Bookfinder's Most Sought Books in 2016

Bookfinder.com, an online price comparison tool for books, releases an annual list of its most searched for out-of-print books. The 2016 list was just unveiled, and this year's winner for "most sought after book" was... Westworld by Michael Crichton.

This surprise winner in a spot typically reserved for Madonna's Sex book was entirely due to the HBO revival of the show last year. For the uninitiated, Westworld began its life as a 1973 film, starring Yul Brynner, about a Western-themed amusement park populated by androids. Last year, HBO turned that concept into a 10-part television series. The original 1973 film was scripted by Michael Crichton, who also authored Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, and a host of other bestselling novels. In 1974, a companion book to the Westworld film was published, featuring the script as well as an introduction from Crichton and photographs from the set. (The book is not a novelization of Westworld, probably to the disappointment of its purchasers.) The huge popularity of HBO's revival led to the spike in demand for this long out-of-print movie companion book. Prices today begin at $125.

The perennially popular Sex by Madonna came in at number two last year. Other standouts from the eclectic 2016 list are a permaculture manual, two books about painting methods, an encyclopedia of quilt patterns, a 1991 investment manual, and Cameron Crowe's Fast Times at Ridgemont High (also turned into a popular film).