Stephen Hawking’s science book A Brief History Of Time: From The Big Bang To Black Holes spent the most number of weeks on the bestsellers list, according to analysis from the last five decades.
The Sunday Times said Hawking, who died aged 76 in 2018, spent 264 weeks on the bestsellers chart.
Scottish author JK Rowling had one book in the top 100 weekly entries list, her first Harry Potter book, while cookery writer Delia Smith made a significant mark with three top 20 entries.
Rowling’s Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone brought the wizarding world that she created to prominence, and it has regularly been cited as one of the biggest books of all time.
However, her work did not feature in the top 20 of the analysis, which ranked titles by the number of weeks spent on the bestsellers list between 1974 and 2024.
Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone placed at number 23.
“Some best-seller lists, for example non-fiction manuals and children’s (books), were not published weekly,” the Sunday Times said.
John Gray’s relationship book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus and Smith’s Complete Cookery Course came in at number two and three respectively.
Gray spent 236 weeks on the bestsellers list from 1996, and Smith was on the index for 225 weeks from 1982.
The 83-year-old TV presenter reached number seven with Delia Smith’s Summer Collection, and 15 with Delia Smith’s Complete Illustrated Cookery Course.
Travel writer Bill Bryson features more than any other author, with five titles in the top 100, and his Notes From A Small Island landed at number four.
Laura Hackett, deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times, said: “For 50 years, the Sunday Times bestseller list has both documented and influenced the evolution of British literary culture, and remains the ultimate marker of commercial success.
“We are delighted to celebrate the remarkable achievements of authors who have populated the chart since 1974. This top 100 list not only highlights the enduring popularity of timeless works but also showcases the diverse range of genres that have captivated British readers across generations.”
Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, in which he documented growing up in poverty in Limerick, came in at number five, while Charlie Mackesy’s illustrated book The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse made it to number six.
At number eight was Wild Swans, about the women in a Chinese family across generations, by Jung Chang, while Rosemary Conley’s Complete Hip & Thigh Diet reached number nine, and Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari’s natural science work Sapiens: A Brief History Of Humankind came in at number 10.
Other authors in the top 20 include NHS memoir This is Going To Hurt: Secret Diaries Of A Junior Doctor by Adam Kay, which was made into a BBC series of the same name starring Ben Whishaw, and The Thursday Murder Club by Pointless creator Richard Osman.
Osman’s book is being turned into a Netflix movie with stars including Dame Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Richard E Grant and Sir Ben Kingsley attached to the project.
Those with multiple entries in the top 100 include Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding, thriller novelist Dan Brown, Twilight series author Stephenie Meyer and Osman.
The list has been compiled from data collected weekly by Nielsen BookScan since 1988.
Top 20 bestselling books are as follows:
– A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
– Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray
– Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course by Delia Smith
– Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson
– Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
– The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
– Delia Smith’s Summer Collection by Delia Smith
– Wild Swans by Jung Chang
– Rosemary Conley’s Complete Hip & Thigh Diet by Rosemary Conley
– Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
– Prisoners Of Geography by Tim Marshall
– The Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden
– A Year In Provence by Peter Mayle
– This Is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
– Delia Smith’s Complete Illustrated Cookery Course by Delia Smith
– Atomic Habits by James Clear
– The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend
– Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King
– The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
– A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer
The list is available on TheTimes.com website.
