Books From The 1980s - Let Me Tell You A Tall Tale

What does it take to be a million plus copy bookseller? Just ask Tom Clancy, Stephen King, Danielle Steele and Garrison Keillor.

Formula novels have always been a best seller, but in a conservative era one would have expected such drivel would have waned. It hadn't. In fact, the critics complained loudly how the average reader sold out creativity and originality for safety. They knew exactly what to expect when they picked up a book.

While we were still obsessed with ourselves, we were more in a health and fitness state of mind. Diet and exercise books started to flood the market.

Here are some of the most popular books of the 1980s:

1 9 8 0

F I C T I O N

1. The Covenant, James A. Michener
2. The Bourne Identity, Robert Ludlum
3. Rage of Angels, Sidney Sheldon
4. Princess Daisy, Judith Krantz
5. Firestarter, Stephen King
6. The Key to Rebecca, Ken Follett
7. Random Winds, Belva Plain
8. The Devil's Alternative, Frederick Forsyth
9. The Fifth Horseman, Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre
10. The Spike, Arnaud de Borchgrave and Robert Moss

N O N F I C T I O N

1. Crisis Investing: Opportunities and Profits in the Coming Great Depression, Douglas R. Casey
2. Cosmos, Carl Sagan
3. Free to Choose: A Personal Statement, Milton and Rose Friedman
4. Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient, Norman Cousins
5. Thy Neighbor's Wife, Gay Talese
6. The Sky's the Limit, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
7. The Third Wave, Alvin Toffler
8. Craig Claiborne's Gourmet Diet, Craig Claiborne with Pierre Franey
9. Nothing Down, Robert Allen
10. Shelley: Also Known as Shirley, Shelley Winters

1 9 8 1

F I C T I O N

1. Noble House, James Clavell
2. The Hotel New Hampshire, John Irving
3. Cujo, Stephen King
4. An Indecent Obsession, Colleen McCullough
5. Gorky Park, Martin Cruz Smith
6. Masquerade, Kit Williams
7. Goodbye, Janette, Harold Robbins
8. The Third Deadly Sin, Lawrence Sanders
9. The Glitter Dome, Joseph Wambaugh
10. No Time for Tears, Cynthia Freeman

N O N F I C T I O N

1. The Beverly Hills Diet, Judy Mazel
2. The Lord God Made Them All, James Herriot
3. Richard Simmons' Never-Say-Diet Book, Richard Simmons
4. A Light in the Attic, Shel Silverstein
5. Cosmos, Carl Sagan
6. Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book
7. Miss Piggy's Guide to Life, Miss Piggy as told to Henry Beard
8. Weight Watchers 365-Day Menu Cookbook
9. You Can Negotiate Anything, Herb Cohen
10. A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney, Andrew A. Rooney

1 9 8 2

F I C T I O N

1. E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial Storybook, William Kotzwinkle 2. Space, James A. Michener
2. The Parsifal Mosaic, Robert Ludlum
3. Master of the Game, Sidney Sheldon
4. Mistral's Daughter, Judith Krantz
5. The Valley of Horses, Jean M. Auel
6. Different Seasons, Stephen King
7. North and South, John Jakes
8. 2010: Odyssey Two, Arthur C. Clarke
9. The Man from St. Petersburg, Ken Follett

N O N F I C T I O N

1. Jane Fonda's Workout Book, Jane Fonda
2. Living, Loving and Learning, Leo Buscaglia
3. And More by Andy Rooney, Andrew A. Rooney
4. Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook
5. Life Extension: Adding Years to Your Life And Life to Your Years--A Practical Scientific Approach, Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw
6. When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Harold S. Kushner
7. A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney, Andrew A. Rooney
8. The Weight Watchers Food Plan Diet Cookbook, Jean Nidetch
9. Richard Simmons' Never-Say-Diet Cookbook, Richard Simmons
10. No Bad Dogs: The Woodhouse Way, Barbara Woodhouse

1 9 8 3

F I C T I O N

1. Return of the Jedi Storybook, Joan D. Vinge, adapt.
2. Poland, James A. Michener
3. Pet Sematary, Stephen King
4. The Little Drummer Girl, John Le Carré
5. Christine, Stephen King
6. Changes, Danielle Steel
7. The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco
8. White Gold Wielder: Book Three of The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Stephen R. Donaldson
9. Hollywood Wives, Jackie Collins
10. The Lonesome Gods, Louis L'Amour

N O N F I C T I O N

1. In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies, Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr.
2. Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives, John Naisbitt
3. Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession, Erma Bombeck
4. The One Minute Manager, Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
5. Jane Fonda's Workout Book, Jane Fonda
6. The Best of James Herriot, James Herriot
7. The Mary Kay Guide to Beauty: Discovering Your Special Look
8. On Wings of Eagles, Ken Follett
9. Creating Wealth, Robert G. Allen
10. The Body Principal: The Exercise Program for Life, Victoria Principal

1 9 8 4

F I C T I O N

1. The Talisman, Stephen King and Peter Straub
2. The Aquitaine Progression, Robert Ludlum
3. The Sicilian, Mario Puzo
4. Love and War, John Jakes
5. The Butter Battle Book, Dr. Seuss
6. ". . . And the Ladies of the Club," Helen Hooven Santmyer
7. The Fourth Protocol, Frederick Forsyth
8. Full Circle, Danielle Steel
9. The Life and Hard Times of Heidi Abromowitz, Joan Rivers
10. Lincoln: A Novel, Gore Vidal

N O N F I C T I O N

1. Iacocca: An Autobiography, Lee Iacocca with William Novak
2. Loving Each Other, Leo Buscaglia
3. Eat to Win: The Sports Nutrition Bible, Robert Haas, M.D.
4. Pieces of My Mind, Andrew A. Rooney
5. Weight Watchers Fast and Fabulous Cookbook
6. What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School: Notes from a Street-Smart Executive, Mark H. McCormack
7. Women Coming of Age, Jane Fonda with Mignon McCarthy
8. Moses the Kitten, James Herriot
9. The One Minute Salesperson, Spencer Johnson, M.D., and Larry Wilson
10. Weight Watchers Quick Start Program Cookbook, Jean Nidetch

1 9 8 5

F I C T I O N

1. The Mammoth Hunters, Jean M. Auel
2. Texas, James A. Michener
3. Lake Wobegon Days, Garrison Keillor
4. If Tomorrow Comes, Sidney Sheldon
5. Skeleton Crew, Stephen King
6. Secrets, Danielle Steel
7. Contact, Carl Sagan
8. Lucky, Jackie Collins
9. Family Album, Danielle Steel
10. Jubal Sackett, Louis L'Amour

N O N F I C T I O N

1. Iacocca: An Autobiography, Lee Iacocca with William Novak
2. Yeager: An Autobiography, Gen. Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos
3. Elvis and Me, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley with Sandra Harmon
4. Fit for Life, Harvey and Marilyn Diamond
5. The Be-Happy Attitudes, Robert Schuller
6. Dancing in the Light, Shirley MacLaine
7. A Passion for Excellence: The Leadership Difference, Thomas J. Peters and Nancy K. Austin
8. The Frugal Gourmet, Jeff Smith
9. I Never Played the Game, Howard Cosell with Peter Bonventre
10. Dr. Berger's Immune Power Diet, Stuart M. Berger, M.D.

1 9 8 6

F I C T I O N

1. It, Stephen King
2. Red Storm Rising, Tom Clancy
3. Whirlwind, James Clavell
4. The Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum
5. Hollywood Husbands, Jackie Collins
6. Wanderlust, Danielle Steel
7. I'll Take Manhattan, Judith Krantz
8. Last of the Breed, Louis L'Amour
9. The Prince of Tides, Pat Conroy
10. A Perfect Spy, John Le Carré

N O N F I C T I O N

1. Fatherhood, Bill Cosby
2. Fit for Life, Harvey and Marilyn Diamond
3. His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra, Kitty Kelley
4. The Rotation Diet, Martin Katahn
5. You're Only Old Once, Dr. Seuss
6. Callanetics: Ten Years Younger in Ten Hours, Callan Pinckney
7. The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine, Jeff Smith
8. Be Happy--You Are Loved!, Robert H. Schuller
9. Word for Word, Andrew A. Rooney
10. James Herriot's Dog Stories, James Herriot

1 9 8 7

F I C T I O N

1. The Tommyknockers, Stephen King
2. Patriot Games, Tom Clancy
3. Kaleidoscope, Danielle Steel
4. Misery, Stephen King
5. Leaving Home: A Collection of Lake Wobegon Stories, Garrison Keillor
6. Windmills of the Gods, Sidney Sheldon
7. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow
8. Fine Things, Danielle Steel
9. Heaven and Hell, John Jakes
10. The Eyes of the Dragon, Stephen King

N O N F I C T I O N

1. Time Flies, Bill Cosby
2. Spycatcher: The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer, Peter Wright with Paul Greengrass
3. Family: The Ties That Bind . . . and Gag!, Erma Bombeck
4. Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987, Bob Woodward
5. A Day in the Life of America, Rick Smolan and David Cohen
6. The Great Depression of 1990, Ravi Batra
7. It's All in the Playing, Shirley MacLaine
8. Man of the House: The Life and Political Memoirs of Speaker Tip O'Neill, Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. with William Novak
9. The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American, Jeff Smith
10. The Closing of the American Mind, Allan Bloom

1 9 8 8

F I C T I O N

1. The Cardinal of the Kremlin, Tom Clancy
2. The Sands of Time, Sidney Sheldon
3. Zoya, Danielle Steel
4. The Icarus Agenda, Robert Ludlum
5. Alaska, James A. Michener
6. Till We Meet Again, Judith Krantz
7. The Queen of the Damned, Anne Rice
8. To Be the Best, Barbara Taylor Bradford
9. One: A Novel, Richard Bach
10. Mitla Pass, Leon Uris

N O N F I C T I O N

1. The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure, Robert E. Kowalski
2. Talking Straight, Lee Iacocca with Sonny Kleinfield
3. A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes, Steven W. Hawking
4. Trump: The Art of the Deal, Donald J. Trump with Tony Schwartz
5. Gracie: A Love Story, George Burns
6. Elizabeth Takes Off, Elizabeth Taylor
7. Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive, Harvey MacKay
8. Christmas in America, David Cohen, editor
9. Weight Watchers Quick Success Program Book, Jean Nidetch
10. Moonwalk, Michael Jackson

1 9 8 9

F I C T I O N

1. Clear and Present Danger, Tom Clancy
2. The Dark Half, Stephen King
3. Daddy, Danielle Steel
4. Star, Danielle Steel
5. Caribbean, James A. Michener
6. The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie
7. The Russia House, John Le Carré
8. The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follet
9. California Gold, John Jakes
10. While My Pretty One Sleeps, Mary Higgins Clark

N O N F I C T I O N

1. All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things, Robert Fulghum
2. Wealth Without Risk: How To Develop a Personal Fortune Without Going Out on a Limb, Charles J. Givens
3. A Woman Named Jackie, C. David Heymann
4. It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It, Robert Fulghum
5. Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
6. The Way Things Work, David Macaulay
7. It's Always Something, Gilda Radner
8. Roseanne: My Life as a Woman, Roseanne Barr
9. The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines: China, Greece, and Rome, Jeff Smith
10. My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan, Nancy Reagan with William Novak

Find The Book Related To These Topics AT Barnes & Noble

Return To History Index