The New York Times Best Seller list Quiz

Try out this The New York Times Best Seller list quiz to test your knowledge. The New York Times Best Seller list trivia explores the history, quirks, and cultural impact of the weekly ranking long regarded as the leading measure of book sales in the United States.

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15 questions

~3 min to finish

Easy to hard difficulty

480 pts max score

Question 1 · Hard · 40 pts
What specific part of the ranking process has The New York Times kept undisclosed, fueling debate about how titles are placed?
Question 2 · Hard · 40 pts
For much of its history, the rankings were assembled from reports coming from which two main reporting sources?
Question 3 · Hard · 40 pts
Not every large purchase spree gets equal treatment: which type of orders have been excluded from calculations at times?
Question 4 · Hard · 40 pts
On the printed list, what does the little dagger symbol warn readers about in a title's sales pattern?
Question 5 · Hard · 40 pts
When nonfiction categories were broadened, the Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous list was created during which decade?
Question 6 · Hard · 40 pts
Before the rankings became chiefly identified with the Book Review, which Times publication had once carried best-seller lists?
Question 7 · Hard · 40 pts
A recurring complaint from some booksellers and publishers has centered on what about the list's system?
Question 8 · Hard · 40 pts
When defending how the rankings are made, The New York Times has argued the list should be understood as what, rather than a raw-sales ledger?
Question 9 · Hard · 40 pts
Which author was at the center of the 1985 federal court decision that said the list is protected as editorial opinion?
Question 10 · Hard · 40 pts
Which William Peter Blatty novel was omitted from the list and became central to his lawsuit against The New York Times?
Question 11 · Hard · 40 pts
The Times has periodically overhauled category structures; one such revision introduced lists for what sales format combination?
Question 12 · Easy · 10 pts
Which newspaper publishes The New York Times Best Seller list?
Question 13 · Easy · 10 pts
The best-seller list is associated with what New York Times section or publication?
Question 14 · Easy · 10 pts
What common shortened name is often used for this list?
Question 15 · Easy · 10 pts
Which standard category covers many paperback fiction titles on the list?

What specific part of the ranking process has The New York Times kept undisclosed, fueling debate about how titles are placed?

For much of its history, the rankings were assembled from reports coming from which two main reporting sources?

Not every large purchase spree gets equal treatment: which type of orders have been excluded from calculations at times?

On the printed list, what does the little dagger symbol warn readers about in a title's sales pattern?

When nonfiction categories were broadened, the Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous list was created during which decade?

Before the rankings became chiefly identified with the Book Review, which Times publication had once carried best-seller lists?

A recurring complaint from some booksellers and publishers has centered on what about the list's system?

When defending how the rankings are made, The New York Times has argued the list should be understood as what, rather than a raw-sales ledger?

Which author was at the center of the 1985 federal court decision that said the list is protected as editorial opinion?

Which William Peter Blatty novel was omitted from the list and became central to his lawsuit against The New York Times?

The Times has periodically overhauled category structures; one such revision introduced lists for what sales format combination?

Which newspaper publishes The New York Times Best Seller list?

The best-seller list is associated with what New York Times section or publication?

What common shortened name is often used for this list?

Which standard category covers many paperback fiction titles on the list?