 Historic highlights from Book World reviews of the: Hardcover Bestsellers, 1972-1996
The Book World staff picks its favorites of the last quarter-century. Editor Nina King ponders the vagaries of becoming a bestseller. Jonathan Yardley, Carolyn See and Kunio Francis Tanabe write of their personal experiences as critics. Marie Arana-Ward explores the relationship between publisher and critic. Jabari Asim celebrates a flourishing of African American literature. Michael Dirda comments on the state of fiction. David Nicholson speculates on the future of books in a technological age. |
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Top Hardcover Bestsellers, 1972-1996
June 1, 1997
| FICTION | NONFICTION | |
| 1972 | Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Richard Bach. 1,815,000 copies sold. (Macmillan) | The Living Bible. Kenneth Taylor. 757,216. (Doubleday) |
| 1973 | Jonathan Livingston Seagull. 540,000. | The Living Bible. 540,000. |
| 1974 | Centennial. James A. Michener. 330,289. (Random House) | The Total Woman. Marabel Morgan. 369,315. (Revell) |
| 1975 | Ragtime. E.L. Doctorow. 232,340. (Random House) | Angels: God's Secret Agents. Billy Graham. 810,000. (Doubleday) |
| 1976 | Trinity. Leon Uris. 285,000. (Doubleday) | The Final Days. Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein. 630,000. (Simon & Schuster) |
| 1977 | The Silmarillion. J.R.R. Tolkien. 1,050,696. (Houghton Mifflin) | Roots. Alex Haley. 759,894. (Doubleday) |
| 1978 | Chesapeake. James A. Michener. 851,729. (Random House) | If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries -- What Am I Doing in the Pits? Erma Bombeck. 700,000. (McGraw-Hill) |
| 1979 | The Matarese Circle. Robert Ludlum. 250,000. (Richard Marek) | Aunt Erma's Cope Book. Erma Bombeck. 692,000. (McGraw-Hill) |
| 1980 | The Covenant. James A. Michener. 553,000. (Random House) | Crisis Investing. Douglas R. Casey. 438,640. (Stratford Press) |
| 1981 | Noble House. James Clavell. 488,905. (Delacorte) | The Beverly Hills Diet. Judy Mazel. 756,360. (Macmillan) |
| 1982 | E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Storybook. William Kotzwinkle. 665,800. (Putnam) | And More by Andy Rooney. Andy Rooney. 510,714.(Atheneum) |
| 1983 | Return of the Jedi Storybook. Joan D. Vinge. 882,124. (Random House) | In Search of Excellence. Thomas J. Peters & Robert H. Waterman, Jr. 1,160,491. (Harper & Row) |
| 1984 | The Talisman. Stephen King & Peter Straub. 880,287. (Viking) | Iacocca. Lee Iacocca. 1,055,000. (Bantam Books) |
| 1985 | The Mammoth Hunters. Jean M. Auel. 1,471,535. (Crown) | Iacocca. 1,510,000 |
| 1986 | It. Stephen King. 1,206,266. (Viking) | Fatherhood. Bill Cosby. 2,400,000. (Doubleday) |
| 1987 | The Tommyknockers. Stephen King. 1,405,000. (Putnam) | Time Flies. Bill Cosby. 1,461,108. (Doubleday) |
| 1988 | The Cardinal of the Kremlin. Tom Clancy. 1,277,000. (Putnam) | The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure. Robert E. Kowalski. 961,221. (Harper & Row) |
| 1989 | Clear and Present Danger. Tom Clancy. 1,625,544.(Putnam) | All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Robert Fulghum. 902,000. (Villard Books) |
| 1990 | The Plains of Passage. Jean M. Auel. 1,686.589. (Crown) | A Life on the Road. Charles Kuralt. 602,371. (Putnam) |
| 1991 | Scarlett. Alexandra Ripley. 2,148,225. (Warner Books) | Me: Stories of My Life. Katharine Hepburn. 800,000.(Knopf) |
| 1992 | Dolores Claiborne. Stephen King. 1,317,364. (Viking) | The Way Things Ought to Be. Rush Limbaugh. 2,100,000. (Pocket Books) |
| 1993 | The Bridges of Madison County. Robert James Waller. 4,362,352. (Warner Books) | See I Told You So. Rush Limbaugh. 2,587,600. (Pocket Books) |
| 1994 | The Chamber. John Grisham. 3,189,893. (Doubleday) | In the Kitchen with Rosie. Rosie Daley. 5,487,369. (Knopf) |
| 1995 | The Rainmaker. John Grisham. 2,375,000. (Doubleday) | Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. John Gray. 2,196,935. (HarperCollins). |
| 1996 | The Runaway Jury. John Grisham. 2,775,000. (Doubleday) | Make the Connection. Oprah Winfrey & Bob Greene. 2,302,697. (Hyperion) |
(Compiled for Book World by Publishers Weekly)
