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Which book topped the New York Times Bestseller list the year you were born?

By March 7, 2019Reading Habits

In time for World Book Day, Wordery has released a new interactive tool allowing you to find out which book was at the top of the New York Times Bestseller list the year you were born along with how long each book spent at number one.

The New York Times Bestseller List is one of the most widely respected sources for bestsellers and has been regarded as the authority list on bestselling books since the 1950s.

The study by Wordery found:

  • The average time for a book to stay in the number one spot on the New York Times Bestseller list is 6 weeks
  • John Grisham is the author who has featured most frequently in the New York Times Bestseller list appearing six times across 15 years
  • Historical fiction and romance genres appear as the most popular over the decades
  • The book that spent the most time in the number one spot was the historical fiction novel ‘Hawaii’ by James A. Michener (1959) spending 38 weeks at the top
  • The book ‘The Source’ by James A. Michener (1965) was the number one best seller the year JK Rowling was born

And here is that interactive tool.



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