The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 1942


This is a list of adult fiction books that topped The New York Times Fiction 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.
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.
DateBookAuthor
January 4The Keys of the KingdomA. J. Cronin
January 11WindsweptMary Ellen Chase
January 18WindsweptMary Ellen Chase
January 25WindsweptMary Ellen Chase
February 1WindsweptMary Ellen Chase
February 8Dragon SeedPearl S. Buck
February 15Frenchman's CreekDaphne du Maurier
February 22Dragon SeedPearl S. Buck
March 1Dragon SeedPearl S. Buck
March 8Dragon SeedPearl S. Buck
March 15Dragon SeedPearl S. Buck
March 22The Moon Is DownJohn Steinbeck
March 29The Moon Is DownJohn Steinbeck
April 5The Moon Is DownJohn Steinbeck
April 12The Moon Is DownJohn Steinbeck
April 19The Moon Is DownJohn Steinbeck
April 26The Moon Is DownJohn Steinbeck
May 3The Moon Is DownJohn Steinbeck
May 10The Moon Is DownJohn Steinbeck
May 17The Moon Is DownJohn Steinbeck
May 24The Moon Is DownJohn Steinbeck
May 31The Moon Is DownJohn Steinbeck
June 7The Moon Is DownJohn Steinbeck
June 14And Now TomorrowRachel Field
June 21And Now TomorrowRachel Field
June 28And Now TomorrowRachel Field
July 5And Now TomorrowRachel Field
July 12And Now TomorrowRachel Field
July 19The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
July 26The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
August 2And Now TomorrowRachel Field
August 9And Now TomorrowRachel Field
August 16The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
August 23The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
August 30The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
September 6Drivin' WomanElizabeth Chevalier
September 13The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
September 20The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
September 27The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
October 4The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
October 11The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
October 18The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
October 25The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
November 1The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
November 8The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
November 15The Song of BernadetteFranz Werfel
November 22The RobeLloyd Douglas
November 29The RobeLloyd Douglas
December 6The RobeLloyd Douglas
December 13The RobeLloyd Douglas
December 20The RobeLloyd Douglas
December 27The RobeLloyd Douglas