BookRank

Best of the year

Best books of 1971

16 highest-rated books first published in 1971.

← 19701972 →

Why The Lorax is #1

The Lorax (Dr. Seuss) scores 8.4/10 from 309 ratings — 0.3 points ahead of The Tombs of Atuan 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. The Lorax
    The LoraxDr. Seuss · 1971 Children’s books309 ratings
    8.48.4 / 10
  2. The Tombs of Atuan
    The Tombs of AtuanUrsula K. Le Guin · 1971Filmed 2004 Fantasy753 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  3. The Lathe of Heaven
    The Lathe of HeavenUrsula K. Le Guin · 1971 Science fiction629 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  4. The Day of the Jackal
    The Day of the JackalFrederick Forsyth · 1971 Thriller239 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  5. The Exorcist
    The ExorcistWilliam Peter Blatty · 1971 Horror537 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  6. Krabat
    KrabatOtfried Preußler · 1971 Fantasy77 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  7. That Was Then, This Is Now
    That Was Then, This Is NowS. E. Hinton · 1971 Young adult67 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  8. Maurice
    MauriceE. M. Forster · 1971 Classics145 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  9. Grendel
    GrendelJohn Gardner · 1971 Fantasy138 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  10. Dragonquest
    DragonquestAnne McCaffrey · 1971 Fantasy189 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  11. The Carpet People
    The Carpet PeopleTerry Pratchett · 1971 Fantasy74 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  12. To Your Scattered Bodies Go
    To Your Scattered Bodies GoPhilip José Farmer · 1971 Science fiction179 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  13. Post Office
    Post OfficeCharles Bukowski · 1971 Classics362 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  14. The First Four Years
    The First Four YearsLaura Ingalls Wilder · 1971 Middle grade88 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  15. The Fabulous Riverboat
    The Fabulous RiverboatPhilip José Farmer · 1971 Science fiction66 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  16. Go Ask Alice
    Go Ask AliceBeatrice Sparks · 1971 Young adult341 ratings
    6.86.8 / 10

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