I decided to undertake this endeavor as a mission to read books I never would have otherwise read, discover authors who have been lost to obscurity, and to see how what's popular has changed over the last one hundred years. I plan to post a new review every Monday, with links, short essays, and the like between review posts.
Here is the list of books I plan to review:
- 1913: The Inside of the Cup by Winston Churchill
- 1914: The Eyes of the World by Harold Bell Wright
- 1915: The Turmoil by Booth Tarkington
- 1916: Seventeen by Booth Tarkington
- 1917: Mr. Britling Sees It Through by H. G. Wells
- 1918: The U. P. Trail by Zane Grey
- 1919: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
- 1920: The Man of the Forest by Zane Grey
- 1921: Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
- 1922: If Winter Comes by A.S.M. Hutchinson
- 1923: Black Oxen by Gertrude Atherton
- 1924: So Big by Edna Ferber
- 1925: Soundings by A. Hamilton Gibbs
- 1926: The Private Life of Helen of Troy by John Erskine
- 1927: Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis
- 1928: The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
- 1929: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
- 1930: Cimarron by Edna Ferber
- 1931: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
- 1932: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck *
- 1933: Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen
- 1934: Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen*
- 1935: Green Light by Lloyd C. Douglas
- 1936: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- 1937: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell*
- 1938: The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
- 1939: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
- 1940: How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn
- 1941: The Keys of the Kingdom by A. J. Cronin
- 1942: The Song of Bernadette by Franz Werfel
- 1943: The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas
- 1944: Strange Fruit by Lillian Smith
- 1945: Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor
- 1946: The King's General by Daphne du Maurier
- 1947: The Miracle of the Bells by Russell Janney
- 1948: The Big Fisherman by Lloyd C. Douglas
- 1949: The Egyptian by Mika Waltari
- 1950: The Cardinal by Henry Morton Robinson
- 1951: From Here to Eternity by James Jones
- 1952: The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Costain
- 1953: The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas*
- 1954: Not as a Stranger by Morton Thompson
- 1955: Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
- 1956: Don't Go Near the Water by William Brinkley
- 1957: By Love Possessed by James Gould Cozzens
- 1958: Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
- 1959: Exodus by Leon Uris
- 1960: Advise and Consent by Allen Drury
- 1961: The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
- 1962: Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter
- 1963: The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris L. West
- 1964: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
- 1965: The Source by James A. Michener
- 1966: Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
- 1967: The Arrangement by Elia Kazan
- 1968: Airport by Arthur Hailey
- 1969: Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
- 1970: Love Story by Erich Segal
- 1971: Wheels by Arthur Hailey
- 1972: Johnathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
- 1973: Johnathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach*
- 1974: Centennial by James A. Michener
- 1975: Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow
- 1976: Trinity by Leon Uris
- 1977: The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien
- 1978: Chesapeake by James A. Michener
- 1979: The Matarese Circle by Robert Ludlum
- 1980: The Covenant by James A. Michener
- 1981: Noble House by James Clavell
- 1982: E.T., The Extraterrestrial by William Kotzwinkle
- 1983: Return of the Jedi by James Kahn
- 1984: The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub
- 1985: The Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel
- 1986: It by Stephen King
- 1987: The Tommyknockers by Stephen King
- 1988: The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy
- 1989: Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy
- 1990: The Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel
- 1991: Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley
- 1992: Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
- 1993: The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
- 1994: The Chamber by John Grisham
- 1995: The Rainmaker by John Grisham
- 1996: The Runaway Jury by John Grisham
- 1997: The Partner by John Grisham
- 1998: The Street Lawyer by John Grisham
- 1999: The Testament by John Grisham
- 2000: The Brethren by John Grisham
- 2001: Desecration by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye
- 2002: The Summons by John Grisham
- 2003: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown**
- 2004: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown*
- 2005: The Broker by John Grisham
- 2006: For One More Day by Mitch Albom
- 2007: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini**
- 2008: The Appeal by John Grisham
- 2009: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
- 2010: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Stieg Larsson
- 2011: The Litigators by John Grisham
- 2012: Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James
- 2013: Inferno by Dan Brown
- 2014: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
* Books that appear multiple times will be condensed into one post. The review of The Robe, the only book to reach number one on two inconsecutive years (1943 and 1953) will be published under the earlier date.
** Publishers Weekly did not include the Harry Potter books in its listings. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix was the bestselling book for 2003, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was the bestselling book of 2007. I have decided to go with the official PW list. This is not due to any bias against Harry Potter (I have fond memories of waiting in line for the midnight release of the final book). By not counting Harry, I add The Da Vinci Code and A Thousand Splendid Suns to the list. The Da Vinci Code already appears for 2004. A Thousand Splendid Suns has a lot less notoriety than Harry Potter, so is more in tune with the mission.
I saw your post on reddit, and am really impressed you are doing this! Good luck! It will be fun to read your reviews and gain insights into what the popular books have been. :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteDo you have a Twitter account so I can follow on there? Love the idea.
ReplyDeleteThat stint where you have to read all of those Grisham books is going to be hell. Here's hoping that you may have already read a few! Great idea for a blog, by the way.
ReplyDeleteWould be awesome if you would use something like Readmill to read so that we can follow your highlights!
ReplyDeletehttps://readmill.com/
What a great idea! I'm looking forward to following along.
ReplyDeleteFantastic idea! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, envy you for the compulsory reading opportunity you are getting by doing this, wish I could do the same. All the best, happy reading...
ReplyDeleteCould I send a few interview questions for you, via email, to post on my two book blogs? I love your idea!
ReplyDeleteLisa
Oh, sorry, my email is:
ReplyDeletelisaguidarini@yahoo.com
Lisa
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of different reading projects (I've been reading one a week for a few years now). This is a great idea you've got, and I wish you the best of luck! I'll be following your posts.
Ryan in Costa Rica
I love this idea! Good luck on your task. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat project! Let me know if I can be of any help with the Tarkington titles. boothtarkington.com. Contact via ptpopcorn.com
ReplyDeleteI saw a link to your blog through GalleyCat and I think your idea is fantastic. Good luck and happy reading!
ReplyDeletemicky,
ReplyDeleteGood idea. I saw a list of the modern library's top 100 books of the twentieth century. I collected all 100 books [actually works out to be 123]in the original publications all first editions most first printings. It was quite a project.
Regards
What a brilliant idea, some awesome books in there! Wish I'd thought of it first, good luck :)
ReplyDeleteHey, what a great undertaking.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to read your posts.
If you'd like to promote your project on my blog, shoot me an email and I'll be happy to help.
http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
This is a great project. I'll be following your progress with interest. Looks like you'll be pretty well versed in John Grisham by the time you reach the end!
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea. Stumbled across the PW article today and that led me to your blog. I'm part of The Classics Club and on a 5-year reading program that began last May. Good luck with your project.
ReplyDeleteWow! Good luck. I do not envy you at all. I would lose my mind reading so many of these moralistically preachy writers in the years between 1913 and 1950. Is it a coincidence that there are three religiously themed books, one right after the other, during the years the US was officially involved in WW2? I think not. Bestseller-dom has never been the badge of worthwhile reading, merely the badge of popularity. I fear you are in for a load of mediocre and downright bad books. There are only a few true classics still in print on this list. One guess as to why.
ReplyDeleteHi Matt. I've just published Fifty Years in the Fiction Factory which is a study of a anonymous hack writer of best selling periodical fiction - all instalments, never published between covers. Therefore quite different from books on your list - different class of reader for one. The interest we share, however, is the correlation between mass popularity and social change / public obsessions. The PhD on which I based my book + all research materials are available free at www.fiftyyearsinthefictionfactory.com or via my website www.golden-duck.co.uk
ReplyDeleteOne piece of advice which I'm sure you don't need, is don't sneer at your material or it's readers. So easy to be intellectual snobby about popular fic. So wrong.
John Grisham is one of my absolute favorite authors. In fact he inspired me to be begin writing thrillers in a similar style.
ReplyDeleteI found you by way of the article on Melville House. This is a fantastic idea and I'm looking forward to your reviews; I suspect I'll be adding titles to my To-Read list. I followed you on Twitter and also put a link up on my own blog. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteVery neat idea! I look forward to seeing how this turns out. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWait - they allowed inclusion of novelizations of two movies (1982: E.T., The Extraterrestrial by William Kotzwinkle; 1983: Return of the Jedi by James Kahn), yet they excluded the Harry Potter series?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there is some sense in that decision. Somewhere.
Fascinating! In my college years, I had an interest in literary adaptation and I would ferret out the source material for Hollywood films of the '30s -'60s. This led me to innumerable forgotten "best sellers", obscure short stories and plays beyond reviving. But in the heap there were some unexpected gems. It's fascinating to follow the ups and downs of popular taste. Good luck with this!
ReplyDeleteOne of your repeat authors, Jean M. Auel, has created one of the best series I have ever read. Ayla's world was fascinating to explore in 9th grade and I revel in each new books she writes. I'll be most interested in your reviews of her two books however I feel you will miss out on so much by reading the The Mammonth Hunters before reading the first two books in the series. Still, so very excited for your reviews for these as well as the other 92.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic project! I am looking forward to following your blog for the next two years. You may have already encountered this essay in your lit classes, but it is required reading for what you are envisioning: Franco Moretti, "The Slaughterhouse of Literature," MLQ 61 (2000): 207-227.
ReplyDeletehttp://english.duke.edu/uploads/assets/Moretti%20-%20Slaughterhouse%20of%20Lit.pdf
Glancing down this list, it's hard to miss the impact of Hollywood on the popularity of books. Or is it Hollywood's fascination with the most popular books? I think it's the former.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! What a fun project! You've inspired me to read along with you. I think it is kind of fun to read a book from the 30s on my kindle! (for free even!) Found you from Sullivan's The Dish.
ReplyDeletewell i've only read about 10 of these books.
ReplyDeletefyi, fifty shades of grey is one of the worst books ever written, so glad you are saving that one for last!
Great idea!!:)
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Fun project. Who doesn't love a list!?
ReplyDeleteIn case you have not seen it, you can find a link to PW best-sellers on Project Gutenberg from this bookshelf.
ReplyDeleteAlso of interest is the book Making the List: A Cultural History of the American Bestseller, 1900-1999 that explores some similar ground.
You have inspired me. I turned 50 years old on February 7th, and have been looking for a significant way to mark this milestone in my life. I have decided tonight to read the bestseller from each year from the year of my birth through the current year and plan to continue to read the current year's best seller for the next 50 years or until I die (whichever comes first).
ReplyDeleteBest wishes on your journey. I, too, look forward to reading your future posts.
Thank you for giving me a second-half of my life-long reading project!!
Debbie Walker
Not sure if it would help for what you'll be doing, but the WorldCat Identities site provides good background on authors that might provide some of the context you're look for:
ReplyDeletehttp://worldcat.org/identities/
So, for Winston Churchill, for example:
http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n78-85430
You can see the timeline of books by/about him, his works that are most widely held in libraries, related identities and a tag cloud of related subject headings.
Good luck on the project! What a great idea.
Best sellers sell well because they are selling well.
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Amazing concept! For books that are part of series, will you read the rest of the books? The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is the end of a spectacular trilogy, and it would be disappointing to miss out on the entire story.
ReplyDeleteI must say, youve got one of the best blogs Ive seen in a long time. What I wouldnt give to be able to create a blog thats as interesting as this. I guess Ill just have to keep reading yours and hope that one day I can write on a subject with as much knowledge as youve got on this one! clipping path
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I read about your blog on Salon and I want to support you as a book lover and a CSUN alumna! Looking at the list, I'm surprised by how many of the older books are familiar to me because I've seen the films made from them. God bless you as you proceed -- if Valley of the Dolls is causing you pain, gird your loins for the magical prose of Dan Brown!!
ReplyDeleteFascinating project although, as noted upstream, I'd be dreading reading all of those Grisham books.
ReplyDeleteFYI: 1992, there is no "r" in Claiborne
Love the idea and look forward to reading your reviews... One thing, though. The background is horrible and makes your site extremely hard to read on my phone.
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