However the year I was born, 1942, had a book which I'm pretty sure I read after seeing the movie. Then I saw the movie a few more times.
Now of course you want to know which book was a best seller in the year you were born.
I think this is the link I used...and I was thrilled to have read so many of the books that came out before my birth (except for Bernadette)..but not as many in the following years.
Thanks for the link! Of course I went straight there to look up my book -- a clue to what my parents and grandparents may have been reading at the time :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's an aspect of the list I hadn't considered! Great to have generations represented!
DeleteI looked at the link to popular books that you included. There were only a couple books that I had ever heard of.
ReplyDeleteWhat an original idea! Of course I went to the link - but disappointment as there was no entry for my year - 1943.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that too, Sue. But one of the years before, or after, I don't remember, has 2 books. I think it was a filing (typo?) mistake perhaps.
DeleteNever even heard of the author much less the book for my year. But later years I recognized some and remember when I read it. So many books so little time:-(
ReplyDeleteWell, going to Alaska gave you some time to read a book, just kidding. I know some of these books have become (or maybe always were) obscure.
DeleteIt's fascinating to see how children's literature has changed as well.
ReplyDeleteOh yes! I was raised with Golden Books as a little girl. I'm so glad that my children and grandchildren have so many choices.
DeleteThe secret of a good post is to get all your readers following in your footsteps, and like everyone else I went off to try and find the bestsellers of my birth year. The one at the top of the list, I had never heard of - but some of the ones lower down the bestseller lists for that year are still alive, vibrant and meaningful now. Oh, if only the same could be said about me.
ReplyDeleteHa ha, Alan. I'd say you're pretty vibrant these days over on FB, where I see some great historic photos you're posting. Books of this list do seem to be spotty in their quality.
DeleteVery interesting but I wonder what the popularity was based on.I whizzed though a few years and was surprised that there were authors who were either obscure or their poplularity didnt stand the test of time. I wonder if what was popular in the States was the same in UK - I’d have thought not.
ReplyDeleteGood thought Nell, I also wondered if these were just the US popular books (or maybe other English speaking cultures?) but didn't pursue it further.
DeleteYou never really know what evidence these sites are based on. I've certainly never heard of the top seller for my year, but who knows, perhaps my parents had.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the further back we go (30s?) there was less communication between cities, and certainly countries. Remember how long it took letters to arrive? So when someone in California made a list, it probably didn't reflect what people in Connecticut were reading much at all...let alone England.
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