1970s Books: Top Writers, Novels And Reading Trends

Thrillers, horror and the paperback blockbuster.

Below: books published in the 1970s, 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 1970s

• The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth (1971).
• Watership Down by Richard Adams (1972).
• Carrie by Stephen King (1974), then The Shining (1977).
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carre (1974).
• The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer (1970).
• Fear of Flying by Erica Jong (1973).
• Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl (1975).
• The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (1976).

Writers who defined the decade

• Frederick Forsyth and the research-heavy thriller.
• Stephen King, turning horror into a mass-market genre.
• Beryl Bainbridge, shortlisted more than anyone and winning nothing.
• Angela Carter, with The Bloody Chamber arriving in 1979.
• Seamus Heaney, whose North (1975) made him unavoidable.
• James Herriot, whose vet books sold in enormous numbers.

Publishing and writing trends

• Blockbuster paperbacks with embossed gold covers and airport racks.
• Feminist publishing: Virago founded in 1973, reissuing forgotten women writers.
• Non-fiction bestsellers - science, politics and popular history.
• TV adaptations drive sales, and the tie-in cover becomes standard.
• Horror and true crime both become permanent supermarket categories.

How people read

• Books bought at WHSmith or the airport, not the independent bookshop.
• Mobile libraries serving villages and estates once a week.
• Reader's Digest condensed books on the shelf in a lot of front rooms.
• Ladybird books teaching most British children to read.

Years covered in the 1970s

• 1970 - England defended the World Cup, the Beatles ended and eighteen-year-olds got the vote. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1970
• 1971 - Decimal Day, the first Glastonbury as we know it and Slade on the way up. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1971
• 1972 - Miners' strikes and power cuts, Ziggy Stardust and a very good year for glam. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1972
• 1973 - Britain joined the EEC, the oil crisis hit and Slade wrote Christmas. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1973
• 1974 - Two general elections, the three-day week and Abba winning Eurovision. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1974
• 1975 - Bohemian Rhapsody, the EEC referendum and Fawlty Towers. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1975
• 1976 - The heatwave, the drought and the first stirrings of punk. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1976
• 1977 - Silver Jubilee street parties, Star Wars and the summer punk went overground. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1977
• 1978 - Grease, the first test-tube baby and the start of the winter of discontent. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1978
• 1979 - The winter of discontent, the first woman Prime Minister and the last year of the seventies. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1979
• That is every 1970s year we have written up so far: 1970 to 1979.

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 1970 turns 50 in 2020, 60 in 2030 and 70 in 2040.

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 1970
• Look back to 1971
• Look back to 1972
• Look back to 1973
• Look back to 1974
• Look back to 1975
• Look back to 1976
• Look back to 1977
• Look back to 1978
• Look back to 1979
• 1970s books, films and TV
• 1970s food and recipes
• 1970s films and directors
• 1970s calendar: year by year
• 1970s trivia: fun facts
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1970s
• 1970s party playlist
• 70s kids' TV shows
• 70s quiz questions
• British Bulldog rules
• Kerby rules
• Sweets that disappeared
• Test card, Ceefax and three channels
• 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 1970s?

The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth (1971). The full list above gives the novels and non-fiction worth reading from the decade, with publication years.

Which writers defined the 1970s?

Frederick Forsyth and the research-heavy thriller. The writers section above names the rest.

What was changing in publishing in the 1970s?

Blockbuster paperbacks with embossed gold covers and airport racks. 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.