American Bestsellers, 1900-1917

I’ve spent some time lately looking at lists of bestsellers from the early twentieth century. I probably won’t ever read all of these books, but the list seems like a good source of recommendations. And Project Gutenberg, as it turns out, has the list handily formatted with links to the available etexts. So here’s that, with the non-fiction sections deleted and maybe a little bit of commentary.

1900

1. To Have and To Hold , Mary Johnston
2. Red Pottage Mary Cholmondeley
3. Unleavened Bread Robert Grant
4. The Reign of Law James Lane Allen
5. Eben Holden Irving Bacheller
6. Janice Meredith Paul Leicester Ford
7. The Redemption of David Corson Charles Frederic Goss
8. Richard Carvel Winston Churchill
9. When Knighthood Was in Flower Charles Major
10. Alice of Old Vincennes Maurice Thompson

1901

1. The Crisis Winston Churchill.
2. Alice of Old Vincennes Maurice Thompson
3. The Helmet of Navarre Bertha Runkle
4. The Right of Way Gilbert Parker.
5. Eben Holden Irving Bacheller
6. The Visits of Elizabeth Elinor Glyn  I’ve read this…probably about three times, I think, although I usually skim the bit in France. Elinor Glyn was really funny, and people shouldn’t forget that.
7. The Puppet Crown Harold MacGrath
8. Richard Yea-and-Nay Maurice Hewlett I really liked The Little Iliad, so I’ll probably give this a try.
9. Graustark George Barr McCutcheon This should have been awesome, but instead it was really disappointing. Grenfall Lorry is no Rudolf Rassendyll.
   
10. D’ri and I Irving Bacheller

1902

1. The Virginian Owen Wister
2. Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch Alice Caldwell Hegan I’ve taken a look at this book a few times. I don’t think I particularly want to read it.
   
3. Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall Charles Major
4. The Mississippi Bubble Emerson Hough
5. Audrey Mary Johnston
6. The Right of Way Gilbert Parker
7. Project Gutenberg has 2 etexts for this:
   • The Hound of the Baskervilles A. Conan Doyle
   • The Hound of the Baskervilles A. Conan Doyle  Of course I’ve read this one. I’m not sure how many times. Lots. I even quoted it from memory in the final for my tenth grade English class, which was probably not a great move. In the following year’s final, I think I referenced Five Little Peppers Abroad, so…Yeah. That was worse.
8. The Two Vanrevels Booth Tarkington
9. The Blue Flower Henry van Dyke
10. Sir Richard Calmady Lucas Malet

1903

1. Lady Rose’s Daughter Mrs. Humphrey Ward (Mary Augusta Ward?)
2. Gordon Keith Thomas Nelson Page
3. The Pit Frank Norris
4. Lovey Mary Alice Hegan Rice
5. The Virginian Owen Wister
6. Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch Alice Hegan Rice
7. The Mettle of the Pasture James Lane Allen
8. Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son George Horace Lorimer
9. The One Woman Thomas Dixon Jr.
10. The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come John Fox Jr.

1904

1. The Crossing Winston Churchill  I kind of love that Winston Churchill used to be a fixture on the bestseller lists.
2. The Deliverance Ellen Glasgow
3. The Masquerader Katherine Cecil Thurston
4. In The Bishop’s Carriage Miriam Michelson Oh, I love this book. Authors used to use “stout” to describe people who are supposed to be attractive all the time, but this was the only book in which I ever found it convincing.
5. Sir Mortimer Mary Johnston
6. Beverly of Graustark George Barr McCutcheon Yeah, I think we all know I’m not going to read this one.
7. The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come John Fox Jr.
8. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm Kate Douglas Wiggin I would be pretty ashamed of myself if I’d never read this one.
9. My Friend Prospero Henry Harland
10. The Silent Places Stewart Edward White

1905

1. The Marriage of William Ashe Mary Augusta Ward
2. Sandy Alice Hegan Rice
3. The Garden of Allah Robert Hichens
4. The Clansman Thomas Dixon Jr.  This is sort of peripherally on my reading list, in that it’s part of the trilogy that starts with The Leopard’s Spots, which is the book that The Birth of a Nation was based on. And I’ve been meaning to read that for a couple of years now.
5. Nedra George Barr McCutcheon From here on, lets assume that anything by George Barr McCutcheon is not on the reading list.
   
6. The Gambler (not available) Katherine Cecil Thurston
7. The Masquerader anonymous (Katherine Cecil Thurston)
8. The House of Mirth Edith Wharton I found this book totally infuriating when I read it in high school. Everyone is so fickle.
9. The Princess Passes C. N. and A. M. Williamson I am sure I will eventually read this, since I’m by way of being a fan of the Williamsons.
10. Rose o’ the River Kate Douglas Wiggin

1906

1. Coniston Winston Churchill
2. Lady Baltimore Owen Wister
3. The Fighting Chance Robert W. Chambers
4. The House of a Thousand Candles Meredith Nicholson
5. Jane Cable George Barr McCutcheon
6. The Jungle Upton Sinclair  I’ve read excerpts from this, in middle school, I think. We read the description of the sausage factory and then went to the cafeteria for lunch and found that they were serving sausages that day.
7. The Awakening of Helena Richie Margaret Deland
8. The Spoilers Rex Beach
9. The House of Mirth Edith Wharton Die, Lily Bart!
10. The Wheel of Life Ellen Glasgow

1907

1. The Lady of the Decoration Frances Little
2. The Weavers Gilbert Parker
3. The Port of Missing Men Meredith Nicholson
4. The Shuttle Frances Hodgson Burnett
5. The Brass Bowl Louis J. Vance
6. Satan Sanderson (not available) Hallie Erminie Rives That is an extremely intriguing title.
7. The Daughter of Anderson Crow George Barr McCutcheon
8. The Younger Set Robert W. Chambers
9. The Doctor Ralph Connor
10. Half a Rogue Harold MacGrath

1908

Fiction

1. Mr. Crewe’s Career Winston Churchill
2. The Barrier Rex Beach
3. The Trail of the Lonesome Pine John Fox Jr.
4. The Lure of the Mask Harold MacGrath
5. The Shuttle Frances Hodgson Burnett
6. Peter F. Hopkinson Smith
7. Lewis Rand Mary Johnston
8. The Black Bag Louis J. Vance
9. The Man from Brodney’s George Barr McCutcheon
10. The Weavers Gilbert Parker

1909

1. The Inner Shrine Basil King
2. Katrine Elinor Macartney Lane
3. The Silver Horde Rex Beach
4. The Man in Lower Ten Mary Roberts Rinehart
5. The Trail of the Lonesome Pine John Fox Jr.
6. Truxton King George Barr McCutcheon
7. 54-40 or Fight Emerson Hough
8. The Goose Girl Harold MacGrath
9. Peter F. Hopkinson Smith
10. Septimus William J. Locke

1910

1. The Rosary Florence Barclay
2. A Modern Chronicle Winston Churchill
3. The Wild Olive Basil King
4. Max Katherine Cecil Thurston
5. The Kingdom of Slender Swords (not available) Hallie Erminie Rives
6. Simon the Jester William J. Locke
7. Lord Loveland Discovers America (not available) C. N. and A. M. Williamson
8. The Window at the White Cat (not available) Mary Roberts Rinehart
9. Molly Make-Believe Eleanor Abbott
10. When a Man Marries Mary Roberts Rinehart

1911

1. The Broad Highway Jeffrey Farnol I recently read a book by Farnol — The Money Moon — and liked it. I expect this is one of his historical romances.
2. The Prodigal Judge Vaughan Kester
3. The Winning of Barbara Worth Harold Bell Wright
4. Queed Henry Sydnor Harrison
5. The Harvester Gene Stratton Porter
6. The Iron Woman Margaret Deland
7. The Long Roll Mary Johnston
8. Molly Make-Believe Eleanor Abbott  I don’t know why I feel so pleased to see Eleanor Hallowell Abbott among the bestsellers. I mean, this was almost a hundred years ago. But I sort of feel like I’m rooting for her. And I do like the book.
9. The Rosary Florence Barclay
10. The Common Law Robert W. Chambers

1912

1. The Harvester Gene Stratton Porter
2. The Street Called Straight Basil King
3. Their Yesterdays Harold Bell Wright
4. The Melting of Molly Maria Thompson Daviess and another edition
5. A Hoosier Chronicle Meredith Nicholson
6. The Winning of Barbara Worth Harold Bell Wright
7. The Just and the Unjust Vaughan Kester
8. The Net Rex Beach
9. Tante (not available) Anne Douglas Sedgwick
10. Fran J. Breckenridge Ellis

1913

1. The Inside of the Cup Winston Churchill
2. V. V.’s Eyes Henry Sydnor Harrison
3. Laddie Gene Stratton Porter
4. The Judgment House Sir Gilbert Parker
5. Heart of the Hills John Fox Jr.
6. The Amateur Gentleman Jeffrey Farnol
7. The Woman Thou Gavest Me Hall Caine
8. Pollyanna Eleanor H. Porter Far more awesome than people give it credit for being.
9. The Valiants of Virginia (not available) Hallie Erminie Rives Who is this woman, and what does Project Gutenberg have against her?
10. T. Tembarom Frances Hodgson Burnett

1914

1. The Eyes of the World Harold Bell Wright I actually own a copy of this, but I’ve  not yet read it. It does have a nice frontispiece, if I recall correctly.
2. Pollyanna Eleanor H. Porter
3. The Inside of the Cup Winston Churchill
4. The Salamander (not available) Owen Johnson
5. The Fortunate Youth William J. Locke
6. T. Tembarom Frances Hodgson Burnett
7. Penrod Booth Tarkington I’m honestly not exactly sure if I’ve read this. Probably I should make sure.
8. Diane of the Green Van Leona Dalrymple
9. The Devil’s Garden W. B. Maxwell
10. The Prince of Graustark George Barr McCutcheon

1915

1. The Turmoil Booth Tarkington
2. A Far Country Winston Churchill
3. Michael O’Halloran Gene Stratton Porter
4. Pollyanna Grows Up Eleanor H. Porter  I really liked this sequel, and for that reason it brings up bitter memories of Miss Billy.
5. K Mary Roberts Rinehart
6. Jaffery William J. Locke
7. Felix O’Day F. Hopkinson Smith
8. The Harbor (not available) Ernest Poole
9. The Lone Star Ranger Zane Grey
10. Angela’s Business (not available) Henry Sydnor Harrison

1916

1. Seventeen Booth Tarkington
2. When a Man’s a Man Harold Bell Wright
3. Just David Eleanor H. Porter  Read it. Nice, but kind of generic.
4. Mr. Britling Sees It Through H. G. Wells
5. Life and Gabriella Ellen Glasgow
6. The Real Adventure Henry Kitchell Webster
7. The Bars of Iron Ethel M. Dell
8. Nan of Music Mountain (not available) Frank H. Spearman
9. Dear Enemy Jean Webster I love this book, but I cringe when I think about it being really popular in 1916 and loads of people giving credence to the crackpot eugenics stuff.
10. The Heart of Rachael Kathleen Norris

1917

1. Mr. Britling Sees It Through H. G. Wells
2. The Light in the Clearing Irving Bacheller
3. The Red Planet William J. Locke
4. The Road to Understanding (not available) Eleanor H. Porter
5. Wildfire Zane Grey
6. Christine Alice Cholmondeley
7. In the Wilderness Robert S. Hichens
8. His Family Ernest Poole
9. The Definite Object Jeffrey Farnol
10. The Hundredth Chance (not available) Ethel M. Dell