This is a list of books that topped The New York Times best-seller list in 1942.
Though the bestseller list first began in 1931, it only became a national survey on August 9, 1942; previously the list only reflected sales from the New York metropolitan area.[1]
The following list ranks the number-one best-selling fiction books.
The two most popular books that year were The Song of Bernadette, by Franz Werfel, which made the list for fifteen weeks; and The Robe, by Lloyd Douglas, which would dominate the list for the final six weeks of 1942 and most of 1943.[2]
| Date | Book | Author |
|---|---|---|
| January 4 | The Keys of the Kingdom | A. J. Cronin |
| January 11 | Windswept | Mary Ellen Chase |
| January 18 | ||
| January 25 | ||
| February 1 | ||
| February 8 | Dragon Seed | Pearl S. Buck |
| February 15 | Frenchman's Creek | Daphne du Maurier |
| February 22 | Dragon Seed | Pearl S. Buck |
| March 1 | ||
| March 8 | ||
| March 15 | ||
| March 22 | The Moon Is Down | John Steinbeck |
| March 29 | ||
| April 5 | ||
| April 12 | ||
| April 19 | ||
| April 26 | ||
| May 3 | ||
| May 10 | ||
| May 17 | ||
| May 24 | ||
| May 31 | ||
| June 7 | ||
| June 14 | And Now Tomorrow | Rachel Field |
| June 21 | ||
| June 28 | ||
| July 5 | ||
| July 12 | ||
| July 19 | The Song of Bernadette | Franz Werfel |
| July 26 | ||
| August 2 | And Now Tomorrow | Rachel Field |
| August 9 | ||
| August 16 | The Song of Bernadette | Franz Werfel |
| August 23 | ||
| August 30 | ||
| September 6 | Drivin' Woman | Elizabeth Chevalier |
| September 13 | The Song of Bernadette | Franz Werfel |
| September 20 | ||
| September 27 | ||
| October 4 | ||
| October 11 | ||
| October 18 | ||
| October 25 | ||
| November 1 | ||
| November 8 | ||
| November 15 | ||
| November 22 | The Robe | Lloyd Douglas |
| November 29 | ||
| December 6 | ||
| December 13 | ||
| December 20 | ||
| December 27 | ||
The following list ranks the number-one best-selling nonfiction books.