Best-selling books – the ones that everyone's talking about.
Bestseller lists are part public opinion poll, part popular culture barometer, part sporting event and above all a place to look and learn about new books. They are so ingrained in the collective consciousness of the book world that it's hard to believe how much controversy surrounded the Sunday Times' decision to publish the first UK bestsellers list. How un-English to have books competing with each other! And yet, how fun!
Bestsellers: a very short introduction
by John SutherlandBestsellers: popular fiction since 1900
by Clive Bloom Bestseller: the books that everyone read, 1900-1939
by Claud Cockburn Why we read what we read: a delightfully opinionated journey through contemporary bestsellers
by Lisa Adams and John Heath