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Emily Temple compiled this list for Lit Hub. It's really kind of interesting, as well as fun, to notice what books were (and weren't) best sellers.
Take a look; see what was a best seller the year you were born (and what was published that wasn't a best seller but is A Big Deal now). As Temple notes, there are surprises:
Take a look; see what was a best seller the year you were born (and what was published that wasn't a best seller but is A Big Deal now). As Temple notes, there are surprises:
Last month, while working on the not-at-all-controversial Books That Defined the Decades series, I was often surprised by the dissonance between the books that sold well in any given year and the books that we now consider relevant, important, or illustrative of the time. I repeatedly regaled my colleagues with fun and interesting facts like: “Did you know that in 1940 the best-selling book of the year was How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn? That was also the year The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and Native Son came out!”