Do You Know the Best-Selling Book of the Year You Were Born?

The BBC compiled a list of the bestselling fiction books of every year since the New York Times list began in 1931. And it would be fun for you to know the best selling book from the year you were born, would it not?

Take a look…

Bestsellers of the 1930s

A black and white photograph of Margaret Mitchell. sitting at a desk and writing with a pen on paper. — Image caption,Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind.

1931: Maid in Waiting by John Galsworthy
1932: The Fountain by Charles Langbridge Morgan
1933: Anthony Adverse by Harvey Allen
1934: So Red the Rose by Stark Young
1935: Europa by Robert Briffault
1936: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
1937: Northwest Passage by Kenneth Roberts
1938: The Citadel by A. J. Cronin
1939: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Bestsellers of the 1940s

A black and white photograph of George Orwell, who's looking directly at the camera with a closed-lipped smile. There's a BBC microphone next to him. — Image caption,George Orwell, author of works including Animal Farm and 1984.

1940: How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn
1941: The Keys of the Kingdom by A. J. Cronin
1942: The Song of Bernadette by Franz Werfel
1943: The Robe by Lloyd Douglas
1944: Strange Fruit by Lilian Smith
1945: The Green Years by A. J. Cronin
1946: The Hucksters by Frederic Wakeman
1947: Gentleman’s Agreement by Laura F. Hobson
1948: The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
1949: Point of No Return by John P. Marquard

Bestsellers of the 1950s

A black and white photograph of Agatha Christie, who seems to be laughing while looking directly at the camera. — Image caption,Agatha Christie is the second-bestselling author of all time, after William Shakespeare.

1950: The Cardinal by Henry Morton Robinson
1951: The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
1952: The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
1953: Desiree by Annemarie Selinko
1954: Not as a Stranger by Morton Thompson
1955: The View from Pompey’s Head by Hamilton Basso
1956: The Last Hurrah by Edwin O’Connor
1957: Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
1958: Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver
1959: Exodus by Leon Uris

Bestsellers of the 1960s

Author John le Carré standing against a mountainous background next to the sea. He's looking directly at the camera and has one hand on his hip. — Image caption,John Le Carré is known for novels including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

1960: Hawaii by James Michener
1961: The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
1962: Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter
1963: The Group by Mary McCarthy
1964: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
1965: The Source by James Michener
1966: Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
1967: The Arrangement by Elia Kazan
1968: Airport by Arthur Hailey
1969: The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Bestsellers of the 1970s

A close-up image of Colleen McCullough. She's smiling broadly directly at the camera, and appears to be sitting on a bed against a plain wall. — Image caption,Australian novelist Colleen McCullough’s second novel, Thorn Birds, sold over 30 million copies.

1970: Love Story by Erich Segel
1971: The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
1972: Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
1973: Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
1974: Burr by Gore Vidal
1975: The Moneychangers by Arthur Hailey and Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow
1976: Trinity by Leon Uris
1977: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
1978: Bloodline by Sidney Sheldon
1979: The Matarese Circle by Robert Ludlum

Bestsellers of the 1980s

A black and white image of author Stephen King. he's leaning towards the camera, wearing a shirt and jacket with a slight smile. — Image caption,Stephen King, known as the ‘King of Horror’, has written over 70 books.

1980: The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
1981: Noble House by James Clavell
1982: The Parsifal Mosaic by Robert Ludlum
1983: The Little Drummer Girl by John le Carré
1984: The Aquitaine Progression by Robert Ludlum
1985: Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
1986: It by Stephen King
1987: Fine Things by Danielle Steele
1988: The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy
1989: The Russia House by John le Carré

Bestsellers of the 1990s

A colour photo of JK Rowling at a book signing. She's sitting at a desk and smiling at the camera, with bookshelves in the background. — Image caption,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling is the fastest-selling book in history.

1990: The Plains of Passage by Jean M Auel
1991: Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley
1992: The Pelican Brief by John Grisham
1993: The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
1994: The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
1995: The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
1996: Primary Colours by Joe Klein
1997: Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
1998: The Street Lawyer by John Grisham
1999: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

Bestsellers of the 2000s

Author Dan Brown is smiling directly at the camera. He's an older man with grey hair, wearing a smart jacket and shirt. — Image caption,The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown remained on The New York Times Bestseller List for over two-and-a-half years.

2000: The Brethren by John Grisham
2001: A Painted House by John Grisham; On the Street Where You Live by Mary Higgins Clark; Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson; Valhalla Rising by Clive Cussler; Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
2002: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
2003: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
2004: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
2005: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
2006: For One More Day by Mitch Albom
2007: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
2008: The Appeal by John Grisham
2009: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Bestsellers of the 2010s

A cllose-up photo of Delia Owens, who is an older woman with shoulder-length grey hair. The trees in the background are blurred. — Image caption,Zoologist and conservationist Delia Owens was an internationally bestselling non-fiction author before her debut novel, Where the Crawdads Sing, was published.

2010: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
2011: The Help by Kathryn Stockett
2012: Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James
2013: Inferno by Dan Brown
2014: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
2015: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
2016: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
2017: Camino Island by John Grisham
2018: The President Is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton
2019: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Bestsellers of the 2020s

Author Andy Weir is sitting in front of a microphone with his hands clasped before him, smiling broadly and wearing a baseball cap. — Image caption,Andy Weir is known for science-fiction novels The Martian, Artemis and Project Hail Mary.

2020: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
2021: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
2022: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
2023: It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
2024: The Women by Kristin Hannah
2025: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

What was the best-selling book the year you were born?