There are only a few hours left until the end of the year and, as usual, the remaining time is reserved for budgets: in all fields, from economics to sport, data and numbers are chasing each other, accompanied by the story of the particular events that have marked 2025. A practice that publishing does not escape. What was the best-selling book of the last twelve months? The ranking of the magnificent ten includes essays and novels with a prevalence of bestselling writers, a real ‘safe haven’ for fans of our country and beyond. It is no coincidence, in fact, that he leads the top ten Dan Brown – undisputed master of the thriller genre – with ‘The Last Secret’ published in Italy in September by Rizzoli. The
return of Robert Langdon, the cult character created by the American writer, has therefore earned the top step of the podium.
A success that precedes another point of reference for the publishing market: the journalist and writer Aldo Cazzullofrom year to year, offers books that tell who we are and where we come from. Undisputed king of sales in 2024 with ‘The God of our fathers – The great novel of the Bible (HarperCollins), this year the Corriere della Sera signature earned the silver medal with ‘Francesco – The first Italian’always on the shelves with Harper Collins. A biography-essay in which the Poverello di Assisi is presented not only as a religious and spiritual figure, but also as the first piece of Italian identity.
Third place goes to Joel Dickerthe Swiss writer who came to the attention of the general public with crime fiction ‘The truth about the Harry Quebert case‘, bestseller in Europe in 2012. Now he has hit the mark with ‘The Catastrophic Visit to the Zoo’, published by La Nave di Teseo. The fourth step, however, is for Gianluca Gotto – author of ‘Dawn will come, you will be fine’ (Mondadori) – while for the fifth space a Ken Folletta writer who, with his books, has sold millions of copies all over the world. The British novelist has hit the mark this time with ‘The Circle of Days’ (Mondadori).
For sixth place we return to non-fiction with the autobiography of Pope Francis ‘Hope’ on the shelves again with Mondadori since January 2025. The volume was the first memoir published by a Pontiff still in office: a story in which Bergoglio retraced his life from his childhood in Buenos Aires to his family origins, until he was called to the See of Peter. In this particular competition among the most popular books, the Argentine Pope surpassed the Strega 2025 prize Andrea Bajani than with his ‘The anniversary’ he placed seventh. A novel, his, which represents in a strong and uncompromising way the breaking of family ties starting with the definitive and unappealable separation from the parents.
He’s eighth ‘Happiness on rainy days’ Of Imogen Clarknovel published by Libreria Pienogiorno in March 2025 while he is ninthSomething wonderful always happens’the longseller of Gotto published by the Segrate publishing house which continues to convince the public.
The last box is for the novel published in November 2024 by E/O, ‘Father’ by the French author Valérie Perrin. In the wake of ‘Change the water to the flowers‘, the writer drags the reader into a tangle of stories, characters and twists.
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