List of The New York Times number-one books of 1931

This is a list of books that topped The New York Times best-seller list in 1931.

This was the first year that the list was published, though it was not yet a national list. Throughout the 1930s the list reflected sales in the New York City area.[1]

Fiction

The following list ranks the number-one best-selling fiction books.[2]

Date	Book	Author
October 12	The Ten Commandments	Warwick Deeping
October 19	No List Published
October 26
November 2
November 9
November 16	Maid in Waiting	John Galsworthy
November 23	No List Published
November 30	Maid in Waiting	John Galsworthy
December 7
December 14
December 21
December 28

Nonfiction

The following list ranks the number-one best-selling nonfiction books.[3]

Date	Book	Author
October 12	Ellen Terry and Bernard Shaw: A Correspondence	Ellen Terry and Bernard Shaw
October 19	No List Published
October 26
November 2
November 9
November 16	Ellen Terry and Bernard Shaw: A Correspondence	Ellen Terry and Bernard Shaw
November 23	No List Published
November 30	Washington Merry-Go-Round	Anonymous. (Drew Pearson and Robert S. Allen .)
December 7	Bernard Shaw	Frank Harris
December 14	The Epic of America	James Truslow Adams
December 21	Mourning Becomes Electra	Eugene O'Neill
December 28	The Epic of America	James Truslow Adams

See also

• Publishers Weekly list of bestselling novels in the United States in the 1930s

References

1. Miller, Laura J. (2000). "The Best-Seller List as Marketing Tool and Historical Fiction". In Ezra Greenspan (ed.). Book History. Vol. Three. Penn State University Press. pp. 286–304. ISBN 0271020504.
2. Adult New York Times Best Seller Lists for 1931
3. Adult New York Times Best Seller Lists for 1931