The Sunday Times Celebrates Milestone with List of 100 Bestselling Books in the UK Over the Last 50 Years

To mark its anniversary, The Sunday Times has compiled a list of the 100 most-read books in the UK over the past half-century. The ranking was determined by the number of weeks each book remained on the bestseller list. For instance, the book that secured the top spot spent an impressive 264 weeks on the list.

Among the other top entries are John Gray's Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus and Delia Smith's Delia's Complete Cookery Course, both of which have had a significant cultural impact beyond the book market.

As noted by the publication, this carefully curated list not only highlights literary giants but also reflects the evolution of British society, from the growing interest in self-help and science to the deep appreciation of culinary arts and humour. The selection of books provides insight into how literary tastes have shifted over the years.

Here are some of the books from the list that have been published in Ukrainian translation:

• A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking — 1st place
• Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray — 2nd place
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari — 10th place
• A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle — 13th place
• This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay — 14th place
• Atomic Habits by James Clear — 16th place
• The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend — 17th place
• The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman — 19th place
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown — 21st place
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling — 23rd place
• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins — 24th place
• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson — 32nd place
• A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen — 35th place
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer — 42nd place
• Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith — 44th place
• Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding — 46th place
• Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith — 49th place
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus — 53rd place
• Angels and Demons by Dan Brown — 56th place
• The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy — 88th place
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig — 91st place
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel — 100th place

The full list can be viewed [here].