Skip to main content

NYTimes Best Sellers: Paperback Nonfiction

Authoritatively ranked lists of books sold in the United States.

Most links below are to print books; check Overdrive for eBooks. Book covers provided by Syndetics depending on availability.

Find ON TYRANNY in LINKcat

#1 116 weeks on the list
 

On Tyranny

by Timothy Snyder | Crown

Twenty lessons from the 20th century about the course of tyranny.


Find THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE in LINKcat

#2 337 weeks on the list
 

The Body Keeps the Score

by Bessel van der Kolk | Penguin

How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.


Find DISSOLVING ILLUSIONS in LINKcat

#3 2 weeks on the list
 

Dissolving Illusions

by Suzanne Humphries and Roman strianyk | Suzanne Humphries and Roman Bystrianyk

Humphries and Bystrianyk argue that medical interventions might not increase lifespans or prevent premature deaths.


Find THE WAGER in LINKcat

#4 6 weeks on the list
 

The Wager

by David Grann | Vintage

The survivors of a shipwrecked British vessel on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain have different accounts of events.


Find CHAOS in LINKcat

#5 34 weeks on the list
 

Chaos

by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring | Back Bay

A reassessment of events surrounding the murders committed by Charles Manson’s followers.


Find THE BACKYARD BIRD CHRONICLES in LINKcat

#6 44 weeks on the list
 

The Backyard Bird Chronicles

by Amy Tan | Knopf

Essays and drawings by the author of “The Joy Luck Club” and “The Bonesetter's Daughter,” which depict a search for peace through birding.


Find BRAIDING SWEETGRASS in LINKcat

#7 260 weeks on the list
 

Braiding Sweetgrass

by Robin Wall Kimmerer | Milkweed Editions

A botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation espouses having an understanding and appreciation of plants and animals.


Find HOW FASCISM WORKS in LINKcat

#8 New this week
 

How Fascism Works

by Jason Stanley | Random House

An exploration of 10 pillars of fascist politics and the ways democratic societies might be susceptible to fascism.


Find THE COMING WAVE in LINKcat

#9 New this week
 

The Coming Wave

by Mustafa Suleyman with Michael Bhaskar | Crown

A founder of the A.I. company DeepMind posits how new technology might affect the global order and our daily lives.


Find GREENLIGHTS in LINKcat

#10 21 weeks on the list
 

Greenlights

by Matthew McConaughey | Crown

The Academy Award-winning actor shares snippets from the diaries he kept over 35 years.


Find THINKING, FAST AND SLOW in LINKcat

#11 422 weeks on the list
 

Thinking, Fast and Slow

by Daniel Kahneman | Farrar, Straus and Giroux

When we can and cannot trust our intuitions in making business and personal decisions.


Find BECOMING EARTH in LINKcat

#12 New this week
 

Becoming Earth

by Ferris Jabr | Random House

A contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine depicts the interconnected living system of our planet and its inhabitants.


Find SIGNS in LINKcat

#13 5 weeks on the list
 

Signs

by Laura Lynne Jackson | Dial

A medium details potential ways the deceased may speak to us through everyday events.


Find FOUR RED SWEATERS in LINKcat

#14 3 weeks on the list
 

Four Red Sweaters

by Lucy Adlington | Harper

The author of “The Dressmakers of Auschwitz” portrays how four Jewish girls during the Holocaust all had sweaters that affected their lives.


Find ALL ABOUT LOVE in LINKcat

#15 147 weeks on the list
 

All About Love

by bell hooks | Morrow

The late feminist icon explores the causes of a polarized society and the meaning of love.