Debut Novels of the Last 50 Years

Half Price Books continues to celebrate our 50th Anniversary with a look back on the last 50 years, and since November is National Novel Writing Month, we’d like to remind all the aspiring authors out there that every author was once a beginner! Take a look at our list of 50 debut novels released during the last 50 years for a little writing encouragement.


  1. Gorilla, My Love, by Toni Cade Bambara
  2. Rubyfruit Jungle, by Rita Mae Brown
  3. Jaws, by Peter Benchley
  4. Black Sunday, by Thomas Harris
  5. Patternmaster, by Octavia E. Butler
  6. The Sword of Shannara, by Terry Brooks
  7. Sideways Stories from Wayside School, by Louis Sachar
  8. Flowers in the Attic, by V.C. Andrews
  9. The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco
  10. A Good Man in Africa, by William Boyd
  11. Angels, by Denis Johnson
  12. The Woman Who Owned the Shadows, by Paula Gunn Allen
  13. Less than Zero, by Bret Easton Ellis
  14. Anywhere But Here, by Mona Simpson
  15. Mama, by Terry McMillan
  16. The Swimming-Pool Library, by Allen Hollinghurst
  17. The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan
  18. The South, by Colm Toibin
  19. How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents, by Julia Alvarez
  20. The Secret History, by Donna Tartt
  21. The Skating Rink, by Roberto Bolaño
  22. Every Light in the House Burnin’, by Andrea Levy
  23. The Horse Whisperer, by Nicholas Evans
  24. Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk
  25. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J. K. Rowling
  26. Brown Girl in the Ring, by Nalo Hopkinson
  27. The Intuitionist, by Colson Whitehead
  28. White Teeth, by Zadie Smith
  29. The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd
  30. Everything is Illuminated, by Jonathan Safran Foer
  31. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
  32. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
  33. Crank, by Ellen Hopkins
  34. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
  35. In the Country of Men, by Hisham Matar
  36. Before I Die, by Jenny Downham
  37. Before I Go to Sleep, by S. J. Watson
  38. The Help,  by Kathryn Stockett
  39. Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver
  40. The Tiger’s Wife, by Téa Obreht
  41. A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman
  42. I Am Pilgrim, by Terry Hayes
  43. Queen Sugar, by Natalie Baszile
  44. Everything, Everything, by Nicola Yoon
  45. The Dry, by Jane Harper
  46. The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
  47. Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi
  48. Red, White & Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston
  49. The Girl With the Louding Voice, by Abi Daré
  50. The Other Black Girl, by Zakiya Dalila Harris

You can find these debut novels and more at your local Half Price Books and on HPB.com. And remember, debut novels get published every year. So don’t get discouraged, and happy writing!