# /research/top1000/monographs97.htm

originally: http://www.oclc.org/research/top1000/monographs97.htm

# Top 100 monographic records in OCLC libraries

Compiled by Patrick McClain, OCLC Research

[Excerpted from the OCLC Newsletter, 227 (May/June) 1997.]

Once again, reference and business books dominate the top 100 monographs held in OCLC libraries.

In Search of Excellence is now a five-time champion of the top 100 monographs list, increasing in holdings from 3,618 in 1995 to 3,728 this year. The book has been the most held every year since 1989--the first year the list was compiled. In fact, all of the top 10 in 1997 were in the top 10 in 1995 as well, and six were in it in 1989. Of those not in the 1989 list, Megatrends 2000 and Environmental Tobacco Smoke were not yet published, A Brief History of Time was 59th on the list, and A Passion for Excellence had not yet cracked the top 100.

At the other end of the list, there are four newcomers. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (88), The Bell Curve (96), Powershift (98) and Familiar Quotations, 16th edition (99), all debuted in 1997. Re-inventing the Corporation, by John Naisbitt and Patricia Aburdene; Perestroika by Mikhail Gorbachev; The Fatal Shore, by Robert Hughes; and Keeping Faith, by Jimmy Carter, slipped from the list (in 1995, they were at 89, 93, 94 and 96, respectively).

As in 1995, six works of fiction made the list--Beloved (33), Lake Wobegon Days (36), The Polar Express (63), Lincoln: A Novel (66), The Confessions of Nat Turner (67) and Chesapeake (87). All of the fiction titles improved from their 1995 positions on the list with Polar Express moving the farthest, from 76.

The rankings are for individual editions of a title, not for combined editions, such as the works of Shakespeare, or the Bible.

—Patrick McClain is systems analyst, OCLC Office of Research.

Rank | OCLC Number | Holdings | Date | Publication Title
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | 8493620 | 3728 | 1982 | In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-run Companies, by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr.
2 | 8410292 | 3596 | 1982 | Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives, by John Naisbitt
3 | 13947140 | 3542 | 1987 | A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, by Kate L.Turabian, 5th ed.
4 | 6421457 | 3396 | 1980 | Familiar Quotations, by John Bartlett, 15th and 125th anniversary ed.
5 | 14239839 | 3383 | 1987 | The Closing of the American Mind, by Allan Bloom
6 | 17105155 | 3218 | 1988 | A Brief History of Time: from the Big Bang to Black Holes, by Stephen W. Hawking
7 | 11969925 | 3203 | 1985 | A Passion for Excellence, by Thomas J. Peters and Nancy Austin
8 | 10974869 | 3125 | 1984 | Iacocca: An Autobiography, by Lee Iacocca with William Novak
9 | 20422202 | 3095 | 1990 | Megatrends 2000: Ten New Directions for the 1990s, by John Naisbitt and Patricia Aburdene
10 | 20800495 | 3060 | 1990 | Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Proceedings of the International Symposium at McGill University, 1989, by Donald J. Ecobichon, Joseph M. Wu, editors
11 | 4004812 | 3051 | 1979 | The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr., 3d ed.
12 | 14411877 | 3034 | 1987 | Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know, by E.D. Hirsch, Jr.
13 | 16580381 | 2988 | 1987 | Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution, by Thomas J. Peters
14 | 8283180 | 2923 | 1982 | The Chicago Manual of Style, 13th ed.
15 | 20132484 | 2921 | 1989 | The New York Public Library Desk Reference
16 | 26929668 | 2920 | 1993 | The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed.
17 | 29953039 | 2876 | 1994 | Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV, 4th ed.
18 | 25546099 | 2868 | 1992 | The Supreme Court of the United States: Its Beginnings & Its Justices, 1790-1991
19 | 5333650 | 2856 | 1979 | The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court, by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong
20 | 17227391 | 2844 | 1988 | Clearing the Air: Perspectives on Environmental Tobacco Smoke, edited by Robert D. Tollison
21 | 18383661 | 2844 | 1988 | Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63, by Taylor Branch
22 | 25057627 | 2806 | 1991 | The Bill of Rights and Beyond, 1791-1991
23 | 16130075 | 2797 | 1987 | And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, by Randy Shilts
24 | 561302 | 2781 | 1962 | Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson
25 | 8475284 | 2775 | 1982 | The One Minute Manager, by Kenneth Blanchard, Spencer Johnson
26 | 17917341 | 2765 | 1988 | The Way Things Work, by David Macaulay
27 | 15283849 | 2759 | 1987 | The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, by Stuart Berg Flexner, editor-in-chief, 2nd ed.
28 | 5574262 | 2725 | 1979 | White House Years, by Henry Kissinger
29 | 8590268 | 2723 | 1982 | The Years of Lyndon Johnson, by Robert A. Caro
30 | 15550774 | 2689 | 1988 | Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, by James M. McPherson
31 | 5830721 | 2684 | 1980 | The Third Wave, by Alvin Toffler
32 | 8114573 | 2676 | 1983 | The Oxford Companion to American Literature, by James D. Hart, 5th ed.
33 | 15284982 | 2670 | 1987 | Beloved: A Novel, by Toni Morrison
34 | 12103258 | 2665 | 1986 | Guide to Reference Books, edited by Eugene P. Sheehy, 10th ed.
35 | 15594794 | 2660 | 1987 | The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, by Paul M. Kennedy
36 | 11971882 | 2655 | 1985 | Lake Wobegon Days, by Garrison Keillor
37 | 10072914 | 2655 | 1984 | The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam, by Barbara W. Tuchman
38 | 4802 | 2655 | 1969 | I'm OK, You're OK, by Thomas A. Harris
39 | 30398714 | 2653 | 1994 | Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 4th ed.
40 | 701417 | 2647 | 1974 | Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, by Peter F. Drucker
41 | 10753607 | 2639 | 1984 | The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two, by Studs Terkel
42 | 7459948 | 2638 | 1981 | Famous First Facts: A Record of First Happenings, Discoveries, and Inventions in American History, by Joseph Nathan Kane, 4th ed.
43 | 24912611 | 2637 | 1992 | Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, by Al Gore
44 | 25411163 | 2629 | 1992 | Truman, by David McCullough
45 | 6280573 | 2629 | 1980 | Cosmos, by Carl Sagan
46 | 16646152 | 2628 | 1987 | Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987, by Bob Woodward
47 | 13861133 | 2626 | 1986 | The Reckoning, by David Halberstam
48 | 9645583 | 2622 | 1983 | The Discoverers, by Daniel J. Boorstin
49 | 11519736 | 2619 | 1985 | The Oxford Companion to English Literature, by Margaret Drabble, 5th ed.
50 | 11549089 | 2618 | 1985 | Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Practice and Principles, by Peter F. Drucker
51 | 4957310 | 2618 | 1979 | Black's Law Dictionary, by Henry Campbell Black, 5th ed.
52 | 17301230 | 2615 | 1988 | A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam, by Neil Sheehan
53 | 3844481 | 2613 | 1978 | American Caesar, Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964, by William Manchester
54 | 2188350 | 2610 | 1976 | Roots, by Alex Haley
55 | 1975233 | 2604 | 1976 | The Final Days, by Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein
56 | 22707774 | 2602 | 1990 | A Child of Fortune, by Jeffrey St. John
57 | 423932 | 2601 | 1965 | The Oxford History of the American People, by Samuel Eliot Morison
58 | 12945112 | 2590 | 1986 | The Star and the Laurel: The Centennial History of Daimler, Mercedes, and Benz, 1886-1986, by Beverly Rae Kimes
59 | 300432 | 2586 | 1966 | Miracle At Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, by Catherine D. Bowen
60 | 162307 | 2584 | 1971 | Beyond Freedom and Dignity, by B.F. Skinner
61 | 2695090 | 2578 | 1977 | The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914, by David McCullough
62 | 110210 | 2566 | 1971 | Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West, by Dee Brown
63 | 12162097 | 2559 | 1985 | The Polar Express, written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg
64 | 9646422 | 2540 | 1983 | Vietnam, a History, by Stanley Karnow
65 | 8252644 | 2535 | 1982 | Years of Upheaval, by Henry Kissinger
66 | 10229876 | 2531 | 1984 | Lincoln: A Novel, by Gore Vidal
67 | 287279 | 2530 | 1967 | The Confessions of Nat Turner, by William Styron
68 | 161979 | 2526 | 1971 | Eleanor and Franklin: The Story of Their Relationship, by Joseph P. Lash
69 | 730839 | 2525 | 1974 | Working; People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, by Studs Terkel
70 | 5673886 | 2518 | 1980 | Free to Choose: A Personal Statement, by Milton and Rose Friedman
71 | 23016353 | 2510 | 1991 | Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, by Susan Faludi
72 | 16395933 | 2505 | 1987 | Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-III-R, 3rd ed.
73 | 13328078 | 2504 | 1986 | Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, by Leonard W. Levy, editor-in-chief
74 | 8280571 | 2502 | 1982 | The Fate of the Earth, by Jonathan Schell
75 | 7204546 | 2501 | 1981 | Theory Z: How American Business Can Meet the Japanese Challenge, by William G. Ouchi
76 | 5831733 | 2499 | 1980 | The Real War, by Richard Nixon
77 | 13186508 | 2498 | 1986 | The Triumph of Politics: How the Reagan Revolution Failed, by David A. Stockman
78 | 17952931 | 2493 | 1988 | The First Salute, by Barbara W. Tuchman
79 | 4804279 | 2493 | 1979 | Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient: Reflections on Healing and Regeneration, by Norman Cousins
80 | 15053078 | 2492 | 1987 | Lincoln: A Photobiography, by Russell Freedman
81 | 87496 | 2492 | 1970 | Future Shock, by Alvin Toffler
82 | 22490404 | 2491 | 1991 | A History of the Arab Peoples, by Albert Hourani
83 | 340885 | 2488 | 1973 | Harry S. Truman, by Margaret Truman
84 | 192333 | 2477 | 1962 | The Guns of August, by Barbara W. Tuchman
85 | 4641874 | 2471 | 1979 | The Powers That Be, by David Halberstam
86 | 269102 | 2469 | 1938 | American Authors, 1600-1900; A Biographical Dictionary of American Literature, edited by Stanley J. Kunitz and Howard Haycraft
87 | 3730647 | 2467 | 1978 | Chesapeake, by James A. Michener
88 | 31408427 | 2463 | 1995 | MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, by Joseph Gibaldi, 4th ed.
89 | 683340 | 2458 | 1973 | A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, by Kate L. Turabian, 4th ed.
90 | 6040977 | 2456 | 1980 | Managing in Turbulent Times, by Peter F. Drucker
91 | 16527303 | 2455 | 1988 | Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America, by Jonathan Kozol
92 | 13455507 | 2453 | 1986 | The Story of English, by Robert McCrum, William Cran, Robert MacNeil
93 | 18520153 | 2451 | 1989 | The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, by Charles B. Clayman
94 | 9154456 | 2451 | 1983 | The Last Lion, Winston Spencer Churchill, by William Manchester
95 | 17650532 | 2450 | 1988 | The Power of Myth, by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers
96 | 30913157 | 2450 | 1994 | The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life, by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray
97 | 15366726 | 2443 | 1987 | Man of the House: The Life and Political Memoirs of Speaker Tip O'Neill, by William Novak
98 | 22004762 | 2442 | 1990 | Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth, and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century, by Alvin Toffler
99 | 23975729 | 2440 | 1992 | Familiar Quotations, by John Bartlett, 16th ed.
100 | 475124 | 2438 | 1967 | The Death of a President, November 20-November 25, 1963, by William Manchester