New York City, March 22, 2002 -- The New York Public Library unveiled its selection of the 25 “Books to Remember” for 2001 at a special presentation in the landmark Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, on Friday, March 22, at 9:30 a.m. These outstanding literary works span all genres -- from fiction to nonfiction and poetry -- and are highlighted in a booklist available at all branches of the Library. The event was attended by a number of authors whose works are featured in the list, including Daniel Mark Epstein, author of What Lips My Lips Have Kissed: The Loves and Love Poems of Edna St.Vincent Millay (Henry Holt); Valerie Steele, author of The Corset: A Cultural History (Yale University Press); and Jay Winik, author of The Month That Saved America (Harper Collins).

Book lovers will find subjects ranging from Carol Jahme’s Beauty and the Beasts: Woman, Ape and Evolution (Soho Press), a look at how and why women dominate the field of primatology; The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s Eye View of the World (Random House), an exploration of the complex relationships between humans and the natural world; My Name is Red (Alfred A. Knopf), by Orhan Pamuk the tale of art and murder in 16th-century Istanbul; and How to Be Good (Riverhead Books), by Nick Hornby  the witty yet profound novel about marriage, parenthood and middle-age angst.

Other outstanding selections included are Among the Missing (Ballantine Books), Dan Chaon’s collection of brilliant yet haunting stories that examine the mysteries of everyday life, as well as John Mortimer’s The Summer of a Dormouse, (Viking Press) the delightful memoir of an English man of letters on growing old with grace and grumbling. Poetry in “Books to Remember” is represented by Paul Muldoon’s Poems: 1968 - 1998 (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux), a collection of reflections on the dark and light sides of human nature. Chuck Palahniuk contributes Choke (Doubleday) a quirky, satiric, and surrealistic novel about families and the American Dream. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal (Houghton Mifflin) is Eric Schlosser's facinating and revealing examination of the global fast food phenomenon.

Selecting the Best
Selection criteria for the “Books to Remember” list include literary excellence, uniqueness of concept and presentation, and command of subject. The selection committee consists of six librarians who specialize in adult works from The New York Public Library’s Branch and Research divisions. They 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 46th 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 ability to provide an informative or transformative reading experience for adults, and includes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The booklist is available free at all 85 branches of The New York Public Library and online at  /branch/adult/btr2001.html
 

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Contact: Debbie Bujosa at (212) 221-7676

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