1963 in books
Who ruled 1963? Morris L. West was Author of the Year on the NYT Hardcover Fiction list. Every #1 bestseller of 1963, the biggest books and the top authors.
NYT Hardcover Fiction
Author of the Year 1963
14 crowns · 29 weeks among the top five authors · Era Power 380
| # | Author | Era Power | Crowns | Top-five weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morris L. West | 380 | 14 | 29 |
| 2 | John O'Hara | 309 | 0 | 20 |
| 3 | J.D. Salinger | 291 | 10 | 21 |
| 4 | Daphne Du Maurier | 259 | 6 | 20 |
| 5 | Richard McKenna | 255 | 4 | 21 |
| 6 | James Michener | 216 | 0 | 19 |
| 7 | Mary McCarthy | 209 | 12 | 15 |
| 8 | Charles W. Bailey II | 196 | 0 | 9 |
| 9 | Fletcher Knebel | 196 | 0 | 15 |
| 10 | John Rechy | 187 | 0 | 15 |
| First week at #1 | Title | Author | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 6, 1963 | Seven Days in May | Fletcher Knebel & Charles W. Bailey II | 9 |
| Mar 10, 1963 | Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters | J.D. Salinger | 10 |
| May 19, 1963 | The Glass Blowers | Daphne Du Maurier | 6 |
| Jun 30, 1963 | The Shoes of the Fisherman | Morris L. West | 14 |
| Oct 6, 1963 | The Group | Mary McCarthy | 12 |
| # | Title | Author | Peak | Weeks | Book Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Group | Mary McCarthy | #1 | 51 | 568.4 |
| 2 | The Shoes of the Fisherman | Morris L. West | #1 | 43 | 494.7 |
| 3 | Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters | J.D. Salinger | #1 | 28 | 291.3 |
| 4 | Caravans | James Michener | #2 | 29 | 284.0 |
| 5 | The Venetian Affair | Helen MacInnes | #2 | 31 | 282.9 |
| 6 | The Glass Blowers | Daphne Du Maurier | #1 | 24 | 258.5 |
| 7 | The Sand Pebbles | Richard McKenna | #2 | 29 | 254.8 |
| 8 | Elizabeth Appleton | John O'Hara | #2 | 21 | 217.5 |
| 9 | City of Night | John Rechy | #3 | 24 | 187.2 |
| 10 | Grandmother and the Priests | Taylor Caldwell | #3 | 23 | 183.9 |
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