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Best Sellers

Hardcover Nonfiction

Week of August 6, 1978

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Archive Gap

The New York Times Strike of 1978

The New York Times did not publish for 88 days after its unions walked out on August 9, 1978. The paper resumed on November 5, 1978. No bestseller lists were produced during this period — the gap in the archive reflects the gap in the paper itself.

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1
NEW
IF LIFE IS A BOWL OF CHERRIES --WHAT AM I DOING IN THE PITS?
Erma Bombeck
Cover of IF LIFE IS A BOWL OF CHERRIES --WHAT AM I DOING IN THE PITS?

IF LIFE IS A BOWL OF CHERRIES --WHAT AM I DOING IN THE PITS?

by Erma Bombeck · McGraw-Hill

The hilarious #1 New York Times bestseller: Erma Bombeck's take on marriage and family life is "fun from cover to cover" ( Hartford Courant). Ever since she was a child, Er ma Bombeck has been an expert worrier, and married life has only honed that skill. She gets anxious about running out of ball bearings; about snakes sneaking in through the pipes; about making meaningful conversation on New Year's Eve. Married life, she realizes, is an unpredictable saga even when you know exactly how loud your husband snores every night—and she wouldn't have it any other way. In this crisp collection of essays, Bombeck shows off the irresistible style that made her one of America's favorite humorists for more than three decades. When she sharpens her wit, no family member is sacred and no self-help fad is safe. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erma Bombeck including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate.

5
1
PULLING YOUR OWN STRINGS
Wayne W. Dyer
Cover of PULLING YOUR OWN STRINGS

PULLING YOUR OWN STRINGS

by Wayne W. Dyer · Funk and Wagnalls

13 wks on list

Dynamic techniques for confidently enjoying your life, your way, without being manipulated.

6
NEW
GNOMES, text by Wil Huygen
Rien Poortvliet
Cover of GNOMES, text by Wil Huygen

GNOMES, text by Wil Huygen

by Rien Poortvliet · Harry N. Abrams

Featuring candid photographs of garden gnomes, this charming follow-up to the "The Secret Lives of Gnomes" offers detailed information about the various customs that gnomes hold during Christmastime. Full color.

12
1
THE AMITYVILLE HORROR
Jay Anson
Cover of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR

by Jay Anson · Prentice-Hall

40 wks on list

“A fascinating and frightening book” (Los Angeles Times)—the bestselling true story about a house possessed by evil spirits, haunted by psychic phenomena almost too terrible to describe. In December 1975, the Lutz family moved into their new home on suburban Long Island. George and Kathleen Lutz knew that, one year earlier, Ronald DeFeo had murdered his parents, brothers, and sisters in the house, but the property—complete with boathouse and swimming pool—and the price had been too good to pass up. Twenty-eight days later, the entire Lutz family fled in terror. This is the spellbinding, shocking true story that gripped the nation about an American dream that turned into a nightmare beyond imagining—“this book will scare the hell out of you” (Kansas City Star).

13
2
ALL THINGS WISE AND WONDERFUL
James Herriot
Cover of ALL THINGS WISE AND WONDERFUL

ALL THINGS WISE AND WONDERFUL

by James Herriot · St. Martin's Press

49 wks on list

James Herriot is probably the most beloved living writer. When All Things Bright and Beautiful was published three years ago, it became the number one best seller in the world, winning still new friends for the Yorkshire veterinarian whose first book All Creatures Great and Small had already been enjoyed by millions of readers. In this, his third book, he takes up where he left off-- both in terms of the warmth, humor, and skill with which he writes, and in the story itself. It is World War Two and James has just been inducted into the RAF. We see him at training camp and we go back to Yorkshire-- on real trips as he breaks away to see Helen who is about to have a baby, and on trips of reverie as he recalls the Dales, the animals, and the Yorkshire people who have so enriched his life. We meet old friends again-- his partner Siegfried, the zany Tristan, the bon vivant Granville Bennett-- and scores of new folk, each with a story to tell. James Herriot is back, and, as one reviewer said of his work, "If ever you have loved a friend, human or otherwise, this is the book for you."

15
1
THE WOMAN DOCTOR'S DIET FOR WOMEN
Barbara Edelstein, M.D
Cover of THE WOMAN DOCTOR'S DIET FOR WOMEN

THE WOMAN DOCTOR'S DIET FOR WOMEN

by Barbara Edelstein, M.D · Prentice-Hall

3 wks on list

"You can be a successful dieter at any stage in your life!" Only a woman doctor with years of success counseling overweight women could make this extraordinary guarantee. Barbara Edelstein, M.D., with feminine sympathy and understanding, explains: * Why women have more trouble losing weight than men * How hormonal and muscular makeup affect weight * How changing body chemistry and emotional attitudes can help you get slim * How diet dodgers can become weight-loss winners * How diet can improve hair, skin, and sexual performance

Historical bestseller data sourced from the New York Times Book Review, archived by Hawes Publications.