Authors · NYT Hardcover Fiction

John le Carré

Charting Jan 19, 1964 → Nov 14, 2021 · 370 weeks with chart power

Peak Power: 14.27%; week of Sep 27, 1964
Career Power: 3,345; share-weeks
Weeks at #1: 78; weeks as the top author

Peak Year: 647; January 1964 – January 1965
Peak Five Years: 901; February 1964 – February 1969
Top-five weeks: 225; weeks ranked 1–5
Longevity: 370; weeks with chart power
Dominance: 14.72%; week of Jan 20, 1991
Comebacks: 10; December 1968, August 1974, November 1977, January 1980, April 1983, May 1986, July 1989, February 1991, August 1993, April 1995

Comebacks (thresholds from `config/scoring.json`)
Kind	Trough began	Returned	Trough weeks	Longest absence	Prior peak	Return share
After absence	Nov 28, 1965	Dec 22, 1968	160	154	14.27%	5.66%
After absence	Jul 20, 1969	Aug 4, 1974	263	133	14.27%	5.31%
After absence	May 4, 1975	Nov 20, 1977	133	127	14.27%	5.39%
After decline	Jun 18, 1978	Jan 27, 1980	71	66	14.27%	5.78%
After absence	Jul 27, 1980	Apr 10, 1983	141	138	14.27%	5.38%
After absence	Dec 4, 1983	May 18, 1986	128	125	14.27%	5.10%
After absence	Oct 19, 1986	Jul 2, 1989	141	124	14.27%	5.38%
After decline	Dec 17, 1989	Feb 10, 1991	60	56	14.27%	5.35%
After absence	May 5, 1991	Aug 29, 1993	121	115	14.27%	5.00%
After decline	Oct 24, 1993	Apr 23, 1995	78	73	14.27%	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

25 books · 3,345 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 Spy Who Came in from the Cold	#1February 1964	56	January 1964 – February 1965	665.7	665.7
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy	#1August 1974	40	June 1974 – March 1975	398.7	398.7
The Little Drummer Girl	#1March 1983	34	March 1983 – November 1983	342.8	342.7
A Small Town in Germany	#2December 1968	28	November 1968 – May 1969	295.8	295.8
Smiley's People	#1January 1980	28	December 1979 – July 1980	239.2	239.2
The Russia House	#1June 1989	21	June 1989 – October 1989	234.5	234.5
A Perfect Spy	#1May 1986	24	April 1986 – January 1987	199.6	199.6
The Honorable Schoolboy	#3January 1978	21	January 1978 – May 1978	148.3	148.3
The Honourable Schoolboy	#3October 1977	12	October 1977 – December 1977	119.8	119.6
The Secret Pilgrim	#1January 1991	12	January 1991 – March 1991	111.6	111.3
The Looking Glass War	#5August 1965	14	July 1965 – October 1965	102.1	102.1
The Night Manager	#3July 1993	13	July 1993 – October 1993	91.0	90.9
Our Game	#2April 1995	9	March 1995 – May 1995	75.5	74.0
Single & Single	#3March 1999	7	March 1999 – May 1999	49.2	49.2
Absolute Friends	#3February 2004	9	February 2004 – March 2004	48.3	47.5
The Constant Gardener	#4January 2001	9	December 2000 – February 2001	41.6	41.6
A Legacy of Spies	#1September 2017	6	September 2017 – October 2017	40.1	40.1
The Tailor of Panama	#7November 1996	7	November 1996 – December 1996	30.3	30.3
A Most Wanted Man	#4October 2008	4	October 2008 – November 2008	26.4	26.4
A Delicate Truth	#6May 2013	4	May 2013 – June 2013	22.1	22.1
The Mission Song	#3October 2006	3	October 2006 – October 2006	20.1	20.1
Silverview	#6October 2021	3	October 2021 – November 2021	14.6	14.6
Our Kind of Traitor	#7October 2010	3	October 2010 – November 2010	11.1	11.1
The Naive and Sentimental Lover	#10February 1972	2	February 1972 – February 1972	8.3	8.3
Agent Running in the Field	#5November 2019	1	November 2019	8.3	8.3