List of The New York Times number-one books of 1942

This is a list of books that topped The New York Times best-seller list in 1942.

Though the bestseller list first began in 1931, it only became a national survey on August 9, 1942; previously the list only reflected sales from the New York metropolitan area.

Fiction
The following list ranks the number-one best-selling fiction books.

The two most popular books that year were The Song of Bernadette, by Franz Werfel, which made the list for fifteen weeks; and The Robe, by Lloyd Douglas, which would dominate the list for the final six weeks of 1942 and most of 1943.

Nonfiction
The following list ranks the number-one best-selling nonfiction books.