Press Release

Outstanding Books of 1998 Selected for Recognition by The New York Public Library

"Books to Remember" List Honors the 25 Most Notable Works of Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry

New York City, April 16, 1999: ­ The New York Public Library unveiled its selection of the 25 "Books to Remember" for 1998 at a special presentation this morning in the landmark Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. These outstanding literary works span all genres ­ from fiction to nonfiction and poetry ­ and are highlighted in a booklist now available at all branches of the Library. The event was attended by a number of authors whose works are featured in the list, including Barbara Goldsmith, Nicholas Clapp, and David and Marshall Fisher.

Among the books featured in "Books to Remember" is Philip Gourevitch's incisive We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families: Stories from Rwanda (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), which recently won the 1999 National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction. Slaves in the Family (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), Edward Ball's examination of his predecessors' slaveholding past, and The Farming of Bones (Soho Press), Edwidge Danticat's fictionalized account of the 1937 massacre of Haitians in the Dominican Republic, are two other titles on the list that examine the human struggle with intolerance from a personal perspective.

Barbara Kingsolver's PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novel The Poisonwood Bible (HarperFlamingo), about a missionary family in postcolonial Congo, is included, as is The Knife Thrower and Other Stories (Crown), by Steven Millhauser, a Pulitzer Prize winner. There are also works of poetry, including Birthday Letters (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), in which Ted Hughes reflects on his years with Sylvia Plath, and Sweet Machine: Poems (HarperFlamingo) by award-winning poet Mark Doty.

Selecting the Best
Selection criteria for the "Books to Remember" list include literary excellence; information value and importance; sincerity and honesty of presentation; skill in presentation; and importance in historical context. The selection committee consists of eight adult specialty librarians of The New York Public Library's Branch system, who begin by reading hundreds of book reviews. Self-described "voracious readers from whom no genre is safe," the group next takes a closer look, reading on average more than 100 of the most notable books. Discussions and debates follow as the merits of each book are weighed. Finally, each book on the short list is read by all committee members; a final vote decides which 25  contenders will make the list.

"Books to Remember," now in its 43rd year, is published by The New York Public Library's Office of Adult Services. It is an annual list of books chosen by specialty librarians for their distinct and lasting contribution to literature and knowledge for the general adult reader, and includes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The booklist is available free at all 85 branches of The New York Public Library.
 

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thoerenz: pro: 04-16-99