Blogger Matt Kahn has decided to read and review the bestselling book of the year throughout contemporary history, going back 100 years in his quest. Below, we’ve linked to free eBook copies of the first five books on his list…

Kahn will cover 94 books, starting with The Inside of the Cup by Winston Churchill. The site offers the fascinating opportunity to explore major books that are all but forgotten today. Check it out:

For this blog I plan, among other things, to read and review every novel to reach the number one spot on Publishers Weekly annual bestsellers list, starting in 1913. Beyond just a book review, I’m going to provide some information on the authors and the time at which these books were written in an attempt to figure out just what made these particular books popular at that particular time. I decided to undertake this endeavor as a mission to read books I never would have otherwise read, discover authors who have been lost to obscurity, and to see how what’s popular has changed over the last one hundred years. I plan to post a new review every Monday, with links, short essays, and the like between review posts.

Free Copies of the Bestselling Books of the Year from 1913-1917

1913: The Inside of the Cup by Winston Churchill
1914: The Eyes of the World by Harold Bell Wright (source of the image embedded above)
1915: The Turmoil by Booth Tarkington
1916: Seventeen by Booth Tarkington
1917: Mr. Britling Sees It Through by H. G. Wells