Exclusive: The Brooklyn Public Library is announcing its most borrowed books of all time
Nov. 14, 2022, 8:01 a.m.
You might not expect to find “Candide” and “Captain Underpants” on the same list, but here we are.
We’ve got the list.
You might not expect to find “Candide” and “Captain Underpants” on the same lineup, but here we are.
Since late October, the Brooklyn Public Library has been releasing information about the most popular books in its 125-year history. The “drops” have been happening online, every weekday, ten titles at a time, as part of its “Top 125 Most Borrowed Books” countdown.
As of this writing, the library has revealed all but their top five most popular titles.
Today, the wait is over, and Gothamist has an exclusive look at the all-time top five.
Top 5 Most Borrowed Books of All Time at the Brooklyn Public Library
- “Where the Wild Things Are,” Maurice Sendak
- “The Snowy Day,” Ezra Jack Keats
- “The Cat in the Hat,” Dr. Seuss
- “A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens
- “Are You My Mother?” PD Eastman
“Where the Wild Things Are,” by the late Brooklynite Maurice Sendak, was first published in 1963. The next year, it was awarded the Caldecott Medal, one of the most prestigious awards for children’s books. The Brooklyn Public Library has 163 copies, in many different languages, in its collection.
The story follows a boy named Max, who is sent to his room with no dinner after behaving mischievously. From there, he finds a world of monsters – “wild things” – who become his friends.
Years after it was published, Sendak said he modeled the monsters on his relatives.
“It really sums up the experience of a kid who's been a little bit naughty,” said Robin Lester Kenton, the vice president of marketing and communications for the library, who spearheaded the list. “The themes in that story are universal.”
Dr. Seuss, whose classic “The Cat in the Hat” was the third most checked-out book of all time, made the list 17 times. “Green Eggs and Ham” also cracked the top 20, coming in at #11; so did “Fox in Socks,” which was #18.
Lester Kenton said children’s books likely dominate the top 125 because they are shorter and therefore circulate more often than, say, “Game of Thrones.” Also, she said, families are “huge users” of the library.
Mo Willems – familiar to many who became parents after 2003, the year he published his first book, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” (#97) – has eight books in the top 125. The other seven are all from his “Elephant and Piggie” series.
Some other highlights from the top 125:
“Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret,” the classic from Judy Blume, landed in the 125th spot.
Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” was the 75th most borrowed book of all-time. (It is also one of the most banned books ever.)
Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” came in ninth.
Though picture books dominate, the list features some titles for more advanced readers. Agatha Christie, Sylvia Plath, and John Steinbeck, for example, have books on the list; Stephen King does not.
The idea for the Most Borrowed List was hatched in July, when the library reached a different milestone: It loaned its one billionth item. Kenton said her team started to wonder what, exactly, had the library been loaning? And what was most beloved?
To answer that question, they consulted annual reports, which the library has kept every year since it was first opened in 1896. They looked at circulation data, book-buying records, bestseller lists, and historical documents to identify popular hits. The entire process took about two months, she said.
One tidbit they learned was that, starting in the 1950s, the library lent out framed art – including reproductions of paintings by Cezanne, Velásquez, and Rembrandt – for three months at a time, for a charge of 25 cents. The goal was to “demonstrate to people that great art is not merely to be looked at in museums, but to be lived with in the home.”
Even today, the library lends items beyond books – including ukuleles, sewing machines and telescopes.
To wrap up the 125th anniversary celebrations, the library will host an event for families on December 3.
Until then, they hope people enjoy the list – and seeing some of their favorite books on there.
“It’s a really nice showcase of some of the most loved books by our patrons in Brooklyn and probably beyond,” said Lester Kenton. “We're excited for the next 125 years.”
Correction: “Game of Thrones” is the first book in the series “A Song of Ice and Fire.” An earlier version of this article misidentified the name of the series.