It’s become the ultimate mark of commercial success for authors - an appearance in the Sunday Times bestseller list.
The chart of the 100 books that have shifted most copies started back in 1974 and has continued ever since.
To mark the anniversary the compilers have calculated the bestselling books of the last 50 years - by looking at which have spent most time in the chart.
Here are the top 13.
5. Frank McCourt: Angela's Ashes (194 weeks)
"Frank McCourt's sad, funny, bittersweet memoir of growing up in New York in the 30s and in Ireland in the 40s. It is a story of extreme hardship and suffering, in Brooklyn tenements and Limerick slums – too many children, too little money, his mother Angela barely coping as his father Malachy's drinking bouts constantly brings the family to the brink of disaster. It is a story of courage and survival against apparently overwhelming odds. Written with the vitality and resonance of a work of fiction, and with a remarkable absence of sentimentality, ‘Angela’s Ashes’ is imbued on every page with Frank McCourt's distinctive humour and compassion. Out of terrible circumstances, he has created a glorious book in the tradition of Ireland's literary masters, which bears all the marks of a great classic." | Contributed
6. Charlie Mackesy: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (194 weeks)
"A boy, a mole, a fox, and a horse share a series of heartfelt and profound conversations about the meaning of life, universal truths and friendship. Accompanied by exquisite artwork, the book explores our innermost feelings with delicate sensitivity and candour." | Contributed
7. Delia Smith: Delia Smith's Summer Collection (183 weeks)
"This illustrated book contains imaginative ideas for light lunches, barbecues, buffets and summer teas, putting a new slant on traditional favourites with exciting flavours from South-East Asia, Italy and California." | Contributed
8. Jung Chang: Wild Swans (177 weeks)
"Through the story of three generations of women in her own family - the grandmother given to the warlord as a concubine, the Communist mother, and the daughter herself - Jung Chang reveals the epic history of China's 20th century. Breathtaking in its scope, unforgettable in its descriptions, this is a masterpiece that is extraordinary in every way." | Contributed