List of The New York Times number-one books of 1942

This is a list of books that topped The New York Times best-seller list in 1942.

Though the bestseller list first began in 1931, it only became a national survey on August 9, 1942; previously the list only reflected sales from the New York metropolitan area.[1]

Fiction

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The following list ranks the number-one best-selling fiction books.

The two most popular books that year were The Song of Bernadette, by Franz Werfel, which made the list for fifteen weeks; and The Robe, by Lloyd Douglas, which would dominate the list for the final six weeks of 1942 and most of 1943.[2]

Date Book Author
January 4 The Keys of the Kingdom A. J. Cronin
January 11 Windswept Mary Ellen Chase
January 18
January 25
February 1
February 8 Dragon Seed Pearl S. Buck
February 15 Frenchman's Creek Daphne du Maurier
February 22 Dragon Seed Pearl S. Buck
March 1
March 8
March 15
March 22 The Moon Is Down John Steinbeck
March 29
April 5
April 12
April 19
April 26
May 3
May 10
May 17
May 24
May 31
June 7
June 14 And Now Tomorrow Rachel Field
June 21
June 28
July 5
July 12
July 19 The Song of Bernadette Franz Werfel
July 26
August 2 And Now Tomorrow Rachel Field
August 9
August 16 The Song of Bernadette Franz Werfel
August 23
August 30
September 6 Drivin' Woman Elizabeth Chevalier
September 13 The Song of Bernadette Franz Werfel
September 20
September 27
October 4
October 11
October 18
October 25
November 1
November 8
November 15
November 22 The Robe Lloyd Douglas
November 29
December 6
December 13
December 20
December 27

Nonfiction

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The following list ranks the number-one best-selling nonfiction books.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Miller, Laura J. (2000). "The Best-Seller List as Marketing Tool and Historical Fiction". In Ezra Greenspan (ed.). Book History. Vol. Three. Penn State University Press. pp. 286–304. ISBN 0271020504.
  2. ^ Bear, John (1992). 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. pp. 3-5.