The Robe – Book by Lloyd C Douglas 1942

The Robe is a 1942 historical novel about the Crucifixion written by Lloyd C. Douglas. The book was one of the best-selling titles of the 1940s.

It entered the New York Times Best Seller list in October 1942, and four weeks later rose to No. 1. It held the position for nearly a year.

The Robe remained on the list for another two years, returning several other times over the next several years including when the movie version was released in 1953.

The book explores the aftermath of the crucifixion of Jesus through the experiences of the Roman tribune who commanded the unit in charge of the crucifixion. The man goes on a journey, following the path Jesus took and meets many people whose lives Jesus had affected. Through this journey, both the tribune and the reader are challenged to explore their faith and question various norms they have embraced all their life.

Resource: Wikipedia

Number 1 Best Seller Books from 1940 to 1949

The following books reached the status of being the Number 1 best selling book for each year from 1940 to 1949. These books and their authors other books can be easily found in any used book store.

• How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn ( 1940 )
• The Keys of the Kingdom by A J Cronin (1941)
• The Song of Bernadette by Franz Werfel (1942)
• The Robe by Lloyd C Douglas (1943)
• Strange Fruit by Lillian Smith (1944)
• Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor (1945)
• The King’s General by Daphne du Maurier (1946)
• The Miracle of the Bells by Russel Janney (1947)
• The Big Fisherman by Lloyd C Douglas ( 1948 )
• The Egyptian by Mika Waltari ( 1949 )

Lloyd C Douglas (a Hoosier) was the only author to have two Number 1 best sellers in this decade.

Hervey Allen author of Anthony Adverse

Hervey Allen was an American author whose life spanned from December 8, 1889 to December 28, 1949.

He was born as William Hervey Allen in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1915, where he also became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Allen is best known for his work Anthony Adverse. He also planned a series of novels about colonial America called The Disinherited. He completed three works in the series: The Forest and the Fort (1943), Bedford Village (1944), and Toward the Morning (1948). The novels tell the story of Salathiel Albine, a frontiersman kidnapped as a boy by Shawnee Indians in the 1750s. All three works were collected and published as the City in the Dawn. Allen also wrote Israfel (1926), a biography of American writer Edgar Allan Poe.

For a period of time, Allen taught at the Porter Military Academy in Charleston, South Carolina. There he met and befriended DuBose Heyward.

In the 1940s he co-edited the Rivers of America Series with Carl Carmer.

Allen died in Miami, Florida from a heart attack while in the shower, and was found by his wife Annette.

Bibliography:

• Anthony Adverse (1933)
• Israfel (1926)
• Action at Aquila ( 1938 )
• The Forest and the Fort (1943)
• Bedford Village (1944)
• Toward the Morning ( 1948 )

Resource: Wikipedia

Best Seller Books from the 1930’s

According to the Publishers Weekly magazine the following books achieved the status of being the number one best seller for each of the years during the 1930’s. These books are easily found in most used book stores.

• Cimarron by Edna Ferber (1930)
• The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (1931)
• The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (1932)
• Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen (1933)
• Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen (1934)
• Green Light by Lloyd C Douglas (1935)
• Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936)
• Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1937)
• The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings ( 1938 )
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)

I find it very interesting that 3 titles from 3 different authors enjoyed being Number 1 for 2 years each during this decade.