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The most popular book from the year you were born

Posted: 6 June 2023 | Last updated: 6 March 2024

You probably know your birthstone, your zodiac sign and hit songs from the year you were born, but what about the year’s most popular book? With so many great books to read , it’s difficult to read them all, but this list of bestsellers from 1960 through 2000 is a perfect place to start your journey through literary history.

1960: Advise and Consent – Allen Drury

Perhaps as relevant today as it was then, this bestselling 1960 novel explores what happens when power and corruption play out in the political halls of Washington, D.C. Praised for being informed and detailed without being boring, the book also won the Pulitzer Prize .

1961: The Agony and the Ecstasy – Irving Stone

Stone’s popular 1961 novel is a biographical exploration of the life and art of Michelangelo. The book examines the artist’s place in the fascinating history of Renaissance Europe, the extraordinary works of art he produced, and his often scandalous love affairs.

1962: Ship of Fools – Katherine Anne Porter

Set in the summer of 1931 , the popular novel follows a diverse group of passengers onboard a cruise ship heading to Germany. Through the characters, the book examines many of the emotions and prejudices that existed prior to World War II. It was a finalist for the National Book Award and was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film.

1963: The Shoes of the Fisherman – Morris L. West

The first in West’s Vatican tetralogy , the bestselling 1963 novel tells the story of Kiril Lakota, a young cardinal from Russia who becomes the new elected pope. Catholicism is a prominent theme in almost all of the 30 novels penned by the Australian writer.

1964: The Spy Who Came In from the Cold – John le Carré

Named the best spy novel of all time by Publishers Weekly , le Carré’s third novel became the author’s breakthrough . The novel introduces British agent Alec Leamas, whose plan to retire from his life of espionage is interrupted when he’s drawn into an important and dangerous assignment.

1965: The Source – James A. Michener

Called “a sweeping chronology filled with excitement” by The Philadelphia Inquirer , Michener’s bestselling novel explores the history of the Jewish people, from early Hebrew origins through the rise of Christianity and into the 20 th century.

1966: Valley of the Dolls – Jacqueline Susann

In this No. 1 bestseller of 1966, three women with big dreams become friends in New York City, and battle addiction and the rigours of Hollywood on their climb to the top, and descent into the “Valley of the Dolls.” Susann’s next two novels were also hits, and she became the first author to have three consecutive books top the New York Times bestseller list.

1967: The Arrangement – Elia Kazan

Academy Award-winning director and esteemed writer Kazan penned this 1967 bestseller about marriage and infidelity. Main character Eddie Anderson seems to have it all together, until his seemingly happy marriage is shaken up by his mistress.

1968: Airport – Arthur Hailey

The No. 1 bestselling thriller Airport is set over the course of seven hours, as staff at a Chicago-area airport cope with a powerful blizzard, and try to keep a flight-in-progress from ending in disaster. A 1970 movie adaptation was nominated for 10 Oscars.

1969: Portnoy’s Complaint – Philip Roth

Known as the novel that made Roth a household name , the 1969 bestseller is a comedic account of a Jewish adolescent’s discovery of his own sexuality. Both controversial and beloved, the book reads as the first-person account of young Alexander Portnoy’s confessions to his psychoanalyst.

1970: Love Story – Erich Segal

With its short page-count and approachable style , it’s no wonder Segal’s passionate, romantic and tragic story about two lovers from different worlds became the most popular book of 1970 . The equally beloved film adaptation starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal was nominated for seven Academy Awards.

1971: Wheels – Arthur Hailey

The American automobile industry is both exposed and saluted in 1971’s most popular novel from acclaimed author Arthur Hailey. Well researched, but not short on character or plot twists, the book was adapted into a Golden Globe-nominated miniseries starring Rock Hudson and Lee Remick.

1972: Jonathan Livingston Seagull – Richard Bach

1972’s most popular read is the story of a gull who discovers his true passion by teaching younger birds the ways of flight and the importance of following their dreams. After nearly dying in a plane crash in 2012, Bach re-released the novel with an added fourth section.

1973: Once Is Not Enough – Jacqueline Susann

Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull held the top spot for bestselling fiction in 1972 and 1973 , but the runner-up that year was a very different work of fiction. Susann’s Once Is Not Enough tells the story of a woman who pursues her dreams of finding a powerful mate in the glitzy and sometimes sleazy entertainment worlds of New York and Hollywood.

1974: Centennial – James A. Michener

Most bestsellers aren’t written for a particular occasion, but Michener’s 1974 novel was penned in commemoration of America’s 1976 Bicentennial. Chronicling the early days of the Colorado frontier, the characters, which include trappers, traders, settlers and gold miners, are brought together to tell the story of the American West.

1975: Ragtime – E.L. Doctorow

1975’s most popular book took an innovative approach to the historical novel, recounting life in America before World War I through the use of real and imagined characters. An immigrant family and a ragtime musician cross paths with famous people like Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan and Sigmund Freud.

1976: Trinity – Leon Uris

The title of this 1976 bestseller refers to the entwined history of three Irish families as they fight against the prejudices and burdens of class and religion . An integral part of the epic tale is the love story between a Catholic rebel and a Protestant girl who risks everything to join his cause.

1977: The Silmarillion – J.R.R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien

Released after the death of famed author J.R.R. Tolkien, but written even before The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Silmarillion became the bestselling book of 1977 . Edited by Tolkien’s son, Christopher, the book explores the ancient history of his expansive Middle Earth.

1978: Chesapeake – James A. Michener

With about 100 characters and spanning 400 years , 1978’s most popular book probably wouldn’t be described as easy reading. The story follows the family of Edmund Steed as they inhabit their beloved Eastern Shore through settlement, the Revolutionary War and into modern America.

1979: The Matarese Circle – Robert Ludlum

He was called “ the world’s most read writer ” by GQ , but Ludlum and his espionage thrillers were often panned by critics for being implausible and weakly written. Still, the author’s 11th book , about an American assassin and a former KGB director joining forces, became the bestselling book of 1979 .

1980: The Covenant – James A. Michener

This bestselling Michener epic is set in South Africa , where generations of families, missionaries and warriors wage war and find love in their individual pursuits for a new future and country. Kirkus Reviews took issue with the book’s bad dialogue, stereotypes and clichés, but noted it was as “clean-hearted, well-meaning and undeniably educational” as the author’s other tomes.

1981: Noble House – James Clavell

Continuing with his “Asian saga” novels like Tai-Pan and Shogun , author James Clavell’s bestselling 1981 book Noble House focuses on Ian Dunross, a tai-pan in Hong Kong's oldest trading house. Delving into the sometimes shady and intriguing worlds of business, espionage and government, the book is a long, but adventurous read that was also made into a 1988 TV miniseries.

1982: E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial Storybook – William Kotzwinkle

It makes sense that the highest-grossing movie of 1982 would influence the year’s top-selling book . In E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial Storybook , writer William Kotzwinkle adapts Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film to novel form.

1983: Return of the Jedi – James Kahn

Every Star Wars fan knows that 1983 was the year Return of the Jedi hit theatres, becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year . 1983’s most popular book expands on the saga of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in their fight against Darth Vader with a novelization of the film. Author James Kahn also wrote novelizations of other popular films, including Poltergeist and The Goonies.

1984: The Talisman – Stephen King and Peter Straub

Master horror writers Stephen King and Peter Straub joined forces to write 1984’s bestselling novel —a fantasy about a 12-year-old boy’s journey into another realm as he searches for a way to cure his dying mother. King and Straub wrote the beginning and end together, and then passed the book back and forth, alternating chapters until it was complete.

1985: The Mammoth Hunters – Jean M. Auel

The third instalment in the Earth’s Children series by Jean M. Auel was the most popular book of 1985 . The story follows heroine Ayla, a healer and skilled hunter, as she joins the mammoth-hunting Mamutoi people of Ice Age Europe.

1986: It – Stephen King

At 1,138 pages , it takes a certain amount of commitment to get through Stephen King’s 1986 bestseller about a group of teens who take on the killer entity living in the sewers of their small town. The book’s popularity has endured over the years, and was renewed with the films It in 2017 and It Chapter Two in 2019.

1987: The Tommyknockers – Stephen King

Critics have often dismissed King’s 1987 horror about alien technology taking over the minds and souls of the citizens of a small town as one of his worst books, but that didn’t stop it from becoming the most popular book of 1987 . Written at the height of King’s addiction troubles, the book was adapted into an ABC miniseries and also became the third-bestselling book of the ’80s.

1988: The Cardinal of the Kremlin – Tom Clancy

The third book to feature Clancy’s CIA operative character Jack Ryan was the most popular read of 1988 . In this instalment, Ryan must use his brains and his bravery to free an important CIA informant from the hands of the KGB. It’s the first Clancy book that introduced another recurring character , John Clark.

1989: Clear and Present Danger – Tom Clancy

For the second year in a row, Clancy bested all other authors to take the top spot with his thriller about CIA operative Jack Ryan fighting drug cartels. The novel was adapted into a popular movie in 1994 starring Harrison Ford as Ryan.

1990: The Plains of Passage – Jean M. Auel

Fans of Auel’s Earth’s Children series were eager for the much-anticipated fourth instalment , and bought so many copies that it became the bestselling book of 1990. The plot follows the continuing adventures of Ice Age heroine Ayla and her mate Jondalar.

1991: Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind – Alexandra Ripley

With the enduring popularity of its source material, it’s no surprise that Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind became the bestselling book of 1991 . Written by Alexandra Ripley, but expanding on the beloved characters created by Mitchell, the book follows the ongoing love affair between Scarlett and Rhett. It was adapted into a TV miniseries in 1994 .

1992: Dolores Claiborne – Stephen King

The most popular book of 1992 is a dark and suspenseful monologue told by title character Dolores Claiborne , a housekeeper suspected of killing her wealthy employer, and possibly her own husband 15 years before. The book was made into a 1995 thriller starring Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

1993: The Bridges of Madison County – Robert James Waller

The year’s most popular book chronicles a brief but intense love affair between photographer Robert Kincaid and lonely farm wife Francesca Johnson. The book was adapted into a film in 1995 , starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. Streep was nominated for an Oscar for her performance.

1994: The Chamber – John Grisham

The Chamber was John Grisham’s fifth popular novel , but the first to become the bestselling book of the year . Like the bulk of Grisham’s work , the novel is a legal thriller focusing on a brilliant lawyer risking his career—and his life—defending a family member accused of a heinous crime.

1995: The Rainmaker – John Grisham

Grisham’s second time claiming the bestselling book of the year came with the 1995 novel The Rainmaker . The book’s protagonist is a new law school graduate who finds himself battling one of America’s most powerful and corrupt corporations. It was the first of Grisham’s books to be written in first-person narration .

1996: The Runaway Jury – John Grisham

Grisham’s seventh book was a runaway hit, becoming the bestselling novel of 1996 . It examines if and how a jury in a multimillion-dollar tobacco trial is being manipulated. The book was re-released in 2003 to coincide with the film adaptation starring Gene Hackman and John Cusack.

1997: The Partner – John Grisham

Named by Byliner.com as Grisham’s second-best book after The Firm , this 1997 bestseller tells the story of Patrick Lanigan , a Mississippi lawyer who steals money from his law firm, fakes his death and flees to Brazil.

1998: The Street Lawyer – John Grisham

When Entertainment Weekly declares that a book by a perennially successful author should be “his biggest hit yet,” it makes sense that it would also wind up as the year’s bestselling work of fiction. The Street Lawyer follows the journey of a hotshot lawyer whose deadly encounter with a homeless man forces him to change everything he thinks he knows about justice.

1999: The Testament – John Grisham

Exploring themes of greed and redemption , as well as suspenseful tandem plots, the year’s most popular novel spent nine weeks at the top of the New York Times bestseller list. The Testament follows a lawyer who must track down a woman in the jungles of Brazil after a Virginian tycoon names her the surprise heir to his fortune.

2000: The Brethren – John Grisham

What better way to end a millennium, and start a new one, than with a seventh consecutive bestselling novel of the year? Grisham’s streak of writing hit novels continued with The Brethren , a title that refers to three former judges who dispense legal advice and start a lucrative scam from inside the walls of a federal prison.

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