Since its inception in the early 1940s, the list has become one of the most well-regarded and influential of its kind. Publishers and book buyers often cite the list to determine the success (and sometimes the quality) of new releases.

Though it is not exactly known how the list is compiled, journalist Edwin Diamond stated in his 1993 book Behind The Times: Inside the New New York Times that thousands of bookstores and wholesalers are surveyed to determine how books rank on the list.

Comprised of fiction, nonfiction and children's literature sections, the list is published weekly in the Sunday edition of The New York Times, and also in The New York Times Book Review magazine.

• Hardcover Fiction

1. UNDER THE DOME, by Stephen King
2. THE LOST SYMBOL, by Dan Brown
3. FORD COUNTY, by John Grisham
4. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett
5. THE LACUNA, by Barbara Kingsolver

• Hardcover Nonfiction

1. OPEN, by Andre Agassi
2. HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, by Mitch Albom
3. A SIMPLE CHRISTMAS, by Mike Huckabee
4. SUPERFREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
5. WHAT THE DOG SAW, by Malcolm Gladwell

• Paperback Trade Fiction

1. PUSH, by Sapphire
2. BED OF ROSES, by Nora Roberts
3. SAY YOU'RE ONE OF THEM, by Uwem Akpan
4. THE SHACK, by William P. Young
5. HE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, by Stieg Larsson

• Paperback Mass-Market Fiction

1. THE ASSOCIATE, by John Grisham
2. CROSS COUNTRY, by James Patterson
3. BORN OF FIRE, by Sherrilyn Kenyon
4. YOUR HEART BELONGS TO ME, by Dean Koontz
5. TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION, by David Michaels

• Paperback Nonfiction

1. THE BLIND SIDE, by Michael Lewis
2. THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
3. OUR CHOICE, by Al Gore
4. FREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
5. THE GLASS CASTLE, by Jeannette Walls

• Children's Books

1. SPLENDIFEROUS CHRISTMAS, by Jane O’Connor
2. NUBS, by Brian Dennis, Mary Nethery and Kirby Larson
3. LEGO STAR WARS, by Simon Beecroft
4. THE CHRISTMAS SWEATER, adapted by Chris Schoebinger from the story by Glenn Beck
5. THE LION AND THE MOUSE, by Jerry Pinkney