I'm very torn. This book is what it is described as, but it was incredibly dry and I only skimmed through the parts that interested me. I wish there'd been some photos of book covers to lighten it up a bit. I kind of expected more of a list type book with more illustrations. Something like a bestseller encyclopedia of sorts. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it, but other readers who read more non-fiction or academic titles might love this.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an egalley.

Thanks to Rowman and Littlefield and Netgalley for the ARC of this title. I did not enjoy this and quit reading before I finished. I found the introductory part to be quite scholarly and dry. It reminded me of something I would have written for my undergraduate thesis. I read a lot of non-fiction that I find interesting, but this didn’t live up to my expectations. I browsed through the decades sections, but found the textbook approach continued throughout.

Robert McFarland traces the development of the bestseller in a thoughtful and detailed manner. The book is comprehensive and clearly makes use of research in a way that leads me to believe McFarland spent considerable time looking into this topic. I especially enjoyed the additional commentary the author provided about many of these titles.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC.

I like reading books about books because it gives me ideas of what to read next. Some of these I had never heard about, because I guess they did not withstand the test of time and I am going to have to check them out. Especially those published in the 1920's and 1930's.

Very informational. The i production eas long einded as is most of the book. Reads like a nonfiction that would not be for everyone.