A Brief History of Popular Fiction -- 130 Years of US Bestseller Lists

Popular taste in books today isn't what it used to be. Want proof? Take a look at the bestseller lists from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s and compare them to those of the past 35 years. Many of the greatest novels from that mid-century period were also among the most popular with the book-buying public when they were published. Today, that’s rarely the case. In this video, I explore more than 135 years of US bestseller lists and highlight how mainstream reading tastes have changed within and across various genres and how authors and publishers have responded to those shifts. I devote particular attention to historical fiction to provide useful context for my next several videos in which I'll spotlight different corners of the genre. 1:43 Children's books 4:02 Literary fiction 11:01 Crime fiction 14:16 Romance 18:13 Horror fiction 20:02 Fantasy 22:06 Science fiction 24:35 Historical fiction 37:03 Brickbats! 40:26 Bouquets! 42:12 Summary I have a Substack (thelibraryladder.substack.com) where I post essays, reviews, resources and other thoughts that don’t fit within the scope or time constraints of my channel and where I host live discussions and other activities intended to add value to the topics I discuss here on YouTube. Media credits: The Little American (1917) The Three Musketeers (1921) The Thief of Bagdad (1924) Beau Brummel (1924) The Iron Horse (1924) Ben-Hur (1925) Gone with the Wind (1939) Spellbound (1945) Forever Amber (1947) Commando Cody (1953) Wanted Dead or Alive (1958) Cleopatra (1963) Dr. Strangelove (1964) I, Claudius (1976) The Age of Innocence (1993) #historicalfiction #literature #booktube