The 25 best books of the 1970s
The 25 highest-ranked books first published in the 1970s in our ranking of 2,819, scored on how much readers love them, their prize, best-list and bestseller record, and current buzz. We rank 131 books of the 1970s in all. How we rank
- 1
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York91.2Must-Read ScoreThe Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
It won the Pulitzer Prize and is on the Modern Library's list of the best nonfiction ever written.
- 2
Roots89.5Must-Read ScoreRoots
It changed how America thought about slavery and family history, and the 1977 TV series became one of the most-watched broadcasts in history.
- 3
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid88.9Must-Read ScoreGödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
It's one of the most original books ever written, a playful, mind-bending work that won the Pulitzer Prize and has inspired generations of scientists and thinkers.
- 4
The Stand86.5Must-Read ScoreThe Stand
It's Stephen King's epic, and many fans' favorite of his books: a sprawling, gripping story of the end of the world and the ordinary people who rebuild it.
- 5
The Right Stuff86.2Must-Read ScoreThe Right Stuff
It's exhilarating, funny and full of swagger, written in Wolfe's dazzling, rule-breaking style, and it won the National Book Award.
- 6
The Stories of John Cheever86.2Must-Read ScoreThe Stories of John Cheever
It won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award and the NBCC Award, and the stories are as funny, sad and surprising as when they were written.
- 7
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West86.1Must-Read ScoreBury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list in 1971 and changed how Americans understood the West.
- 8
The Dispossessed85.9Must-Read ScoreThe Dispossessed
It's a thoughtful, humane novel of ideas about freedom, society and what makes a good life, and it won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.
- 9
Sophie's Choice85.6Must-Read ScoreSophie's Choice
It's a powerful, ambitious novel about guilt, memory and the Holocaust, and it won the National Book Award.
- 10
Angle of Repose85.3Must-Read ScoreAngle of Repose
It's a quietly magnificent novel about the American West, marriage and the gap between generations, and it won the Pulitzer Prize.
- 11
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt85.1Must-Read ScoreThe Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
It won the Pulitzer Prize and is on the Modern Library's list of the best nonfiction ever written.
- 12
The Day of the Jackal85.0Must-Read ScoreThe Day of the Jackal
It's the template for the modern thriller: precise, procedural and almost unbearably tense, even though you know de Gaulle survived.
- 13
The Winds of War84.8Must-Read ScoreThe Winds of War
It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list and became a famous TV miniseries.
- 14The Killer Angels83.9Must-Read Score
The Killer Angels
It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
- 15Song of Solomon83.7Must-Read Score
Song of Solomon
It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and is on the Guardian's list of the 100 best novels in English.
- 16
Shōgun83.5Must-Read ScoreShōgun
It was a pick on the BBC's Big Read, has sold millions of copies and has been adapted twice, most recently as an Emmy-winning FX series.
- 17
Working83.5Must-Read ScoreWorking
It's on the Modern Library list of the best nonfiction and became a Broadway musical.
- 18The Shining83.2Must-Read Score
The Shining
It's one of the most famous horror novels ever written and one of Stephen King's best.
- 19
The Thorn Birds83.2Must-Read ScoreThe Thorn Birds
It's one of the best-selling novels ever, around 33 million copies, a #1 New York Times bestseller for months, and a pick on the BBC's Big Read.
- 20The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor83.2Must-Read Score
The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor
It won the National Book Award after O'Connor's death at thirty-nine, and is among the most important story collections in American literature.
- 21Orientalism82.8Must-Read Score
Orientalism
It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books and the Guardian's 100 best nonfiction books of all time.
- 22
Dispatches82.6Must-Read ScoreDispatches
It's on the Guardian's list of the best nonfiction of all time and is often called the best book about the Vietnam War.
- 23
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy82.6Must-Read ScoreThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
It was a pick on both the BBC's Big Read and the PBS Great American Read, and is one of the funniest books ever written.
- 24
All Things Wise and Wonderful81.9Must-Read ScoreAll Things Wise and Wonderful
It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list.
- 25
The Selfish Gene81.9Must-Read ScoreThe Selfish Gene
It's on the Guardian's list of the best nonfiction of all time.