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New York Times Best Seller lists

The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is updated online every Wednesday evening. Below are best seller lists for hardcover fiction and non-fiction. For more lists, visit our New York Times Children’s Best Sellers page or The New York Times’s Best Sellers page.

Hardcover Fiction

February 20, 2011

1

Tick Tockby James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
The New York detective Michael Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague to solve a rash of horrifying crimes.

2

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nestby Stieg Larsson
In the last volume of the Millennium trilogy, Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander are threatened by an adversary from deep within the government.

3

The Helpby Kathryn Stockett
Three women — a white socialite and two black maids — work on a tell-all book about black domestic servants in 1960s Mississippi.

4

The Inner Circleby Brad Meltzer
An archivist discovers a book that once belonged to George Washington and conceals a deadly secret.

5

Dead or Aliveby Tom Clancy with Grant Blackwood
The covert intelligence expert Jack Ryan Jr. and his black-ops team face their greatest foe: a sadistic terrorist known as the Emir.

6

Fatal Errorby J.A. Jance
After the murder of a cyber-sociopath, the former TV news anchor Ali Reynolds is drawn into a web of online intrigue.

7

Strategic Movesby Stuart Woods
The New York lawyer Stone Barrington works with the C.I.A. to transport a fugitive.

8

Shadowfeverby Karen Marie Moning
Hunting for her sister’s murderer, MacKayla Lane is caught up in the struggle between humans and the Fae.

9

The Confessionby John Grisham
A man who committed a despicable crime but allowed another to be sent to death row in his place now wants to admit his guilt, but must convince the authorities he's telling the truth.

10

Roomby Emma Donoghue
The world of the 5-year-old boy who narrates this novel is the 11-by-11-foot room in which his mother is being held. The basis of the movie.

11

The Sentryby Robert Crais
The former cop Joe Pike finds that a pair of Katrina refugees he helps aren’t all they seem.

12

Blackveilby Kristen Britain
A contingent of Arcosian descendants plan to bring Sacoridia to its knees. The fourth book of the Green Rider series.

13

What the Night Knowsby Dean Koontz
Someone is murdering entire families — recreating in detail a crime spree that took place two decades earlier — and a homicide detective is certain that his own family will be targets.

14

The Red Gardenby Alice Hoffman
A mysterious garden offers the key to understanding a small Massachusetts town through 300 years of passionate history.

15

The Weird Sistersby Eleanor Brown
Three sisters from a highbrow family return home, each with a secret she’s unwilling to share.

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Hardcover Nonfiction

February 20, 2011

1

Unbrokenby Laura Hillenbrand
An Olympic runner’s story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II. Read by Edward Herrmann. 13 hours, 56 minutes unabridged.

2

The Pioneer Womanby Ree Drummond
The proprietor of ThePioneerWoman.com describes her marriage, or, as she puts it, her transition from “black heels to tractor wheels.”

3

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Motherby Amy Chua
A Chinese-American mother makes a case for strict and demanding parenting.

4

Decision Pointsby George W. Bush
The former president discusses his decisions on 9/11, Iraq and Katrina.

5

Cleopatraby Stacy Schiff
Reimagining the Egyptian queen.

6

The Hidden Realityby Brian Greene
A physicist explains various theories involving the existence of parallel universes.

7

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacksby Rebecca Skloot
The story of a woman whose cancer cells were cultured without her permission in 1951.

8

Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1by Mark Twain
Twain is pointedly political and willing to play the angry prophet.

9

Lifeby Keith Richards with James Fox
The Rolling Stones guitarist's revealing autobiography is also a portrait of the era when rock came of age.

10

Decodedby Jay-Z
The hip-hop star leads a narrative journey through his lyrics and his life.

11

In the Blink of an Eyeby Michael Waltrip and Ellis Henican
The race car driver’s memoir is built around the crash that killed Dale Earnhardt Sr. in 2001.

12

Outliersby Malcolm Gladwell
Unexpected factors that explain why some people succeed, such as upbringing, timing and 10,000 hours of deliberate practice.

13

____ Finish Firstby Tucker Max
A tale of bad decisions, debauchery and reckless sex.

14

Scorecastingby Tobias J. Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim
The hidden forces that shape how sports games are played, won and lost.

15

The Next Decadeby George Friedman
The geopolitical forecaster who wrote "The Next 100 Years" details the enormous transition he expects over the coming 10.