ground, 13, 37
Trail of the Lonesome Pine, The, 7, 20, 28, 109, 110
Train, Arthur, 135, 136
Treasure Island, 220
Treasury of War Poetry, 74, 124
Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A, 14, 26, 176, 179, 180, 191
Tree of Heaven, The, 124, 125
Tree of Liberty, The, 167, 168
Tregaskis, Richard, 176
Trilby, 95, 220
Trine, Ralph Waldo, 17, 27, 85
Trouble in July, 14, 37
Truman, Harry S., 7, 184, 193, 211, 213
Truxton King, 110
Try and Stop Me, 182
Tumult and the Shouting, The, 208, 210
Turmoil, The, 120
Turnbull, Agnes Sligh, 88, 190, 191, 202
Turner, David, 81
Turnquist, C. H., 80
Turquoise, The, 22, 29
Twain, Mark, 10, 98, 219, 220
Twain (Mark), 115
Twain’s (Mark) Autobiography, 137
Twain’s (Mark) Letters, 124, 125
Twenty-Five Years, 139
Twenty-Four Hours, 149
Twice Thirty, 139
Twilight Sleep, 143
Two Clues, 61
Two Vanrevels, The, 102
Two Years Before the Mast, 218
U. P. Trail, The, 124, 125
U. S. Foreign Policy, 176
U. S. A. Confidential, 202, 203
Ullman, James Ramsey, 182, 183
Unconquered, The, 205
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 218
Under Cover, 176, 177, 179
Under Fire, 125, 126
Unleavened Bread, 100
Untermeyer, Louis, 74
Up Front, 182
Uris, Leon M., 14, 38, 205, 206
Uzzell, Thomas H., 229
V.V.’s Eyes, 117
Valiants of Virginia, The, 117
Valley of Decision, The, 176, 177
Valley of Silent Men, The, 131
Valtin, Jan, 171, 172
van der Heide, Dirk, 171
Van Dine, S. S., 54, 56, 57, 145-148
Van Doren, Carl, 165, 166
Van Druten, John, 75
van Dyke, Henry, 31, 85, 102
Van Loon, Hendrik Willem, 86, 133-136, 153-155, 163, 164
Vance, Ethel, 167, 168
Vance, Louis, 54, 56, 107, 109
Vanderbilt’s (Amy) Complete Book of Etiquette, 82
Vanity Fair, 218
Vein of Iron, 159
Vengeance Is Mine, 13, 37, 57
Vest Pocket Calorie Counter, The, 81, 82
Vicar of Wakefield, The, 217
Victoria (Queen), 133
Victory Through Air Power, 7, 174, 175
View from Pompey’s Head, The, 32, 208, 209
Virginian, The, ix, 7, 17, 27, 90, 91, 102, 103
Visits of Elizabeth, The, 101
Vixens, The, 17, 27, 187, 188
Wagner, Charles, 24, 30
Wake Up and Live!, 161
Wakefield, Ruth, 53
Wakeman, Frederic, 184, 185
Walden, 10, 219
Wall, The, 7, 196, 197
Wallace, Edgar, 56
Wallace, Lew, 219
Waln, Nora, 155, 167, 168
Walpole, Ellen Wales, 66
Walpole, Hugh, 145, 149, 150
Waltari, Mika, 193, 194, 196, 197, 199, 200, 208
Wanderer, The, 199, 200
Wanderer of the Wasteland, The, 135
War and Peace, 220
Ward, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, 96
Ward, Mrs. Humphry, 87, 96, 98, 103, 105, 220
Ward, Mary Jane, 184, 185
Warner, Susan, 218
Washington Confidential, 20, 199, 200
Washington Is Like That, 174
Washington Merry-Go-Round, 151-153
Watts, Helen Hoke, 64
Watts-Dunton, Theodore, 99
Waugh, Colton, 224
Way of a Transgressor, The, 161
Wayward Bus, The, 16, 43, 187, 188
We, 143, 145, 146
We Are Not Alone, 163
Weavers, The, 107, 109
Web of Days, The, 24, 30
Webber, Everett and Olga, 20, 41
Webster, Henry Kitchell, 121
Webster, Jean, 121
Webster, Noah, 76, 79
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 76
Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 76
Webster’s New International Dictionary, 76
Weems, Parson, 88
Weidman, Jerome, 23, 45
Welles, Sumner, 179, 180
Wellman, Paul I, 88
Wells, H. G., ix, 7, 8, 15, 26, 116, 121-123, 131-133, 135, 136, 149, 150
Werfel, Franz, 17, 30, 87, 159, 174, 176, 177
Werner, Jane, 67
Wessells, Katherine Tyler, 67
West, Rebecca, 161, 162
Westcott, Edward Noyes, 21, 28, 99
Weyman, Stanley, 98
What About Girls, 73
What Makes Sammy Run?, 23, 44
What We Live By, 153
What You Should Know about Biological Warfare, 73
Wharton, Edith, 9, 105, 106, 131, 132, 143
Wheel of Life, The, 106
When a Man Marries, 112
When a Man’s a Man, 121
When Knighthood Was in Flower, 99, 100
When We Were Very Young, 66, 139, 140
While Rome Burns, 157-160
White, Ellen G., 24, 30, 85, 220
White, Leslie Turner, 18
White, Stewart Edward, 104, 107
White, W. L., 7, 32, 174, 175
White Banners, 161
White Bird Flying, A, 151, 152
White Bunny and His Magic Nose, 66
White Cliffs, The, ix, 7, 74, 75, 171, 172
White Collar Zoo, 71, 193, 194
White Shadows in the South Seas, 129-132, 144
White Tower, The, 182
Whiteing, Richard, 99
Whitlock, Brand, 127
Whitman, Walt, 219
Whittier, John Greenleaf, 218
Who’s Who in America, 89
Why Johnny Can’t Read, 7, 211, 213
Why the Chimes Rang, 69
Why We Behave Like Human Beings, 141-143
Wickford Point, 167
Wide Wide World, The, 218
Wiggam, Albert E., 137
Wiggin, Kate Douglas, 19, 28, 66, 98, 104, 105, 220
Wild Olive, The, 110, 112
Wild Palms, The, 16, 43
Wilder, Thornton, 145, 146, 149, 159
Wildfire, 122
Wilkins, Vaughan, 163, 164
Williams, Ben Ames, 15, 17, 26, 27, 179, 180, 187, 205
Williams, Charles, 21, 42
Williams, Garth, 68
Williams, Oscar, 74
Williams, Tennessee, 75
Williamson, C. N. and A. M., 105, 112
Wilkie, Wendell L., 7, 16, 170, 176, 177, 180
Wilson (Augusta Evans): 1835-1919, 223
Wilson, Harry Leon, 107
Wilson, Sloan, 19, 42, 211, 212
Wilson, Woodrow, 115, 117, 118, 121, 127, 132, 156
Wind, Sand and Stars, 167, 168, 175
Window at the White Cat, The, 56, 112, 146
Window Curtains, 73
Windswept, 171, 174
Wine, Women and Words, 190, 192
Winnie-the-Pooh, 33, 66
Winning of Barbara Worth, The, 31, 113-115
Winsor, Kathleen, 14, 27, 179, 180, 182, 196, 197
Winston Dictionary: College Edition, 77
Winston Dictionary: Encyclopedic Edition, 78
Wintersmoon, 145
Wister, Owen, ix, 17, 27, 90, 91, 102, 103, 106
With Malice Toward Some, 165, 166
With the Colors, 124
Within This Present, 157
Witness, 7, 202, 203
Wittels, Fritz, 21, 42
Wodehouse, P. G., 21, 44
Wolfe, Thomas, 159, 160
Woman and Labor, 115
Woman Called Fancy, A, 199, 200
Woman in the House, A, 17, 39
Woman of Andros, The, 149
Woman Thou Gavest Me, The, 117
Women’s Barracks, 15, 38
Wonderful Town, 75
Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The, ix, 13, 26, 65
Wonderland of Knowledge, The, 89
Wood, Mrs. Henry, 219
Woody, Elizabeth, 13, 37, 51
Woolf, Virginia, 163, 164
Woollcott, Alexander, 157-160
Work, Milton C., 70, 117, 118, 141, 142, 152
Work of Art, 157
World Almanac, The, 201
World Book Encyclopedia, The, 89
Worn Doorstep, The, 123
Wortman, Doris Nash, 69
Wouk, Herman, 14, 27, 75, 199, 200, 202, 203, 211, 212
Wren, P. C., 141, 142
Wright, Harold Bell, 12, 21, 25, 28, 31, 33, 87, 88, 113, 115, 116, 119, 121, 127, 129, 133, 135
Wright, Richard, 182
Wright, Wendell W., 67, 78
Wright, Willard Huntington, 146
Writing as a Career, 229
Wuthering Heights, 218
Wyss, Johann R., 218
Yankee from Olympus, 179, 181
Yankee Pasha, 17, 30
Yard, Robert Sterling, 228
Year of Decisions, 7, 211, 213
Yearling, The, 165-167, 175
Years, The, 163
Years Between, The, 74, 127, 128
Years of Grace, 149, 150, 151
Yerby, Frank, 8, 14, 16-18, 20, 25, 27, 29, 30, 184, 185, 187, 190, 191, 193, 194, 196, 197, 199, 200, 202, 208
You Are What You Eat, 16, 39, 52
You Can’t Do Business with Hitler, 7, 171, 172
You Must Relax, 157, 158
Young, Stark, 157, 158
Young, Vash, 153, 154
Young Lions, The, 21, 44, 190, 191
Young Lonigan, 18, 42
Young Man of Manhattan, 149, 150
Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan, 20
Younger Set, The, 107
Your Child from Six to Twelve, 73
Your Dream Home, 24, 30, 196, 198
Your Federal Income Tax, 73
Your Income Tax, 81, 201
Your Personal Income Tax Guide, 81
Your United States, 115, 117
Zangwell, Israel, 95
Zinsser, Hans, 159, 160, 169, 170
Zola, Emile, 220
Zone Policeman, 88, 117
Zweig, Stefan, 155, 159, 160
Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:
Two millon one=> Two million one {pg 69}
monolog by a=> monologue by a {pg 70}
Public Affairs Pamplets=> Public Affairs Pamphlets {pg 72}
deightful family=> delightful family {pg 164}
Failure to Succcess=> Failure to Success {pg 196}
I ll Cry Tomorrrow=> I’ll Cry Tomorrow {pg 208}
late sports columist=> late sports columnist {pg 210}
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