Best of the year

Best books of 1953

13 highest-rated books first published in 1953.

Why Second Foundation is #1

Second Foundation (Isaac Asimov) scores 8.4/10 from 1.3K ratings — 0.3 points ahead of The Worldly Philosophers in second place.

The score is a weighted average across 3 independent rating sources. A title with few ratings is pulled toward the category average, so a handful of enthusiastic reviews cannot outrank a book that thousands of readers have judged. Method →

  1. Second Foundation
    Second FoundationIsaac Asimov · 1953 Science fiction1.3K ratings
    8.48.4 / 10
  2. The Worldly Philosophers
    The Worldly PhilosophersRobert Heilbroner · 1953 Economics81 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  3. The Sneetches and Other Stories
    The Sneetches and Other StoriesDr. Seuss · 1953 Children’s books69 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  4. Nine Stories
    Nine StoriesJ. D. Salinger · 1953 Short stories257 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  5. Childhood's End
    Childhood's EndArthur C. Clarke · 1953Filmed 2015 Science fiction912 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  6. Fahrenheit 451
    Fahrenheit 451Ray Bradbury · 1953 Science fiction5.7K ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  7. Starman Jones
    Starman JonesRobert A. Heinlein · 1953 Science fiction52 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  8. A Pocket Full of Rye
    A Pocket Full of RyeAgatha Christie · 1953 Crime & mystery135 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  9. A Kiss Before Dying
    A Kiss Before DyingIra Levin · 1953 Crime & mystery54 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  10. After the Funeral
    After the FuneralAgatha Christie · 1953 Crime & mystery117 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  11. The Silver Chair
    The Silver ChairC. S. Lewis · 1953 Fantasy778 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  12. Casino Royale
    Casino RoyaleIan Fleming · 1953Filmed 2006 Thriller434 ratings
    7.37.3 / 10
  13. The Crucible
    The CrucibleArthur Miller · 1953Filmed 1996 Drama & theatre708 ratings
    7.17.1 / 10

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