1990s Books: Top Writers, Novels And Reading Trends

Harry Potter, Irvine Welsh and the book everyone on the train was reading.

Below: books published in the 1990s, 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 1990s

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling (1997).
• Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh (1993).
• Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (1996).
• High Fidelity by Nick Hornby (1995), after Fever Pitch (1992).
• Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres (1994).
• Northern Lights by Philip Pullman (1995).
• A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (1996).
• Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt (1996).

Writers who defined the decade

• J. K. Rowling, who changed children's publishing in one book.
• Nick Hornby and the readable, funny, male confessional novel.
• Irvine Welsh, writing in Leith dialect and selling by the lorryload.
• Roddy Doyle, who won the Booker in 1993 with Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.
• Philip Pullman, writing children's books that adults argued about.
• Zadie Smith, whose White Teeth arrived at the very end (2000).

Publishing and writing trends

• The Net Book Agreement collapses in 1995 and discounting begins.
• Supermarkets start selling bestsellers cheaper than bookshops.
• Amazon launches in 1995 and reaches the UK in 1998.
• Misery memoirs and the confessional non-fiction boom.
• Richard and Judy and TV book slots move enormous numbers of copies.

How people read

• Everyone on the commute reading the same three novels.
• Three-for-two tables at Waterstones deciding what the country read.
• Children queueing at midnight for the next Potter, from 1998 onwards.
• Book groups in living rooms, with wine, becoming a normal evening out.

Years covered in the 1990s

• 1990 - Thatcher resigned, Gazza cried, and the country spent a fortnight thinking England might actually win it. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1990
• 1991 - Bryan Adams would not get off the top of the chart, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and Freddie Mercury died. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1991
• 1992 - Black Wednesday, a general election nobody predicted correctly, and the Premier League arrived. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1992
• 1993 - Mr Blobby was Christmas number one, which is somehow not the strangest thing about the year. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1993
• 1994 - The Lottery started, the Channel Tunnel opened, and Wet Wet Wet would not leave the number one spot. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1994
• 1995 - Blur against Oasis on the Six O'Clock News, and Toy Story changed films for good. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1995
• 1996 - Football came home, nearly, and the Spice Girls arrived and took the entire decade with them. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1996
• 1997 - A landslide in May, a death in August, and the best-selling single in British history. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1997
• 1998 - The Good Friday Agreement, a World Cup sending off nobody forgave, and Furby. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1998
• 1999 - An eclipse over Cornwall, a millennium everybody was quietly worried about, and boy bands everywhere. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1999
• That is every 1990s year we have written up so far: 1990 to 1999.

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 1990 turns 50 in 2040, 60 in 2050 and 70 in 2060.

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 1990
• Look back to 1991
• Look back to 1992
• Look back to 1993
• Look back to 1994
• Look back to 1995
• Look back to 1996
• Look back to 1997
• Look back to 1998
• Look back to 1999
• 1990s books, films and TV
• 1990s food and recipes
• 1990s films and directors
• 1990s calendar: year by year
• 1990s trivia: fun facts
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1990s
• 1990s party playlist
• 90s kids' TV shows
• 90s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Video shops and late fees
• Saturday morning TV
• Phones before mobiles
• 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 1990s?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling (1997). The full list above gives the novels and non-fiction worth reading from the decade, with publication years.

Which writers defined the 1990s?

J. K. Rowling, who changed children's publishing in one book. The writers section above names the rest.

What was changing in publishing in the 1990s?

The Net Book Agreement collapses in 1995 and discounting begins. 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.