Library News
1964 WORLD ALMANAC BESTSELLERS
Posted on October 30th, 2014
If you are looking for more 60’s bestselling fiction, here they are: from the romantic adventure in “The Explorer,” to the political drama of the first black President in “The Man,” and the sexy exploits of a female student’s tell-all, “Candy.” There’s something for everyone!
1964 WORLD ALMANAC —Best Selling Fiction—
1. The Rector of Justin by Louis Auchincloss / Drama / PS3501.U25 R4x
Frank Prescott’s life—the founder of prestigious Episcopal school for boys—is told through the eyes of six interweaving points of view, chronicling the 80-year evolution of the man; his successes, failings, virtues, and his crisis in faith.
2. You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming / Spy PR6056.L4 Y68 1964x
Bond is taken (shaken, but not stirred) to the exotic Orient, Dr. Shatterhands & his suicide gardens, as well as the lovely, enticing, and delightful Kissy Suzuki.
3. Herzog by Saul Bellow / Drama / PS3503.E4488 H5x
The story of a tragically confused intellectual, Moses E. Herzog, who sends out a series of letters to all kinds of people after suffering from a sort of midlife crisis: The letters are thoughtful ruminations on the break-up of his second marriage; growing up Jewish; and the perceived general failure of his life.
4. Hurry Sundown by K.B. Gilden / Drama / PS3557.I3427 H8x
With its themes of race, gender and inequality, this story centers on black and white Southern sharecroppers. Although a popular bestseller–it quickly garnered the husband and wife co-writing team of Katya and Bert Gilden movie rights to their book–critics panned the 1100 page book. The 1967 movie version stars Michael Caine and a saxophone-playing Jane Fonda, directed by Otto Preminger.
5. Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman /
Drama / PS3561.A83x U6
An optimistic and idealistic first-year teacher in a large metropolitan high school is beset by red-tape, inadequate facilities and memorable students.
6. The Explorer by Frances Parkinson Keyes / Adventure drama / PS3521.E86 E9x
Adventurer Nicolas Hale needs a son to inherit his name and carry on his life’s work on a lost city in the Andes. When he marries a woman he deems suitable to mother his child, Margaret 
Porterfield, she soon finds herself left behind and never able share in his passionate life’s work…
7. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carre / Spy thriller / PR6062.E33 S64x 1964
English spy Leamas is put on the shelf and now a paid defector in order to find out how Mundt, a double-agent in Germany, is able to dispose of so many English agents. In the process, Leamas finds himself attracted to a Communist woman. A whole host of victims, belligerence and revenge ensues…
8. The Horse Knows the Way by John O’Hara / Short Stories / PS3529.H29 H67 1964x
“The latest volume of 28 short stories in O’Hara’s Comedie Humaine, from one the most penetrating observers of the contemporary scene. So much sheer life, so many stunning portraits, so much shrewdness and raw power” (from the critics, back in the day…).
9. Candy by Terry Southern / Sex / (I-Share)
All about Candy’s thesis which is based on her experiences: “to give of one’s self…is a thrilling privilege.” Simultaneously described, back in 1964, as pornography, burlesque, farce, satire… and just plain funny. Candy’s “no, no” to a psychiatrist, a hunchback, a yogi…just might mean “yes, yes.”
10. This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart / Suspense / (I-Share)
Lucy Waring is on holiday in the Greek Island of Corfu–believed to be the real scene of the Tempest–with her married sister. The two sisters stumble upon a goofy Shakespearean actor (with handsome son in tow), a beached dolphin, Albanian money smugglers, and wild motorcycle rides.
11. Armageddon: A novel of Berlin by Leon Uris / War / PS3541.R46 A8x
After World War II, Sean O’Sullivan—who hates Germans—of course, falls in love with a German girl while the Russians and the Americans clash over Berlin.
12. Julian by Gore Vidal / Historical Fiction / PS3543.I26 J8x 1964
The story of Julian, the short-lived but brilliant Roman emperor and philosopher who dedicated himself to the restoration of Hellenism whilst attempting to halt the spread of Christianity.
13. The Man / by Irving Wallace / American Politics / PS3573.A426 M3x
It’s 1964 in the Cabinet Room of the White House where an unexpected accident has made Douglass Dilman the first Black President of the United States. Amid domestic and international scandals, violence, dissension and hostility, President Dilman must shoulder the burdens of his office, his race, and his private life—all in the harsh glare of publicity. Sound familiar?
