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Some reading suggestions have been kindly written by staff members of the downtown bookstore McNally Robinson.
Capital, by Karl Marx
I know, some of you are rolling your eyes as you see this on the staff picks, but you know what—you should read it! Why? Because the major social relation that you function with/by/for/under is capitalism. Marx deconstructed this relation like no one else who ever lived. It is a piece of scholastic investigation to the highest of degrees, and is on par with Darwin’s The Origin of Species as the most important nineteenth century nonfiction. One should not judge this in the context of The Communist Manifesto, as it is not a diatribe, but it should be judged as being the earth-shattering project that it is. Warning though: your life will never be the same after reading this.
 Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Color, by Philip Ball
Oh, sweet micro-history! Take me behind the scenes of my very life and show me how it all came to be. With Bright Earth, Philip Ball adds his engaging investigation of color’s role in art to the genre that brought us Salt, Birth, Cod and many others. Travel with Ball through the studios, laboratories, factories, and mines that brought us our current rainbow, and thrill at all you didn’t know you didn’t know.
The Stray Dog Cabaret: A Book of Russian Poems, translated by Paul Schmidt
Is it more telling of my tastes, or of the lasting worth of the poetry contained, that I prefer this new collection from pre-revolution Moscow to many more recent anthologies? From Mandelstam’s prefiguring of the mid-century American voice, to Akhmatova’s bold lyricism, and Khlebnikov’s resolute Modernism, this slim book highlights the wealth of talent that had arisen in late-tsarist Russia. Try to read them without letting foreknowledge spoil your palate too much.
The Emperor’s Children, by Claire Messud
This is a work written in such fluid prose, the story seems to tell itself. The skin of the apple is a gossipy, WASPy, New York society story. Once you bite into The Emperor’s Children, the flesh offers a rewarding and informing tangle of morals, loss, misdirection, friendship, and emotional turbulence. An excellent pick to pack into your picnic basket and take to the park on a sunny day. Messud’s novel is a welcoming voice behind a haughty facade. If you don’t trust me, trust The New York Times, which named it one of their ten best books of 2006.
Special Event: Take Authors Out of the Book
On Friday June 15, McNally Robinson booksellers will host a screening event at Two Boots Pioneer Theater at 6 p.m. The film to be shown is about Ian McEwan’s latest novel, On Chesil Beach, and will include an interview of the author and commentary about the book, which concerns a newly married couple—both virgins—in 1962. A panel discussion will follow. For details on the event, check McNally Robinson’s web site .
McNally Robinson independent bookstore is well worth a visit, they have a fantastic selection of books on their shelves. The store is located in NoLIta at 52 Prince Street between Lafayette and Mulberry. Visit them on the Web.
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