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Best Books of the Decade: 1950's
The best books published during the 1950's decade (1950 - 1959)}.

1
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
by J.R.R. Tolkien 42 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 4162
vote
2
Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web
by E.B. White, Garth Williams (Illustrator) 39 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 3820
vote
3
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C.S. Lewis 32 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 3139
vote
4
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
by William Golding 32 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 3117
vote
5
Night
Night
by Elie Wiesel 21 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 2072
vote
6
Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury 21 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1991
vote
7
Lolita
Lolita
by Vladimir Nabokov, Craig Raine (Afterword) 19 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1883
vote
8
A Separate Peace
A Separate Peace
by John Knowles 15 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1480
vote
9
East of Eden
East of Eden
by John Steinbeck 15 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1449
vote
10
The Martian Chronicles
The Martian Chronicles
by Ray Bradbury 15 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1440
vote
11
Invisible Man
Invisible Man
by Ralph Ellison 14 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1378
vote
12
On the Road
On the Road
by Jack Kerouac 13 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1272
vote
13
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger 13 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1271
vote
14
Foundation
Foundation
by Isaac Asimov 11 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1063
vote
15
The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King
by T.H. White 11 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1044
vote
16
The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House
by Shirley Jackson 11 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1021
vote
17
The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea
by Ernest Hemingway 10 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 962
vote
18
I Am Legend
I Am Legend
by Richard Matheson 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 872
vote
19
My Family and Other Animals
My Family and Other Animals
by Gerald Durrell 8 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 753
vote
20
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Talented Mr. Ripley
by Patricia Highsmith 8 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 745
vote
21
Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 683
vote
22
Exodus
Exodus
by Leon Uris 6 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 585
vote
23
Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers
by Robert A. Heinlein, James Warhola (illustrator) 6 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 578
vote
24
The Foundation Trilogy
The Foundation Trilogy
by Isaac Asimov 6 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 563
vote
25
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Breakfast at Tiffany's
by Truman Capote 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 473
vote
26
The End of the Affair
The End of the Affair
by Graham Greene 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 465
vote
27
The Quiet American
The Quiet American
by Graham Greene 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 441
vote
28
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia
by C.S. Lewis 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 385
vote
29
The Daughter of Time
The Daughter of Time
by Josephine Tey 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 381
vote
30
Escape From Colditz
Escape From Colditz
by P. R. Reid 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 374
vote
31
Bonjour Tristesse
Bonjour Tristesse
by Françoise Sagan 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 370
vote
32
I, Robot
I, Robot
by Isaac Asimov 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 357
vote
33
Katherine
Katherine
by Anya Seton 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 289
vote
34
The October Country
The October Country
by Ray Bradbury 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 285
vote
35
The King Must Die: A Novel
The King Must Die: A Novel
by Mary Renault 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 282
vote
35
The Assistant: A Novel
The Assistant: A Novel
by Bernard Malamud, Jonathan Rosen (Introduction) 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 282
vote
37
The Grand Sophy
The Grand Sophy
by Georgette Heyer 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 277
vote
38
The Sirens of Titan
The Sirens of Titan
by Kurt Vonnegut 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 276
vote
39
The Fall
The Fall
by Albert Camus 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 275
vote
40
Doctor Zhivago
Doctor Zhivago
by Boris Pasternak 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 271
vote
41
Cotillion
Cotillion
by Georgette Heyer 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 266
vote
42
Waiting for Godot: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts
Waiting for Godot: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts
by Samuel Beckett 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 260
vote
43
The Stars My Destination
The Stars My Destination
by Alfred Bester 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 198
vote
44
Gormenghast
Gormenghast
by Mervyn Peake 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 195
vote
45
The Floating Opera
The Floating Opera
by John Barth 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 193
vote
45
The Thirty Years War
The Thirty Years War
by C.V. Wedgwood 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 193
vote
47
The Broken Sword
The Broken Sword
by Poul Anderson 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 191
vote
47
The Caine Mutiny
The Caine Mutiny
by Herman Wouk 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 191
vote
47
The Leopard
The Leopard
by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 191
vote
50
The Sundial
The Sundial
by Shirley Jackson 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 185
vote
51
David and the Phoenix
David and the Phoenix
by Edward Ormondroyd 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 184
vote
51
The 13 Clocks
The 13 Clocks
by James Thurber 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 184
vote
53
Pnin
Pnin
by Vladimir Nabokov 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 180
vote
54
Speak, Memory
Speak, Memory
by Vladimir Nabokov 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 176
vote
55
A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories
A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories
by Flannery O'Connor 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 171
vote
56
Bath Tangle
Bath Tangle
by Georgette Heyer 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 166
vote
57
Three Plays: Our Town, The Skin of Our Teeth, and The Matchmaker
Three Plays: Our Town, The Skin of Our Teeth, a...
by Thornton Wilder 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 160
vote
58
Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged
by Ayn Rand 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
58
Franny and Zooey
Franny and Zooey
by J.D. Salinger 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
58
Moominland Midwinter
Moominland Midwinter
by Tove Jansson 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
58
Please Don't Eat the Daisies
Please Don't Eat the Daisies
by Jean Kerr 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
58
The Palm-wine Drinkard
The Palm-wine Drinkard
by Amos Tutuola 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
63
The Adventures of Augie March
The Adventures of Augie March
by Saul Bellow 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 99
vote
63
Hollywood Babylon
Hollywood Babylon
by Kenneth Anger 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 99
vote
65
Krapp's Last Tape
Krapp's Last Tape
by Samuel Beckett 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 98
vote
66
Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold
Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold
by C.S. Lewis 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 97
vote
66
Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids
Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids
by Kenzaburo Oë 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 97
vote
66
Divine Horsemen: Living Gods of Haiti
Divine Horsemen: Living Gods of Haiti
by Maya Deren 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 97
vote
69
Train to Pakistan
Train to Pakistan
by Khushwant Singh 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 96
vote
69
Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice
by Rosamunde Pilcher 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 96
vote
71
Raising Demons
Raising Demons
by Shirley Jackson 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 95
vote
71
Time Out of Joint
Time Out of Joint
by Philip K. Dick 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 95
vote
71
Memoirs of Hadrian
Memoirs of Hadrian
by Marguerite Yourcenar 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 95
vote
74
The Beetle Leg
The Beetle Leg
by John Hawkes 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 94
vote
74
Little Bear
Little Bear
by Else Holmelund Minarik, Maurice Sendak 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 94
vote
76
Inherit the Wind
Inherit the Wind
by Jerome Lawrence, Robert Edwin Lee 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 93
vote
77
Sweet Thursday
Sweet Thursday
by John Steinbeck 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 92
vote
77
A Child's Christmas in Wales
A Child's Christmas in Wales
by Dylan Thomas, Trina Schart Hyman 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 92
vote
79
The Dying Earth
The Dying Earth
by Jack Vance 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 91
vote
79
Zama
Zama
by Antonio Di Benedetto 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 91
vote
81
A Bear Called Paddington
A Bear Called Paddington
by Michael Bond, Peggy Fortnum (Illustrator) 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 90
vote
82
Henderson the Rain King
Henderson the Rain King
by Saul Bellow 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 89
vote
82
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Harold and the Purple Crayon
by Crockett Johnson 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 89
vote
84
Advise and Consent
Advise and Consent
by Allen Drury 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 88
vote
85
Claro Enigma
Claro Enigma
by Carlos Drummond de Andrade 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 87
vote
85
Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories
Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories
by Philip Roth 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 87
vote
85
The Borrowers
The Borrowers
by Mary Norton 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 87
vote
88
Our Man In Havana
Our Man In Havana
by Graham Greene 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 86
vote
88
Five Dolls in a House
Five Dolls in a House
by Helen Clare 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 86
vote
90
Los reyes malditos I: El rey de hierro
Los reyes malditos I: El rey de hierro
by Maurice Druon 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 85
vote
90
The Wapshot Chronicle
The Wapshot Chronicle
by John Cheever 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 85
vote
92
Los Reyes Malditos IV: La Ley De Los Varones
Los Reyes Malditos IV: La Ley De Los Varones
by Maurice Druon 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 84
vote
92
The Scapegoat
The Scapegoat
by Daphne du Maurier 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 84
vote
94
The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell
The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell
by Aldous Huxley 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 83
vote
94
Justine
Justine
by Lawrence Durrell 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 83
vote
96
Sprig Muslin
Sprig Muslin
by Georgette Heyer 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 82
vote
96
Los reyes malditos III: Los venenos de la corona
Los reyes malditos III: Los venenos de la corona
by Maurice Druon 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 82
vote
96
Voss
Voss
by Patrick White 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 82
vote
99
Los reyes malditos V: La loba de Francia
Los reyes malditos V: La loba de Francia
by Maurice Druon 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 81
vote
100
Seize the Day
Seize the Day
by Saul Bellow 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 80
vote
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people who voted on this list (120)

Gwyn
Gwyn
593 books
7 friends
porno for marx
porno for marx
375 books
8 friends
Encryptic
Encryptic
116 books
2 friends
Stacy
Stacy
395 books
29 friends
Mandy
Mandy
2549 books
21 friends
Lobstergirl
Lobstergirl
1650 books
30 friends
Ricki
Ricki
486 books
25 friends
Elissa
Elissa
93 books
1 friend

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post a comment »
comments (showing 1-4 of 4) (4 new)

dateDown_arrow    newest »

message 1: by Monika (new)
May 23, 2009 01:05PM

2345942 night is on here twice


message 2: by Killthepopular (new)
Jun 10, 2009 02:25PM

2252836 One of the better decade lists. The stars my destination is the only book i had to add. Seems like the 60s is the all-time best decade for literature.


message 3: by Susanna (new)
Sep 01, 2009 01:02PM

1109068 Long Day's Journey Into Night, though a superb play, doesn't belong on this list - it was written in the 40s.


message 4: by Killthepopular (new)
Sep 02, 2009 01:59AM

2252836 Removed Long day's journey into night and duplicate of Elie wiesels night.


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