# List of The New York Times number-one books of 2021

The American daily newspaper The New York Times publishes multiple weekly lists ranking the best-selling books in the United States. The lists are split in three genres—fiction, nonfiction and children's books. Both the fiction and nonfiction lists are further split into multiple lists.

## Fiction

The following list ranks the number-one best-selling fiction books, in the combined print and e-books category.
The most frequent weekly best seller of the year was The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah with 5 weeks at the top of the list, followed closely by The Duke and I by Julia Quinn with 4 weeks.
| Date | Book | Author | Publisher |
| January 3 | A Time for Mercy | John Grisham | Doubleday |
| January 10 | A Time for Mercy | John Grisham | Doubleday |
| January 17 | The Duke and I | Julia Quinn | Avon |
| January 24 | The Duke and I | Julia Quinn | Avon |
| January 31 | The Duke and I | Julia Quinn | Avon |
| February 7 | The Duke and I | Julia Quinn | Avon |
| February 14 | The Russian | James Patterson and James O. Born | Little, Brown and Company |
| February 21 | The Four Winds | Kristin Hannah | St. Martin's Press |
| February 28 | The Four Winds | Kristin Hannah | St. Martin's Press |
| March 7 | A Court of Silver Flames | Sarah J. Maas | Bloomsbury Publishing |
| March 14 | The Four Winds | Kristin Hannah | St. Martin's Press |
| March 21 | Life After Death | Sister Souljah | Emily Bestler Books |
| March 28 | The Four Winds | Kristin Hannah | St. Martin's Press |
| April 4 | Win | Harlan Coben | Grand Central Publishing |
| April 11 | The Four Winds | Kristin Hannah | St. Martin's Press |
| April 18 | The Hill We Climb | Amanda Gorman | Viking Books |
| April 25 | The Hill We Climb | Amanda Gorman | Viking Books |
| May 2 | Ocean Prey | John Sandford | G. P. Putnam's Sons |
| May 9 | A Gambling Man | David Baldacci | Grand Central Publishing |
| May 16 | Sooley | John Grisham | Doubleday |
| May 23 | 21st Birthday | James Patterson and Maxine Paetro | Little, Brown and Company |
| May 30 | While Justice Sleeps | Stacey Abrams | Doubleday |
| June 6 | The Last Thing He Told Me | Laura Dave | Simon & Schuster |
| June 13 | Legacy | Nora Roberts | St. Martin's Press |
| June 20 | Freed | E. L. James | Bloom Books |
| June 27 | The President's Daughter | Bill Clinton and James Patterson | Little, Brown and Company |
| July 4 | The President's Daughter | Bill Clinton and James Patterson | Little, Brown and Company |
| July 11 | The Last Thing He Told Me | Laura Dave | Simon & Schuster |
| July 18 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Quentin Tarantino | Harper Perennial |
| July 25 | The Paper Palace | Miranda Cowley Heller | Riverhead Books |
| August 1 | The Cellist | Daniel Silva | HarperCollins |
| August 8 | Black Ice | Brad Thor | Emily Bestler Books |
| August 15 | The Last Thing He Told Me | Laura Dave | Simon & Schuster |
| August 22 | Billy Summers | Stephen King | Scribner |
| August 29 | Billy Summers | Stephen King | Scribner |
| September 5 | Bloodless | Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child | Grand Central Publishing |
| September 12 | The Madness of Crowds | Louise Penny | Minotaur Books |
| September 19 | A Slow Fire Burning | Paula Hawkins | Riverhead Books |
| September 26 | Forgotten in Death | J. D. Robb | St. Martin's Press |
| October 3 | Apples Never Fall | Liane Moriarty | Henry Holt and Company |
| October 10 | Apples Never Fall | Liane Moriarty | Henry Holt and Company |
| October 17 | The Wish | Nicholas Sparks | Grand Central Publishing |
| October 24 | The Lincoln Highway | Amor Towles | Viking Books |
| October 31 | State of Terror | Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny | Simon & Schuster and St. Martin's Press |
| November 7 | The Judge's List | John Grisham | Doubleday |
| November 14 | Better Off Dead | Lee Child and Andrew Child | Delacorte Press |
| November 21 | Game On | Janet Evanovich | Atria Books |
| November 28 | The Dark Hours | Michael Connelly | Little, Brown and Company |
| December 5 | Mercy | David Baldacci | Grand Central Publishing |
| December 12 | Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone | Diana Gabaldon | Delacorte Press |
| December 19 | Wish You Were Here | Jodi Picoult | Ballantine Books |
| December 26 | Call Us What We Carry | Amanda Gorman | Viking Books |

## Nonfiction

The following list ranks the number-one best-selling nonfiction books, in the combined print and e-books category.
| Issue date | Title | Author(s) | Publisher |
| January 3 | A Promised Land | Barack Obama | Crown |
| January 10 | A Promised Land | Barack Obama | Crown |
| January 17 | A Promised Land | Barack Obama | Crown |
| January 24 | A Promised Land | Barack Obama | Crown |
| January 31 | A Promised Land | Barack Obama | Crown |
| February 7 | A Promised Land | Barack Obama | Crown |
| February 14 | Just as I Am | Cicely Tyson | HarperCollins |
| February 21 | Think Again | Adam Grant | Viking Press |
| February 28 | Walk in My Combat Boots | James Patterson and Matt Eversmann with Chris Mooney | Little, Brown and Company |
| March 7 | How to Avoid a Climate Disaster | Bill Gates | Knopf |
| March 14 | How to Avoid a Climate Disaster | Bill Gates | Knopf |
| March 21 | How to Avoid a Climate Disaster | Bill Gates | Knopf |
| March 28 | The Code Breaker | Walter Isaacson | Simon & Schuster |
| April 4 | This Is the Fire | Don Lemon | Little, Brown and Company |
| April 11 | The Code Breaker | Walter Isaacson | Simon & Schuster |
| April 18 | The Code Breaker | Walter Isaacson | Simon & Schuster |
| April 25 | Broken Horses | Brandi Carlile | Crown |
| May 2 | On the House | John Boehner | St. Martin's Press |
| May 9 | Out of Many, One | George W. Bush | Crown |
| May 16 | What Happened to You? | Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey | Flatiron Books |
| May 23 | Killing the Mob | Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard | St. Martin's Press |
| May 30 | Killing the Mob | Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard | St. Martin's Press |
| June 6 | The Anthropocene Reviewed | John Green | Dutton |
| June 13 | Killing the Mob | Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard | St. Martin's Press |
| June 20 | How the Word Is Passed | Clint Smith | Little, Brown and Company |
| June 27 | Killing the Mob | Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard | St. Martin's Press |
| July 4 | Killing the Mob | Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard | St. Martin's Press |
| July 11 | The Body Keeps the Score | Bessel van der Kolk | Penguin Books |
| July 18 | Nightmare Scenario | Yasmina Abutaleb and Damian Paletta | Harper |
| July 25 | How I Saved the World | Jesse Watters | Broadside Books |
| August 1 | American Marxism | Mark Levin | Threshold Editions |
| August 8 | I Alone Can Fix It | Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker | Penguin Press |
| August 15 | American Marxism | Mark Levin | Threshold Editions |
| August 22 | American Marxism | Mark Levin | Threshold Editions |
| August 29 | American Marxism | Mark Levin | Threshold Editions |
| September 5 | American Marxism | Mark Levin | Threshold Editions |
| September 12 | American Marxism | Mark Levin | Threshold Editions |
| September 19 | The Afghanistan Papers | Craig Whitlock | Simon & Schuster |
| September 26 | American Marxism | Mark Levin | Threshold Editions |
| October 3 | American Marxism | Mark Levin | Threshold Editions |
| October 10 | Peril | Bob Woodward and Robert Costa | Simon & Schuster |
| October 17 | Peril | Bob Woodward and Robert Costa | Simon & Schuster |
| October 24 | The Storyteller | Dave Grohl | Dey Street Books |
| October 31 | Midnight in Washington | Adam Schiff | Random House |
| November 7 | Not All Diamonds and Rosé | Dave Quinn | Andy Cohen |
| November 14 | Going There | Katie Couric | Little, Brown and Company |
| November 21 | The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present | Paul McCartney | Liveright |
| November 28 | Will | Will Smith with Mark Manson | Penguin Press |
| December 5 | The 1619 Project | Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine | One World |
| December 12 | The 1619 Project | Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine | One World |
| December 19 | The 1619 Project | Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine | One World |
| December 26 | The 1619 Project | Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine | One World |