1990 Fiction That Crossed English-Speaking Borders

According to Publishers Weekly, of the 10 best-selling books in Britain for 1990, only one was by an American author: Jean M. Auel's ``The Plains of Passage'' ranked No. 8. In Canada, seven of the 10 best-selling books were by American authors. Auel's book ranked No. 1, and Stephen King appeared in three places: No. 4 ``The Dark Half,'' No. 5 ``Four Past Midnight,'' and No. 10 ``The Stand.''

Although ``Longshot,'' by English mystery writer Dick Francis (No. 1 in Britain) and ``Friend of My Youth,'' by Canadian novelist Alice Munro (No. 2 in Canada) had significant followings in the United States, they wre not listed in the US top 10 for 1990.