TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Nonfiction

Week of September 21, 1986

FictionNonfiction
WeekMonth
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1
FATHERHOOD
Bill Cosby
Cover of FATHERHOOD

FATHERHOOD

by Bill Cosby · Dolphin/ Doubleday

26 wks at #1 · 20 on list

Bill Cosby's bestselling warm and humorous look at fatherhood now includes a warm Father's Day wish--a special card for "dear ol' dad". Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

2
NEW
YOU'RE ONLY OLD ONCE!
Dr. Seuss
Cover of YOU'RE ONLY OLD ONCE!

YOU'RE ONLY OLD ONCE!

by Dr. Seuss · Random House

Dr. Seuss's elderly Everyman travels, in rhyme and illustrations, along the Golden Years Clinic's assembly line of medical tests and questions, meeting Miss Becker of Stethescope Row, Dr. Pollen, Dietician Van Eiffel, and others

3
JAMES HERRIOT'S DOG STORIES
James Herriot
Cover of JAMES HERRIOT'S DOG STORIES

JAMES HERRIOT'S DOG STORIES

by James Herriot · St.Martin's

19 wks on list

As a little boy, climbing through the lochs and mountains of Argyll with his Irish Setter Don, all James Herriot wanted to be was a ‘dog doctor’ so he could care for man’s best friend. In this classic collection of stories, we are introduced to some of the dogs who won a special place in the country vet’s heart – from Tricki Woo, the little Pekinese suffering from ‘flop-butt’ to Clancy the dog who nobody would go near and Gyp, the sheepdog who only ever barked once in his life. They’re joined by lovable dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes, celebrating the limitless affection and loyalty of our closest companions. Filled with magical storytelling and from the treasured author of All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot’s Dog Stories is told with his usual wit and human compassion – the perfect gift for dog-lovers everywhere.

9
THE MAN WHO MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT
Oliver Sacks
Cover of THE MAN WHO MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT

THE MAN WHO MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT

by Oliver Sacks · Summit

25 wks on list

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE NBC SERIES BRILLIANT MINDS • In his most extraordinary book, the bestselling author of Awakenings and "poet laureate of medicine” (The New York Times) recounts the case histories of patients inhabiting the compelling world of neurological disorders, from those who are no longer able to recognize common objects to those who gain extraordinary new skills. “Oliver Sacks has become the world's best-known neurologist. His case studies of broken minds offer brilliant insight into the mysteries of consciousness.”—The Guardian Featuring a new preface, Oliver Sacks’s The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with perceptual and intellectual disorders: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; whose limbs seem alien to them; who lack some skills yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents. In Dr. Sacks’s splendid and sympathetic telling, his patients are deeply human and his tales are studies of struggles against incredible adversity. A great healer, Sacks never loses sight of medicine’s ultimate responsibility: “the suffering, afflicted, fighting human subject.”

11
1
MURROW: His Life and Times
A. M. Sperber
Cover of MURROW: His Life and Times

MURROW: His Life and Times

by A. M. Sperber · Freundlich Books

10 wks on list

Murrow is the biography of America's foremost broadcast journalist, Edward R. Murrow. At twenty-nine, he was the prototype of a species new to communications--an eyewitness to history with power to reach millions. His wartime radio reports from London rooftops brought the world into American homes for the first time. His legendary television documentary See It Now exposed us to the scandals and injustices within our own country. Friend of Presidents, conscience of the people, Murrow remained an enigma--idealistic, creative, self-destructive. In this portrait, based on twelve years of research, A. M. Sperber reveals the complexity and achievements of a man whose voice, intelligence, and honesty inspired a nation during its most profound and vulnerable times.

13
THE PASSION OF AYN RAND
Barbara Branden

THE PASSION OF AYN RAND

by Barbara Branden · Doubleday

5 wks on list

The bestselling biography of one of the 20th century's most remarkable and controversial writers. Author Barbara Branden, who knew Rand for nineteen years, provides a matchless portrait of this fiercely private and complex woman.

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