TEN BEST-SELLING NOVELS OF LAST YEAR LISTED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 18, 3 April 1950, Page 3

TEN BEST-SELLING NOVELS OF LAST YEAR LISTED

The best-selling novel of 1949 in the United States, according to a report received by the Beacon, was a story of ancient Egypt and the Near East, a translation from a book by a Finnish author. It is “The Egyptian” by Mika Waltari. It heads a list of 10 best-selling fiction books tabulated by Publishers’ Weekly, the American book trade journal.

Of the 10 best sellers, six were historical novels with the two based on Biblical events placing second and third on the best-seller list. They were “The Big Fisherman” by Lloyd C. Douglas, first on the list the previous year, and Sholem Asch’s “Mary.” Fourth was “A Rage to Live,” a story about a woman living in a small American town at the turn of the century. It is by John O’Hara, the first novel in 11 years by the author of “Appointment in Samarra.” Next was “Point of No Return” by John P. Marquand, which tells of a man’s struggle for higher social and economic standing.

Frances Parkinson Keyes’ “Dinner at Antoine’s,” a romantic novel of New Orleans and the Mardi Gras carnival, was the sixth best seller. Seventh was “High Towers” by Thomas B. Costain, author of “The Black Rose.” It describes the adventures of three French brothers in North America during the 18th century.

“Cutlass Empire” by F. Van Wyck Mason, which concerns Henry Morgan, the buccaneer who became Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica, and “Pride’s Castle,” by Frank Yerby, story of a fortune hunter, were eighth and ninth on the list. “Father of the Bride,” an amusing account by Edward Streeter of a father’s problems as his daughter prepares for her wedding, was tenth. / ' This list of best-selling novels was compiled on the basis of sales in book stores.