Titles
The biggest books on NYT Hardcover Fiction that entered the chart in the 1960s, ranked by Weeks at #1. Click a column to re-sort.
Book Power is the book's own figure: each week on the list is worth its position as a share of a full list — a #1 week is 14.5, a #6 week is 7.3, a #16 week is 1.8 — added up over the run. No credit split and no discount for what else the author had charting. What a book earned each author is on the author pages.
Ranked by Weeks at #1, part of the ChartReign Power model — not a list published by anyone else. How it works →
| # | Title | Book Power | Weeks at #1 | Top-ten weeks | Weeks on list | Peak | On list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The SourceJames Michener | 886.1 | 41 | 71 | 71 | #1Jul 1965 | May 1965 → Oct 1966 |
| 2 | The Spy Who Came in from the ColdJohn le Carré | 665.7 | 34 | 56 | 56 | #1Feb 1964 | Jan 1964 → Feb 1965 |
| 3 | AirportArthur Hailey | 761.1 | 30 | 64 | 64 | #1Apr 1968 | Mar 1968 → Jun 1969 |
| 4 | HerzogSaul Bellow | 525.6 | 29 | 42 | 42 | #1Oct 1964 | Oct 1964 → Aug 1965 |
| 5 | Valley of the DollsJacqueline Susann | 764.2 | 28 | 65 | 65 | #1May 1966 | Mar 1966 → Jun 1967 |
| 6 | The Agony and the EcstasyIrving Stone | 892.5 | 27 | 77 | 83 | #1Apr 1961 | Apr 1961 → Oct 1962 |
| 7 | Franny and ZooeyJ.D. Salinger | 603.8 | 26 | 48 | 54 | #1Oct 1961 | Sep 1961 → Sep 1962 |
| 8 | Ship of FoolsKatherine Anne Porter | 505.8 | 26 | 43 | 44 | #1Apr 1962 | Apr 1962 → Feb 1963 |
| 9 | The ArrangementElia Kazan | 520.9 | 23 | 42 | 42 | #1Mar 1967 | Feb 1967 → Dec 1967 |
| 10 | The GodfatherMario Puzo | 779.3 | 21 | 67 | 67 | #1Sep 1969 | Mar 1969 → Jul 1970 |
| 11 | The Confessions of Nat TurnerWilliam Styron | 452.9 | 21 | 44 | 44 | #1Nov 1967 | Oct 1967 → Sep 1968 |
| 12 | The GroupMary McCarthy | 568.4 | 19 | 51 | 51 | #1Oct 1963 | Sep 1963 → Aug 1964 |
| 13 | The Secret of Santa VittoriaRobert Crichton | 541.1 | 18 | 47 | 47 | #1Nov 1966 | Sep 1966 → Aug 1967 |
| 14 | The Salzburg ConnectionHelen MacInnes | 503.0 | 18 | 42 | 42 | #1Nov 1968 | Sep 1968 → Jul 1969 |
| 15 | Seven Days in MayFletcher Knebel & Charles W. Bailey II | 553.8 | 14 | 47 | 48 | #1Nov 1962 | Sep 1962 → Aug 1963 |
| 16 | The Shoes of the FishermanMorris L. West | 494.7 | 14 | 43 | 43 | #1Jun 1963 | Jun 1963 → Apr 1964 |
| 17 | Portnoy's ComplaintPhilip Roth | 462.2 | 14 | 40 | 40 | #1Mar 1969 | Feb 1969 → Nov 1969 |
| 18 | The Love MachineJacqueline Susann | 384.3 | 13 | 32 | 32 | #1Jun 1969 | May 1969 → Jan 1970 |
| 19 | The French Lieutenant's WomanJohn Fowles | 582.6 | 12 | 53 | 53 | #1Feb 1970 | Nov 1969 → Nov 1970 |
| 20 | Raise High the Roof Beam, CarpentersJ.D. Salinger | 291.3 | 10 | 28 | 28 | #1Mar 1963 | Feb 1963 → Aug 1963 |
| 21 | Up the Down StaircaseBel Kaufman | 658.3 | 8 | 61 | 61 | #1May 1965 | Mar 1965 → May 1966 |
| 22 | The Glass BlowersDaphne Du Maurier | 258.5 | 6 | 24 | 24 | #1May 1963 | Mar 1963 → Sep 1963 |
| 23 | The Last of the JustAndre Schwarz-Bart | 373.3 | 4 | 34 | 44 | #1Mar 1961 | Nov 1960 → Sep 1961 |
| 24 | The Eighth DayThornton Wilder | 319.6 | 4 | 28 | 28 | #1Jun 1967 | Apr 1967 → Oct 1967 |
| 25 | A Shade of DifferenceAllen Drury | 258.5 | 4 | 25 | 25 | #1Oct 1962 | Oct 1962 → Apr 1963 |
| 26 | The ChosenChaim Potok | 367.2 | 3 | 39 | 39 | #1Oct 1967 | May 1967 → Feb 1968 |
| 27 | TopazLeon Uris | 508.1 | 1 | 52 | 52 | #1Oct 1967 | Oct 1967 → Sep 1968 |
| 28 | CouplesJohn Updike | 394.0 | 1 | 36 | 36 | #1Jun 1968 | Apr 1968 → Dec 1968 |
| 29 | The Rector of JustinLouis Auchincloss | 384.6 | 1 | 35 | 35 | #1Oct 1964 | Aug 1964 → Mar 1965 |
| 30 | VanishedFletcher Knebel | 287.9 | 1 | 32 | 32 | #1Mar 1968 | Jan 1968 → Sep 1968 |
| 31 | The Gabriel HoundsMary Stewart | 239.4 | 1 | 25 | 25 | #1Oct 1967 | Oct 1967 → Mar 1968 |
| 32 | To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee | 929.2 | 0 | 90 | 98 | #2Apr 1961 | Aug 1960 → Jun 1962 |
| 33 | Capable of HonorAllen Drury | 405.5 | 0 | 41 | 41 | #2Dec 1966 | Oct 1966 → Jul 1967 |
| 34 | HotelArthur Hailey | 404.2 | 0 | 46 | 46 | #3Apr 1965 | Feb 1965 → Jan 1966 |
| 35 | The AdventurersHarold Robbins | 397.7 | 0 | 41 | 41 | #2May 1966 | Apr 1966 → Jan 1967 |
| 36 | Those Who LoveIrving Stone | 363.8 | 0 | 39 | 39 | #2Dec 1965 | Oct 1965 → Jul 1966 |
| 37 | Tai-PanJames Clavell | 351.0 | 0 | 44 | 44 | #2Oct 1966 | Jun 1966 → Apr 1967 |
| 38 | The LeopardGuiseppe di Lampedusa | 344.9 | 0 | 32 | 38 | #2Jul 1960 | May 1960 → Jan 1961 |
| 39 | Testimony of Two MenTaylor Caldwell | 331.3 | 0 | 42 | 42 | #3Jul 1968 | May 1968 → Mar 1969 |
| 40 | CandyTerry Southern & Mason Hoffenberg | 316.2 | 0 | 35 | 35 | #2Sep 1964 | May 1964 → Jan 1965 |
| 41 | The ManIrving Wallace | 303.3 | 0 | 38 | 38 | #2Feb 1965 | Oct 1964 → Jun 1965 |
| 42 | ChristyCatherine Marshall | 302.2 | 0 | 38 | 38 | #2Jan 1968 | Nov 1967 → Aug 1968 |
| 43 | The Double ImageHelen MacInnes | 302.2 | 0 | 33 | 33 | #2Mar 1966 | Jan 1966 → Sep 1966 |
| 44 | A Small Town in GermanyJohn le Carré | 295.8 | 0 | 28 | 28 | #2Dec 1968 | Nov 1968 → May 1969 |
| 45 | Dearly BelovedAnne Morrow Lindbergh | 291.3 | 0 | 29 | 32 | #2Aug 1962 | Jun 1962 → Jan 1963 |
| 46 | The House on the StrandDaphne Du Maurier | 284.0 | 0 | 30 | 30 | #2Nov 1969 | Oct 1969 → May 1970 |
| 47 | CaravansJames Michener | 284.0 | 0 | 29 | 29 | #2Sep 1963 | Aug 1963 → Mar 1964 |
| 48 | Fail-SafeEugene Burdick & Harvey Wheeler | 283.4 | 0 | 29 | 30 | #2Dec 1962 | Nov 1962 → Jun 1963 |
| 49 | ArmegeddonLeon Uris | 283.2 | 0 | 34 | 34 | #2Jul 1964 | Jun 1964 → Feb 1965 |
| 50 | The Venetian AffairHelen MacInnes | 282.9 | 0 | 31 | 31 | #2Dec 1963 | Oct 1963 → Jun 1964 |
| 51 | The CarpetbaggersHarold Robbins | 267.3 | 0 | 33 | 41 | #3Sep 1961 | Jun 1961 → Apr 1962 |
| 52 | Myra BreckinridgeGore Vidal | 265.5 | 0 | 30 | 30 | #2Apr 1968 | Mar 1968 → Sep 1968 |
| 53 | Preserve and ProtectAllen Drury | 265.0 | 0 | 28 | 28 | #2Oct 1968 | Sep 1968 → Apr 1969 |
| 54 | ConventionFletcher Knebel & Charles W. Bailey II | 262.5 | 0 | 27 | 27 | #2May 1964 | Mar 1964 → Sep 1964 |
| 55 | Rosemary's BabyIra Levin | 260.5 | 0 | 43 | 43 | #3Oct 1967 | May 1967 → Apr 1968 |
| 56 | This Rough MagicMary Stewart | 258.0 | 0 | 30 | 30 | #2Nov 1964 | Aug 1964 → Mar 1965 |
| 57 | The Sand PebblesRichard McKenna | 254.8 | 0 | 29 | 29 | #2Mar 1963 | Jan 1963 → Aug 1963 |
| 58 | Mila 18Leon Uris | 251.0 | 0 | 25 | 33 | #2Aug 1961 | Jun 1961 → Jan 1962 |
| 59 | Youngblood HawkeHerman Wouk | 250.3 | 0 | 25 | 26 | #2Jun 1962 | May 1962 → Nov 1962 |
| 60 | JulianGore Vidal | 242.0 | 0 | 32 | 32 | #2Sep 1964 | Jun 1964 → Jan 1965 |
| 61 | The Andromeda StrainMichael Crichton | 233.9 | 0 | 30 | 30 | #3Oct 1969 | Jun 1969 → Jan 1970 |
| 62 | The Green BeretsRobin Moore | 230.2 | 0 | 28 | 28 | #2Sep 1965 | Jul 1965 → Jan 1966 |
| 63 | The Constant ImageMarcia Davenport | 229.8 | 0 | 23 | 29 | #3Mar 1960 | Feb 1960 → Sep 1960 |
| 64 | The PrizeIrving Wallace | 220.7 | 0 | 24 | 32 | #3Sep 1962 | Jun 1962 → Feb 1963 |
| 65 | Elizabeth AppletonJohn O'Hara | 217.5 | 0 | 21 | 21 | #2Jun 1963 | Jun 1963 → Nov 1963 |
| 66 | The Lovely AmbitionMary Ellen Chase | 217.3 | 0 | 30 | 36 | #4Dec 1960 | Jul 1960 → Mar 1961 |
| 67 | The EmbezzlerLouis Auchincloss | 217.0 | 0 | 27 | 27 | #2Mar 1966 | Feb 1966 → Aug 1966 |
| 68 | The Chapman ReportIrving Wallace | 212.8 | 0 | 23 | 28 | #4Jun 1960 | Jun 1960 → Dec 1960 |
| 69 | The Birds Fall DownRebecca West | 211.5 | 0 | 25 | 25 | #3Jan 1967 | Oct 1966 → Apr 1967 |
| 70 | A Prologue to LoveTaylor Caldwell | 203.6 | 0 | 25 | 30 | #3Feb 1962 | Dec 1961 → Jun 1962 |
| 71 | Washington, D.C.Gore Vidal | 197.6 | 0 | 21 | 21 | #2Jul 1967 | May 1967 → Oct 1967 |
| 72 | The Bull from the SeaMary Renault | 197.4 | 0 | 19 | 25 | #2Apr 1962 | Mar 1962 → Aug 1962 |
| 73 | Tell No ManAdela Rogers St. Johns | 196.2 | 0 | 29 | 29 | #4Jul 1966 | Mar 1966 → Oct 1966 |
| 74 | The Edge of SadnessEdwin O'Connor | 193.8 | 0 | 21 | 28 | #3Jul 1961 | Jun 1961 → Jun 1962 |
| 75 | A Burnt-Out CaseGraham Greene | 191.5 | 0 | 20 | 26 | #3Apr 1961 | Feb 1961 → Sep 1961 |
| 76 | Airs Above the GroundMary Stewart | 190.2 | 0 | 23 | 23 | #3Oct 1965 | Sep 1965 → Mar 1966 |
| 77 | The AmbassadorMorris West | 189.8 | 0 | 21 | 21 | #2May 1965 | May 1965 → Sep 1965 |
| 78 | City of NightJohn Rechy | 187.2 | 0 | 24 | 24 | #3Aug 1963 | Jul 1963 → Dec 1963 |
| 79 | Grandmother and the PriestsTaylor Caldwell | 183.9 | 0 | 23 | 23 | #3Jun 1963 | Mar 1963 → Sep 1963 |
| 80 | Chairman of the BoredEdward Streeter | 183.2 | 0 | 25 | 39 | #6Nov 1961 | Oct 1961 → Jul 1962 |
| 81 | Don't Stop the CarnivalHerman Wouk | 178.6 | 0 | 26 | 26 | #4May 1965 | Apr 1965 → Sep 1965 |
| 82 | The Wapshot ScandalJohn Cheever | 172.0 | 0 | 23 | 23 | #4Mar 1964 | Jan 1964 → Jun 1964 |
| 83 | The Dean's WatchElizabeth Goudge | 165.8 | 0 | 20 | 25 | #3Dec 1960 | Oct 1960 → Apr 1961 |
| 84 | The ReiversWilliam Faulkner | 165.4 | 0 | 21 | 26 | #4Aug 1962 | Jun 1962 → Dec 1962 |
| 85 | True GritCharles Portis | 164.1 | 0 | 22 | 22 | #3Sep 1968 | Jul 1968 → Dec 1968 |
| 86 | The Living ReedPearl S. Buck | 163.4 | 0 | 22 | 22 | #4Oct 1963 | Oct 1963 → Mar 1964 |
| 87 | The Mask of ApolloMary Renault | 162.2 | 0 | 22 | 22 | #4Feb 1967 | Nov 1966 → Apr 1967 |
| 88 | Funeral in BerlinLen Deighton | 159.9 | 0 | 20 | 20 | #3Mar 1965 | Jan 1965 → Jun 1965 |
| 89 | Ada, or Ardor: a Family ChronicleVladimir Nabokov | 159.7 | 0 | 20 | 20 | #4Jun 1969 | May 1969 → Oct 1969 |
| 90 | The Fox in the AtticRichard Hughes | 158.9 | 0 | 16 | 20 | #2Apr 1962 | Feb 1962 → Jul 1962 |
| 91 | The Hurricane YearsCameron Hawley | 157.4 | 0 | 23 | 23 | #5Nov 1968 | Oct 1968 → Mar 1969 |
| 92 | All in the FamilyEdwin O'Connor | 154.5 | 0 | 25 | 25 | #5Nov 1966 | Oct 1966 → Apr 1967 |
| 93 | The InheritorsHarold Robbins | 154.0 | 0 | 21 | 21 | #4Dec 1969 | Nov 1969 → Apr 1970 |
| 94 | The Hat on the BedJohn O'Hara | 152.1 | 0 | 19 | 19 | #3Jan 1964 | Dec 1963 → Apr 1964 |
| 95 | The MoonspinnersMary Stewart | 150.1 | 0 | 21 | 22 | #5Jan 1963 | Jan 1963 → Jun 1963 |
| 96 | Little MePatrick Dennis | 149.3 | 0 | 18 | 25 | #4Dec 1961 | Nov 1961 → May 1962 |
| 97 | Tropic of CancerHenry Miller | 146.0 | 0 | 22 | 25 | #5Jul 1961 | Jul 1961 → Dec 1961 |
| 98 | The Winter of Our DiscontentJohn Steinbeck | 144.2 | 0 | 18 | 23 | #5Jul 1961 | Jul 1961 → Dec 1961 |
| 99 | You Only Live TwiceIan Fleming | 143.2 | 0 | 23 | 23 | #5Dec 1964 | Sep 1964 → Feb 1965 |
| 100 | The Lincoln LordsCameron Hawley | 142.5 | 0 | 18 | 22 | #4May 1960 | Mar 1960 → Aug 1960 |