I've selected
1959, because this is the beginning of my high school years, and was almost becoming aware of adult fiction. The top ten are from Bowker's Annual/Publisher's Weekly.
1.
Exodus by
Leon Uris, 625 own this with 6 reviews.
2.
Doctor Zhivago by
Boris Pasternak, 1403 owners with 11 reviews. It was ranked #1 in 1958. I own, but have not read, although my wife did.
3.
Hawaii by
James Michener, 579 owners with 4 reviews. This was also ranked 2nd in 1960. We do not own, but we both read this ages ago.
4.
Advise and Consent by
Allen Drury, 151 owners with 2 reviews. Was #1 in 1960. The first current adult fiction I read in high school.
5.
Lady Chatterley's Lover by
D. H. Lawrence, 2185 owners with 18 reviews. Own.
6.
The Ugly American by
William J Lederer and
Eugene L Burdick, 209 owners with 2 reviews. I remember hearing teachers talk about this book, and imploring us not to be like the charactes in the book. The teacher's comment had an impact, but I never did read the book.
7.
Dear and Glorious Physician by
Taylor Caldwell, 108 owners with 1 review. There is one more book with the same title but no author listing, but with a cover showing Taylor Caldwell's name.
8.
Lolita by
Vladimir Nabokov, 6,128 owners with 70 reviews. I saw the movie in college, so I thought I didn't have to read the book! NOne of my parents or teachers told me about this book or #5 while in high school.
9.
Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by
Paul Gallico, 68 owners with 1 review.
10.
Poor No More by
Robert Ruark, 7 owners, no reviews. Ruark is better known for
Uhuru a novel of Africa Today (39 owners) and
Something of Value (35 owners).
Message edited by its author, Aug 4, 2007, 11:43pm.
Well you can definitely already notice a difference based on recent-ness. I've at least heard of all but one of these books - I could only claim to have heard of (and read) 3 of the books from the 1940 list. I wonder how much of an impact the depression had on the lastingness of books from the 40s - if people couldn't afford to buy them...
How far back can best sellers be tracked?
The Nobel Prize winner for literature in 1959 was the Italian,
Salvatore Quasimodo, known for "Nuovie Poesie" (1942). His "Selected Poems" is owned by 11 people. Of course, the Nobel Prize has almost nothing to do with any year's best sellers.
Message edited by its author, Aug 6, 2007, 10:48pm.
Mary Johnston's, "To Have and to Hold" (from 1900) is owned by 20 people.
Along with topping the charts,
Lady Chatterley's Lover made a court appearance in 1959 in the USA because the postal authorities refused to mail it (to book club members and so forth) on the grounds that it was obscene.
In 1960, England also took Lady Chatterley to court; the late
Sybille Bedford covered this
criminal proceeding,
The Crown v. Penguin Books Limited, and wrote a howlingly funny series of articles about the trial for
Esquire. (The prosecution was obliged, during its lengthy harangues against "filth," to holler again and again the very words it found filthy!)
To have & to hold was made into a movie. It was also re-issued in paperback -- I read it in the 1950's. it was a really good historical novel about the settlement of early Virginia.
I just saw
Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris on the sale shelf at the library yesterday! I like Paul Gallico, but wasn't especially fond of Mrs. 'Arris. I've read a lot of the others though -- used to read Lady Chatterly in high school for the racy bits. I expect it would seem pretty tame now!
Message edited by its author, Oct 31, 2007, 2:40am.
None. But I don't feel bad about it.
I read
Lolita recently, and was impressed by the language.
Exodus and
Hawaii for me. I think
Exodus really launched Uris' career. Enjoyed both books very much. Like aviddiva, looked for the racy parts in
Lady Chatterley's Lover until my uncle found out and teased me about the book being missing from the shelf in the office.
NON-FICTION 1959 USA
We talked on another thread about spicing things up with other sorts of lists, so here you go.
1.
'Twixt Twelve and Twenty,
Pat Boone 24 copies on LT (and he can sing too)
2.
Folk Medicine, D. C. Jarvis 73 copies
3. For 2ยข Plain,
Harry Golden 18 copies
4.
The Status Seekers,
Vance Packard 65 copies
5.
Act One: An Autobiography,
Moss Hart 77 copies
6.
Charley Weaver's Letters from Mamma,
Cliff Arquette 3 copies
7.
The Elements of Style, William Strunk Jr. and
E. B. White 5,867 copies
8.
The General Foods Kitchens Cookbook 20 copies
9.
Only in America,
Harry Golden 32 copies
10.
Mine Enemy Grows Older,
Alexander King 11 copies
Some real classics here. Who doesn't have Strunk & White? Trying to redirect touchstones.
Message edited by its author, Dec 10, 2007, 1:49pm.
I remember reading
For 2 cents plain; essays (Bingo on the Touchstone) - I went and copied the title from the quthor page. Golden was a Southern Jew which gave him an interesting and funny perspective on things.
Wasn't the prescription in
Folk Medicine either for honey or for
Apple Cider Vinegar, depending on the ailment? Gosh, I tried Touchstoning 'apple cider vinegar' and then came up with a book that proves Jarvis remedies are right!
I didn't read Moss Hart's autobiography, but years later I did read that of
Kitty Carlisle Hart, the wife of Moss Hart. It was titled:
Kitty: An Autobiography -- I don't remember her using the "Hart" name much. Moss died only in 1961, at the age of 57.
Message edited by its author, Dec 10, 2007, 7:34pm.
Well of course I've read The Elements of Style many times, my only gripe being that it's almost fanatical. If all you did was follow White, your prose would be pretty dull.
I read Lolita. Can't say that I liked it or would recommend it. I guess you could call it dark comedy, of the darkest kind, with a moral backbone -- because no one escapes the consequences of their actions. I was disappointed to learn, in high school, college and grad school, that relationships between teachers and much younger students happened at all, let alone with the frequency that they appeared to. Nabokov is laughing at these people. I never thought I would see these situations so often in real life.
I've read all of the fiction and 7 of the non-fiction, have read
Hawaii 3 times over the years, but only read
Dear and Glorious Physician about 2 years ago and it was terrific. The Ruark novel
Poor No More wasn't one of his best either, and I much preferred
Something of Value, still a very exciting novel. I highly recommend
Moss Hart's
Act One which is one of the most entertaining show-biz memoirs ever written.
Never read the book. Terrific movie, though. Richard Dreyfus' first starring role, I believe.
I thought his first starring role was in American Graffiti. Or was he just a secondary character? I haven't seen it since it came out, so my memory on this is rusty.
>24
Dreyfuss and Ron Howard were the main male characters in American Graffiti circa 1973.
24 & 26> Yeah, you guys are right. American Graffiti was in 1973 and Duddy Kravitz in 1974, at least according to Wikipedia. Dreyfuss was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for "Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy" for American Graffiti, so we'd certainly have to call it a starring rather than a supporting role. I was amused to see that on the Wikipedia filmography for Dreyfuss, his first two screen appearances, both in 1967, are listed as
Valley of the Dolls - Assistant stage manager - uncredited
The Graduate - Boarding House Resident - uncredited
Anyway, I'd forgotten entirely that Dreyfuss was in American Graffiti. Good catch!
Message edited by its author, Nov 13, 2009, 1:05pm.
does anyone know a website that i can view books online for free. im doing a research project on the children of god cult but need more resources!!!! help pls notes due this tuesday.....thanks
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