The New York Times Popular Books

The New York Times Biography & Facts

The New York Times (NYT) is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. The New York Times covers domestic, national, and international news, and comprises opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of the longest-running newspapers in the United States, it serves as one of the country's newspapers of record. As of February 2024, the newspaper has a readership of 9.7 million digital-only subscribers and 660,000 print subscribers, making it the second-largest newspaper in the country by print circulation. The Times has received 137 Pulitzer Prizes as of 2023, the most of any publication, among other accolades. The New York Times is published by The New York Times Company; since 1896, the company has been chaired by the Ochs-Sulzberger family, including its current chairman and the paper's publisher, A. G. Sulzberger. The Times is headquartered at The New York Times Building in Manhattan. The Times was founded as the conservative New-York Daily Times in 1851, and came to national recognition in the 1870s with its aggressive coverage of corrupt politician William M. Tweed. Following the Panic of 1893, Chattanooga Times publisher Adolph Ochs gained a controlling interest in the company. In 1935, Ochs was succeeded by his son-in-law, Arthur Hays Sulzberger, who began a push into European news. Sulzberger's son-in-law Arthur Ochs became publisher in 1963, adapting to a changing newspaper industry and introducing radical changes. The New York Times was involved in the landmark 1964 Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, which restricted the ability of public officials to sue the media for defamation. In 1971, The New York Times published the Pentagon Papers, an internal Department of Defense document detailing the United States's historical involvement in the Vietnam War, despite pushback from then-president Richard Nixon. In the landmark decision New York Times Co. v. United States (1971), the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment guaranteed the right to publish the Pentagon Papers. In the 1980s, the Times began a two-decade progression to digital technology and launched nytimes.com in 1996. In the 21st century, The New York Times has shifted online amid the decline of newspapers. The Times has expanded to several other publications, including The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times International Edition, The New York Times Book Review. In addition, the paper has produced several television series, podcasts—including The Daily—and games through The New York Times Games. The New York Times has been involved in several controversies in its history. History 1851–1896 The New York Times was established in 1851 by New-York Tribune journalists Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones. The Times experienced significant circulation, particularly among conservatives; New-York Tribune publisher Horace Greeley praised the New-York Daily Times. During the American Civil War, Times correspondents gathered information directly from Confederate states. In 1869, Jones inherited the paper from Raymond, who had changed its name to The New-York Times. Under Jones, the Times began to publish a series of articles criticizing Tammany Hall political boss William M. Tweed, despite vehement opposition from other New York newspapers. In 1871, The New-York Times published Tammany Hall's accounting books; Tweed was tried in 1873 and sentenced to twelve years in prison. The Times earned national recognition for its coverage of Tweed. In 1891, Jones died, creating a management imbroglio in which his children had insufficient business acumen to inherit the company and his will prevented an acquisition of the Times. Editor-in-chief Charles Ransom Miller, editorial editor Edward Cary, and correspondent George F. Spinney established a company to manage The New-York Times, but faced financial difficulties during the Panic of 1893. 1896–1945 In August 1896, Chattanooga Times publisher Adolph Ochs acquired The New-York Times, implementing significant alterations to the newspaper's structure. Ochs established the Times as a merchant's newspaper and removed the hyphen from the newspaper's name. In 1905, The New York Times opened Times Tower, marking expansion. The Times experienced a political realignment in the 1910s amid several disagreements within the Republican Party. The New York Times reported on the sinking of the Titanic as other newspapers were cautious about bulletins from the Associated Press. Through managing editor Carr Van Anda, the Times focused on scientific advancements, reporting on Albert Einstein's then-unknown theory of general relativity and becoming involved in the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. In April 1935, Ochs died, leaving his son-in-law Arthur Hays Sulzberger as publisher. The Great Depression forced Sulzberger to reduce The New York Times's operations, and developments in the New York newspaper landscape resulted in the formation of larger newspapers, such as the New York Herald Tribune and the New York World-Telegram. In contrast to Ochs, Sulzberger encouraged wirephotography. The New York Times extensively covered World War II through large headlines, reporting on exclusive stories such as the Yugoslav coup d'état. Amid the war, Sulzberger began expanding the Times's operations further, acquiring WQXR-FM in 1944—the first non-Times investment since the Jones era—and established a fashion show in Times Hall. Despite reductions as a result of conscription, The New York Times retained the largest journalism staff of any newspaper. The Times's print edition became available internationally during the war through the Army & Air Force Exchange Service; The New York Times Overseas Weekly later became available in Japan through The Asahi Shimbun and in Germany through the Frankfurter Zeitung. The international edition would develop into a separate newspaper. Journalist William L. Laurence publicized the atomic bomb race between the United States and Germany, resulting in the Federal Bureau of Investigation seizing copies of the Times. The United States government recruited Laurence to document the Manhattan Project in April 1945. Laurence became the only witness of the Manhattan Project, a detail realized by employees of The New York Times following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. 1945–1998 Following World War II, The New York Times continued to expand. The Times was subject to investigations from the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, a McCarthyist subcommittee that investigated purported communism from within press institutions. Arthur Hays Sulzberger's decision to dismiss a copyreader who plead the Fifth Amendment drew ire from within the Times and from external organizations. In April 1961, Sulzberger resigned, appointing his son-in-law, The New York Times Company president Orvil Dryfoos. Under Dryfoos, The New York Times established a newspaper based in Los Angeles. In 1962, the implementation of automat.... Discover the The New York Times popular books. Find the top 100 most popular The New York Times books.

Best Seller The New York Times Books of 2024

  • A Dance with Dragons synopsis, comments

    A Dance with Dragons

    George R.R. Martin

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER   A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE: BOOK FIVE   In the aftermath of a colossal battle, Daenerys Targaryen rules with her three dragons as queen of a c...

  • Sycamore Row synopsis, comments

    Sycamore Row

    John Grisham

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER John Grisham returns to the iconic setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill, as Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a controversial trial that ...

  • Thirteen Reasons Why synopsis, comments

    Thirteen Reasons Why

    Jay Asher

    THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES AND INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERTHE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL, NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES “Eerie, beautiful, and devastating.” Chicago Tribune “A stealthy hit w...

  • American Assassin synopsis, comments

    American Assassin

    Vince Flynn

    In #1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn’s explosive and “captivating” (Glenn Beck) thriller, witness the young Mitch Rapp as he takes on his first assignment.Mitch Rapp...

  • The Paris Wife synopsis, comments

    The Paris Wife

    Paula McLain

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  A deeply evocative novel of ambition and betrayal that captures the love affair between two unforgettable people, Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadl...

  • Never Go Back synopsis, comments

    Never Go Back

    Lee Child

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNever go backbut Jack Reacher does, and the past finally catches up with him. . . . Never Go Back is Lee Child’s new novel of actioncharged suspens...

  • The Woman in the Window synopsis, comments

    The Woman in the Window

    A. J. Finn

    #1 New York Times Bestseller – Soon to be a Major Motion Picture starring Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, and Gary Oldman – Available on Netflix on May 14, 2021“Astoundin...

  • Defending Jacob synopsis, comments

    Defending Jacob

    William Landay

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  NOW AN APPLE TV+ LIMITED SERIES STARRING CHRIS EVANS, MICHELLE DOCKERY, AND JAEDEN MARTELL  “A legal thriller that’s comparable to classic...

  • Rogue Lawyer synopsis, comments

    Rogue Lawyer

    John Grisham

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Featuring one of John Grisham’s most colorful, outrageous, and vividly drawn characters yet, Rogue Lawyer showcases the master of the legal thriller a...

  • A Game of Thrones synopsis, comments

    A Game of Thrones

    George R.R. Martin

    NOW THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONESTHE MASTERPIECE THAT BECAME A CULTURAL PHENOMENON Winter is coming. Such is the stern motto of House Stark, the northernmost o...

  • Personal synopsis, comments

    Personal

    Lee Child

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  Jack Reacher returns in another fastmoving, actionpacked, suspenseful book from Lee Child.   You can leave the army, but the ...

  • Dragonfly in Amber synopsis, comments

    Dragonfly in Amber

    Diana Gabaldon

    BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Diana Gabaldon's Voyager. From the author of Outlander... a magnificent epic that once again sweeps us back in time to the drama and p...

  • The Light Between Oceans synopsis, comments

    The Light Between Oceans

    M.L. Stedman

    The yearslong New York Times bestseller and major motion picture from Spielberg’s Dreamworks is “irresistible…seductive…with a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the fir...

  • A Feast for Crows synopsis, comments

    A Feast for Crows

    George R.R. Martin

    THE BOOK BEHIND THE FOURTH SEASON OF THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONESFew books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everyw...

  • It Starts with Us synopsis, comments

    It Starts with Us

    Colleen Hoover

    Before It Ends with Us, it started with Atlas. Colleen Hoover tells fan favorite Atlas’s side of the story and shares what comes next in this longanticipated sequel to the “gloriou...

  • The Litigators synopsis, comments

    The Litigators

    John Grisham

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER After leaving a fasttrack legal career and going on a serious bender, David Zinc is sober, unemployed, and desperate enough to take a job at Finley &a...

  • All the Light We Cannot See synopsis, comments

    All the Light We Cannot See

    Anthony Doerr

    COMING IN NOVEMBER AS A NETFLIX LIMITED SERIESfrom producer and director Shawn Levy (Stranger Things) starring Mark Ruffalo, Hugh Laurie, and newcomer Aria Mia LobertiWinner of the...

  • Origin synopsis, comments

    Origin

    Dan Brown

    #1 WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER  "Dr. Langdon is once again wrapped up in a globalscale event that could have massive ramifications on the world’s religions. As he does in all hi...

  • The Glass Castle synopsis, comments

    The Glass Castle

    Jeannette Walls

    THE BELOVED #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFROM THE AUTHOR OF HANG THE MOONThe extraordinary, oneofakind, “nothing short of spectacular” (Entertainment Weekly) memoir from one of the ...

  • Midnight Sun synopsis, comments

    Midnight Sun

    Stephenie Meyer

    #1 bestselling author Stephenie Meyer makes a triumphant return to the world of Twilight with this highly anticipated companion: the iconic love story of Bella and Edward told from...

  • The Way of Kings synopsis, comments

    The Way of Kings

    Brandon Sanderson

    From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, Book One of the Stormlight Archive begins an incredible new saga of epic proportion.Roshar is a world...

  • The Power of Habit synopsis, comments

    The Power of Habit

    Charles Duhigg

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER This instant classic explores how we can change our lives by changing our habits.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Wall Street Journal Fina...

  • The Great Alone synopsis, comments

    The Great Alone

    Kristin Hannah

    In Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone, a desperate family seeks a new beginning in the nearisolated wilderness of Alaska only to find that their unpredictable environment is less thr...

  • Room synopsis, comments

    Room

    Emma Donoghue

    The awardwinning bestseller that became one of the most talked about and memorable novels of the decade, Room is "utterly gripping...a heartstopping novel" (San Francisco Chronicle...

  • Beautiful Disaster synopsis, comments

    Beautiful Disaster

    Jamie McGuire

    Now a major motion picture! The “deliciously intense” (USA TODAY) New York Times bestselling phenomenon follows a good girl drawn to a very bad boy...The new Abby Abernathy is a go...

  • Outlander synopsis, comments

    Outlander

    Diana Gabaldon

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NOW A STARZ ORIGINAL SERIES Unrivaled storytelling. Unforgettable characters. Rich historical detail. These are the hallmarks of Diana Gabaldon’s...

  • New Moon synopsis, comments

    New Moon

    Stephenie Meyer

    From evil vampires to a mysterious pack of wolves, new threats of danger and vengeance test Bella and Edward's romance in the second book of the irresistible Twilight saga.For Bell...

  • A Clash of Kings synopsis, comments

    A Clash of Kings

    George R.R. Martin

    THE BOOK BEHIND THE SECOND SEASON OF GAME OF THRONES, AN ORIGINAL SERIES NOW ON HBO. A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE: BOOK TWO   In this thrilling sequel to A Game of Thrones, Geo...

  • Before We Were Yours synopsis, comments

    Before We Were Yours

    Lisa Wingate

    THE BLOCKBUSTER HITOver two million copies sold! A New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly Bestseller“Poignant, engrossing.”People “Lisa Wingate take...

  • The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up synopsis, comments

    The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

    Marie Kondo

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The book that sparked a revolution and inspired the hit Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo: the original guide to decluttering ...

  • The Last Man synopsis, comments

    The Last Man

    Vince Flynn

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn “has never been better” (The Providence Journal) in this highoctane thriller following Mitch Rapp as he searches for a missing CIA ...

  • Twilight synopsis, comments

    Twilight

    Stephenie Meyer

    Fall in love with the addictive, suspenseful love story between a teenage girl and a vampire with the book that sparked a "literary phenomenon" and redefined romance for a generati...

  • Educated synopsis, comments

    Educated

    Tara Westover

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, AND BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER  One of the most acclaimed books of our time: an unforgettable memoir about a young woman who, kept ou...

  • Free Fall synopsis, comments

    Free Fall

    Brad Thor

    The prelude to Hidden Order, Brad Thor's riveting and pulsepounding Scot Harvath thriller.Experience the suspense and thrills only Brad Thor can write in Free Fall, the shocking pr...

  • A Storm of Swords synopsis, comments

    A Storm of Swords

    George R.R. Martin

    THE BOOK BEHIND THE THIRD SEASON OF GAME OF THRONES, AN ORIGINAL SERIES NOW ON HBO.Here is the third volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes ...

  • A Gentleman in Moscow synopsis, comments

    A Gentleman in Moscow

    Amor Towles

    The megabestseller with more than 2 million readers, soon to be a Showtime/Paramount series starring Ewan McGregor as Count Alexander RostovFrom the #1 New York Timesbestselling au...

  • The Nightingale synopsis, comments

    The Nightingale

    Kristin Hannah

    A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICKA #1 New York Times bestseller, Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year, and soon to be a major motion picture, this unforgettable novel of love and stren...

  • Lessons in Chemistry synopsis, comments

    Lessons in Chemistry

    Bonnie Garmus

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER GMA BOOK CLUB PICK Meet Elizabeth Zott: “a gifted research chemist, absurdly selfassured and immune to social convention” (The Washington Post) in 19...

  • Gray Mountain synopsis, comments

    Gray Mountain

    John Grisham

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  John Grisham has a new hero ... and she’s full of surprises.   The year is 2008 and Samantha Kofer’s career at a huge Wall Street ...

  • Dark Places synopsis, comments

    Dark Places

    Gillian Flynn

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl, and the basis for the major motion picture starring Charlize TheronLibby Day was seven when h...

  • Looking for Alaska synopsis, comments

    Looking for Alaska

    John Green

    The awardwinning, genredefining debut from John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our StarsWinner of the Michael L. Printz Award&#...

  • The Girl on the Train synopsis, comments

    The Girl on the Train

    Paula Hawkins

    The #1 New York Times bestseller, USA Today Book of the Year and now a major motion picture starring Emily Blunt. Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night....

  • Camino Island synopsis, comments

    Camino Island

    John Grisham

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  “A delightfully lighthearted caper . . . [a] fastmoving, entertaining tale.”Pittsburgh PostGazette A gang of thieves stage a daring heist from a ...

  • Breaking Dawn synopsis, comments

    Breaking Dawn

    Stephenie Meyer

    In the explosive finale to the epic romantic saga, Bella has one final choice to make. Should she stay mortal and strengthen her connection to the werewolves, or leave it all behin...

  • The Affair synopsis, comments

    The Affair

    Lee Child

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLEREverything starts somewhere. For elite military cop Jack Reacher, that somewhere was Carter Crossing, Mississippi, way back in 1997.  A lonely r...

  • Kill Shot synopsis, comments

    Kill Shot

    Vince Flynn

    #1 internationally bestselling author Vince Flynn delivers the young, hungry, and lethal Mitch Rapp at the onset of his career as a CIA superagent.In the year since the CIA trained...

  • Small Great Things synopsis, comments

    Small Great Things

    Jodi Picoult

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER With richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race, ...

  • The Racketeer synopsis, comments

    The Racketeer

    John Grisham

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “The Racketeer is guilty of only one thing: keeping us engaged until the very last page.”USA Today In the history of the United States, only four act...

  • Confess synopsis, comments

    Confess

    Colleen Hoover

    From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Starts with Us and It Ends with Us, a novel about risking everything for loveand finding your heart somewhere between the truth...