Bestsellers: Beyond the Book

Bestsellers in Other Forms

Today we measure the popularity of a novel by its other manifestations. A successful book does not stay on the page for long but becomes a cultural phenomenon marked by spin-off movies, t-shirts, calendars, and action figures. With the sale of subsidiary rights, powerful stories reach far into society's consciousness.

As early as 1913, publishers marketed books by means of the movies based on them, hoping to lure moviegoers from the silver screen back to the bookshelf. Likewise, publishing houses sought new audiences with the publication of paperbacks, and by the 1950s, successful hardbound novels typically found their way into this cheaper version within a year. The lucrative paperback market often set off fierce bidding wars as publishers competed to buy the rights. This competition reached new heights in 1979 when the paperback rights to Judith Krantz's Princess Daisy sold for over three million dollars. The 1980s saw the creation of the contemporary approach to marketing popular novels with the sale of the rights to commercial products, such as movies, television programs, audio books, videos, toys, games, collectibles, and clothing.

This case displays some of the various forms and editions of William Faulkner's last novel, The Reivers. Regarded as his most accessible, the book was marketed to mass audiences and like many popular American novels, enjoyed brisk sales around the world. In addition to the translations shown here, The Reivers can also be read in Danish, Dutch, German, Finnish, French, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, and Polish.

The Reivers was selected by the Book of the Month Club and reached number ten on the 1962 annual bestseller list.