# List of The New York Times number-one books of 2020

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. For the second consecutive year, the most frequent weekly best seller of the year was Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens with 7 weeks at the top of the list.
| Date | Book | Author |
| January 5 | Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens |
| January 12 | Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens |
| January 19 | Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens |
| January 26 | Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens |
| February 2 | Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens |
| February 9 | American Dirt | Jeanine Cummins |
| February 16 | American Dirt | Jeanine Cummins |
| February 23 | Golden in Death | J. D. Robb |
| March 1 | American Dirt | Jeanine Cummins |
| March 8 | One Minute Out | Mark Greaney |
| March 15 | Blindside | James Patterson and James O. Born |
| March 22 | House of Earth and Blood | Sarah J. Maas |
| March 29 | The Mirror & the Light | Hilary Mantel |
| April 5 | The Boy from the Woods | Harlan Coben |
| April 12 | Little Fires Everywhere | Celeste Ng |
| April 19 | Little Fires Everywhere | Celeste Ng |
| April 25 | Little Fires Everywhere | Celeste Ng |
| May 3 | Masked Prey | John Sandford |
| May 10 | Walk The Wire | David Baldacci |
| May 17 | Camino Winds | John Grisham |
| May 24 | The 20th Victim | James Patterson and Maxine Paetro |
| May 31 | Camino Winds | John Grisham |
| June 7 | Camino Winds | John Grisham |
| June 14 | Hideaway | Nora Roberts |
| June 21 | The Vanishing Half | Brit Bennett |
| June 28 | The Summer House | James Patterson and Brendan DuBois |
| July 5 | 28 Summers | Elin Hilderbrand |
| July 12 | 28 Summers | Elin Hilderbrand |
| July 19 | The Vanishing Half | Brit Bennett |
| July 26 | The Vanishing Half | Brit Bennett |
| August 2 | The Order | Daniel Silva |
| August 9 | Near Dark | Brad Thor |
| August 16 | Deadlock | Catherine Coulter |
| August 23 | Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens |
| August 30 | Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens |
| September 6 | Royal | Danielle Steel |
| September 13 | Thick as Thieves | Sandra Brown |
| September 20 | All the Devils Are Here | Louise Penny |
| September 27 | Shadows in Death | J. D. Robb |
| October 4 | The Evening and the Morning | Ken Follett |
| October 11 | The Book of Two Ways | Jodi Picoult |
| October 18 | The Return | Nicholas Sparks |
| October 25 | Troubles in Paradise | Elin Hilderbrand |
| November 1 | A Time for Mercy | John Grisham |
| November 8 | A Time for Mercy | John Grisham |
| November 15 | The Sentinel | Lee Child and Andrew Child |
| November 22 | Fortune and Glory | Janet Evanovich |
| November 29 | The Law of Innocence | Michael Connelly |
| December 6 | Rhythm of War | Brandon Sanderson |
| December 13 | Ready Player Two | Ernest Cline |
| December 20 | Ready Player Two | Ernest Cline |
| December 27 | Ready Player Two | Ernest Cline |

## 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 5 | Educated | Tara Westover | Random House |
| January 12 | Educated | Tara Westover | Random House |
| January 19 | Educated | Tara Westover | Random House |
| January 26 | Educated | Tara Westover | Random House |
| February 2 | Just Mercy | Bryan Stevenson | Spiegel & Grau |
| February 9 | A Very Stable Genius | Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig | Penguin Press |
| February 16 | Profiles in Corruption | Peter Schweizer | HarperCollins |
| February 23 | Open Book | Jessica Simpson with Kevin Carr O'Leary | Dey Street |
| March 1 | Open Book | Jessica Simpson with Kevin Carr O'Leary | Dey Street |
| March 8 | The Mamba Mentality | Kobe Bryant | Melcher Media |
| March 15 | The Splendid and the Vile | Erik Larson | Crown |
| March 22 | The Splendid and the Vile | Erik Larson | Crown |
| March 29 | Untamed | Glennon Doyle | The Dial Press |
| April 5 | The Splendid and the Vile | Erik Larson | Crown |
| April 12 | The Splendid and the Vile | Erik Larson | Crown |
| April 19 | The Splendid and the Vile | Erik Larson | Crown |
| April 26 | Hidden Valley Road | Robert Kolker | Doubleday |
| May 3 | Untamed | Glennon Doyle | The Dial Press |
| May 10 | Untamed | Glennon Doyle | The Dial Press |
| May 17 | Untamed | Glennon Doyle | The Dial Press |
| May 24 | Untamed | Glennon Doyle | The Dial Press |
| May 31 | Untamed | Glennon Doyle | The Dial Press |
| June 7 | Untamed | Glennon Doyle | The Dial Press |
| June 14 | Untamed | Glennon Doyle | The Dial Press |
| June 21 | White Fragility | Robin DiAngelo | Beacon Press |
| June 28 | White Fragility | Robin DiAngelo | Beacon Press |
| July 5 | How to Be an Antiracist | Ibram X. Kendi | Random House |
| July 12 | The Room Where It Happened | John Bolton | Simon & Schuster |
| July 19 | The Room Where It Happened | John Bolton | Simon & Schuster |
| July 26 | The Room Where It Happened | John Bolton | Simon & Schuster |
| August 2 | Too Much and Never Enough | Mary L. Trump | Simon & Schuster |
| August 9 | Too Much and Never Enough | Mary L. Trump | Simon & Schuster |
| August 16 | Too Much and Never Enough | Mary L. Trump | Simon & Schuster |
| August 23 | Live Free or Die | Sean Hannity | Threshold Editions |
| August 30 | Live Free or Die | Sean Hannity | Threshold Editions |
| September 6 | Untamed | Glennon Doyle | The Dial Press |
| September 13 | His Truth Is Marching On | Jon Meacham | Random House |
| September 20 | Melania and Me | Stephanie Winston Wolkoff | Gallery Books |
| September 27 | Disloyal | Michael Cohen | Skyhorse Publishing |
| October 4 | Rage | Bob Woodward | Simon & Schuster |
| October 11 | Rage | Bob Woodward | Simon & Schuster |
| October 18 | The Meaning of Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey with Michaela Angela Davis | Andy Cohen / Holt |
| October 25 | Humans | Brandon Stanton | St. Martin's Press |
| November 1 | Caste | Isabel Wilkerson | Random House |
| November 8 | Greenlights | Matthew McConaughey | Crown |
| November 15 | Greenlights | Matthew McConaughey | Crown |
| November 22 | Clanlands | Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish | Quercus |
| November 29 | Humans | Brandon Stanton | St. Martin's Press |
| December 6 | A Promised Land | Barack Obama | Crown |
| December 13 | A Promised Land | Barack Obama | Crown |
| December 20 | A Promised Land | Barack Obama | Crown |
| December 27 | A Promised Land | Barack Obama | Crown |