By contrast, former president Bill Clinton’s memoir, My Life, has logged sales of 2.2 million copies since it was first published in 2004.

A spokesman for Crown called the performance remarkable, saying he could not immediately think of any other hardcover nonfiction books in 2010 that had sold over 1 million copies.

In Decision Points, Bush recounts the inner workings of the White House and his administration following the Sept. 11 attacks, including decisions that led to the wars in Afghanistan in Iraq.