Brief history of all-time bestsellers? How Stephen Hawking's book on the Big Bang spent more time in the charts than any other
- A Brief History Of Time spent 264 weeks on The Sunday Time bestseller list
- Works by Delia Smith, Bill Bryson and John Gray also made the chart's top ten
It's the bestselling book that everyone bought but, famously, few ever managed to finish.
But that has proved no obstacle to the longevity of Stephen Hawking's A Brief History Of Time.
The late scientist's book spent 264 weeks on The Sunday Times bestseller chart – longer than any other, analysis shows.
Mr Hawking, who died aged 76 in 2018, wrote his book on the Big Bang in 1988. Tackling concepts from theoretical cosmology, it was supposedly written for readers with no prior knowledge of physics, yet many found it inaccessible.
The analysis ranked titles by the number of weeks they spent on the bestseller list between 1974 and 2024, using data collected by Nielsen BookScan.
Stephen Hawking's A Brief History Of Time spent 264 weeks on the Sunday Times bestseller chart - more than any other work
Mr Hawking wrote his book on the Big Bang in 1988. Despite being supposedly written for those with no prior knowledge of physics, many found it accessible
Hawking's book beat works by Jung Chang, Delia Smith, Frank McCourt and Adam Kay to the top spot
John Gray's relationship manual Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus came in second, after it spent 236 weeks on the list from 1996.
Meanwhile, Delia Smith wrote three of the top 20 titles, and her Complete Cookery Course came in third place, after spending 225 weeks on the list.
Travel writer Bill Bryson features more than any other author, with five titles in the top 100. His 1995 book Notes From A Small Island landed at number four.
JK Rowling's first Harry Potter book also features in the top 100, but did not reach the top 20.
Laura Hackett, deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times, said: 'For 50 years, the bestseller list has documented and influenced the evolution of literary culture.
John Gray's relationship manual Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus came in second with 236 weeks on the list from 1996
Chef Delia Smith wrote three of the top 20 titles, including her Complete Cookery Course which came third
Travel writer Bill Bryson features more than any other author, with his 1995 book Notes on a Small Island placing fourth on the list
This top 100 list not only highlights the enduring popularity of timeless works but also the diverse genres that have captivated British readers across generations.'
Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes, about his experience of growing up in Limerick, came fifth, while Charlie Mackesy's illustrated book The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse reached sixth place.
Wild Swans – about generations of women in a Chinese family – by Jung Chang, came eighth, and Rosemary Conley's Complete Hip And Thigh Diet was ninth.
Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari came tenth, with Sapiens: A Brief History Of Humankind.
