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Bestseller

A Century of America's Favorite Books

Robert McParland

Whether curled up on a sofa with a good mystery, lounging by the pool with a steamy romance, or brooding over a classic novel, Americans love to read. Despite the distractions of modern living, nothing quite satisfies many individuals more than a really good book. And regardless of how one accesses that book—through a tablet, a smart phone, or a good, old-fashioned hardcover—those choices have been tallied for decades.

In Bestseller: A Century of America’s Favorite Books, Robert McParland looks at the reading tastes of a nation—from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day. Through extensive research, McParland provides context for the literature that appealed to the masses, from low-brow potboilers like Forever Amber to Pulitzer-Prize winners such as To Kill a Mockingbird. Decade by decade, McParland discusses the books that resonated with the American public and shows how current events and popular culture shaped the reading habits of millions. Profiles of authors with frequent appearances—from Ernest Hemingway to Danielle Steel—are included, along with standout titles that readers return to year after year.

A snapshot of America and its love of reading through the decades, this volume informs and entertains while also providing a handy reference of the country’s most popular books. For those wanting to learn more about the history of American culture through its reading habits, Bestseller: A Century of America’s Favorite Books is a must-read.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 336 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½

978-1-5381-0999-1 • Hardback • December 2018 • $40.00 • (£31.00)

978-1-5381-1000-3 • eBook • December 2018 • $38.00 • (£29.00)

Subjects: Literary Criticism / Books & Reading, History / United States / General, Social Science / Popular Culture

Bestseller

A Century of America's Favorite Books

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Whether curled up on a sofa with a good mystery, lounging by the pool with a steamy romance, or brooding over a classic novel, Americans love to read. Despite the distractions of modern living, nothing quite satisfies many individuals more than a really good book. And regardless of how one accesses that book—through a tablet, a smart phone, or a good, old-fashioned hardcover—those choices have been tallied for decades.

In Bestseller: A Century of America’s Favorite Books, Robert McParland looks at the reading tastes of a nation—from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day. Through extensive research, McParland provides context for the literature that appealed to the masses, from low-brow potboilers like Forever Amber to Pulitzer-Prize winners such as To Kill a Mockingbird. Decade by decade, McParland discusses the books that resonated with the American public and shows how current events and popular culture shaped the reading habits of millions. Profiles of authors with frequent appearances—from Ernest Hemingway to Danielle Steel—are included, along with standout titles that readers return to year after year.

A snapshot of America and its love of reading through the decades, this volume informs and entertains while also providing a handy reference of the country’s most popular books. For those wanting to learn more about the history of American culture through its reading habits, Bestseller: A Century of America’s Favorite Books is a must-read.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 336 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½

978-1-5381-0999-1 • Hardback • December 2018 • $40.00 • (£31.00)

978-1-5381-1000-3 • eBook • December 2018 • $38.00 • (£29.00)

Subjects: Literary Criticism / Books & Reading, History / United States / General, Social Science / Popular Culture

Author

Robert McParland is professor of English and chair of the Department of English at Felician College. He is the author of several books on American literature including Beyond Gatsby: How Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Writers of the 1920s Shaped American Culture (2015), Citizen Steinbeck: Giving Voice to the People (2016), and From Native Son to King’s Men: The Literary Landscape of 1940s America (2017), all published by Rowman & Littlefield.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction: Reaching the Top of the Shelf: Discovering a Century of Bestsellers
Chapter One: Birth of the Bestseller: 1890s thru the 1930s
Chapter Two: 1940s: All the Books Fit to Sell
Chapter Three: 1950s: Cold War Anxiety: From Holden Caulfield to James Bond
Chapter Four: 1960s: New Frontiers: From Harper Lee to Kurt Vonnegut
Chapter Five: 1970s: The Age of Narcissism
Chapter Six: 1980s: The Rise of the Superstar Author
Chapter Seven: 1990s: Means of Ascent: Publisher Consolidation, Superstores, and the Internet
Chapter Eight: 2000s: E-Books and the New Millennium
Chapter Nine: 2010s: James Patterson, Inc. and The Soul of America
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

Reviews

McParland serves a sumptuous feast for booklovers in this unfailingly lively, perceptive, and informative look at 118 years of best-selling books in America.
— Booklist

McParland discusses U.S. reading habits from the 1890s to the present through a review of titles on various best seller lists . . . Admirably, he discusses both literary works and those considered “lowbrow,” formulaic productions, providing summaries of certain books and biographical details of writers.
— Library Journal

In the introduction, the author examines the history of popular fiction in the US; this continues in the first chapter, in which he tracks the growing popularity of the best seller concept in the early 20th century. Each of the subsequent chapters covers a decade of best sellers year by year, from the 1940s through the 2010s, contextualizing the works in the US zeitgeist of the time.
— Choice Reviews

Bestseller: A Century of America's Favorite Books is a top recommendation for readers who want an in-depth probe of the history, psychology, and social impact of book-reading in this country.
— Donovan’s Literary Services

Bestseller

A Century of America's Favorite Books

Robert McParland

Bestseller

A Century of America's Favorite Books

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