Skip to content

Search our website or catalog

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 19, 2012

1

Home Frontby Kristin Hannah
Michael and Jolene Zarkades know the pressures of everyday life — children, careers, bills. But then Jolene is deployed to Iraq, leaving Michael unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls.

2

Private: #1 Suspectby James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Jack Morgan, a former Marine and the head of an investigative firm, is accused of murder.

3

Takenby Robert Crais
When a college student and her boyfriend fall into the hands of kidnappers at the California-Mexico border, the investigators Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are drawn into the deadly world of human traffickers.

4

Defending Jacobby William Landay
An assistant district attorney’s life is shaken when his shy 14-year-old son is accused of murder. 

5

Death Comes to Pemberleyby P. D. James
Six years after Elizabeth and Darcy marry, their comfortable life is shaken by a murder, as James recreates the world of “Pride and Prejudice” with a mysterious twist.

6

11/22/63by Stephen King
An English teacher travels back to 1958 by way of a time portal in a Maine diner. His assignment: Stop Lee Harvey Oswald.

7

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.

8

Believing the Lieby Elizabeth George
Inspector Thomas Lynley’s investigation of a murder unearths the secrets of a wealthy clan.

9

Raylanby Elmore Leonard
A United States marshal sent to Harlan County, Ky., confronts organ trafficking, strip mining and bank robberies.

10

The Litigatorsby John Grisham
Partners in a small law firm take on a big case after a fast-track burnout joins them.

11

A Dance with Dragonsby George R. R. Martin
After a colossal battle, the Seven Kingdoms face new threats; Book 5 of “A Song of Ice and Fire.”

12

The Fear Indexby Robert Harris
A billionaire hedge fund manager in Geneva who uses an algorithm to predict the movements of financial markets discovers that his computer program is misbehaving.

13

The Paris Wifeby Paula McLain
Hadley Richardson comes into her own as Ernest Hemingway’s long-suffering first wife in this novel, set in Paris.

14

The Best of Meby Nicholas Sparks
Twenty-five years after their high school romance ended, a man and woman return to their North Carolina town.

15

The Orphan Master’s Sonby Adam Johnson
In a series of picaresque adventures, a young North Korean navigates the country’s repressive hierarchy; a 2013 Pulitzer Prize winner.

----

Hardcover Nonfiction

February 19, 2012

1

American Sniperby Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice
A member of the Navy Seals who has the most career sniper kills in United States military history discusses his childhood, his marriage and his battlefield experiences during the Iraq war.

2

Ameritopiaby Mark R. Levin
A talk-show host warns that Americans must choose between utopianism and liberty.

3

Steve Jobsby Walter Isaacson
A biography of the recently deceased entrepreneur, based on 40 interviews with Jobs conducted over two years.

4

Killing Lincolnby Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
The television host recounts the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

5

Quietby Susan Cain
Introverts — approximately one-third of the population — are undervalued in American society.

6

Unbrokenby Laura Hillenbrand
An Olympic runner’s story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.

7

Through My Eyesby Tim Tebow with Nathan Whitaker
The Broncos quarterback chronicles his personal and professional course.

8

Thinking, Fast and Slowby Daniel Kahneman
When we can and cannot trust our intuitions in making business and personal decisions.

9

Coming Apartby Charles Murray
The author of "The Bell Curve" explores the state of white America, 1960-2010.

10

Fairy Tale Interruptedby RoseMarie Terenzio
Recollections of John F. Kennedy Jr. from his former personal assistant and confidante.

11

Elizabeth the Queenby Sally Bedell Smith
The public and private lives of Queen Elizabeth II as she approaches her Diamond Jubilee.

12

In the Garden of Beastsby Erik Larson
This portrait of Berlin during the rise of the Nazis centers on William E. Dodd, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, and his daughter, Martha.

13

Strategic Visionby Zbigniew Brzezinski
President Carter’s national security adviser offers advice on how American foreign policy should respond to the shift in gravity from West to East.

14

Greedy Bastardsby Dylan Ratigan
The host of MSNBC’s “Dylan Ratigan Show” proposes solutions to problems of banking, education, health care and dependence on foreign oil.

15

Catherine the Greatby Robert K. Massie
An 18th-century German princess who became Empress of All the Russias.