Books: Bestsellers

The big news this week is that, although Alex Ferguson's Managing My Life is topping the original non-fiction list, the top-selling autobiography is Bill Bryson's Notes From a Big Country (as serialised in The Independent every Monday). Dick Francis, champion of last week's fiction list, is no longer on a winning streak. The Remorseful Day, the only new fiction entry, has raced past him, as fans pay their respects to the very last of Morse . Compiled on sales over seven days to 18 September Bookwatch Ltd, 1999

BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY

TITLE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER WEEKLY PRICE

SALES

1 Notes From a Big Country Bill Bryson (Black Swan) 9,829 pounds 6.99

2 Managing My Life Alex Ferguson (Hodder) 5,417 pounds 18.99

3 Angela's Ashes Frank McCourt (Flamingo) 3,237 pounds 7.99

4 Notes From a Small Island Bill Bryson (Black Swan) 2,541 pounds 6.99

5 Georgiana Amanda Foreman (Flamingo) 2,526 pounds 8.99

6 Driving Over Lemons Chris Stewart (Sort of Books) 2,524 pounds 6.99

7 Addicted Tony Adams & Ian Ridley (CollinsWillow) 2,417 pounds 6.99

8 Parcel Arrived Safely Michael Crawford (Century) 1,818 pounds 16.99

9 Vinnie: the autobiography Vinnie Jones (Headline) 1,555 pounds 6.99

10 Iris: a memoir John Bayley (Abacus) 1,435 pounds 7.99

ORIGINAL NON-FICTION

TITLE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER WEEKLY PRICE

SALES

1 Managing My Life Alex Ferguson (Hodder) 5,417 pounds 18.99

2 Between Extremes B Keenan & J McCarthy (Bantam) 2,690 pounds 16.99

3 Driving Over Lemons Chris Stewart (Sort of Books) 2,524 pounds 6.99

4 Men are from Mars John Gray (Thorsons) 1,908 pounds 8.99

5 Parcel Arrived Safely Michael Crawford (Century) 1,818 pounds 16.99

6 The Code Book Simon Singh (4th Estate) 1,722 pounds 16.99

7 Stop the Ride, I Want to Get Off Dave Courtney (Virgin) 1,459 pounds 16.99

8 The Naked Chef Jamie Oliver (M Joseph) 1,145 pounds 18.99

9 Devil's Advocate John Humphrys (Hutchinson) 958 pounds 16.99

10 The Guv'nor Lenny McLean (Blake) 889 pounds 14.99

ORIGINAL FICTION

TITLE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER WEEKLY PRICE

SALES

1 The Remorseful Day Colin Dexter (Macmillan) 10,032 pounds 16.99

2 Black Notice Patricia Cornwell (Little, Brown) 7,269 pounds 16.99

3 Second Wind Dick Francis (M Joseph) 5,768 pounds 16.99

4 Harry Potter and... J K Rowling (Bloomsbury) 4,922 pounds 10.99

5 Op-Centre 6 Tom Clancy (HarperCollins) 4,158 pounds 6.99

6 Shadow Child Judith Lennox (Corgi) 4,000 pounds 5.99

7 The Kissing Garden Charlotte Bingham (Bantam) 3,851 pounds 5.99

8 Mr Maybe Jane Green (Penguin) 3,673 pounds 6.99

9 The Making of Minty Malone Isabel Wolff (HarperCollins) 3,318 pounds 5.99

10 Hannibal Thomas Harris (Heinemann) 2,836 pounds 16.99