This is a list of books that topped The New York Times best-seller list in 1965.
The following list ranks the number-one best-selling fiction books.[1]
Only three titles topped the list in 1965. The most popular was The Source by James Michener, which dominated the second half of the year, even through a three-week newspaper strike. The other two titles were Herzog, by Saul Bellow, which completed a run at the top for more than half a year, begun in October 1964 (29 weeks), and Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman (8 weeks, and another 32 at No. 2, in all spending 65 weeks in the top 10 bestsellers).[2] Coincidentally, both of the latter titles, Herzog and Staircase, are epistolary novels, featuring the extensive use of letters.
| Date | Book | Author |
|---|---|---|
| January 3 | Herzog | Saul Bellow |
| January 10 | ||
| January 17 | ||
| January 24 | ||
| January 31 | ||
| February 7 | ||
| February 14 | ||
| February 21 | ||
| February 28 | ||
| March 7 | ||
| March 14 | ||
| March 21 | ||
| March 28 | ||
| April 4 | ||
| April 11 | ||
| April 18 | ||
| April 25 | ||
| May 2 | ||
| May 9 | ||
| May 16 | Up the Down Staircase | Bel Kaufman |
| May 23 | ||
| May 30 | ||
| June 6 | ||
| June 13 | ||
| June 20 | ||
| June 27 | ||
| July 4 | ||
| July 11 | The Source | James Michener |
| July 18 | ||
| July 25 | ||
| August 1 | ||
| August 8 | ||
| August 15 | ||
| August 22 | ||
| August 29 | ||
| September 5 | ||
| September 12 | ||
| September 19 | Not published due to newspaper strike | |
| September 26 | ||
| October 3 | ||
| October 10 | The Source | James Michener |
| October 17 | ||
| October 24 | ||
| October 31 | ||
| November 7 | ||
| November 14 | ||
| November 21 | ||
| November 28 | ||
| December 5 | ||
| December 12 | ||
| December 19 | ||
| December 26 | ||
The following list ranks the number-one best-selling nonfiction books.