Home
About the lists

By Decade
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s

All in one page


This website was compiled by
Daniel Immerwahr



The Books of the Century

This website compiles, by year, four different lists of books published during the twentieth century:

  1. The top ten bestsellers in fiction, as recorded by Publishers Weekly.
  2. The top ten bestsellers in nonfiction, also as recorded by Publishers Weekly.
  3. The main selections of the Book-of-the-Month Club, which was founded in 1926.
  4. Critically acclaimed and historically significant books, as identified by consulting various critics' and historians' lists of important books.
Not every list is available for every year. Click here to learn more about the lists and for some caveats about using them. Otherwise, simply follow the links to the left to delve in. Happy hunting!


"Come hither, you pleasant, you witty, you clever books."
- Friedrich Nietzsche