Oh give me a break. Can there be any question that we’re talking about the 1967 Lower Manhattan telephone directory, published by the good people of AT&T? There were many fine afternoons discovering the subtle meaning of “212 673-2127” and the true numerological of “212 589-7444,” I must say.
“Into Thin Air” by John Krakauer. He was on Mt. Everest in May 1996, when more people died in 24 hours than in any previous season.
His even-handed account shows the ongoing conflicts between experienced climbers and newbies who paid tens of thousands of dollars to commercial guides to get them to the top, sometimes literally “short-roping” (dragging) clients to the summit.
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In the name of accuracy, it’s probably James M. McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom, but my sentimental vote is for John M. Barry’s Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America. Absolutely gripping look at the economic development of the South, race relations, the corruption of Louisiana, race relations, and a host of other topics. Would make a great HBO miniseries.
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