The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 1948

This is a list of adult fiction books that topped The New York Times Fiction Best Seller list in 1948.

The American publisher Bennett Cerf noted that there had been "only three novels published [in 1948] that were worth reading ... Cry, The Beloved Country, The Ides of March, and The Naked and the Dead."[1] Only Cry did not top the list that year. A total of ten other novels did, however, with most titles spending only a few weeks at the top. The strongest performing title was The Naked and the Dead, Norman Mailer's first best seller, published when he was just 25 years old, which spent 19 weeks at Number 1 and more than 6 months in the top 10. It was the first "big" novel about World War II, based on his own experiences. The Ides of March was by Thornton Wilder and it spent 2 weeks at Number 1 but only 13 weeks in the top 15. The year ended with The Big Fisherman heading the list, Lloyd C. Douglas's follow-up to his huge 1942 best seller, The Robe.[2]

Norman Mailer's fictional account set during World War II The Naked and the Dead was the big novel of 1948.
Date Book Author
January 3 House Divided Ben Ames Williams
January 10
January 17
January 24
January 31
February 7 East Side, West Side Marcia Davenport
February 14
February 21 House Divided Ben Ames William
February 28
March 7 Eagle in the Sky Van Wyck Mason
March 14
March 21
March 28
April 4 The Ides of March Thornton Wilder
April 11 Eagle in the Sky Van Wyck Mason
April 18 The Ides of March Thornton Wilder
April 25 Raintree County Ross Lockridge
May 2
May 9 unknown; not clear from source
May 16 Raintree County Ross Lockridge
May 23 Pilgrim's Inn Elizabeth Goudge
May 30 Raintree County Ross Lockridge
June 6 Pilgrim's Inn Elizabeth Goudge
June 13
June 20 The Naked and the Dead Norman Mailer
June 27
July 4
July 11
July 18
July 25
August 1
August 8
August 15
August 22
August 29
September 5 Shannon's Way A. J. Cronin
September 12
September 19 The Naked and the Dead Norman Mailer
September 26 Shannon's Way A. J. Cronin
October 3 The Naked and the Dead Norman Mailer
October 10
October 17
October 24
October 31
November 7 The Young Lions Irwin Shaw
November 14 The Naked and the Dead Norman Mailer
November 21
November 28 The Young Lions Irwin Shaw
December 5
December 12
December 19 The Big Fisherman Lloyd C. Douglas
December 26

See also

References

  1. (No author.) "Reader's digest: Gossip, news: J. F. Albright reports on A.B.A. meeting," The Dallas Morning News, 30 May 1948, page 6.
  2. John Bear, The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times bestsellers since the first list, 50 years ago, Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1992, pp. 31-39
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