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The Bestselling Books of the Last One Hundred Years: 1980

We started at 1918, bringing you the bestselling books of the last one hundred years. We’re into a new decade and today we’re bringing you the bestselling books of 1980!

1980 brought what would be my own earliest memory as John Lennon was shot and killed in New York. Also in the US the MGM Grand Hotel in Vegas was destroyed by fire, rioting made the news in Liberty City, Miama. The first post-it notes went on sale, and in technology domestic camcorders and fax machines were sold for homes for the first time. Around the world, politics entered the Olympic games as the US boycotted the Moscow Olympics, and war broke out between Iran and Iraq.

Among all that, there were plenty of books published and read too, and today we’re featuring the bestselling novels of 1980, and some that didn’t make the list but have stood the test of time.

The Covenant – James Michener

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The Bourne Identity – Robert Ludlam

Buy

Rage of Angels – Sidney Sheldon

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Princess Daisy – Judith Krantz

Buy

The Key to Rebecca – Ken Follett

Buy

Random Winds – Belva Plain

Buy

The Devil’s Alternative – Frederick Forsythe

Buy

Fifth Horseman – Larry Collins/Dominique Lapierre

Buy

The Spike – Arnaud de Borchgrave/Robert Moss

Buy

1980 also saw the release of Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces.

We’ll continue this series right through to 2018, keep an eye out for 1981, coming soon!

If you’d like to see all the lists so far, try this search

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