TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Nonfiction

Week of March 29, 1998

FictionNonfiction
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ANGELA'S ASHES
Frank McCourt
Cover of ANGELA'S ASHES

ANGELA'S ASHES

by Frank McCourt · Scribner

80 wks on list

<b><i>Angela's Ashes</i>, imbued on every page with Frank McCourt's astounding humor and compassion, is a glorious book that bears all the marks of a classic.</b><br><br><i>"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood."</i><br> <br> So begins the luminous memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank's mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children since Frank's father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy -- exasperating, irresponsible and beguiling-- does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story. Frank lives for his father's tales of Cuchulain, who saved Ireland, and of the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies. Perhaps it is story that accounts for Frank's survival. Wearing rags for diapers, begging a pig's head for Christmas dinner and gathering coal from the roadside to light a fire, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbors--yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance and remarkable forgiveness.

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SPIN CYCLE
Howard Kurtz
Cover of SPIN CYCLE

SPIN CYCLE

by Howard Kurtz · Free Press

2 wks on list

Since starting in 1988 with approval ratings as high as Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton has become the most investigated President since Richard Nixon. Faced with more allegations in 1998, this book reveals the inside workings of Clinton's propaganda machine, and his team of White House spin doctors.

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THE LONG HARD ROAD OUT OF HELL
Marilyn Manson with Neil Strauss
Cover of THE LONG HARD ROAD OUT OF HELL

THE LONG HARD ROAD OUT OF HELL

by Marilyn Manson with Neil Strauss · Regan Books/HarperCollins

5 wks on list

The best-selling autobiography of America’s most controversial celebrity icon, Marilyn Manson (with a bonus chapter not in the hardcover). In his twenty-nine years, rock idol Manson has experienced more than most people have (or would want to) in a lifetime. Now, in his shocking and candid memoir, he takes readers from backstage to gaol cells, from recording studios to emergency rooms, from the pit of despair to the top of the charts, and recounts his metamorphosis from a frightened Christian schoolboy into the most feared and revered music superstar in the country. Illustrated with dozens of exclusive photographs and featuring a behind-the-scenes account of his headline-grabbing Dead to the World tour.

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INTO THIN AIR
Jon Krakauer
Cover of INTO THIN AIR
9
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THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR
Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR

by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko · Longstreet

62 wks on list

Can you spot the millionaire next door? Who are the rich in this country? What do they do? Where do they shop? What do they drive? How do they invest? Where did their ancestors come from? How did they get rich? Can I ever become one of them? Get the answers in The Millionaire Next Door, the never-before-told story about wealth in America. You'll be surprised at what you find out. "Why aren't I as wealthy as I should be?" Many people ask this question of themselves all the time. Often they are hard-working, well-educated, middle-to-high-income people. Why, then, are so few affluent? The answer lies in The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's wealthy. According to authors Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko, most people have it all wrong about how you become wealthy in America. It is seldom inheritance or advanced degrees or even intelligence that builds fortunes in this country. Wealth in America is more often the result of hard work, diligent savings, and living below your means. - Jacket.

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THE PERFECT STORM
Sebastian Junger
Cover of THE PERFECT STORM

THE PERFECT STORM

by Sebastian Junger · Norton

42 wks on list

"There is nothing imaginary about Junger's book; it is all terrifyingly, awesomely real." —Los Angeles Times It was the storm of the century, boasting waves over one hundred feet high—a tempest created by so rare a combination of factors that meteorologists deemed it "the perfect storm." In a book that has become a classic, Sebastian Junger explores the history of the fishing industry, the science of storms, and the candid accounts of the people whose lives the storm touched. The Perfect Storm is a real-life thriller that makes us feel like we've been caught, helpless, in the grip of a force of nature beyond our understanding or control. Winner of the American Library Association's 1998 Alex Award.

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CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD: Book 1
Neale Donald Walsch
Cover of CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD: Book 1

CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD: Book 1

by Neale Donald Walsch · Putnam

67 wks on list

In a world where organized religion fails to resonate with a growing number of people, Neale Donald Walsch's Conversations with God offers a refreshing and thought-provoking alternative. Delve into thought-provoking discussions on free speech, creativity, and discernment, as Walsch's empathetic and empowering words guide you towards a life of inner harmony and awakening. Unveiling the secrets to unlocking your true potential, this timeless classic explores the profound connection between humanity and the divine presence. With unwavering honesty and startling clarity, Walsch invites you to embrace love over fear, reminding you that you hold the power to transform your reality.

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JAMES CAMERON'S TITANIC
Ed W. Marsh. Photographs by Douglas Kirkland
Cover of JAMES CAMERON'S TITANIC

JAMES CAMERON'S TITANIC

by Ed W. Marsh. Photographs by Douglas Kirkland · HarperCollins

8 wks on list

Some jump, some fall, each dotting the water's surface like the period at the end of a sentence. Then, the stern slips under the water, plunging everyone into a coldness so intense it is indistinguishable from fire. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. The inchoate wail of 1500 souls slowly fades to individual cries from the darkness. We know you can hear us! Save one life! 700 survivors stand by in lifeboats built for 1200, afraid to act for fear of getting swamped. They tell themselves that the voices from the water do not belong to their husbands or their loved ones. They are merely the cries of the damned.... -- From James Cameron's Titanic

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THE RAPE OF NANKING
Iris Chang
Cover of THE RAPE OF NANKING

THE RAPE OF NANKING

by Iris Chang · Basic

9 wks on list

Relates an account of the 1937 massacre of 250,000 Chinese civilians in Nanking by the invading Japanese military, a carnage for which the Japanese government has never admitted responsibility.

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