The American daily newspaper ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' publishes multiple weekly lists ranking the best selling books in the United States. The lists are split in three genres—fiction, nonfiction and

children's books A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...

. Both the fiction and nonfiction lists are further split into multiple lists.

Fiction

The following list ranks the number-one best selling fiction books, in the hardcover fiction category. The most popular books of the year were ''

The Lost Symbol ''The Lost Symbol'' is a 2009 novel written by American writer Dan Brown. It is a thriller set in Washington, D.C., after the events of ''The Da Vinci Code'', and relies on Freemasonry for both its recurring theme and its major characters. Rel ...

'', by

Dan Brown Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), '' The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), ''The Lost Symbol'' (2009), '' Inferno'' (2013), ...

and '' The Associate'', by

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas) is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the Ame ...

with respectively 7 and 4 weeks at the top. The author

James Patterson James Brendan Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an American author. Among his works are the '' Alex Cross'', '' Michael Bennett'', '' Women's Murder Club'', '' Maximum Ride'', '' Daniel X'', '' NYPD Red'', '' Witch & Wizard'', and ''Private'' ...

was at the top for four different books ('' 8th Confession'', ''Swimsuit'', '' Alex Cross's Trial'' and ''

I, Alex Cross ''I, Alex Cross'' is the 16th novel in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson. It was released on Hardcover and Paperback on November 16, 2009 to positive reviews and positive reception. It is preceded by '' Alex Cross's Trial''. Its success l ...

'').

Nonfiction

The following list ranks the number-one best selling nonfiction books, in the hardcover nonfiction category.

References

{{NYT number-one books 2009 .

New York Times best sellers ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

Fiction

Nonfiction

See also

References