• Here are the Biggest Nonfiction Bestsellers of the Last 100 Years

    (And the Books We Remember Instead)

    2000

    The best-selling nonfiction of the year:

    1. Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
    2. Guinness World Records 2001
    3. Bill Phillips, Body for Life
    4. Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie
    5. The Beatles, The Beatles Anthology
    6. Bill O’Reilly, The O’Reilly Factor
    7. Dr. Phil McGraw, Relationship Rescue
    8. Thomas J. Stanley, The Millionaire Mind
    9. Maria Shriver, Ten Things I Wish I’d Known—Before I Went Out into the Real World
    10. Andrew Weil, M.D., Eating Well for Optimum Health

    Also published that year:

    Dave Eggers, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
    Stephen King, On Writing
    Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis
    David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day

    2001

    The best-selling nonfiction of the year:

    1. Bruce Wilkinson, The Prayer of Jabez
    2. Bruce Wilkinson, Secrets of the Vine
    3. Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
    4. David McCullough, John Adams
    5. Guinness World Records 2002
    6. Darlene Wilkinson, The Prayer for Jabez for Women
    7. Bill O’Reilly, The No-Spin Zone
    8. Bill Phillips, Body for Life
    9. Tiger Woods, How I Play Golf
    10. Jack Welch, Jack

    Also published that year:

    Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed
    Diane McWhorter, Carry Me Home
    Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation

    2002

    The best-selling nonfiction of the year:

    1. Dr. Phil McGraw, Self Matters
    2. Bruce Wilkinson with David Kopp, A Life God Rewards
    3. Lisa Beamer with Ken Abraham, Let’s Roll!
    4. Guinness World Records 2003
    5. Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
    6. Rudolph W. Giuliani, Leadership
    7. Darlene Wilkinson, The Prayer for Jabez for Women
    8. Bob Woodward, Bush at War
    9. Patricia Cornwell, Portrait of a Killer
    10. Bill Phillips, Body for Life

    Also published that year:

    César Chávez, The Words of César Chávez
    Margaret MacMillan, Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World
    Lorna Sage, Bad Blood

    2003

    The best-selling nonfiction of the year:

    1. Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life
    2. Arthur Agatston, M.D., The South Beach Diet
    3. Robert Atkins, M.D., Atkins for Life
    4. Dr. Phil McGraw, The Ultimate Weight Solution
    5. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Living History
    6. Al Franken, Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
    7. Guinness World Records 2004
    8. Bill O’Reilly, Who’s Looking Out for You?
    9. Michael Moore, Dude, Where’s My Country?
    10. Paul Burrell, A Royal Duty

    Also published that year:

    Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City
    Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran

    2004

    The best-selling nonfiction of the year:

    1. Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life
    2. Arthur Agatston, M.D., The South Beach Diet
    3. Bill Clinton, My Life
    4. Jon Stewart and the Daily Show writers, America (The Book)
    5. Arthur Agatston, M.D., The South Beach Diet Cookbook
    6. Dr. Phil McGraw, Family First
    7. Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, He’s Just Not That into You
    8. Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves
    9. Joel Osteen, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential
    10. Guinness World Records 2005

    Also published that year:

    Ron Chernow, Alexander Hamilton
    Bob Dylan, Chronicles: Volume One
    Stephen Greenblatt, Will in the World

    2005

    The best-selling nonfiction of the year:

    1. Kevin Trudeau, Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About
    2. Joel Osteen, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential
    3. Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life
    4. Michael F. Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., You: The Owner’s Manual
    5. David McCullough, 1776
    6. Thomas L. Friedman, The World is Flat
    7. Dr. Phil McGraw, Love Smart: Find the One You Want, Fix the One You Got
    8. Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
    9. Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics
    10. Guinness World Records 2006

    Also published that year:

    Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking 

    2006

    The best-selling nonfiction of the year:

    1. John Grisham, The Innocent Man
    2. Michael F. Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., You: On a Diet—The Owners Manual for Waist Management
    3. John Grogan, Marley & Me
    4. Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope
    5. Bill O’Reilly, Culture Warrior
    6. Guinness World Records 2007
    7. Bob Greene, The Best Life Diet
    8. Cesar Millan and Melissa Jo Peltier, Cesar’s Way: The Natural Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems
    9. Thomas L. Friedman, The World is Flat
    10. Bob Woodward, State of Denial: Bush at War Part III

    Also published that year:

    Alison Bechdel, Fun Home
    Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma

    2007

    The best-selling nonfiction of the year:

    1. Rhonda Byrne, The Secret
    2. Conn & Hal Iggulden, The Dangerous Book for Boys
    3. Jessica Seinfeld, Deceptively Delicious
    4. Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz, You: Staying Young—The Owner’s Manual for Extending Your Warranty
    5. Stephen Colbert, I Am America (and So Can You!)
    6. Joel Osteen, Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day
    7. Andrea J. Buchanan & Miriam Peskowitz, The Daring Book for Girls
    8. Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., You: On a Diet—The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management
    9. Guinness World Records 2008
    10. Kevin Trudeau, The Weight Loss Cure “They” Don’t Want You to Know About

    Also published that year:

    Edwidge Danticat, Brother, I’m Dying
    Hermione Lee, Edith Wharton
    Alex Ross, The Rest is Noise

    2008

    The best-selling nonfiction of the year:

    1. Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow, The Last Lecture
    2. Vicki Myron with Brett Witter, Dewey
    3. Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
    4. Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass, Flat Belly Diet
    5. Bill O’Reilly, A Bold, Fresh Piece of Humanity
    6. Alice Schroeder, The Snowball
    7. Rick Warren, The Purpose of Christmas
    8. James Patterson and Hal Friedman, Against Medical Advice
    9. The Editors of Life, American Journey of Barack Obama
    10. Thomas L. Friedman, Hot, Flat and Crowded

    Also published that year:

    Julian Barnes, Nothing to Be Frightened Of
    Annette Gordon-Reed, The Hemingses of Monticello
    Brenda Wineapple, White Heat
    James Wood, How Fiction Works
    Fareed Zakaria, The Post-American World

    2009

    The best-selling nonfiction of the year:

    1. Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow, The Last Lecture
    2. Rick Warren, The Purpose of Christmas
    3. Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz, You: Being Beautiful
    4. Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers
    5. Bill O’Reilly, A Bold, Fresh Piece of Humanity
    6. Vicki Myron with Brett Witter, Dewey
    7. Barbara Waters, Audition
    8. Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
    9. Alice Schroeder, The Snowball
    10. Thomas L. Friedman, Hot, Flat and Crowded

    Also published that year:

    Andre Agassi, Open
    Liaquat Ahamed, Lords of Finance
    Dave Cullen, Columbine
    David Grann, Lost in the City of Z
    Mary Karr, Lit
    Benjamin Moser, Why This World
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    Emily Temple
    Emily Temple
    Emily Temple is the managing editor at Lit Hub. Her first novel, The Lightness, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in June 2020. You can buy it here.
    https://www.emilytemple.net/





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