Bestsellers

Bestseller lists are part public opinion poll, part popular culture barometer, part sporting event and above all a place to look and learn about new books. They are so engrained in the collective consciousness of the book world that it's hard to believe how much controversy surrounded the Sunday Times' decision to publish the first UK bestsellers list. How un-English to have books competing with each other! And yet, how fun!

Join our discussion forum with your thoughts on what's on the bestsellers lists this week.

• Booksellers New Zealand current bestsellers lists 
• Premier New Zealand bestsellers (books which have achieved outstanding sales in New Zealand)
• New York Times Bestsellers lists 
• The Indie bestsellers lists from the American Booksellers Association 
• The Sunday Times bestsellers lists 
• Guardian Unlimited bestsellers 
• Library Journal bestsellers (includes the most borrowed books in American libraries) 
• List of best-selling books to date from Wikipedia 
• The week’s top 150 books from USA today
• List of New York Times number one bestsellers 

Recommended reads

Bestsellers : a very short introduction / John Sutherland.

Bestsellers : popular fiction since 1900 / Clive Bloom

Bestseller : the books that everyone read, 1900-1939 / Claud Cockburn

Why we read what we read : a delightfully opinionated journey through contemporary bestsellers / Lisa Adams and John Heath.

Last reviewed: 24 October 2008