Books: Bestsellers

Vikram Seth's first novel since A Suitable Boy has shot straight into the top 10. We'll have to wait a week to see how Salman Rushdie's latest, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, fares as it has only just reached the bookstores, ahead of its official publication date. Compiled from data supplied on sales over seven days ending 4 April 1999. Bookwatch Ltd, 1999

ORIGINAL FICTION

TITLE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER PRICE WEEKLY SALES

1 (1) Monsoon Wilbur Smith (Macmillan) pounds 17.99 10,085

2 (2) Come Together Josie Lloyd & Emlyn Rees (Arrow) pounds 5.99 4,125

3 (3) Charlie Lesley Pearse (Penguin) pounds 5.99 3,727

4 (5) The Testament John Grisham (Century) pounds 16.99 2,736

5 (-) Bittersweet Danielle Steel (Bantam Press) pounds 16.99 2,240

6 (-) When Morning Comes Audrey Howard (Hodder) pounds 5.99 1,696

7 (4) Sharpe's Fortress Bernard Cornwell (HarperCollins) pounds 16.99 1,485

8 (-) An Equal Music Vikram Seth (Phoenix House) pounds 16.99 1,354

9 (7) Night Whispers Judith McNaught (Pocket) pounds 5.99 1,332

10 (8) LA Connections: power Jackie Collins (Pan) pounds 2.50 1,151

ORIGINAL NON-FICTION

TITLE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER PRICE WEEKLY SALES

1 (1) Ground Force Weekend Alan Titchmarsh (BBC) pounds 9.99 5,157

2 (-) Rough Guide: the InternetAngus Kennedy (Rough Guides) pounds 5 4,151

3 (3) Men are From Mars... John Gray (Thorsons) pounds 8.99 3,540

4 (2) The Whole Woman Germaine Greer (Doubleday) pounds 16.99 3,696

5 (5) Little Book of Feng Shui Lillian Too (Element) pounds 1.99 2,229

6 (4) How to Get What You Want John Gray (Vermilion) pounds 9.99 1,903

7 (-) Cricketer's Almanack 1999 ed. Matthew Engel (Wisden) pounds 28.00 1,298

8 (-) Complete Book of Gardening Alan Titchmarsh (BBC) pounds 19.99 1,161

9 (6) The Year 1000 R Lacey & D Danziger (Little, Brown) pounds 12.99 1,028

10 (-) Business@the Speed of Thought Bill Gates (Penguin) pounds 18.99 946

BIOGRAPHY AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

TITLE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER PRICE WEEKLY SALES

1 Angela's Ashes Frank McCourt (Flamingo) pounds 7.99 2,077

2 The Life of Thomas More Peter Ackroyd (Vintage) pounds 8.99 1,638

3 A Kentish Lad Frank Muir (Corgi) pounds 7.99 822

4 The Guv'nor Lenny McLean (Blake) pounds 14.99 651

5 Falling Leaves Adeline Yen Mah (Penguin) pounds 6.99 598

6 Monica's Story Andrew Morton (O'Mara) pounds 16.99 504

7 Danny Boy Andrew Vaughan (Deutsch) pounds 14.99 404

8 The Other Side of the Dale Gervase Phinn (Penguin) pounds 6.99 287

9 Losing My Virginity Richard Branson (Virgin) pounds 20 219

10 Desert Flower Waris Dirie (Virago) pounds 10.99 215