Nonfiction
The following list ranks the number-one best-selling nonfiction books.
 | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2023) |
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]
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 | ||
The following list ranks the number-one best-selling nonfiction books.
| | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2023) |
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. Since October 12, 1931, The New York Times Book Review has published the list weekly. In the 21st century, it has evolved into multiple lists, grouped by genre and format, including fiction and nonfiction, hardcover, paperback and electronic.