Tag Archives: nonfiction

One Nonfiction Bestseller of each year from 1900-1999

Posted on January 22, 2023 | 2 comments

Hello Everyone!

This time I have chosen one bestseller from each year of 1900 to 1999 in the Nonfiction genre, although you will notice that for fifteen of those years there were no nonfiction books mentioned for me to add. What I found was books published that were “critically acclaimed and historically significant.” I might post those another time. If you know of any nonfiction bestsellers for those missing fifteen years, please post in the comments.

For two years there was a War Nonfiction Bestseller list from which I have chosen and added here. Also, in the case of a specific book continuing to be on the Bestsellers’ list in other years, I have included an additional book in that same year.

1900-1911- none

1912: The Promised Land by Mary Antin

1913: Crowds by Gerald Stanley Lee

1914 – 1916: none

1917 & 1918: Rhymes of a Red Cross Man by Robert W. Service;

1917: War Nonfiction Bestseller: The First Hundred Thousand by Ian Hay

1918: Treasury of War Poetry by G.H. Clark;

1918: War Nonfiction Bestseller: My Four Years in Germany by James W. Gerard

1919: The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams

1920: Now It Can Be Told by Philip Gibbs

1921 & 1922: The Outline of History by H.G. Wells

1922: The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem Van Loon

1923: Etiquette by Emily Post

1924 – 1926: Diet and Health by Lulu Hunt Peters

1925 & 1926: The Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Fannie Farmer, ed.

1926: The Man Nobody Knows by Bruce Barton

1927: The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant

1928: Disraeli by Andre’ Maurois

1929: The Art of Thinking by Ernest Dimnet

1930 & 1931: The Story of San Michele by Axel Munthe

1931: Education of a Princess by Grand Duchess Marie

1932: The Epic of America by James Truslow Adams

1933 & 1934: Life Begins at Forty by Walter B. Pitkin

1934 & 1935: While Rome Burns by Alexander Woollcott

1935 & 1936: North to the Orient by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

1936: Man the Unknown by Alexis Carrell

1937 & 1938: How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

1938: The Importance of Living by Lin Yutang

1939 & 1940: Days of Our Years by Pierre Van Paasen

1940: I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson

1941: Berlin Diary by William L. Shirer

1942 & 1943: See Here, Private Hargrove by Marion Hargrove

1943 & 1944:Under Cover by John Roy Carlson

1944: I Never Left Home by Bob Hope

1945: Brave Men by Ernie Pyle

1946, 1945 & 1947: The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald

1947 & 1948: Peace of Mind by Joshua L. Liebman

1948: Crusade in Europe by Dwight D. Eisenhower

1949: White Collar Zoo by Clare Barnes Jr.

1950 & 1951: Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book

1951: Look Younger, Live Longer by Gayelord Hauser

1952 – 1954: The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version

1953 – 1955: The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

1954: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

1955: Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindberg

1956: Arthritis and Common Sense, rev. ed. by Dan Dale Alexander

1957 & 1958: Kids Say the Darndest Things! by Art Linkletter

1958 & 1959: Twixt Twelve and Twenty by Pat Boone

1959 & 1960: Folk Medicine by D.C. Jarvis

1960: Better Homes and Gardens First Aid for Your Family

1961 & 1962: The New English Bible: The New Testament

1962 & 1961: Calories Don’t Count by Dr. Herman Taller

1963 & 1962: Happiness Is a Warm Puppy by Charles M. Schulz

1964: Four Days by American Heritage and United Press International

1965: How To Be a Jewish Mother by Dan Greenburg

1966: How to Avoid Probate by Norman F. Dacey

1967: Death of a President by William Manchester

1968: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

1969 & 1970: American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language by William Morris, ed.

1970: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex but Were Afraid To Ask by David Reuben

1971: The Sensous Man by “M”

1972 & 1973: The Living Bible by Kenneth Taylor

1973: Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution by Robert C. Atkins

1974: The Total Woman by Marabel Morgan

1975 & 1976: Angels: God’s Secret Agents by Billy Graham

1976: The Final Days by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

1977 & 1976: Roots by Alex Haley

1978: If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits? by Erma Bombeck

1979: Aunt Erma’s Cope Book by Erma Bombeck

1980: Crisis Investing: Opportunities and Profits in the Coming Great Depression by Douglas R. Casey

1981: The Beverly Hills Diet by Judy Mazel

1982 & 1983: Jane Fonda’s Workout Book by Jane Fonda

1983: In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr.

1984 & 1985: Iacocca: An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca with William Novak

1985: Yeager: An Autobiography by Gen. Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos

1986: Fatherhood by Bill Cosby

1987: Time Flies by Bill Cosby

1988: The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure by Robert E. Kowalski

1989: All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things by Robert Fulghum

1990: A Life on the Road by Charles Kuralt

1991: Me: Stories of My Life by Katharine Hepburn

1992: The Way Things Ought To Be by Rush Limbaugh

1993: See, I Told You So by Rush Limbaugh

1994: In the Kitchen with Rosie by Rosie Daley

1995 (1993 – 1997): Men Are from Mars, Women are From Venus by John Gray

1996: Make the Connection by Oprah Winfrey, and Bob Greene Hyperion

1997: Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

1998: The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman

1999 & 1998: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

I hadn’t heard of most of the above 87 bestsellers, and I can remember reading only 6 of the ones that I recognized: The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version; Roots; If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?; Aunt Erma’s Cope Book; Angela’s Ashes; Tuesdays with Morrie; and some of Men Are from Mars, Women are From Venus. One I have had on my to-read list for some time is The Egg and I.

I found it fascinating how interests changed during times of war, including the few years before and after.

How did you do this time? How many have you read, and are there any you would now like to find to enjoy?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! – Lynn

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Book Review: I Am Because You Are – by Jacob Lief with Andrea Thompson

Posted on May 21, 2015 | 2 comments 
Book: I Am Because You Are: how the 
spirit of Ubuntu inspired an 
unlikely friendship and transformed 
a community 
Author: Jacob Lief with Andrea 
Thompson (foreword by Desmond Tutu)
Publisher: Rodale Books
Date: May 12, 2015
Genre: nonfiction; memoir 
Pages: 240; hardcover
Price: $24.99
My rating: an inspiring motivating 
true story

I received the ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

If you ever wanted to go to Africa to help the people there, or to work in an organization that contributes, or to commit to financial or prayer support, you will enjoy this book. If you simply enjoy a good true story, give this one your time.

I Am Because You Are is the story of Jacob Lief, who, as a young student, went to Africa during his summer break from university. It was a few years after the end of the apartheid about twenty years ago and the country was still unsettled. However, Jacob had fallen in love with the country during an earlier trip there, and before he returned to the United States this time he’d decided on the purpose for his life. He passionately wanted to make a difference in the lives of the people of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Once back in the US, his acquaintances expected him to eventually get over the idea, but it had rooted itself in his soul and, instead, he became solidly determined. In his mind, there was no other choice for him.

In I Am Because You Are, Jacob tells an intriguing, moving story of life in South Africa, how he was received as a young white man and why he started the organization known as Ubuntu Education Fund. Ubuntu means “I exist because you exist.” He tells about the challenges, the mistakes, the successes, the pitfalls, the disappointments and the celebrations. He introduces the reader to many of the people he worked with in Port Elizabeth – associates and students. We get to follow the lives of a few of the students, one family in particular, to witness the effectiveness and limitations of Ubuntu.

Jacob admits he made mistakes early on and that he was quick to correct what he could so that the organization he co-founded could continue and grow, evolving into the highly regarded service it is today.

Jacob became well acquainted with Desmond Tutu (who wrote the foreword for I Am Because You Are), the now former President Bill Clinton, and prominent heads of influential companies that donated funding.

In 2010, Jacob Lief was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2012, he was selected as a member of the Clinton Global Initiative advisory board. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and sons, and in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. I Am Because You Are was written with author Andrea Thompson.

I Am Because You Are: how the spirit of Ubuntu inspired an unlikely friendship and transformed a community is an inspiring book.  It may even motivate you to follow your passion, whatever that may be.

You can find I Am Because You Are listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

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