TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Nonfiction

Week of April 26, 1998

FictionNonfiction
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3
ANGELA'S ASHES
Frank McCourt
Cover of ANGELA'S ASHES

ANGELA'S ASHES

by Frank McCourt · Scribner

84 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.

5
1
SPIN CYCLE
Howard Kurtz
Cover of SPIN CYCLE

SPIN CYCLE

by Howard Kurtz · Free Press

6 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.

6
1
THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR
Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR

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

66 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.

7
NEW
AMAZING GRACE
Kathleen Norris
Cover of AMAZING GRACE

AMAZING GRACE

by Kathleen Norris · Riverhead

1 wks on list

In this poetic new book, bestselling author Kathleen Norris takes a look at words which have baffled Christians throughout time: Salvation, Prayer, Dogma, and Judgment. Blending history, theology, story, etymology, and memoir, this is a poet's journey through the vocabulary of faith. For those of us who have found the language of religion confusing, Amazing Grace will help grasp the richness of an ancient tradition that is constantly evolving. Personal and moving, this is Ms. Norris's gift to all who have struggled with faith.

9
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

71 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.

10
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INTO THIN AIR
Jon Krakauer
Cover of INTO THIN AIR
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3
THE PERFECT STORM
Sebastian Junger
Cover of THE PERFECT STORM

THE PERFECT STORM

by Sebastian Junger · Norton

46 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.

15
NEW
CONSILIENCE
Edward O. Wilson
Cover of CONSILIENCE

CONSILIENCE

by Edward O. Wilson · Knopf

1 wks on list

Examines the fundamental unity of all knowledge and the need to search for consilience--the proof that everything in our world is organized in terms of a small number of natural laws that comprises all learning.

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