TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of May 9, 1948

FictionNonfiction
WeekMonth
Jump to
5
1
HOUSE DIVIDED
Ben Ames Williams
Cover of HOUSE DIVIDED

HOUSE DIVIDED

by Ben Ames Williams · Houghton Mifflin

33 wks on list

First published in 1947, this bestselling historical novel is cherished and remembered as one of the finest retellings of the Civil War saga—America's own War and Peace. In the first hard pinch of the Civil War, five siblings of an established Confederate Virginia family learn that their father is the grandfather of Abraham Lincoln. The family's story, and the story of their descendants, is presented in this tale that includes both soldiers and civilians—complete with their boasting, ambition, and arrogance, but also their patience, valor, and shrewdness. The grandnephew of General James Longstreet, the author brings to life one of the most extraordinary periods in history, and details war as it really is—a disease from which, win or lose, no nation ever completely recovers.

6
1
THE BISHOP'S MANTLE
Agnes Sligh Turnbull
Cover of THE BISHOP'S MANTLE

THE BISHOP'S MANTLE

by Agnes Sligh Turnbull · Macmillan

25 wks on list

"Life of a young Episcopal priest in a city parish." Cf. Hanna, A. Mirror for the nation

7
THE TIME IS NOON
Hiram Haydn
9
2
FIRE
George R. Stewart

FIRE

by George R. Stewart · Gollancz

3 wks on list
11
2
SON OF THE MOON
Joseph George Hitrec

SON OF THE MOON

by Joseph George Hitrec · Harper

6 wks on list

Against a background of communal strife, famine, Hindu tradition, etc., the author weaves a novel around Vijay, an Anglicized Indian with a love of flying and a passion to bring modern aviation to internal India. This is also the story of his struggle within himself and with his friends and family, the clash between the Indian background and English acquired tastes and ideals, and finally his marriage to a Hindu girl who shows him how to meet his countrymen half-way.

12
2
CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY
Alan Paton
Cover of CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY

CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY

by Alan Paton · Scribner

9 wks on list

Two fathers come to terms with personal loss and the emotional scars inflicted on South Africa during the era of apartheid.

15
3
LUCINDA BRAYFORD
Martin Boyd
Cover of LUCINDA BRAYFORD

Historical bestseller data sourced from the New York Times Book Review, archived by Hawes Publications.