Authors · NYT Hardcover Fiction

Irwin Shaw

Charting Oct 24, 1948 → Jan 3, 1982 · 198 weeks with chart power

Peak Power: 9.92%; week of Feb 6, 1949
Career Power: 1,290; share-weeks
Weeks at #1: 4; weeks as the top author

Peak Year: 304; June 1948 – June 1949
Peak Five Years: 388; October 1946 – October 1951
Top-five weeks: 62; weeks ranked 1–5
Longevity: 198; weeks with chart power
Dominance: 14.53%; week of Nov 7, 1948
Comebacks: 8; August 1951, May 1956, March 1960, November 1970, June 1973, March 1976, December 1977, February 1980

Comebacks (thresholds from `config/scoring.json`)
Kind	Trough began	Returned	Trough weeks	Longest absence	Prior peak	Return share
After decline	Jul 31, 1949	Aug 12, 1951	106	99	9.92%	3.88%
After absence	Nov 11, 1951	May 13, 1956	234	229	9.92%	3.65%
After absence	Sep 23, 1956	Mar 20, 1960	180	174	9.92%	4.10%
After absence	Jul 17, 1960	Nov 15, 1970	535	530	9.92%	3.48%
After decline	Jul 25, 1971	Jun 10, 1973	98	92	9.92%	3.77%
After absence	Sep 9, 1973	Mar 14, 1976	131	116	9.92%	3.75%
After decline	May 2, 1976	Dec 18, 1977	85	77	9.92%	3.92%
After decline	May 14, 1978	Feb 24, 1980	80	70	9.92%	3.65%

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

10 books · 1,290 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
The Young Lions	#1November 1948	34	October 1948 – June 1949	303.5	303.5
Rich Man, Poor Man	#3March 1971	33	October 1970 – May 1971	251.5	251.5
Beggarman, Thief	#4December 1977	23	October 1977 – April 1978	132.4	132.2
Lucy Crown	#3May 1956	18	April 1956 – August 1956	123.8	123.8
Two Weeks in Another Town	#3March 1960	17	February 1960 – June 1960	113.0	113.0
Evening in Byzantium	#5May 1973	13	April 1973 – July 1973	87.0	87.0
The Troubled Air	#5August 1951	16	June 1951 – October 1951	84.5	84.5
The Top of the Hill	#7February 1980	17	December 1979 – April 1980	77.4	77.4
Nightwork	#7February 1976	14	November 1975 – April 1976	68.1	68.1
Bread Upon the Waters	#6September 1981	13	September 1981 – January 1982	49.0	49.0