TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of December 10, 1950

FictionNonfiction
WeekMonth
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3
THE CARDINAL
Henry Morton Robinson
Cover of THE CARDINAL

THE CARDINAL

by Henry Morton Robinson · Simon & Schuster

36 wks on list

An "absorbing . . . magnificent" novel about an ordinary Irish Catholic man who ascends the church hierarchy to become Cardinal in the early twentieth century. ( Boston Herald) A selection of the Literary Guild, The Cardinal was published in more than a dozen languages and sold over two million copies. Later made into an Academy Award-nominated film directed by Otto Preminger and starring John Huston, the book tells a story that captured the nation's attention: a working-class American's rise to become a cardinal of the Catholic Church. The daily trials and triumphs of Stephen Fermoyle, from the working-class suburbs of Boston, drive him to become first a parish priest, then secretary to a cardinal, later a bishop, and finally a wearer of the Red Hat. An essential work of American fiction that remains even more relevant today. "Extraordinary . . . controversial . . . first rate storytelling and characterization that has enormous appeal." – Kirkus Reviews

7
FLOODTIDE
Frank Yerby
Cover of FLOODTIDE

FLOODTIDE

by Frank Yerby · Dial Press

15 wks on list
9
1
BENNETT'S WELCOME
Inglis Fletcher
Cover of BENNETT'S WELCOME

BENNETT'S WELCOME

by Inglis Fletcher · Bobbs-Merrill

6 wks on list

Effect of a period of great change in England on the Colonists in Virginia and North Carolina in 1651.

10
NEW
JOY STREET
Frances Parkinson Keyes
Cover of JOY STREET

JOY STREET

by Frances Parkinson Keyes · Julian Messner, Inc

1 wks on list

Joy Street is Frances Parkinson Keyes' sweeping novel of love, ambition, and social intrigue set against the elegant backdrop of Boston's historic Beacon Hill. With her characteristic attention to detail and flair for richly textured storytelling, Keyes introduces readers to a cast of characters whose lives intertwine in a world where old money, new aspirations, and deeply held traditions collide. At the heart of the story is a young couple navigating the shifting tides of postwar America, balancing personal dreams with the rigid expectations of Boston society. Joy Street itself becomes both a setting and a symbol—a place of refined beauty and social prestige, but also a stage for the quiet dramas of love, betrayal, and self-discovery. Through dinner parties, political maneuverings, and intimate domestic moments, Keyes explores themes of class, loyalty, and the price of belonging. Her prose is elegant yet accessible, capturing both the grace of the city's historic homes and the subtle tensions beneath their polished surfaces. As in her other works, Keyes' mastery lies in her ability to weave personal relationships into the fabric of a vividly rendered time and place. Joy Street is both a romance and a social study, offering a window into a rarefied world while reminding readers of the universal human desires that transcend class and custom.

11
NEW
HELENA
Evelyn Waugh
Cover of HELENA

HELENA

by Evelyn Waugh · Little, Brown and Company

5 wks on list

The life of the Empress Helena coincided with the recognition of Christianity as the religion of the Roman Empire. Helena made the historic pilgrimage to Palestine, found pieces of wood from the true cross, and built churches at Bethlehem and Olivet.

12
JUBILEE TRAIL
Gwen Bristow
Cover of JUBILEE TRAIL

JUBILEE TRAIL

by Gwen Bristow · Ty Crowell Co

42 wks on list

Sheltered girl from the East makes the dangerous journey from Santa Fe to Los Angeles in pre-Gold Rush days and learns value of loyal friends.

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