The first issue of the New York Times newspaper was published on September 18, 1851. It quickly became one of the world's most respected papers, and readership grew rapidly. On October 10, 1896, the Times added a Book Review section to provide reviews on newly released books, which were becoming more accessible to the public during this time. On August 9, 1942, the company published its first Bestseller List, with Paul Elliot's "The Last Time I Saw Paris" in the number one spot. Since then, the List has been published weekly without interruption.
Since its inception, the New York Times Bestseller List has featured the week's top 15 selling books in both Fiction and Non-Fiction. This means that for more than 40 years, only 30 books were listed each week. In 1984, as self-help books became increasingly popular, they began to edge out other types of non-fiction for spots on the list. In response to this situation, the Times added a third section to the list. The Non-Fiction section was split into a list of 15 Advice/How-To books, and a list of 15 traditional Non-Fiction books. This brought the total number of books on the list up to 45, and this number stayed constant until the 21st century.
In 2000, books from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling occupied 3 of the top 15 spots on the New York Times Bestseller List for Fiction. This series had consistently dominated the top spots on the list since it was first introduced. Publishers began to complain that due to popularity of Harry Potter, these books could tie up spots on the list for years. In response, The Times added a separate list for children's books, bringing the total number of books on the list to 60, and the number of List section up to 4.
The New York Times has been an industry leader in online news, and has provided access to many online features since 1995, including the Bestseller List. As the Times began providing its list online, the paper signed a partnership agreement with the Barnes and Noble Company. This deal allowed Times readers to buy any book on the list from Barnes and Noble via a quick link from the New York Times web page. Barnes and Noble agreed to sell books from the list at a 30 percent discount. This agreement angered many independent bookstores, who organized boycott of the Times, refusing to provide sales figures for the List. As a concession, the Times agreed to add a new section to its Bestseller List, which listed the bestselling books from independent retailers.
Throughout the 21st century, the New York Times Bestseller List has been greatly expanded to include hundreds of books in over a dozen categories. By 2001, the List had sections for general Fiction and Non-Fiction categories, Advice/How-To, Children's, and Independent Retailers. Many of these were further broken down into separate Hardcover and Paperback Lists. In 2007, Paperback Fiction was divided yet again into separate lists for Trade volumes versus Mass Market paperbacks. By early 2009, the Times had added another category for graphic novels. As of 2009, the New York Times Book Review magazine still publishes these lists each week, with the top 15 books shown in all hardcover sections, and the top 20 shown in the paperback categories. Readers can find expanded lists online, with a total of 35 books listed in each category. The Book Review website also offers additional categories, such as Business books and Children's Series.