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

New York, March 19 -- The New York Public Library unveiled its selection of 25 Books to Remember for 2003 at a special presentation in the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, Friday, March 19, at 9:30 a.m. This year's impressive offerings, spanning all genres -- from fiction to nonfiction and poetry, were chosen for their ability to provide an informative or transformative reading experience.  The event was attended by authors whose works are featured in the list, including, Matthew Pearl, The Dante Club (Random House); Andrew Meier, Black Earth: A Journey Through Russia After the Fall (W.W. Norton); Caroline Alexander, The Bounty: The True Story of Mutiny on the Bounty (Viking); Ken Kalfus, The Commissariat of Enlightenment (Ecco); and David Von Drehle, Triangle: The Fire That Changed America (Atlantic Monthly Press).

The Books to Remember list has a long-standing reputation of featuring a selection of the best in newly published works. Among this year's choices are Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach (W.W. Norton), a humorous yet compassionate look at the postmortem uses of bodies donated to science; The Dante Club: A Novel, by Matthew Pearl (Random House), set in in 19th-century Boston, a tale of literary geniuses who solve grisly murders committed by a serial killer who tortures his victims in ways that seem to be taken straight out of the pages of Dante's Inferno; and The Emperor of Scent: A Story of Perfume, Obsession, and the Last Mystery of the Senses, by Chandler Burr (Random House), the story of one man's unrelenting quest to unravel one of the last great mysteries of the human body: our sense of smell.

More examples of the lists' varied entries include Khruschev: The Man and His Era, by William Taubman (W.W. Norton), the definitive biography of the man who inspired terror and fear, and made duck-and-cover drills a part of our everyday life; as well as The Voice at 3:00 A.M.: Selected Late and New Poems (Harcourt) which include two decades of lyrical wit and delightfully sardonic observations from award-winning poet Charles Simic. Goya, by Robert Hughes (Alfred A. Knopf) is a richly illustrated, intensely human portrait of the great artist. A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies, by John Murray (Harper Collins) is a collection of short stories that skillfully weave science and medicine with love and obsession, and are set in exotic locations; and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon (Doubleday), a story in which a remarkably portrayed autistic boy, accused of killing his neighbor's dog, investigates and uncovers more than he set out to.

Selecting the Best
Selection criteria for the Books to Remember list include literary excellence, aesthetic appeal, uniqueness of concept and command of subject matter.  The selection committee consists of seven librarians from The New York Public Library's Branch and Research divisions who specialize in working with adults. They begin by reading hundreds of book reviews. Self-described "voracious readers from whom no genre is safe," the group then takes a closer look, reading more than 100 of the most notable books. Lively 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 48th 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.

Selected titles appearing on this booklist may be available in recorded, braille or large print versions. For more information, please contact the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library, 40 West 20th Street, New York NY 10011-4211, (212) 206-5400, (212) 206-5458 (TTY).
 

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Contact: Debbie Bujosa, 212-704-8600.
 
 

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