Books are timeless, it doesn’t matter if they were written over a hundred years ago or just yesterday, if they are written well then the story is just as vibrant and beautiful as the day it was first penned. Books don’t rely on special effects or owning a compatible device all you need to be able to do to enjoy a book from any era is read and I don’t know about you but I think I am pretty good at reading.
I’ve read classics written 300 years ago and books that will stay with me forever that still have wet ink and loved them all but have I read the most popular book from the year I was born? I had no idea but thanks to Good Housekeeping I can find out and (as long as you were born after 1930) now so can you.
The years 1930 -1975 are in this list, a link to the books from 1976 to the present year can be found on the link at the bottom of this page.
1930 – Cimarron
Written by Edna Ferber Cimarron is a book about a woman who creates an empire for her family.
1931 – The Good Earth
Pearl S. Buck’s book about farm and family life in a small Chinese village won her a Pulitzer.
1932 – The Fountain
Charles Morgan’s tale of a British Officer’s affair with a German Officer’s wife was apparently inspired by his own station in Holland during WWI.
1933 – Anthony Adverse
Following the life and loves of an orphan Hervey Allen’s novel takes us across the landscapes of France, Italy and Cuba.
1934 – Goodbye Mr Chips
A hugely popular book about a strict teacher and the pupils who grew to love him written by James Hilton.
1935 – Green Light
Written by Lutheran minister Lloyd C Douglas this is a novel about a doctor who accidentally kills his patient.
1936 – Gone with the Wind
Margaret Mitchell’s epic novel about a southern debutante’s trials during the Civil War.
1937 – Of Mice and Men
A tale of hard work, prosperity and two men’s friendship from John Steinbeck.
1938 – The Yearling
A coming of age story about a boy and his pet from author Marjorie Kinnan.
1939 – The Grapes of Wrath
Steinbeck again and this year he topped the boo charts with this reflection of the effects of the great depression on a simple farming family.
1940 – How Green was My Valley
A tragic tale of a mining family’s life penned by Richard Llwellyn.
1941 – For Whom the Bell Tolls
Perhaps surprisingly, right in the midst of WWII it was Ernest Hemingway’s depiction of the Spanish Civil War that was entertaining us all.
1942 – The Song of Bernadette
Franz Werfel wrote this true story of a girl’s visions of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes; his satirical writings about the Nazis would lead the Jewish author to flee to the US.
1943 – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Betty Smith’s tale of an immigrant teen in turn of the century New York City encouraged people to stay strong and look for beauty everywhere.
1944 – Strange Fruit
Lillian Smith’s portrayal of the forbidden love affair between a white boy and a black girl was so controversial it was banned for a while.
1945 – Forever Amber
A proper bodice ripper of a romance from Kathleen Winson as a pregnant teen plots her way into the role of mistress for the hedonistic King Charles II.
1946 – The King’s General
Daphne du Maurier’s gothic romance about two lovers separated by the civil war was the follow up to her smash hit Rebecca.
1947 – The Miracle Bells
Russell Janney’s uplifting book of an actress who dies during the filming of a Joan of Arc film reached the number one spot due to a hugely popular film adaptation.
1948 – The Diary of a Young Girl
Published just two years after her death the tragic diaries of Anne Frank were an instant and sobering hit for the post war reader.
1949 – The Naked and the Dead
Norman Mailer’s war classic topped the best seller list for every single week of 1949.
1950 – The Cardinal
Fairly self explanatory, Morton Robinson’s book follows a young priest as he rises through the ranks to become a surprise surprise, Cardinal.
1951 – From Here to Eternity
The WWII story from James Jones that spawned the film with that kiss among the waves.
1952 – The Catcher in the Rye
Is Salinger’s story of Holden Caulfield YA? Both adults and teenagers loved it when it was first released.
1953 – The Robe
The story of Christ’s crucifixion from the perspective of a Roman soldier who holds on to Jesus’ robe and looks for the truth that lies behind it.
1954 – Not as a Stranger
Written by Morton Thompson Not a Stranger follows an overconfident doctor who falls from grace after failing to save his mentor.
1955 – The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
A perfectly normal man, with a normal job and a normal family tries to find out who he really is.
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit US
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit UK
1956 – Eloise
The capers of a little pixie as she causes chaos in The Plaza hotel of NYC entertained children everywhere in the year of 1956.
1957 – Peyton Place
What happens when the deepest secret thoughts of a otherwise polite town? A best selling book, a film and a television series, that’s what.
1958 – Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial love story shocked and fascinated the readers of 1956.
1959 – Doctor Zhivago
The Russian Revolution and a love triangle, what is not to love about Boris Pasternak’s epic novel.
1960 – To Kill A Mockingbird
Harper Lee would have had no idea what awaited her when she published this book that has become a staple on everyone’s bookshelf.
1961 – Tropic of Cancer
Twice banned and the subject of a Supreme Court case when it was finally sold, Henry Miller’s titillating novel was a smash hit.
1962 – Franny and Zooey
Two separate yet interconnected stories about two members of the Glass family were Salinger’s offering for 1962.
1963 – The Shoes of the Fisherman
Morris West’s book about the choice of a replacement upon the Pope’s death was published on the day that Pope John XXIII died.
1964 – You Only Live Twice
The name’s Bond, James Bond. Fleming’s spy novels received a boost after the film franchise kicked off in 1962.
1965 – Herzog
Saul Bellow’s novel of a man’s mid-life crisis won him book of the year for 1965.
1966 – Valley of the Dolls
Jacqueline Susann’s story of three friends addicted to tranquillisers was the top novel for this year..
1967 – Rosemary’s Baby
Ira Levin’s unnerving novel about a woman who gives birth to the Devil’s baby and the people sworn to protect it.
1968 – Couples
John Updike saw success with his novel that followed ten couples and their sexual exploitations.
1969 – Portnoy’s Complaint
Philip Roth exploded onto the literary scene in 1969 with a novel about a sex crazed man and his appointment with a therapist.
1970 – Love Story
Rich boy falls in love with spunky girl, spunky girl becomes ill, book becomes an instant best seller.
1971 – The Exorcist
William Peter Blatty’s truly terrifying novel of the battle for a young girl’s soul after she is possessed.
1972 – Jonathon Livingstone Seagull
A graphic novella by Richard Bach about a seagull that leaves society behind to find a higher plane of existence.
Jonathon Livingstone Seagull US
Jonathon Livingstone Seagull UK
1973 – Breakfast of Champions
An unapologetic examination of American’s consumerist lives from Kurt Vonnegut.
1974 – Jaws
Peter Benchley’s brilliant book really does show the film up for the pale imitation it was.
1975 – Ragtime
E.L Doctorow’s fantastical take on NYC where his imagined characters interact with real life historical figures.
That is it for the first half of our epic-ally enormous list. If you are a mere baby, don’t worry the most popular books from 1976 through to the present can be found here.
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It’s Jonathan LIVINGSTON Seagull. No ‘e’ at the end.
1970 US links to Portnoy’s Complaint not Love Story FYI