Authors · NYT Hardcover Fiction

Gore Vidal

Charting Feb 8, 1948 → Apr 19, 1998 · 235 weeks with chart power

Peak Power: 13.53%; week of Apr 28, 1974
Career Power: 1,931; share-weeks
Weeks at #1: 30; weeks as the top author

Peak Year: 453; August 1973 – August 1974
Peak Five Years: 765; August 1973 – July 1978
Top-five weeks: 124; weeks ranked 1–5
Longevity: 235; weeks with chart power
Dominance: 14.53%; week of Dec 9, 1973
Comebacks: 6; June 1964, June 1967, December 1973, April 1976, June 1981, July 1984

Comebacks (thresholds from `config/scoring.json`)
Kind	Trough began	Returned	Trough weeks	Longest absence	Prior peak	Return share
After absence	Jul 11, 1948	Jun 28, 1964	828	826	1.65%	1.05%
After absence	Apr 11, 1965	Jun 4, 1967	110	108	7.62%	2.68%
After absence	Dec 1, 1968	Dec 9, 1973	262	259	9.54%	4.51%
After decline	Oct 6, 1974	Apr 18, 1976	80	76	13.53%	5.40%
After absence	Oct 31, 1976	Jun 7, 1981	227	126	13.53%	4.87%
After absence	Aug 2, 1981	Jul 29, 1984	156	151	13.53%	5.33%

Ranked by weekly Power Share, part of the ChartReign Power model — not the list's own positions (config version 4, Sep 22, 2026). How it works →

Exponentially smoothed share of the week's total power (the primary metric).

Titles on the NYT Hardcover Fiction

13 books · 1,931 share-weeks of Career Power

Power contributed is what each book earned this author: their weekly Power Share, split across their books (a featured credit takes its reduced share). Book Power is the book's own figure, the same for every author on it. Bar length compares books within this list.

Title	Peak	Weeks	On chart	Power contributedPower	Book Power
Burr	#1December 1973	39	November 1973 – August 1974	452.7	452.7
1876	#1April 1976	25	March 1976 – September 1976	274.5	274.5
Myra Breckinridge	#2April 1968	30	March 1968 – September 1968	265.5	265.5
Julian	#2September 1964	32	June 1964 – January 1965	242.0	242.0
Lincoln	#2July 1984	33	June 1984 – February 1985	241.8	241.8
Washington, D.C.	#2July 1967	21	May 1967 – October 1967	197.6	197.6
Creation	#2May 1981	16	April 1981 – July 1981	90.8	90.8
Empire	#3July 1987	13	June 1987 – September 1987	75.6	75.1
Kalki	#7May 1978	9	May 1978 – July 1978	37.5	37.5
The City and the Pillar	#7February 1948	8	February 1948 – April 1948	24.9	24.9
Hollywood	#9February 1990	4	February 1990 – March 1990	16.2	16.2
The Smithsonian Institution	#14April 1998	3	April 1998 – April 1998	6.6	6.6
Live from Golgotha	#12October 1992	2	October 1992 – October 1992	5.6	5.6