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This website was compiled by
Daniel Immerwahr



The Books of the Century: 1980-1989

1980


Fiction Bestsellers

1. James A. Michener, The Covenant

2. Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Identity

3. Sidney Sheldon, Rage of Angels

4. Judith Krantz, Princess Daisy

5. Stephen King, Firestarter

6. Ken Follett, The Key to Rebecca

7. Belva Plain, Random Winds

8. Frederick Forsyth, The Devil’s Alternative

9. Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, The Fifth Horseman

10. Arnaud de Borchgrave and Robert Moss, The Spike

Critically Acclaimed and Historically Significant

Milton and Rose D. Friedman, Free to Choose

Carl Schorske, Fin-de-Siècle Vienna

Carl Sagan, Cosmos

Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose

Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave
Norman Mailer, The Executioner’s Song

J. M. Coetzee, Waiting for the Barbarians

Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guatteri, A Thousand Plateaus

Stanley Fish, Is There a Text in This Class?


Nonfiction Bestsellers

1. Douglas R. Casey, Crisis Investing: Opportunities and Profits
in the Coming Great Depression

2. Carl Sagan, Cosmos

3. Milton and Rose Friedman, Free to Choose: A Personal Statement

4. Norman Cousins, Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient

5. Gay Talese, Thy Neighbor’s Wife

6. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, The Sky’s the Limit

7. Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave

8. Craig Claiborne with Pierre Franey, Craig Claiborne’s Gourmet Diet

9. Robert Allen, Nothing Down

10. Shelley Winters, Shelley: Also Known as Shirley




1981

Fiction Bestsellers

1. James Clavell, Noble House

2. John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire

3. Stephen King, Cujo

4. Colleen McCullough, An Indecent Obsession

5. Martin Cruz Smith, Gorky Park

6. Kit Williams, Masquerade

7. Harold Robbins, Goodbye, Janette

8. Lawrence Sanders, The Third Deadly Sin

9. Joseph Wambaugh, The Glitter Dome

10. Cynthia Freeman, No Time for Tears

Critically Acclaimed and Historically Significant

Stephen Jay Gould, The Mismeasure of Man

Salman Rushdhie, Midnight’s Children

Arthur C. Danto, The Transfiguration of the Commonplace

Jonathan D. Spence, The Gate of Heavenly Peace

Robert Nozick, Philosophical Explanations

Daniel C. Dennett, Brainstorms

George Gilder, Wealth and Poverty

Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue

Angela Davis, Women, Race, and Class

Frederic Jameson, The Political Unconscious

Nonfiction Bestsellers

1. Judy Mazel, The Beverly Hills Diet

2. James Herriot, The Lord God Made Them All

3. Richard Simmons, Richard Simmons’ Never-Say-Diet Book

4. Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic

5. Carl Sagan, Cosmos

6. Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

7. Miss Piggy as told to Henry Beard, Miss Piggy’s Guide to Life

8. Weight Watchers 365-Day Menu Cookbook

9. Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything

10. Andrew A. Rooney, A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney




1982

Fiction Bestsellers

1. William Kotzwinkle, E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial Storybook

2. James A. Michener, Space

3. Robert Ludlum, The Parsifal Mosaic

4. Sidney Sheldon, Master of the Game

5. Judith Krantz, Mistral’s Daughter

6. Jean M. Auel, The Valley of Horses

7. Stephen King, Different Seasons

8. John Jakes, North and South

9. Arthur C. Clarke, 2010: Odyssey Two

10. Ken Follett, The Man from St. Petersburg

Critically Acclaimed and Historically Significant

Alice Walker, The Color Purple

Dumas Malone, Jefferson and his Time

Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits

Michael J. Sandel, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice

Carol Gilligan, In a Different Voice

Nonfiction Bestsellers

1. Jane Fonda, Jane Fonda’s Workout Book

2. Leo Buscaglia, Living, Loving and Learning

3. Andrew A. Rooney, And More by Andy Rooney

4. Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

5. Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw, Life Extension: Adding Years
to Your Life And Life to Your Years—A Practical Scientific Approach

6. Harold S. Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People

7. Andrew A. Rooney, A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney

8. Jean Nidetch, The Weight Watchers Food Plan Diet Cookbook

9. Richard Simmons, Richard Simmons’ Never-Say-Diet Cookbook

10. Barbara Woodhouse, No Bad Dogs: The Woodhouse Way




1983


Fiction Bestsellers

1. Joan D. Vinge, adapt., Return of the Jedi Storybook

2. James A. Michener, Poland

3. Stephen King, Pet Sematary

4. John Le Carr, The Little Drummer Girl

5. Stephen King, Christine

6. Danielle Steel, Changes

7. Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose

8. Stephen R. Donaldson, White Gold Wielder: Book Three of
The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

9. Jackie Collins, Hollywood Wives

10. Louis L’Amour, The Lonesome Gods

Critically Acclaimed and Historically Significant

William Kennedy, Ironweed

Rigoberta Menchú, I, Rigoberta Menchú

Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities

Cedric Robinson, Black Marxism

Elizabeth Bishop, The Complete Poems

Clifford Geertz, Local Knowledge

Nonfiction Bestsellers

1. Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr., In Search of Excellence:
Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies

2. John Naisbitt, Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives

3. Erma Bombeck, Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession

4. Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson, The One Minute Manager

5. Jane Fonda, Jane Fonda’s Workout Book

6. James Herriot, The Best of James Herriot

7. The Mary Kay Guide to Beauty: Discovering Your Special Look

8. Ken Follett, On Wings of Eagles

9. Robert G. Allen, Creating Wealth

10. Victoria Principal, The Body Principal: The Exercise Program for Life




1984

Fiction Bestsellers

1. Stephen King and Peter Strau, The Talisman

2. Robert Ludlum, The Aquitaine Progression

3. Mario Puzo, The Sicilian

4. John Jakes, Love and War

5. Dr. Seuss, The Butter Battle Book

6. Helen Hooven Santmyer, “. . . And the Ladies of the Club”

7. Frederick Forsyth, The Fourth Protocol

8. Danielle Steel, Full Circle

9. Joan Rivers, The Life and Hard Times of Heidi Abromowitz

10. Gore Vidal, Lincoln: A Novel

Critically Acclaimed and Historically Significant

William Gibson, Neuromancer

Pierre Bourdieu, Distinction
Marguerite Duras, The Lover

Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

bell hooks, Feminist Theory


Nonfiction Bestsellers

1. Lee Iacocca with William Novak, Iacocca: An Autobiography

2. Leo Buscaglia, Loving Each Other

3. Robert Haas, Eat to Win: The Sports Nutrition Bible

4. Andrew A. Rooney, Pieces of My Mind

5. Weight Watchers Fast and Fabulous Cookbook

6. Mark H. McCormack, What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business
School: Notes from a Street-Smart Executive

7. Jane Fonda with Mignon McCarthy, Women Coming of Age

8. James Herriot, Moses the Kitten

9. Spencer Johnson and Larry Wilson, The One Minute Salesperson

10. Jean Nidetch, Weight Watchers Quick Start Program Cookbook




1985

Fiction Bestsellers

1. Jean M. Auel, The Mammoth Hunters

2. James A. Michener, Texas

3. Garrison Keillor, Lake Wobegon Days

4. Sidney Sheldon, If Tomorrow Comes

5. Stephen King, Skeleton Crew

6. Danielle Steel, Secrets

7. Carl Sagan, Contact

8. Jackie Collins, Lucky

9. Danielle Steel, Family Album

10. Louis L’Amour, Jubal Sackett

Critically Acclaimed and Historically Significant

Don DeLillo, White Noise

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale

J. Anthony Lukas, Common Ground

Robert N. Bellah et al., Habits of the Heart

Nonfiction Bestsellers

1. Lee Iacocca with William Novak, Iacocca: An Autobiography

2. Gen. Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos, Yeager: An Autobiography

3. Priscilla Beaulieu Presley with Sandra Harmon, Elvis and Me

4. Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, Fit for Life

5. Robert Schuller, The Be-Happy Attitudes

6. Shirley MacLaine, Dancing in the Light

7. Thomas J. Peters and Nancy K. Austin, A Passion for Excellence: The
Leadership Difference

8. Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet

9. Howard Cosell with Peter Bonventre, I Never Played the Game

10. Stuart M. Berger, Dr. Berger’s Immune Power Diet




1986

Fiction Bestsellers

1. Stephen King, It

2. Tom Clancy, Red Storm Rising

3. James Clavell, Whirlwind

4. Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Supremacy

5. Jackie Collins, Hollywood Husbands

6. Danielle Steel, Wanderlust

7. Judith Krantz, I’ll Take Manhattan

8. Louis L’Amour, Last of the Breed

9. Pat Conroy, The Prince of Tides

10. John Le Carre, A Perfect Spy

Critically Acclaimed and Historically Significant

Alan Moore, Watchmen

Richard Rhodes, The Making of the Atomic Bomb

Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert

Richard Ford, The Sportswriter

Art Spiegelman, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, vol. 1

Martha Nussbaum, The Fragility of Goodness

James Clifford and George E. Marcus, eds., Writing Culture

Nonfiction Bestsellers

1. Bill Cosby, Fatherhood

2. Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, Fit for Life

3. Kitty Kelley, His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra

4. Martin Katahn, The Rotation Diet

5. Dr. Seuss, You’re Only Old Once

6. Callan Pinckney, Callanetics: Ten Years Younger in Ten Hours

7. Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine

8. Robert H. Schuller, Be Happy—You Are Loved!

9. Andrew A. Rooney, Word for Word

10. James Herriot, James Herriot’s Dog Stories




1987

Fiction Bestsellers

1. Stephen King, The Tommyknockers

2. Tom Clancy, Patriot Games

3. Danielle Steel, Kaleidoscope

4. Stephen King, Misery

5. Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home: A Collection of Lake Wobegon Stories

6. Sidney Sheldon, Windmills of the Gods

7. Scott Turow, Presumed Innocent

8. Danielle Steel, Fine Things

9. John Jakes, Heaven and Hell

10. Stephen King, The Eyes of the Dragon

Critically Acclaimed and Historically Significant

Toni Morrison, Beloved

Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

Martin Bernal, Black Athena, vol. 1
Randy Shilts, And the Band Played On

Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind

William J. Wilson, The Truly Disadvantaged

Nonfiction Bestsellers

1. Bill Cosby, Time Flies

2. Peter Wright with Paul Greengrass, Spycatcher: The Candid
Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer

3. Erma Bombeck, Family: The Ties That Bind . . . and Gag!

4. Bob Woodward, Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987

5. Rick Smolan and David Cohen, A Day in the Life of America

6. Ravi Batra, The Great Depression of 1990

7. Shirley MacLaine, It’s All in the Playing

8. Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. with William Novak, Man of the House: The Life
and Political Memoirs of Speaker Tip O’Neill

9. Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American

10. Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind




1988

Fiction Bestsellers

1. Tom Clancy, The Cardinal of the Kremlin

2. Sidney Sheldon, The Sands of Time

3. Danielle Steel, Zoya

4. Robert Ludlum, The Icarus Agenda

5. James A. Michener, Alaska

6. Judith Krantz, Till We Meet Again

7. Anne Rice, The Queen of the Damned

8. Barbara Taylor Bradford, To Be the Best

9. Richard Bach, One: A Novel

10. Leon Uris, Mitla Pass

Critically Acclaimed and Historically Significant

James McPherson, The Battle Cry of Freedom

Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses

Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie

Joan W. Scott, Gender and the Politics of History

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The Signifying Monkey

Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time

Ranajit Guha and Gayatri C. Spivak, eds., Selected Subaltern Studies

Eric Foner, Reconstruction

Nonfiction Bestsellers

1. Robert E. Kowalski, The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure

2. Lee Iacocca with Sonny Kleinfield, Talking Straight

3. Steven W. Hawking, A Brief History of Time

4. Donald J. Trump with Tony Schwartz, Trump: The Art of the Deal

5. George Burns, Gracie: A Love Story

6. Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Takes Off

7. Harvey MacKay, Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive

8. David Cohen, ed., Christmas in America

9. Jean Nidetch, Weight Watchers Quick Success Program Book

10. Michael Jackson, Moonwalk




1989

Fiction Bestsellers

1. Tom Clancy, Clear and Present Danger

2. Stephen King, The Dark Half

3. Danielle Steel, Daddy

4. Danielle Steel, Star

5. James A. Michener, Caribbean

6. Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses

7. John Le Carré, The Russia House

8. Ken Follet, The Pillars of the Earth

9. John Jakes, California Gold

10. Mary Higgins Clark, While My Pretty One Sleeps

Critically Acclaimed and Historically Significant

Charles Taylor, Sources of the Self

Tobias Wolff, This Boy’s Life

Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day

David Harvey, The Condition of Postmodernity
Catherine MacKinnon, Toward a Feminist Theory of the State

Richard Rorty, Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity

Nonfiction Bestsellers

1. Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need To Know I Learned in
Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things

2. Charles J. Givens, Wealth Without Risk: How To Develop a
Personal Fortune Without Going Out on a Limb

3. C. David Heymann, A Woman Named Jackie

4. Robert Fulghum, It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It

5. Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

6. David Macaulay, The Way Things Work

7. Gilda Radner, It’s Always Something

8. Roseanne Barr, Roseanne: My Life as a Woman

9. Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines: China,
Greece, and Rome

10. Nancy Reagan with William Novak, My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan