1961 in books
Who ruled 1961? Harper Lee was Author of the Year on the NYT Hardcover Fiction list. Every #1 bestseller of 1961, the biggest books and the top authors.
NYT Hardcover Fiction
| # | Author | Era Power | Crowns | Top-five weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harper Lee | 582 | 0 | 52 |
| 2 | Irving Stone | 538 | 27 | 38 |
| 3 | Andre Schwarz-Bart | 348 | 4 | 27 |
| 4 | James A. Michener | 336 | 12 | 23 |
| 5 | Allen Drury | 244 | 0 | 16 |
| 6 | Leon Uris | 242 | 0 | 21 |
| 7 | Harold Robbins | 217 | 0 | 14 |
| 8 | Graham Greene | 191 | 0 | 15 |
| 9 | J.D. Salinger | 191 | 10 | 13 |
| 10 | Edwin O'Connor | 189 | 0 | 12 |
| First week at #1 | Title | Author | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 1961 | Hawaii | James A. Michener | 12 |
| Mar 26, 1961 | The Last of the Just | Andre Schwarz-Bart | 4 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | The Agony and the Ecstasy | Irving Stone | 27 |
| Oct 29, 1961 | Franny and Zooey | J.D. Salinger | 10 |
| # | Title | Author | Peak | Weeks | Book Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Agony and the Ecstasy | Irving Stone | #1 | 83 | 892.5 |
| 2 | Franny and Zooey | J.D. Salinger | #1 | 54 | 603.8 |
| 3 | The Carpetbaggers | Harold Robbins | #3 | 41 | 267.3 |
| 4 | Mila 18 | Leon Uris | #2 | 33 | 251.0 |
| 5 | A Prologue to Love | Taylor Caldwell | #3 | 30 | 203.6 |
| 6 | The Edge of Sadness | Edwin O'Connor | #3 | 28 | 193.8 |
| 7 | A Burnt-Out Case | Graham Greene | #3 | 26 | 191.5 |
| 8 | Chairman of the Bored | Edward Streeter | #6 | 39 | 183.2 |
| 9 | Little Me | Patrick Dennis | #4 | 25 | 149.3 |
| 10 | Tropic of Cancer | Henry Miller | #5 | 25 | 146.0 |
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