TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of May 22, 1949

FictionNonfiction
WeekMonth
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5
1
THE BRAVE BULLS
Tom Lea
Cover of THE BRAVE BULLS

THE BRAVE BULLS

by Tom Lea · Little, Brown. & Company

3 wks on list

Action and glory of a matador, the idol of the bull ring. This is the story of Luis Bello, "The Swordsman of Guerreras", the greatest matador in Mexico, who is at the top of his profession, with everything that comes with it, money, a mistress, family and friends, bravado, the crowds are infatuated with him. But one day fear changes everything, he suddenly feels a fear that previously he had not felt in the invincibility that comes with healthy-macho-youth. His best friend and manager, Raul Fuentes, is killed in a car crash along with Luis's mistress, Linda de Calderon, after Linda and Raul had spent a romantic weekend together. This betrayal shakes Luis's beliefs about what has been real and what is real now. Now Luis must deal with these new-found feelings while at the same time facing the most feared bulls in all of Mexico, "the brave bulls". In his first fight after the auto accident he is gored by a bull because of the doubt and guilt that has come into the ring with him. In addition, while under the influence of Tequila, and some pressure from ring promoter Eladio Gomez, he agreed to let his younger brother Pepe fight these top bulls with him. Luis must now examine his life to find out where the courage comes from and if he can get it back.

6
2
PRAIRIE AVENUE
Arthur Meeker
Cover of PRAIRIE AVENUE

PRAIRIE AVENUE

by Arthur Meeker · Knopf

2 wks on list

Novel picturing life in a well-to-do Chicago family at various periods between the 1880's and 1918.

7
KINFOLK
Pearl S. Buck
Cover of KINFOLK

KINFOLK

by Pearl S. Buck · John Day

2 wks on list
8
3
THE CHAIN
Paul I. Wellman
Cover of THE CHAIN
10
NEW
PRIDE'S CASTLE
Frank Yerby
11
3
THE YOUNG LIONS
Irwin Shaw
Cover of THE YOUNG LIONS

THE YOUNG LIONS

by Irwin Shaw · Random House

31 wks on list

Traces three young men, two Americans and one German, from 1938 to 1945 after they meet as soldiers in a Bavarian forest in World War II.

13
1
THE FIRES OF SPRING
James A. Michener
Cover of THE FIRES OF SPRING

THE FIRES OF SPRING

by James A. Michener · Random House

12 wks on list

David Harper discovers love and beauty with the help of fine teachers.

15
1
THE DUKAYS
Lajos Zilaby

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