A Bit of Trivia
Do you enjoy reading bestsellers? Have you ever thought about what might have been a bestselling book before your time? Just for fun, today I offer you a bit of trivia about a few books you might recognize. (source: Cader Books. As near as I can tell, these lists relate to numbers in the USA.)
The Crisis by Winston Churchill was number 1 on the Fiction best seller list in 1901. His book The Crossing was number 1 on the 1904 Fiction Best Seller list. In 1906, his book Coniston was also number 1 on the list. Quite the bestselling author, eh?
The Hound of the Baskervilles by A. Conan Doyle ranked number 7 on the 1902 Fiction best seller list.
The first three books on the 1902 list were: 1. The Virginian by Owen Wister, 2. Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch by Alice Caldwell Hegan, and 3. Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall by Charles Major. The following year, The Virginian came in at number 5, Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch was number 6, and Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall didn’t make the list.
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin placed 8th on the 1904 list.
At number 8 on the 1905 list was Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth. This same book placed 9th on the 1906 list.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair was number 6 on the 1906 Fiction best seller list, which placed it above The House of Mirth, but below Winston Churchill’s latest blockbuster.
Oh, and just for fun, the wikipedia says (and I’m not sure how valid it is) that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has sold more copies than Lord of the Rings. An interesting fact, if it’s true.
The Crisis, Winston Churchill, The Crossing, The Hound of the Baskervilles, A. Conan Doyle, The Virginian, Owen Wister, Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, Alice Caldwell Hegan, Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall, Charles Major, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Kate Douglas Wiggin, Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, The Jungle, Upton Sinclair, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Lord of the Rings
September 28th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I know the reason behind #1. Winston Churchill (American) was a successful fiction writer. Winston Churchill (British) was a soldier, journalist and politician who only wrote one novel. Apparently the 2 men did meet when Churchill (British) made a visit to the USA and they published a tongue in cheek notice in one of the newspapers to the effect that “Mr Winston Churchill wishes to be known that he is not Mr Winston Churchill, and Mr Winston Churchill wants to make it clear that he is Mr Winston Churchill, not Mr Winston Churchill� Or something like that.
September 30th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
A-ha! Thank you kindly. I wish I could find that article.