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Ranking the best novels and non-fiction books of every genre.

Books

In case you need a new read, here&#39;s a&nbsp;list of the best selling books of all time, including fiction and nonfiction best sellers. What are the best selling books of all time? Since religious and political books, such as The Holy Bible, are often given away for free, they have not been included on this list. These top selling books of all time span multiple centuries, covering many genres (like <a href="https://commaful.com/tags/horror/" target="_blank">horror</a> and <a href="https://commaful.com/tags/romantic/" target="_blank">romance</a>), writers, and original languages. And if you think Harry Potter or Twilight top this list, think again, they&#39;re not even close. What books sell the most? That said, the most popular books are indeed novels, with the most popular published volumes going through multiple editions and reprints. What are the best selling books in history? A few nonfiction texts can also be found, but they are few and far between. If one enjoys reading, these are the best sellers of all bestsellers, as well as the answer to the question &quot;what are the best selling books of all time?&quot;

If you like this best seller book list, be sure to check out Ranker&#39;s other lists like the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/100-famous-novels-with-catchy-first-lines/info-lists">100 Books with the Catchiest First Lines</a>.

Popular Opinion

The Lord of the Rings

This is the ultimate list of the best novels of all time, which is based on influence, originality, popularity, and personal affections. You can make the case for many books to be on this list, but only a few can be considered the best novel ever written. For as long as books have been around, there has been debate amongst book enthusiasts over what truly is the best book ever. The one criteria on this list is that we are only taking fiction books into account. Anything should not be on here.Classics like Victor Hugo's Les Mis&eacute;rables, Herman Melville's Moby Dick, Charles Dickens' Tale of Two Cities and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath are all on here and deservedly so as they've stood the test of the time and have become important pieces of literature. That's not to say that modern books are neglected, in fact, they're well represented as well. Recent classics like J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, Thomas Pynchon's Gravity Rainbow and Stephen King's The Waste Lands are on here.It's up to you to vote on or even add a book that isn't on this list. Otherwise, decide what the best book of all time is by voting up&nbsp;what you think is a worthy choice.

Don Quixote

Need a good read? Take a look at this&nbsp;list of the best must-read books of all time, suitable for every one of all ages, creeds and color. Featuring the newest YA novels reviewed by <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-book-review-youtube-channels/youtuber" target="_blank">popular literary channels on YouTube</a>, these are the novels, autobiographies, and short books that you should consider when you ask yourself, &quot;What book should I read next?&quot; If you somehow made it through school without reading the classic - or you're still in school - be sure to check them out to expand your literary horizons.An eclectic mix that does not cater solely to the sensibilities of the literati, culturati, illuminati or even paparazzi. With some hidden gems in here, it's a great list to consider when looking for something to read next. &nbsp;&quot;Tell me what you read and I'll tell you who you are&quot; is true enough, but I'd know you better if you told me what you reread' - Fran&ccedil;ois Mauriac. Give fellow voters the best tips you can on the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-books-of-all-time-_fiction_?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">top books of all time</a> that they must read by voting on your personal favorites and downvoting those you didn't enjoy.&nbsp;

This list of bad books not to read is ranked by literature fans worldwide. Anyone can vote on this list of the worst books, which makes it a trustworthy resource for finding out which books just don't live up to their hype. You can even add your own list of bad books to these rankings, and save other people from the pain of having to read them. From the over-hyped to the just plain overexposed, these overrated books prove that you can't judge a book by its cover...or its reputation.What are the worst books that people think are great? <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-overrated-movies-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">The most overrated</a> books on this list have received&nbsp;a lot of praise, so don't feel bad voting for them! What are the most overrated novels? Vote on them here.

The Little Prince

The most life changing books, ranked by the wisdom of the crowd of hundreds of people. If you are looking for books that will change your life, these have the themes, characters and story-arcs to do it. From the courage and determination of Frodo as he ventures into Mordor to the conviction of Atticus as he defends a man a whole town has already condemned, there are countless books to add to your list of books to read to change your life. From teens to adults, anyone can add their picks to this list of life changing novels, making it an accurate, real-time ranking of the best life changing books, as picked by the people who love them. Ask yourself the question "what are the most life-changing books?" and "which books have affected my life the most" and then vote for the books that you read cover to cover (maybe even multiple times), the novels that changed the way you see the world, and the stories you still can't stop thinking about. Share your favorites and see how your taste stacks up against other readers.

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Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

List of some of the best American novels from classic writers, like Nathaniel Hawthorne, to more modern names, like Stephen King, with room for the list to grow. There is an option to add your favorite American novels to the list if yours is not already on there. The list asks the question, &quot;What is the best American novel?&quot; with novels from William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Philip Roth and Nathaniel Hawthorne, plus many more that have written great American novels since then. More modern American novels are included, such as The Road by Cormac McCarthy and The Stand by Stephen King, which may be more familiar. American novels can represent the spirit of the age in the United States during the time it was written or the time it was set in. The American novel is written by those who are knowledgeable about the state, culture and even the perspective of those during that time. Some of these best American novels may have also been on the reading curriculum in school, like Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien or To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Be sure to vote not just on your favorite authors, but on your favorite novel of all time, as some authors may be listed twice for other novels that are considered the best.

Horror Books

Ghost Story

The greatest horror books of all time are books that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up just from the rustle of turning the pages. These scary horror novels are books you don&#39;t want to read at night (or by yourself) because they&#39;re just a little too scary. Many of these scary books have been turned into <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-horror-films-ever-made">the scariest movies ever made</a>, while others are too frightening to be imagined in real life.

From Stephen King classics like &quot;The Shining&quot; and &quot;It&quot; to classic stories like Bram Stoker&#39;s &quot;Dracula&quot; and Mary Shelley&#39;s &quot;Frankenstein&quot;, these scary horror novels are known for their fright factor and smart writing that makes you believe the horrific events in the books are really possible. Even <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-2010s-horror-novels/ranker-books" target="_blank">recent horror novels</a> like NOS4A2 or Birdbox captured the terrified hearts of the public enough to become shows and movies.

What are the best horror novels? What is the scariest horror book? This list of the best horror novels is here to help you find a good scare on the written page. If you don&#39;t see your favorite horror book on the list of great scary novels, make sure to add it so other people can get the same fright you did.

If you&#39;re still looking for a good scare after peeking at this greatest horror books list, check out the scarefests in the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-found-footage-movies/all-genre-movies-lists">best found footage films</a> for a good scare, or see what <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-horror-books-2019/ranker-books" target="_blank">new horror novels</a> you can add to your collection.

Neuromancer

This list ranks the best science fiction novels ever written, as voted on by sci-fi readers. Anyone can add their picks to this list of sci-fi books, making it an accurate, real-time ranking of the best sci-fi&nbsp;books of all time by the people who live and breathe Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury, and Clarke.

Vote up the novels that you think best represent the greatest science fiction books ever written in order to determine the most popular science fiction books on the shelves. It doesn&#39;t much matter they&#39;re classic or modern, utopian or dystopian; if they&#39;re popular sci-fi books, this list is the place to rank them.

If you see a good book that&#39;s missing, add it whether it be a lesser-known classic or a new sci-fi book fellow readers need to try. Vote up your favorite literary slices of sci-fi. And for maximum impact, make your own list by reranking this one your own way, so that everyone can see whether your top rated sci-fi novels take place on Arrakis, Mars, or even Earth. Then, check out the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-science-fiction-books-2019/ranker-books" target="_blank">best new science fiction books</a>, many of which will become the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/sci-fi-books-you-have-to-read-to-have-nerd-cred/zack-howe" target="_blank">next generation&#39;s classics</a>.

Miguel de Cervantes

List of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-writers-of-all-time/ranker-books?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best authors of all time</a> as voted on by normal, book-loving people. For this list, we will consider writers who are mainly novelists.&nbsp;Many of the people included on this list are famous authors who wrote popular books; others may not be as well-known, but are masters of their craft.&nbsp; The <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-living-writers/ranker-books?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most popular authors</a> are ones that have somehow enriched our lives. J.D. Salinger gave us Holden Caulfield and the term &quot;phony,&quot; James Joyce introduced us to stream-of-consciousness prose and Carson McCullers immortalized the misfits and outcasts of the U.S. South in the first half of the 20th century.The best writers are ones that changed the literary landscape in some way, introduced an iconic character, experimented with form and style and captured our imagination with their language.While lists of &quot;best novelists&quot; are often attempted by individuals, they can be easily disputed because they often amount to no more than one person's opinion. Since this Ranker list is crowdsourced and open to voting, it benefits from the collective wisdom of many rather than the whims of a few.&nbsp;Feel free to vote on this list of top authors, add some that may have been left off, or ReRank this list entirely.&nbsp;

On the Road

As you slide comfortably into being an adult, one fact quickly becomes evident: everyone is a big fat liar, especially when it comes to discussing impressive books to read. Avid readers should definitely check out these <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-book-review-youtube-channels/youtuber" target="_blank">popular book reviewers on YouTube</a>.&nbsp;Not only are there too many life-affirming books out in the world to read in one lifetime, but there are also a bunch of books that become a part of the social zeitgeist, and if you don’t read them you’ll be left out of the cultural conversation. The books people lie about reading tend to be considered classics, but they’re also <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/books-youll-never-finish/amylindorff">massive tomes</a> that are responsible for destroying an entire forest. Some books people claim to have read would make better doorstops than they would entertainment, but you should still act as if you’ve devoured every page. If you don’t lie about some of these books, what are you going to have to talk about?There are so many intelligent&nbsp;and cool people out in the world, and every single one of them&nbsp;says they have read all of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-books-of-all-time-_fiction_">most important books</a>. You know how you lie about what you scored on your SATs? Well you should also do that with literature. This list of books you should say you've read makes it easy for you to fool your friends and strangers alike. Because if you do come across someone who has actually read all of these books they’re not going to be able to keep the plot points separated in their heads long enough to call you on your BS. Keep reading to see all the books people pretend to have read – and then maybe actually read one of them.&nbsp;

The Catcher in the Rye

The opening lines of a novel can prove crucial, and many authors spend an inordinate amount of time considering how their books will begin. From Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities&nbsp;to Melville's Moby Dick, often the opening sentence or two of a book will become the most frequently quoted and iconic passage from the entire novel. This list has the best novels with great first lines, bound to make the best impression on readers.&nbsp;These books of fiction are well known for their opening lines. The authors know that books don't just need a great story, there also needs to be something that draws in the reader. The opening line is that hook and the books on this list all have intriguing, interesting, and unique opening sentences.This is a list of the greatest novels with the best introductory text, including world literature (with an emphasis on English literature), from throughout history, with <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/memorable-oscar-moments/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the most memorable</a> and significant beginnings. Vote up the most memorable first lines from fiction below.Source: American Book Review&nbsp;

This list is about the most heartbreaking novels ever written; it answers the question, “What are the saddest books of all time?” If you’ve ever read one of these tear-jerkers, you know that these sad stories will tug on your heart strings in a way that no other novel can. &nbsp;The best sad stories like this will warm even the coldest of hearts! We’ve all felt the pain of loss, the agony of heartbreak and the joy of falling in love: we all relate to sad stories. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter provides us with a sense of empathy for an underdog, a woman that is forced to wear her sins on her sleeve for the world to see. Natalie Babbit’s Tuck Everlasting pulls on that secret place deep down in each of us that longs for love to never end, but teaches us that what seems like a blessing to us now may be a curse in the future. Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha shows us how life can be in another part of the world, moving us from our self-centered perspectives about life into a compassion for those less fortunate. These stories mold us into who we are and show us where we came from. Most importantly, these novels teach us that we’re not as different as we may think.

The Bible

As Emily Dickinson famously said, &quot;There is no Frigate like a Book / To take us Lands away,&quot; but sometimes you get halfway there and are all &quot;Frigate, WTF, where are we even going?&quot; There are some books that you will just never finish, no matter how many times you try. Maybe the authors of these hardest books to read are laughing at all of us right now, or maybe they didn't even mean to make the book so tough, but here we all are, slogging through these book swamps, trying to figure out what the hell James Joyce is even on about with Ulysses.Hard books to read run the gamut. Some are just too long, like War and Peace. Others are just perplexing and no one will ever know what's really going on in them, even that kid in your Honors College literature class who thinks he is so cool. Still others of the most difficult books ever written aren't even really that complicated, they just happen to be as boring as listening to anyone, anywhere, at anytime, talking about traffic.What books have you put down after just one chapter? What books sit proudly on your shelves, 90% unread because life is more than sticking it out with a book that is just too much? Sure, a lot of these books you are never going to actually read are classics, written by famous authors and some of the most influential <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-writers-of-all-time/ranker-books?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">writers of all time</a>, but let's get real, Jonathan Franzen, there aren't enough hours in the day to wade through The Corrections.Upvote the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/novels-based-on-comic-books/walter-graves?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">books and novels</a> below that you have sidelined for whatever reason and be sure to add any great books you have started, and then immediately been like, &quot;NOPE.&quot;

The Thorn Birds

This list is about novels with the best love stories; it answers the question, “What are the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-overall-books-for-kids?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best books</a> about love stories?” Love stories can take us all over the place; one minute we have those fluttering butterflies in our stomachs, and the next we’re crying hysterically because of how painful love is.The best love stories are the ones that truly touch our soul; who doesn’t shed a tear or two when Romeo wakes up, just in time to see his beloved Juliet drink poison and die by his side? And who wouldn’t feel a sense of empathy and injustice when reading Memoirs of a Geisha? Only a cold-hearted person wouldn’t be touched by the heartwarming story of Anne of Green Gables or Little Women. Yes, love stories can make us utterly miserable, laugh as loud as a child, furiously angry - even seriously depressed - and most of the time, within a single novel! Perhaps the most famous love story is Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables that is set in Paris, France during the French Revolution. It is always stories where love is produced during hard times that we can identify with the most. Do you have a favorite love story that is featured on this list? Vote for yours!

The Green Mile

Here is a list of the best movies based off books, voted on by cine-bibliophiles everywhere. Many movies are based off of books but whenever a new <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/movie-endings-better-than-the-book/elle-tharp" target="_blank">movie based on a book</a> comes out there is an endless amount of whining about how Hollywood isn&#39;t original and why can&#39;t they write their own stories? That&#39;s simple, it&#39;s because these amazing stories are already written and Hollywood has the means to bring them to life, and sometimes they do it better than even your imagination thought possible&nbsp; (then again, sometimes they simply <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/books-that-deserve-better-movie-adaptations/charley-ruddell" target="_blank">can&#39;t do the original book justice</a> or were <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/tv-shows-adapted-from-both-movies-books/ranker-tv" target="_blank">later also adapted into TV shows</a> to continue the story or do it better). It&#39;s no surprise that popular movies are often inspired by classic literatures and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/movies-inspired-by-paintings/megan-summers" target="_blank">works of art</a>, but which one is the best?

This list looks at the films based on the books - novels, literature, or nonfiction - that made you want to reread the book, started endless <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/movies-that-changed-the-ending-of-the-book/tracey-graham" target="_blank">&quot;which was better the movie or the book&quot;</a> debates, made you squeal with delight that you pictured it that way in your head, and just blew your frickin&#39;&nbsp;mind.

What are the best movies based on books? Vote on the top movies based on books and share this with your friends to get their opinions, too!

Want to vote on more lists about book adaptations? Check out this list of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-film-franchises-based-on-books/ranker-film" target="_blank">film franchises based on books</a>, and our roundup of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/authors-who-loved-movie-adaptations-of-their-books/jim-rowley" target="_blank">movie adaptations that the book authors loved</a>.

Horror

Misery

What are the scariest novels of all time? Not surprisingly, a lot of the books listed here are from the horror genre, but there are other, just as terrifying books to read as well. Can anyone argue that Cormac McCarthy's The Road wasn't terrifying in its own way? Exactly. We're all scared by different things and subjects, and our reading choices reflect this quite often. So vote for the scariest books you've ever read (or really want to read) and vote down any you didn't like. And please, definitely add any scary novels that might be missing from the list!Some of the scariest novels of all time involve monsters. After all, readers have been obsessed with the supernatural for hundreds of years. There is a reason that Bram Stoker's Dracula consistently winds up at or near the top of lists like this one. Ghosts also make for frightening novels: Hell House, anyone? If you haven't read it, make sure you do so - but not at night. And not if you are alone. Ever. It is without a doubt deserving of a place among the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-horror-books-of-all-time" target="_blank">greatest horror books of all time.</a>Not surprisingly, a lot of the books on this list of scary novels were made into <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-horror-films-ever-made" target="_blank">excellent horror movies</a>. Some also have heavy elements of science fiction - I Am Legend is a great example, though nearly all of Richard Matheson's novels and stories would certainly qualify for a place on this list. Some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-science-fiction-authors-v1" target="_blank">best science fiction authors</a> wrote some seriously creepy stuff.And yes, no list of anything involving the scariest books of all time would be complete without a hefty dose of Stephen King. King is a master. In doubt? Check out this list of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-very-best-of-stephen-king" target="_blank">greatest all-time Stephen King works</a>. It's impressive.

The Reivers (1963)

Next on your reading list: something from this list of the best Pulitzer Prize-winning novels. These are essentially the greatest books of fiction in the history of literature. Are you looking to buy a collection of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-books-of-all-time-_fiction_?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best novels of all time</a>? According to the most prestigious prize out there, this list contains every single book deserving of such a title. Men and women can read these Pulitzer Prize winners to bed every night. Some of them are even appropriate for young adults or even younger, such as Harper Lee's famed To Kill A Mockingbird.Speaking of Mockingbird, you will notice something interesting as you peruse this list of the best Pulitzer Prize-winning novels of all time. So many of these winners for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction have been turned, or are currently being turned into, major motion pictures. It is clear that movie producers in Hollywood know when there is a good story that could garner critical claim with an adapted screenplay.This list of all novels that won the Pulitzer Prize includes beloved classes like The Color Purple, The Old Man and the Sea, and Lonesome Dove. Other newer titles on the list, like Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier &amp; Clay and Jerry Eugenides's Middlesex are prime examples of modern literature that you should add to your book collection - if you haven't already. This Pulitzer Prize fiction list is guaranteed to keep your turning pages all day long.

Fantasy

A votable list of the all-time best fantasy book series, ranked by readers of fantasy fiction. Of fantasy books, readers can expect an intricately-created <a href="/crowdranked-list/the-best-of-the-fantasy-worlds">imaginary world</a> with its own culture, history and rules of engagement.&nbsp;The setting of most popular fantasy book series is internally consistent or self-coherent, where inspiration from mythology or folklore remains a consistent theme. 
 
Most <a href="/crowdranked-list/best-fantasy-authors">authors of the top fantasy books</a> use magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting. In the structure of a good fantasy book, the fantastical element of the story can be anywhere: the story may occur entirely in a fantasy world (like J.R.R. Tolkien&#39;s Lord of the Rings series) or fantastic elements like magic can exist alongside an apparently real world setting (as in the seven Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling). Fantasy follows rules of its own making, but the great fantasy books are consistent with the rules that they lay out for themselves. In the best fantasy books, the reader suspends disbelief and loses himself in the imaginary world of the book.

Some of the fantasy book series included in this list are of the grand epic fantasy genre, some are more character-driven fantasy or coming of age tales, some may be simply fantasy that&#39;s part of a series. Vote up your favorites to determine the best fantasy series of all time. And if we missed any epic tales you love, be sure to add them to this list of the best fantasy book series. Then, check out the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-fantasy-books-2019/ranker-books" target="_blank">best new fantasy books</a> - many the start of series that may soon be new favorites.

High School

Romeo and Juliet

The start of each school year brings a new round of required reading for students. Not every book speaks to everyone, but at one point over the course of your schooling, the stars align and you&#39;re assigned great books that were required reading. We all had weeks in middle school or high school when we primarily relied on Cliff&rsquo;s Notes to prep us for our reading quizzes, but every once in a while you would actually have time to read the assigned books and maybe you found yourself completely engrossed.

For instance, you may have grumbled about cracking open your copy of The Great Gatsby, but after those first few chapters, you found yourself captivated by the destructive decadence of the era and the mystery surrounding Jay Gatsby and his past.

You knew To Kill a Mockingbird was an important book, but until you read it, you never realized how culturally relevant it was - not until you read words like, &ldquo;You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.&rdquo;

While The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird might not be a the top of your list of required reading books you enjoyed, one of the many books listed below might.

You can also find movies based on these book on this list of the best <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/movies-based-on-8th-grade-books/ranker-film" target="_blank">8th-grade book adaptations</a>.

Non-Fiction

A list of the 1001 books you must read before you die. This list has been used by book lovers for years. Featuring classics and newer books alike, this list is a fantastic resource for bibliophiles (and if you're checking out this list, that probably includes you). This is considered by many to be the authoritative list of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-books-of-all-time-_fiction_?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best books of all time</a>. The list includes both fiction and non-fiction, and all genres have been included as well. Whether you're new to reading, or a long time reader just looking to fill in the gaps, this is the list for you.What are the books you need to read before you die? Look and see.Source: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/1001-Books-Must-Read-Before/dp/0789313707/?tag=rankercom-20">1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die</a> by Peter Boxall

Bibliophilia

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A list of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-selling-books-of-all-time/jeff419?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best selling novels</a> in the US during the 1980's as reported by Publishers Weekly. This list ranges from 1980 through 1989. All types of novels have been included and each of them has made it into the top ten. With the introduction of the Nook, Kindle, and iPad with iBooks, reading is hot again. The best selling novels on this list were the most popular books in the United States during the 80's, so you can be sure they're well written and enjoyable (depending, of course, on your preferred literary genre). This list is intended to help long-time readers and newcomers alike with discovering (and rediscovering) some of the best selling novels of all time.

Best Selling Novels of the 1980s

The Best Selling Novels of the 1980s

Top Book Lists: Top 10 Books/Literature Lists and Articles

Book

Must-Read Books: Lists of Best Books To Read

books

Bestselling Books

AMAZON

...And Ladies of the Club

2010: Odyssey Two

2010: Odyssey Two is a 1982 science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke. It is the sequel to the 1968 novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, but continues the story of Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation with the same title rather than Clarke's original novel, which differed from the film in some respects.
Set in the year 2010, the plot centers on a joint Soviet-American mission aboard the Soviet spacecraft Leonov. The mission has several objectives, including salvaging the spaceship Discovery and investigating the mysterious "monolith" discovered by Dave Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1983. The novel was adapted for the screen by Peter Hyams and released as a film in 1984.

A Perfect Spy

A Perfect Spy by British author John le Carré is a novel about the mental and moral dissolution of a high level secret agent.

Alaska

Alaska is a historical novel by James A. Michener. Like other Michener titles, Alaska spans a considerable amount of time.

AN INDECENT OBSESSION

An Indecent Obsession is a 1981 novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough.

California Gold

Caribbean

The historical novel Caribbean, written by James A. Michener, depicts the history of the Caribbean region from the time of the native Arawak tribes until about 1990. It mixes fact and fiction as Michener notes in the foreword. For example, the story about the island of All Saints is purely fictional, though the book's map shows it as an island in the location of Saint Lucia.

Changes

Changes is a book written by Danielle Steel.

Christine

Christine is a horror novel by Stephen King, published in 1983. It tells the story of a vintage automobile apparently possessed by supernatural forces. Later that same year, a film adaptation, directed by John Carpenter and starring Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, and Harry Dean Stanton, was released. In April 2013, PS Publishing released Christine in a limited 30th Anniversary Edition.

Clear and Present Danger

Clear and Present Danger is a novel by Tom Clancy, written in 1989, and is a canonical part of the Jack Ryan universe. In the novel, Jack Ryan is thrown into the position of Central Intelligence Agency Acting Deputy Director and discovers that he is being kept in the dark by his colleagues who are conducting a covert war against a drug cartel based in Colombia.

Contact

Contact is a 1985 science fiction novel by Carl Sagan. It deals with the theme of contact between humanity and a more technologically advanced, extraterrestrial life form. It ranked No. 7 on the 1985 U.S. bestseller list. The novel originated as a screenplay in 1979; when development of the film stalled, Sagan decided to convert the stalled film into a novel. The film concept was subsequently revived and eventually released in 1997 as the film Contact starring Jodie Foster.

Cujo

Cujo is a 1981 psychological horror novel by Stephen King about a rabid dog. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1982, and was made into a film in 1983.

Daddy

Daddy is a 1989 novel by Danielle Steel. It tells the story of Oliver Watson, an advertising executive, and his three children. Oliver believes that he and his wife, Sarah, have the perfect marriage and are raising their three children, Benjamin, Melissa, and Sam in their house in Purchase, New York.
Secretly, though Sarah has always longed for more than to be just a mother. She and Oliver married young and she became pregnant on their honeymoon. She began planning for an abortion until Oliver found out and was thrilled about the baby. At the time they were living in a small New York apartment and Benjamin had colic quite badly and was driving Sarah nuts. When Benjamin was only a year old though Sarah discovered she was pregnant again, and again planned for an abortion. Oliver fought her on it again, and their daughter Melissa was born. With their apartment growing smaller by the day, they bought their house in Purchase, not far from Oliver's parents, and Sarah concentrated on driving car pools, PTA, and taking the children to various activities. When Melissa was five and Benjamin nine, Sarah discovers she is pregnant again, as the result of the vacation she and Oliver took.

Different Seasons

Different Seasons is a collection of four Stephen King novellas with a more serious dramatic bent than the horror fiction for which King is famous. The four novellas are tied together via subtitles that relate to each of the four seasons. The collection is notable for having had three of its four novellas turned into Hollywood films, one of which, The Shawshank Redemption, was nominated for the 1994 Academy Award for Best Picture.

E.T., The Extraterrestrial

Family Album

Family Album is a 1985 romance novel by Danielle Steel. It was adapted into a 1994 TV miniseries starring Jaclyn Smith.

Fine Things

Fine Things is a romance novel by Danielle Steel. The book was published on February 1, 1987, by Dell Publications. A film adaptation was released in 1990.

Firestarter

Firestarter is a science fiction novel by Stephen King, first published in September 1980. In July and August 1980, two excerpts from the novel were published in Omni. In 1981, Firestarter was nominated as Best Novel for the British Fantasy Award, Locus Poll Award, and Balrog Award. In 1984, it was adapted into a movie.
The book is dedicated to the author Shirley Jackson: "In Memory of Shirley Jackson, who never needed to raise her voice."

Full circle

Goodbye, Janette

Goodbye, Janette is a 1981 bestselling novel by Harold Robbins, and his 16th novel.
Though critically panned it sold well. Over 77,000 copies were sold in the United Kingdom in ten days, and it had an advance printing of 3.75 million copies. The erotic novel concerns a woman and her daughters who survive a World War II prison camp, and moves into the world of high fashion, with liberal doses of sadomasochism in the plot.
The novel ranked seventh on the Publisher's Weekly bestseller list for 1981.

Gorky Park

Gorky Park is a 1981 crime novel written by Martin Cruz Smith set in the Soviet Union.
Gorky Park is the first book in a series which also includes Polar Star and Red Square which are set during the Soviet era. Five more books with the character Arkady Renko, which all take place after the fall of the Soviet Union, have been published. These are Havana Bay, set in communist Cuba; Wolves Eat Dogs, which follows Renko in the disaster of Chernobyl; Stalin's Ghost in which Arkady returns to a Russia led by Vladimir Putin, Three Stations and Tatiana.

Heaven and Hell

Heaven and Hell is a book published in 1987 that was written by John Jakes.

Hollywood Husbands

Hollywood Husbands is a 1986 novel by the British author Jackie Collins. It was her 11th novel, and the second in her "Hollywood" series, after her 1983 hit Hollywood Wives.
Hollywood Husbands is an unrelated sequel to Hollywood Wives and features a new cast of characters. Although it continues the theme of power and celebrity in Hollywood, the novel also contains a mystery plot about a young girl from a small American town, who was sexually abused and later left for dead. Years later, the Hollywood husbands may be the ones to feel the heat of her burning revenge.
Collins went on to pen several more "Hollywood" titled books, including Hollywood Kids, Hollywood Wives: The New Generation, and Hollywood Divorces. Although these further novels tend to be separate works rather than direct sequels, characters from the original Hollywood Wives have made brief appearances in the other novels.

Hollywood Wives

Hollywood Wives is a 1983 novel by the British author Jackie Collins. It was her ninth novel, and her most successful, selling over 15 million copies.
Hollywood Wives tells the stories of several women in Hollywood, ranging all the way from long-time talent agents and screenwriters to vivacious screen vixens and young, innocent newcomers.
After the novel's international success, it was adapted as a television miniseries by producer Aaron Spelling that aired on ABC in February 1985. It was a ratings hit, and one of the most successful mini-series of the 1980s.
Collins went on to pen several more "Hollywood" titled books, including Hollywood Husbands, Hollywood Kids, Hollywood Wives: The New Generation, and Hollywood Divorces. Although these further novels tend to be separate works rather than direct sequels, characters from the original Hollywood Wives have made brief appearances in them.

I'll Take Manhattan

I'll Take Manhattan is a 1986 novel by Judith Krantz.
The book was turned into a CBS television miniseries, I'll Take Manhattan, in 1987.

A list of the best selling novels in the US during the 1980's as reported by Publishers Weekly. This list ranges from 1980 through 1989. All types of novels ...