Back in Time Today
Remember when summer meant paperbacks with dog-eared corners and sunscreen-stained pages? The 1970s transformed how we read at the beach, with mass-market paperbacks becoming as essential as towels and tanning oil. These blockbuster novels sold millions, dominated bestseller lists for months, and defined what we now call the summer beach read. Take a nostalgic trip back to the striped beach towels of the disco decade.
1. Love Story by Erich Segal (1970)
The tearjerker that made millions of sunbathers weep behind their sunglasses. Segal’s slim novel about doomed lovers Oliver and Jenny spent an astonishing 41 weeks on bestseller lists, becoming 1970’s literary phenomenon.
The Valentine’s Day release timing proved perfect, and the film adaptation starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw only amplified its popularity. Beach-goers couldn’t resist its famous tagline: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”
Readers everywhere sobbed through its tragic ending, making soggy paperbacks a common sight along coastlines that summer. The novel’s emotional simplicity perfectly matched the laid-back beach vibe.
2. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach (1970)
Bach’s slender philosophical fable soared beyond publishing expectations, perching atop bestseller lists for 38 straight weeks. The tale of a seagull seeking perfection and freedom resonated perfectly with the decade’s spiritual seekers.
At just 127 pages, it was the ideal size for tucking into beach bags. The book’s striking black-and-white seagull photographs made it instantly recognizable on towels from Malibu to Miami.
Neil Diamond even created a soundtrack album for this unlikely hit about a bird’s quest for self-actualization. Its inspirational message—”You have the freedom to be yourself”—captured the 1970s zeitgeist perfectly.
3. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (1971)
Sunbathers shocked fellow beachgoers by voluntarily terrifying themselves with Blatty’s demonic possession tale. The novel gripped the bestseller list with supernatural force—57 weeks total, 17 at number one!
Sand and suntan lotion couldn’t diminish the chilling effect of young Regan’s transformation and Father Karras’s crisis of faith. The paperback’s cover, featuring a silhouette of Father Merrin approaching the MacNeil house, became an iconic beach sight.
Readers whispered about the “cursed” novel between dips in the ocean. The 1973 film adaptation only intensified demand, making this horror masterpiece the most-swapped paperback at beach houses nationwide.
4. Watership Down by Richard Adams (1972)
Adams’s rabbit epic hopped onto American beaches in 1974, quickly becoming the summer’s surprise hit. Beach readers found themselves unexpectedly engrossed in this 400-page saga about rabbits seeking a new home.
The novel’s blend of adventure, mythology, and social commentary proved irresistible even under blazing sun. Beachgoers formed emotional attachments to Hazel, Fiver, and Bigwig despite the book’s hefty size—definitely not a lightweight beach read!
The paperback’s distinctive cover featuring silhouetted rabbits against a sunset made it instantly recognizable along shorelines. This unlikely summer sensation proved that even anthropomorphic animal tales could qualify as perfect vacation escapism.
5. Jaws by Peter Benchley (1974)
The ultimate ironic beach read! Benchley’s shark thriller had sunbathers nervously eyeing the waves while unable to put the book down. Nothing screams “1970s summer” like spotting dozens of identical shark-emblazoned paperbacks dotting the shoreline.
The novel’s opening scene—a midnight swimmer meets a gruesome fate—became summer’s most-discussed literary moment. Jaws spent 44 weeks on bestseller lists, moving 9 million copies before Spielberg’s 1975 film emptied beaches nationwide.
Beach vendors reported brisk sales to tourists who’d forgotten reading material. The novel’s mix of marine terror, small-town politics, and sexual tension created the perfect formula for summer reading that continues to influence beach thrillers today.
6. Shōgun by James Clavell (1975)
Clavell’s mammoth samurai saga proved that size doesn’t matter when the story captivates. At over 1,100 pages, this doorstop of a novel became an unlikely beach companion, with readers lugging the hefty tome to shorelines worldwide.
The tale of English navigator John Blackthorne’s adventures in feudal Japan transported sun-worshippers to a completely different world. Sand would collect between its pages as readers became absorbed in the epic tale of cultural clash, political intrigue, and forbidden romance.
Beachgoers committed to this marathon read could be spotted in the same spot for days. The novel’s 30+ weeks on bestseller lists confirmed that summer readers were ready for substance along with their sunshine.
7. Roots by Alex Haley (1976)
Haley’s multigenerational saga transformed beach reading from mere escape to profound cultural exploration. The paperback’s distinctive cover featuring a baobab tree became a common sight under beach umbrellas across America during the summer of ’77.
The groundbreaking novel spent 46 remarkable weeks on bestseller lists, 22 at number one. Following the landmark television miniseries, discussions about Kunta Kinte’s journey replaced typical beach chatter about tides and tanning.
Readers emerged from behind their copies with tear-streaked sunscreen and newfound perspectives on American history. Roots proved that beach reading could simultaneously entertain and enlighten, forever elevating the potential of what constitutes a “summer book.”
8. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (1977)
McCullough’s sweeping Australian saga—often dubbed “the Down Under Gone with the Wind”—dominated beach bags for multiple summers. The forbidden romance between Meggie Cleary and Father Ralph de Bricassart had sunbathers turning pages with sandy fingers for hours.
The paperback hit number one on July 3, 1977, and remained on bestseller lists for an incredible 59 weeks. Its eventual worldwide sales of 33 million copies meant this passionate multi-generational tale appeared on virtually every beach worldwide.
The novel’s exotic Australian setting provided mental escape even for those already physically escaping at seaside resorts. Its compelling blend of romance, family drama, and religious conflict created the perfect recipe for beach reading obsession.
9. Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach (1977)
Bach’s philosophical follow-up to Jonathan Livingston Seagull became the thinking person’s beach companion. Its compact size made it perfect for slipping into beach totes, while its mind-expanding concepts gave sunbathers something to contemplate between ocean dips.
The tale of barnstorming pilots and reality-bending wisdom resonated with the decade’s spiritual seekers. Famous quotes from the book—”Argue for your limitations and sure enough, they’re yours”—were scribbled in many a sandy journal.
Readers passed dog-eared copies between beach blankets, creating impromptu discussion groups. Bach’s breezy writing style paired perfectly with sea breezes, making complex metaphysical concepts digestible even with sun-addled brains.
10. Scruples by Judith Krantz (1978)
Krantz’s glitzy Rodeo Drive blockbuster redefined beach reading with its intoxicating blend of fashion, sex, and ambition. The paperback’s hot pink cover made it instantly recognizable on towels from coast to coast.
Following ugly-duckling-turned-swan Billy Ikehorn’s rise in the fashion world, readers devoured this escapist fantasy while working on their own transformations via suntans. The novel’s explicit scenes had many readers hiding behind oversized sunglasses, pretending they were engrossed in something more literary.
Scruples cemented the “bonkbuster” as summer’s guilty pleasure reading genre. Its runaway international success (and subsequent TV adaptation) established a formula for beach reads that continues to fill resort bookshops today.