TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Nonfiction

Week of January 21, 1979

FictionNonfiction
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MOMMIE DEAREST
Christina Crawford
Cover of MOMMIE DEAREST

MOMMIE DEAREST

by Christina Crawford · Morrow

10 wks at #1 · 10 on list

The fortieth anniversary edition of the "shocking" #1 New York Times bestseller with a bonus story by the author, "Never Got to Say Goodbye" ( Los Angeles Times). When Christina Crawford's harrowing chronicle of child abuse was first published in 1978, it brought global attention to the previously closeted subject. It also shed light on the guarded world of Hollywood and stripped away the façade of Christina's relentless, alcoholic abuser: her adoptive mother, movie star Joan Crawford. Christina was a young girl shown off to the world as a fortunate little princess. But at home, her lonely, controlling, even ruthless mother made her life a nightmare. A fierce battle of wills, their relationship could be characterized as an ultimately successful, for Christina, struggle for independence. She endured and survived, becoming the voice of so many other victims who suffered in silence, and giving them the courage to forge a productive life out of chaos. This book features an exclusive introduction by Christina Crawford, rare photographs from her personal collection, revealing material not found in the original manuscript, and her bonus story, "Never Got to Say Goodbye," which attempts to bring a healthy close her traumatic childhood.

3
NEW
IF LIFE IS A BOWL OF CHERRIES --WHAT AM I DOING IN THE PITS?
Erma Bombeck
Cover of IF LIFE IS A BOWL OF CHERRIES --WHAT AM I DOING IN THE PITS?

IF LIFE IS A BOWL OF CHERRIES --WHAT AM I DOING IN THE PITS?

by Erma Bombeck · McGraw-Hill

The hilarious #1 New York Times bestseller: Erma Bombeck's take on marriage and family life is "fun from cover to cover" ( Hartford Courant). Ever since she was a child, Er ma Bombeck has been an expert worrier, and married life has only honed that skill. She gets anxious about running out of ball bearings; about snakes sneaking in through the pipes; about making meaningful conversation on New Year's Eve. Married life, she realizes, is an unpredictable saga even when you know exactly how loud your husband snores every night—and she wouldn't have it any other way. In this crisp collection of essays, Bombeck shows off the irresistible style that made her one of America's favorite humorists for more than three decades. When she sharpens her wit, no family member is sacred and no self-help fad is safe. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erma Bombeck including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate.

4
NEW
GNOMES, text by Wil Huygen
Rien Poortvliet
Cover of GNOMES, text by Wil Huygen

GNOMES, text by Wil Huygen

by Rien Poortvliet · Harry N. Abrams

Featuring candid photographs of garden gnomes, this charming follow-up to the "The Secret Lives of Gnomes" offers detailed information about the various customs that gnomes hold during Christmastime. Full color.

7
1
IN SEARCH OF HISTORY
Theodore H. White

IN SEARCH OF HISTORY

by Theodore H. White · Harper & Row

16 wks on list

The memoirs of a political reporter and foreign correspondent who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1962.

10
NEW
JACKIE OH!
Kitty Kelley
Cover of JACKIE OH!

JACKIE OH!

by Kitty Kelley · Holt

She was the definition of White House style for too brief a time. And as a private citizen, we couldn't seem to get enough of her. Here is the inside, outside, upside and downside of our own American princess. Tragic, heroic, private: the image of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis remains the image of an American icon that will never lose its ability to charm and fascinate.

11
3
THE BUCHWALD STOPS HERE
Art Buchwald
Cover of THE BUCHWALD STOPS HERE

THE BUCHWALD STOPS HERE

by Art Buchwald · Putnam's

5 wks on list

Outrageous and down right hilarious observations about the body politic and impolitic in the Jimmy Carter age.

14
NEW
WANDERINGS
Chaim Potok
Cover of WANDERINGS

WANDERINGS

by Chaim Potok · Knopf

1 wks on list

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