As the person who chooses most of the books for adults at the library, I spend a lot of time checking circulation numbers. These numbers tell me how many times a book has been checked out and renewed, both recently and during the entire time we have owned the book. Based on these figures I can get an idea of how popular an author, a series or a subject may be at the moment. I use these circulation numbers as one factor in deciding whether or not to purchase new books for our collection.
While I typically concentrate on recent statistics, I recently thought it would be fun (or, at least, interesting) to see which books had the all-time highest circulation at the library. I looked at fiction and nonfiction for adults and came up with the top five titles for both of these collections. Two statistical notes: if we have multiple copies of a book the circulation number is the total for all of the copies; the numbers include both checkouts and renewals. Also, one general note: older books have a clear advantage, since they have had more time to rack up circulations.
Fiction:
5. Homeland and Other Stories by Barbara Kingsolver
Story collections usually don’t circulate as strongly as novels, but this collection from Kingsolver has circulated an amazing 208 times.
4. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
This classic penned back in 1977 edged out Kingsolver’s book by just one circulation.
3. Well-schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George
The third in George’s long-running Inspector Lynley mystery series has been checked out and renewed 222 times
2. Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell
The second Kay Scarpetta mystery, published back in 1990, has circulated an impressive 229 times.
1. A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie
The first book in the Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James mystery series has circulated a staggering 274 times.
As evident by the top three fiction titles, the readers of Princeton love a good mystery.
Nonfiction:
5. The Botany of Desire : a Plant’s-eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
This examination of the human relationship with plants has circulated 161 times.
4. Oil Painting Secrets From a Master by Linda Cateura
A classic art instruction book that conceivably helped many artists, as it racked up 164 circulations.
3. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down : A Hmong Child, her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman
This Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction has circulated 181 times.
2. Six Easy Pieces : Essentials of Physics, Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher by Richard P. Feynman
These lectures from the legendary physicist and instructor have circulated a stunning 183 times.
1. The Natural Shade Garden by Kenneth Druse
Princeton has a lot of gardeners and many enormous trees… hence the need for shade gardening. The highest circulating nonfiction book in our collection has gone out or been renewed 209 times.
Please feel free to check out any of these perennially popular books at the library. If you want further reading suggestions please stop by or check out our expansive suggestions page.
Image of bookshelves by flickr user Stewart Butterfield under Creative Commons license