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Eras · The 1940s

1948 in books

Who ruled 1948? Norman Mailer was Author of the Year on the NYT Hardcover Fiction list. Every #1 bestseller of 1948, the biggest books and the top authors.

NYT Hardcover Fiction

Norman Mailer portrait

Author of the Year 1948

Norman Mailer

19 crowns · 30 weeks among the top five authors · Era Power 410

Top authors of 1948
#AuthorEra PowerCrownsTop-five weeks
1Norman Mailer4101930
2Ross Lockridge301423
3Ben Ames Williams244718
4Elizabeth Goudge235416
5F. Van Wyck Mason212513
6A. J. Cronin197313
7Marcia Davenport195214
8Agnes Sligh Turnbull18407
9Frances Parkinson Keyes180013
10Frank Yerby180012
Every #1 bestseller of 194810 books reached #1 on the NYT Hardcover Fiction list
First week at #1TitleAuthorWeeks at #1
Jan 4, 1948House DividedBen Ames Williams7
Feb 8, 1948East Side, West SideMarcia Davenport2
Mar 7, 1948Eagle in the SkyF. Van Wyck Mason5
Apr 4, 1948The Ides of MarchThornton Wilder2
Apr 25, 1948Raintree CountyRoss Lockridge4
May 9, 1948Pilgrim's InnElizabeth Goudge4
Jun 20, 1948The Naked and the DeadNorman Mailer19
Sep 5, 1948Shannon's WayA. J. Cronin3
Nov 7, 1948The Young LionsIrwin Shaw4
Dec 19, 1948The Big FishermanLloyd C. Douglas2
Biggest books of 1948Titles that entered the list in 1948, by Book Power
#TitleAuthorPeakWeeksBook Power
1The Naked and the DeadNorman Mailer#162603.6
2The Big FishermanLloyd C. Douglas#162590.1
3Dinner at Antoine'sFrances Parkinson Keyes#237343.8
4The Young LionsIrwin Shaw#134303.5
5Raintree CountyRoss Lockridge#129301.2
6Pilgrim's InnElizabeth Goudge#124234.7
7Eagle in the SkyF. Van Wyck Mason#123211.9
8Shannon's WayA. J. Cronin#123203.2
9The Golden HawkFrank Yerby#224179.7
10Remembrance RockCarl Sandburg#321165.3

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