The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerFahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyThe Old Man and the Sea by Ernest HemingwayNight by Elie WieselOn the Road by Jack Kerouac
Best Books of the Decade: 1950s
1,195 books — 1,516 voters
Kon-Tiki by Thor HeyerdahlThe Fountainhead by Ayn RandThe Lottery by Shirley JacksonUnder the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
Best Books of the Decade: 1940s
824 books — 1,150 voters