Skip to content

Eras · The 1960s

1965 in books

Who ruled 1965? Bel Kaufman was Author of the Year on the NYT Hardcover Fiction list. Every #1 bestseller of 1965, the biggest books and the top authors.

NYT Hardcover Fiction

Bel Kaufman portrait

Author of the Year 1965

Bel Kaufman

8 crowns · 37 weeks among the top five authors · Era Power 493

Top authors of 1965
#AuthorEra PowerCrownsTop-five weeks
1Bel Kaufman493837
2James Michener3932327
3Arthur Hailey369034
4Saul Bellow3671924
5Robin Moore212017
6Irving Wallace207013
7Mary Stewart197016
8Morris West190013
9Herman Wouk17909
10Len Deighton160011
Every #1 bestseller of 19653 books reached #1 on the NYT Hardcover Fiction list
First week at #1TitleAuthorWeeks at #1
Jan 3, 1965HerzogSaul Bellow19
May 16, 1965Up the Down StaircaseBel Kaufman8
Jul 11, 1965The SourceJames Michener23
Biggest books of 1965Titles that entered the list in 1965, by Book Power
#TitleAuthorPeakWeeksBook Power
1The SourceJames Michener#171886.1
2Up the Down StaircaseBel Kaufman#161658.3
3HotelArthur Hailey#346404.2
4Those Who LoveIrving Stone#239363.8
5The Green BeretsRobin Moore#228230.2
6Airs Above the GroundMary Stewart#323190.2
7The AmbassadorMorris West#221189.8
8Don't Stop the CarnivalHerman Wouk#426178.6
9Funeral in BerlinLen Deighton#320159.9
10Hurry SundownK.B. Gilden#215139.5

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