1947 in books
Who ruled 1947? Laura Z. Hobson was Author of the Year on the NYT Hardcover Fiction list. Every #1 bestseller of 1947, the biggest books and the top authors.
NYT Hardcover Fiction
Author of the Year 1947
14 crowns · 30 weeks among the top five authors · Era Power 393
| # | Author | Era Power | Crowns | Top-five weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laura Z. Hobson | 393 | 14 | 30 |
| 2 | Russell Janney | 338 | 0 | 25 |
| 3 | Kenneth Roberts | 299 | 12 | 19 |
| 4 | Thomas B. Costain | 285 | 12 | 22 |
| 5 | Frank Yerby | 231 | 0 | 14 |
| 6 | Samuel Shellanbarger | 215 | 0 | 14 |
| 7 | Sinclair Lewis | 193 | 2 | 15 |
| 8 | Willard Motley | 190 | 0 | 9 |
| 9 | Ben Ames Williams | 186 | 8 | 14 |
| 10 | John P. Marquand | 178 | 4 | 12 |
| First week at #1 | Title | Author | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 5, 1947 | B.F.'s DAUGHTER | John P. Marquand | 4 |
| Feb 2, 1947 | Lydia Bailey | Kenneth Roberts | 12 |
| Apr 27, 1947 | Gentleman's Agreement | Laura Z. Hobson | 14 |
| Jul 6, 1947 | Kingsblood Royal | Sinclair Lewis | 2 |
| Aug 17, 1947 | The Moneyman | Thomas B. Costain | 12 |
| Nov 9, 1947 | House Divided | Ben Ames Williams | 8 |
| # | Title | Author | Peak | Weeks | Book Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | House Divided | Ben Ames Williams | #1 | 40 | 429.5 |
| 2 | Gentleman's Agreement | Laura Z. Hobson | #1 | 36 | 392.8 |
| 3 | The Moneyman | Thomas B. Costain | #1 | 31 | 347.9 |
| 4 | Lydia Bailey | Kenneth Roberts | #1 | 29 | 299.3 |
| 5 | East Side, West Side | Marcia Davenport | #1 | 28 | 284.7 |
| 6 | The Vixens | Frank Yerby | #2 | 29 | 226.6 |
| 7 | Prince of Foxes | Samuel Shellanbarger | #2 | 26 | 224.3 |
| 8 | Knock on Any Door | Willard Motley | #5 | 41 | 221.4 |
| 9 | Came a Cavalier | Frances Parkinson Keyes | #3 | 29 | 218.5 |
| 10 | The Bishop's Mantle | Agnes Sligh Turnbull | #5 | 38 | 200.7 |
Author of the Year and the rankings are the ChartReign Power model: the author with the most chart power over the year, not the most #1s. Crowns are weeks crowned Author of the Week. How it works