Howdy neko1-ga,
The Honolulu Advertiser web site gives us the year in which the first best
seller list of books was published.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/2000/Oct/12/1012islandlife1.html
"The New York Times, which created the first best-seller list back
in 1935 ..."
Perhaps strangely, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum web site
pins down an exact date.
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/membership/memories_dreams/2003/fall/bestsellers.htm
"The Times began its list on October 6, 1935, as a monthly feature."
The FreeDictionary.com web site describes how the New York Times list differs
from other best seller lists.
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/New%20York%20Times%20bestseller%20list
"Unlike some lists of 'best sellers', the New York Times list is not based
upon actual sales figures, but instead upon surveys of a selected pool of
booksellers."
Developments since include going to a weekly format. The National Baseball
Hall of Fame and Museum web page sited above gives a date.
"It became weekly on August 9, 1942 ..."
A separate section for children's books was added. Some suggest this was
done because of the popularity of the "Harry Potter" books. This, from
the FreeDictionary.com web article referenced above.
"In 2001, a separate section of the bestseller list was created to
track the sale of children's books."
Some areas produce their own lists to reflect regional sales, and some
bookstores, especially chains, concern themselves with what their stores
are selling best. More from the Honolulu Advertiser article from above.
"In Hawai?i, local booksellers said they generally rely on actual sales
figures to determine which books they identify as best sellers. Barnes &
Noble and Borders said its own weekly best-seller lists, displayed in the
stores, are based only on nationwide sales in their outlets."
The New York Times Best-Sellers List web page provides more than one list
these days.
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/bestseller/index.html
- hardcover fiction, nonfiction and advice
- paperback fiction, nonfiction and advice
Some "best seller" lists are designed to promote books that might have
otherwise gone unnoticed. The BookSense.com web site, a "family of
independent-bookseller websites," produces such a list.
http://www.booksense.com/bspicks/may04.jsp
"Book Sense 76 List" for March/April 2004.
Of course one of the major developments that has affected best seller lists
is probably the computer and the internet, as this allows numbers to be easily
gathered, and then presented back to the interested public. It also allows
people of both personal and commercial web sites to create their own, sometimes
specialized, best seller lists, such as this Dymocks Online's list.
http://www.dymocks.com.au/contentdynamic/catalogues/Catalogue.asp?Catalogue_ID=TOPSCI
"Science Fiction Best Sellers"
As they are based "Down Under," the delve into regional favorites as well.
http://www.dymocks.com.au/contentdynamic/catalogues/Catalogue.asp?Catalogue_ID=TOPAUS
"Australian Literature Best Sellers"
If you need any clarification, feel free to ask.
Search Strategy
Google search on: "first best seller list"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22first+best+seller+list%22
Google search on: "New York Times" 1935 "best seller" list
://www.google.com/search?q=%22New+York+Times%22+1935+%22best+seller%22+list
Google search on: "best sellers" list
://www.google.com/search?q=%22best+sellers%22+list
Looking Forward, denc0-ga - Google Answers Researcher |
