1950s Books: Top Writers, Novels And Reading Trends

Angry young men, Middle-earth, and the paperback in every pocket.

Below: books published in the 1950s, the writers who defined it, what was changing in publishing, and how people actually got hold of a book.

Every title and date is real. Useful for a reading list, a quiz round or a reminiscence session.

Books published in the 1950s

• The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (1954-55).
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (1950).
• Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis (1954).
• Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (1953), the first Bond.
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954).
• Room at the Top by John Braine (1957).
• The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (1951).
• On the Road by Jack Kerouac (1957).

Writers who defined the decade

• Kingsley Amis, John Osborne and the 'angry young men' label they all disliked.
• Ian Fleming, inventing the most exportable British character since Holmes.
• Agatha Christie, still outselling nearly everyone.
• Doris Lessing, arriving from Rhodesia with The Grass Is Singing (1950).
• Philip Larkin, with The Less Deceived (1955).
• Laurie Lee, whose Cider with Rosie came in 1959.

Publishing and writing trends

• The paperback becomes the normal way to buy a book, not the cheap option.
• Working-class and regional voices reach print and the stage.
• Science fiction moves from pulp magazines to hardback respectability.
• Book tokens, book clubs and Reader's Digest condensed editions.
• Censorship still bites, and would be tested at the end of the decade.

How people read

• Public libraries at their busiest, with queues for the new Christie.
• Penguin orange spines lined up on a shelf as a small status symbol.
• Serials and short stories in women's weeklies read by millions.
• Children's libraries and the school reading scheme become standard.

Years covered in the 1950s

• 1950 - Petrol came off the ration, the Festival of Britain was being built and there was no chart yet. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1950
• 1951 - The Festival of Britain, a Conservative return and still no singles chart. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1951
• 1952 - A new Queen, the Great Smog and the first ever singles chart in November. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1952
• 1953 - The coronation, Everest, the Matthews final and sweets off the ration. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1953
• 1954 - Rationing finally ended and Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1954
• 1955 - ITV launched, rock and roll arrived and Britain got its first television adverts. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1955
• 1956 - Suez, Elvis arriving in the chart and the start of skiffle. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1956
• 1957 - You've never had it so good, the Munich disaster still to come and skiffle everywhere. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1957
• 1958 - Munich, the first motorway and Cliff Richard's 'Move It'. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1958
• 1959 - The Mini, the M1 and the last year before the sixties. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1959
• That is every 1950s year we have written up so far: 1950 to 1959.

How to use this

• Reading list: pick one novel and one non-fiction title from the decade someone was born in.
• Quiz round: read a title and ask for the decade, or read a writer and ask for one book.
• Reminiscence: ask what they were made to read at school, and what they read in secret.
• Anyone born in 1950 turns 50 in 2000, 60 in 2010 and 70 in 2020.

Shop prints and posters

How to write it so it lands

• Publication year and the year someone read it are rarely the same - paperbacks arrived a year or two later.
• For a birthday, a first edition is expensive but a decent second-hand copy from their birth year is not.
• Libraries can order almost anything on this list for free.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1950
• Look back to 1951
• Look back to 1952
• Look back to 1953
• Look back to 1954
• Look back to 1955
• Look back to 1956
• Look back to 1957
• Look back to 1958
• Look back to 1959
• 1950s books, films and TV
• 1950s food and recipes
• 1950s films and directors
• 1950s calendar: year by year
• 1950s trivia: fun facts
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1950s
• 1950s party playlist
• Wartime and 1950s party games
• Playground games by region
• Clapping games and skipping rhymes
• Seaside and beach games
• Sweets that disappeared
• Decade literature: writers and books by era
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Food by decade: dishes and food trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are the best books from the 1950s?

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (1954-55). The full list above gives the novels and non-fiction worth reading from the decade, with publication years.

Which writers defined the 1950s?

Kingsley Amis, John Osborne and the 'angry young men' label they all disliked. The writers section above names the rest.

What was changing in publishing in the 1950s?

The paperback becomes the normal way to buy a book, not the cheap option. The trends section covers how books were made, priced and sold.

Do you sell books?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read and free to copy - try a library or a second-hand bookshop for the books.