"Stuck-up old statuette of nothing doing!" commented the ex-Soap King. "The Eden Musee'll get that old frozen Nesselrode yet if he don't watch out. I'll have this house painted red, white, and blue next summer and see if that'll make his Dutch nose turn up any higher."
And then Anthony Rockwall, who never cared for bells, went to the door of his library and shouted "Mike!" in the same voice that had once chipped off pieces of the welkin on the Kansas prairies.
"Tell my son," said Anthony to the answering menial, "to come in here before he leaves the house."
When young Rockwall entered the library the old man laid aside his newspaper, looked at him with a kindly grimness on his big, smooth, ruddy countenance, rumpled his mop of white hair with one hand and rattled the keys in his pocket with the other.
"Richard," said Anthony Rockwail, "what do you pay for the soap that you use?"
Richard, only six months home from college, was startled a little. He had not yet taken the measure of this sire of his, who was as full of unexpectednesses as a girl at her first party.
"Six dollars a dozen, I think, dad."
"And your clothes?"
"I suppose about sixty dollars, as a rule."
"You're a gentleman," said Anthony, decidedly. "I've heard of these young bloods spending $24 a dozen for soap, and going over the hundred mark for clothes. You've got as much money to waste as any of 'em, and yet you stick to what's decent and moderate. Now I use the old Eureka--not only for sentiment, but it's the purest soap made. Whenever you pay more than 10 cents a cake for soap you buy bad perfumes and labels. But 50 cents is doing very well for a young man in your generation, position and condition. As I said, you're a gentleman. They say it takes three generations to make one. They're off. Money'll do it as slick as soap grease. It's made you one. By hokey! it's almost made one of me. I'm nearly as impolite and disagreeable and ill-mannered as these two old Knickerbocker gents on each side of me that can't sleep of nights because I bought in between 'em."
"There are some things that money can't accomplish," remarked young Rockwall, rather gloomily.
"Now, don't say that," said old Anthony, shocked. "I bet my money on money every time. I've been through the encyclopaedia down to Y looking for something you can't buy with it; and I expect to have to take up the appendix next week. I'm for money against the field. Tell me something money won't buy."
"For one thing," answered Richard, rankling a little, "it won't buy one into the exclusive circles of society." "Oho! won't it?" thundered the champion of the root of evil. "You tell me where your exclusive circles would be if the first Astor hadn't had the money to pay for his steerage passage over?"
Richard sighed.
"And that's what I was coming to," said the old man, less boisterously. "That's why I asked you to come in. There's something going wrong with you, boy. I've been noticing it for two weeks. Out with it. I guess I could lay my hands on eleven millions within twenty-four hours, besides the real estate. If it's your liver, there's the Rambler down in the bay, coaled, and ready to steam down to the Bahamas in two days."
"Not a bad guess, dad; you haven't missed it far."
"Ah," said Anthony, keenly; "what's her name?"
Richard began to walk up and down the library floor. There was enough comradeship and sympathy in this crude old father of his to draw his confidence.
"Why don't you ask her?" demanded old Anthony. "She'll jump at you. You've got the money and the looks, and you're a decent boy. Your hands are clean. You've got no Eureka soap on 'em. You've been to college, but she'll overlook that."
"I haven't had a chance," said Richard.
"Make one," said Anthony. "Take her for a walk in the park, or a straw ride, or walk home with her from church Chance! Pshaw!"
"You don't know the social mill, dad. She's part of the stream that turns it. Every hour and minute of her time is arranged for days in advance. I must have that girl, dad, or this town is a blackjack swamp forevermore. And I can't write it--I can't do that."
"Tut!" said the old man. "Do you mean to tell me that with all the money I've got you can't get an hour or two of a girl's time for yourself?"
"I've put it off too late. She's going to sail for Europe at noon day after to-morrow for a two years' stay. I'm to see her alone to-morrow evening for a few minutes. She's at Larchmont now at her aunt's. I can't go there. But I'm allowed to meet her with a cab at the Grand Central Station to-morrow evening at the 8.30 train. We drive down Broadway to Wallack's at a gallop, where her mother and a box party will be waiting for us in the lobby. Do you think she would listen to a declaration from me during that six or eight minutes under those circumstances? No. And what chance would I have in the theatre or afterward? None. No, dad, this is one tangle that your money can't unravel. We can't buy one minute of time with cash; if we could, rich people would live longer. There's no hope of getting a talk with Miss Lantry before she sails."
"All right, Richard, my boy," said old Anthony, cheerfully. "You may run along down to your club now. I'm glad it ain't your liver. But don't forget to burn a few punk sticks in the joss house to the great god Mazuma from time to time. You say money won't buy time? Well, of course, you can't order eternity wrapped up and delivered at your residence for a price, but I've seen Father Time get pretty bad stone bruises on his heels when he walked through the gold diggings."
That night came Aunt Ellen, gentle, sentimental, wrinkled, sighing, oppressed by wealth, in to Brother Anthony at his evening paper, and began discourse on the subject of lovers' woes.
"He told me all about it," said brother Anthony, yawning. "I told him my bank account was at his service. And then he began to knock money. Said money couldn't help. Said the rules of society couldn't be bucked for a yard by a team of ten-millionaires."
"Oh, Anthony," sighed Aunt Ellen, "I wish you would not think so much of money. Wealth is nothing where a true affection is concerned. Love is all-powerful. If he only had spoken earlier! She could not have refused our Richard. But now I fear it is too late. He will have no opportunity to address her. All your gold cannot bring happiness to your son."
At eight o'clock the next evening Aunt Ellen took a quaint old gold ring from a moth-eaten case and gave it to Richard.
"Wear it to-night, nephew," she begged. "Your mother gave it to me. Good luck in love she said it brought. She asked me to give it to you when you had found the one you loved."
Young Rockwall took the ring reverently and tried it on his smallest finger. It slipped as far as the second joint and stopped. He took it off and stuffed it into his vest pocket, after the manner of man. And then he 'phoned for his cab.
At the station he captured Miss Lantry out of the gadding mob at eight thirty-two.
"We mustn't keep mamma and the others waiting," said she.
"To Wallack's Theatre as fast as you can drive!" said Richard loyally.
They whirled up Forty-second to Broadway, and then down the white- starred lane that leads from the soft meadows of sunset to the rocky hills of morning.
At Thirty-fourth Street young Richard quickly thrust up the trap and ordered the cabman to stop.
"I've dropped a ring," he apologised, as he climbed out. "It was my mother's, and I'd hate to lose it. I won't detain you a minute--I saw where it fell."
In less than a minute he was back in the cab with the ring.
But within that minute a crosstown car had stopped directly in front of the cab. The cabman tried to pass to the left, but a heavy express wagon cut him off. He tried the right, and had to back away from a furniture van that had no business to be there. He tried to back out, but dropped his reins and swore dutifully. He was blockaded in a tangled mess of vehicles and horses.
One of those street blockades had occurred that sometimes tie up commerce and movement quite suddenly in the big city.
"Why don't you drive on?" said Miss Lantry, impatiently. "We'll be late."
Richard stood up in the cab and looked around. He saw a congested flood of wagons, trucks, cabs, vans and street cars filling the vast space where Broadway, Sixth Avenue and Thirly-fourth street cross one another as a twenty-six inch maiden fills her twenty-two inch girdle. And still from all the cross streets they were hurrying and rattling toward the converging point at full speed, and hurling thcmselves into the struggling mass, locking wheels and adding their drivers' imprecations to the clamour. The entire traffic of Manhattan seemed to have jammed itself around them. The oldest New Yorker among the thousands of spectators that lined the sidewalks had not witnessed a street blockade of the proportions of this one.
"I'm very sorry," said Richard, as he resumed his seat, "but it looks as if we are stuck. They won't get this jumble loosened up in an hour. It was my fault. If I hadn't dropped the ring we--"Let me see the ring," said Miss Lantry. "Now that it can't be helped, I don't care. I think theatres are stupid, anyway."
At 11 o'clock that night somebody tapped lightly on Anthony Rockwall's door.
"Come in," shouted Anthony, who was in a red dressing-gown, reading a book of piratical adventures.
Somebody was Aunt Ellen, looking like a grey-haired angel that had been left on earth by mistake.
"They're engaged, Anthony," she said, softly. "She has promised to marry our Richard. On their way to the theatre there was a street blockade, and it was two hours before their cab could get out of it.
"And oh, brother Anthony, don't ever boast of the power of money again. A little emblem of true love--a little ring that symbolised unending and unmercenary affection--was the cause of our Richard finding his happiness. He dropped it in the street, and got out to recover it. And before they could continue the blockade occurred. He spoke to his love and won her there while the cab was hemmed in. Money is dross compared with true love, Anthony."
"All right," said old Anthony. "I'm glad the boy has got what he wanted. I told him I wouldn't spare any expense in the matter if--"
"But, brother Anthony, what good could your money have done?"
"Sister," said Anthony Rockwall. "I've got my pirate in a devil of a scrape. His ship has just been scuttled, and he's too good a judge of the value of money to let drown. I wish you would let me go on with this chapter."
The story should end here. I wish it would as heartily as you who read it wish it did. But we must go to the bottom of the well for truth.
The next day a person with red hands and a blue polka-dot necktie, who called himself Kelly, called at Anthony Rockwall's house, and was at once received in the library.
"Well," said Anthony, reaching for his chequebook, "it was a good bilin' of soap. Let's see--you had $5,000 in cash."
"I paid out $3OO more of my own," said Kelly. "I had to go a little above the estimate. I got the express wagons and cabs mostly for $5; but the trucks and two-horse teams mostly raised me to $10. The motormen wanted $10, and some of the loaded teams $20. The cops struck me hardest--$50 I paid two, and the rest $20 and $25. But didn't it work beautiful, Mr. Rockwall? I'm glad William A. Brady wasn't onto that little outdoor vehicle mob scene. I wouldn't want William to break his heart with jealousy. And never a rehearsal, either! The boys was on time to the fraction of a second. It was two hours before a snake could get below Greeley's statue."
"Thirteen hundred--there you are, Kelly," said Anthony, tearing off a check. "Your thousand, and the $300 you were out. You don't despise money, do you, Kelly?"
"Me?" said Kelly. "I can lick the man that invented poverty."
Anthony called Kelly when he was at the door.
"You didn't notice," said he, "anywhere in the tie-up, a kind of a fat boy without any clothes on shooting arrows around with a bow, did you?"
"Why, no," said Kelly, mystified. "I didn't. If he was like you say, maybe the cops pinched him before I got there."
"I thought the little rascal wouldn't be on hand," chuckled Anthony. "Good-by, Kelly."
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(😋) 93 《云图》( Cloud Atlas)--大卫•米切尔（
(🗻)一部关于(🚕)克(🌛)隆(🆒)，启示录，同性恋作曲家，核电站和(📉)贪慕虚荣出版商的精(🙉)彩绝伦的后现代小说。
92 《家恨》（Bad Blood）--劳(💆)娜•塞奇（
已故(🚨)评论家的感人回忆录，关于战后威尔士的一个不正常(🔳)的家(🌃)庭。
(㊙) 91 《深红(💥)色(🛑)花瓣和(🤲)白花瓣(🖐)》（ The Crimson Petal and the White）--米歇尔•法贝尔（
(🥃)有关维多利亚时期(🕕)的粗(🎋)俗小说，法贝尔通过一(🥜)个会写小说的妓女来描写当时的伦敦生(🐃)活。
90 《不(🍕)差钱》(No Expenses Spared)--罗伯特•温尼(🕺)特(🍵)&戈登•雷(🔎)纳（Robert Winnett and Gordon Rayner）(❔)
(🕟) Bantam, 2009 £14.99
从护城河清洗(❓)到房屋转手出(👹)售：搅动英国政坛的爆炸性丑(🎰)闻。
89 《美味》（Appetite）--尼基(🚦)尔•斯拉特（Nigel Slater）
(⬜) Fourth Estate, 2000 £17.99
主厨绝(🦕)妙的，充满诗意的文字大力推荐国(👥)民烹饪跟着感(❓)觉走。
88 《该死的联(📸)队》(the Damned Utd)--大卫•皮斯（David Peace）
Faber & Faber, 2006 £7.99
完(🥎)美阐述布莱恩•克劳夫执教英国利兹联队44天的悲情闹剧
87 《法兰(🌃)西组(🔋)曲(🍝)》（Suite Française）--作者：伊(🧀)莱娜•内米洛夫斯基（Irène Némirovsky）译者：桑德拉•史密斯（Sandra Smith）
Chatto & Windus, 2006 £7.99
(🅾)1940年后的法国悲惨生活，未完成的鸿篇巨制。
86 《斯图(🐕)尔特：逆向人生》（Stuart: a Life Backwards）--亚历山大•马斯(🅿)特斯（(🍂)Alexander Masters ）
(🏔) (🛂)Fourth Estate, 2005 £7.99
(🚇) 一(💨)个无家可归的流浪汉的倒叙传记(🐌)。 作者斯图尔特反驳道“真他妈的(🙎)没劲”。才怪(🈁)，这(🍁)书棒极了(🌗)。
85 《小朋友》（the Little Friend）--唐娜•塔特（Donna Tartt）
Bloomsbury, 2002 £7.99
情(🎀)节(💆)丰富，娓娓道来，引人(🏦)入胜的南方哥(♌)特式悬疑小说(♐)。
84 《吃，射击，离开》（Eats, Shoots and Leaves ）--琳(🏧)•特拉斯(🎫)（(🐣)Lynne Truss）
Profile, 2003 £8.99
有(🤐)点专横，十(✌)分诙(🔄)谐幽默的标点符(🎵)号入门(➖)书，教咱们使用并(🆘)热爱标(🔠)点符号。
83 《金斯莱•艾米斯(🤰)的一生》（The Life of Kingsley Amis）--扎卡里(🍽)•里(🥝)德尔（Zachary Leader ）
(⛺) Jonathan Cape, 2006 £10.99
(💋)一代杰出的幽默小(🍓)说家的全面传记，嗜酒(🎯)和他的其他(💠)特质。
(⭐) (🎠)82 《Speech! Speech! 》--杰弗(🐕)里•希尔（Geoffrey Hill）
Counterpoint, 2000 £6
(🌧)“博识。苦痛。光(🙅)。” 诗人(🆎)杰弗里•希尔后期繁盛(👖)之作精彩继续。
81 《岛》（the Island）--维多利亚•希斯(🎿)洛普(🔁)（Victoria Hislop）
(🗑)Headline Review, 2005 £7.99
首部以希腊小岛为背景的小说，理查德和朱迪夫妇俩的最爱。
(🌰) (🈹)80 《奥斯特里茨(🍨)》（Austerlitz）--作者：温弗里德•格(🆒)奥(🧠)尔格•泽(😹)尔巴德（WG Sebald）译者(🐻)：(👄)安西娅•贝尔（Anthea Bell）(🍻)
(🔷) 2002, Penguin £9.99
对纳粹大(🚒)屠(🧣)杀展开实(🆘)验性的虚构调(✴)查(🔎)。
79 《女(🔦)性福音》（Feminine Gospels）--卡罗尔•安•达(😟)菲（Carol Ann Duffy）
(🛒)Picador, 2003 £8.99
一位未来桂冠诗人(🚷)机智幽默，清(🕗)晰易懂的诗歌作品集，主题为歌颂(⛹)女性。
78 《夜巡者(📯)》（the Night Watch）--莎拉•华特斯（Sarah Waters）
Virago, 2006 £7.99
二战时期三个女同性恋(✖)的(🌓)故事，这部曾(🛎)获英国布克文学奖提名的小说(🔉)巩固了华特斯的声誉。
(😬)77 《迷宫》（Labyrinth）--凯特•莫斯（Kate Mosse）
Orion, 2005 £7.99
(🤫)在法国南部的一次考古发掘出的两具骷髅和埋藏的秘(🤵)密构成的一组“达芬奇密码”。
76 《时间旅行者的(🥇)妻(☔)子》（the Time Traveler's Wife）--奥(🐂)黛丽•尼芬格（Audrey Niffenegger）
Jonathan Cape, 2004 £7.99
(🛹)穿越时空的爱情小说，催人泪下(🕞)，荡(✈)气(🛍)回肠。
75 《我(🕋)的回忆录》（My Booky Wook ）--拉塞尔•布兰德（Russell Brand）
Hodder & Stoughton, 2007 £7.99
一(🏈)个名人的出色回忆录：浪荡江湖的自嘲之(👪)作。
74 《第五(🤤)个女人》（the Fifth Woman）--作者：赫宁•曼凯(⚫)尔（Henning Mankell）（瑞典） 译者：史蒂芬•T•默里（Steven T Murray）
Harvill Secker, 2001 £7.99
厌世酗酒(🔒)的警长(⛱)韦兰德(🍮)屡屡破(🗑)案的侦探小说。
73 《伊斯兰教(Ⓜ)信徒》（(🕧)The Islamist）(㊗)--埃德•侯(🛷)赛因(♑)（Ed Husain）
Penguin, 2007 £9.99
侯赛因在书中细述自己年轻时曾为狂热信徒的日子(🍻)，政治家喜欢援引(🏢)书中(🍝)内容。
72 《可爱的骨(⚪)头》（the Lovely Bones）(🆔)--艾莉丝•希柏德（Alice Sebold）(📕)
(⛷) Little, Brown, 2002 £7.99
冷酷(👪)的，可(🥏)怕的，坚强的：(😾)少女(👩)遭(🏝)强暴后被(💺)谋杀，在天堂(🗜)关注着自己的家人。大家都(😲)爱读(🛌)这本书。
71 《地区与圆圈》(District and Circle) --西莫斯•希尼（Seamus Heaney）
Faber & Faber, 2006 £9.99
(🈳)我们最爱诗人的又一畅销作(🕐)品集。一如既(🏵)往的机智诙谐，文字优美。
70 《伪科学》（Bad Science）--本•戈尔达莱（Ben Goldacre）
(👎)Fourth Estate, 2008 £8.99
一名伦敦(🦔)医生兼(🚖)记者揭露媒体宣传中的(🚩)伪科学的书，颇具影响力。
69 《项塔兰(🧘)》（Shantaram）(😌)--格雷戈里•大卫•罗伯(🌕)茨（Gregory David Roberts）
(🔱)Abacus, 2005 £9.99
(⛴) 曾经的银行抢劫犯，毒(😒)瘾者，罗伯(🔍)茨描述印度生活的小说是基于自(👵)己的(💽)亲身经历，颇(🌿)受间(🐖)隔(🎈)年学生(⛪)的喜爱。
68 《别让我走》（Never Let Me Go）--石(👝)黑一雄（Kazuo Ishiguro）
Faber & Faber, 2005 £7.99
克隆人的存在即为别人(💰)提(🕣)供移植器官。一部(🐫)细腻生动，感人肺腑的小说，主(🌜)题则是(🛵)关(⏯)于人人都要直面的(🤚)死亡。
(🚦) 67 《翡翠城的皇家生活》（Imperial Life in the Emerald City ）--拉吉夫(🚜)•钱德拉塞(🎍)卡兰（Rajiv Chandrasekaran）
(🐳)Headline, 2006 £7.99
对美国重建伊拉克的评论(💣)，从突破艰难险阻，将权力移交伊拉克人民开始(🏼)记述。
66 《防守》（(🎥)My Defence）--阿什利•科(😌)尔（Ashley Cole）
Headline, 2006 £7.99
“当我听到£55,000时，差点没掉头就(🔱)走。” 对阿森纳(🔋)提出的月薪数目(❓)，科尔的反(😢)应反映(🌟)出足球运动员的狮(🚤)子大胃(👃)口。
65 《盲刺(🦔)客》（The Blind Assassin ）--玛格丽特•阿特伍(🐜)德（Margaret Atwood）
Virago, 2000 £8.99
(🕘) 小说情节环环相扣，引(🎯)人入(🐞)胜。这部布克(🎻)奖获(🤡)奖(🤬)作品为这十年间的(💴)文学实验性创作奠定了基调(🤙)。
64 《撬动地(🎀)球的Google》（the Google Story）--大卫•怀斯（David Vise）
Macmillan, 2005 n/a
极客致富记：控(🏮)制世(🚚)界信息的脉动(🌁)。
63 《给男孩看的危险读物》（the Dangerous Books for Boys）--康恩•伊戈尔登(🚫)&哈尔•伊戈尔登（Conn and Hal Iggulden）(🥠)
HarperCollins, 2006 £17.99
书中突出强(➡)调了十年间对(🎂)异想天开的渴望和过去假想的快乐。
62 《半轮(🍇)黄日》（Half of a Yellow Sun ）--奇玛(🎄)曼达•恩戈奇•阿(🐗)迪契（Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie）（尼日利亚）
Fourth Estate, 2006 £7.99
将尼日利亚丑陋的一(🌀)面变成一部感人小(💓)说(☕)。
61 《瓦解》（Dissolution）--CJ•萨姆森(🔊)（CJ Samson）
(🅰) Viking, 2003 £7.99
(🐒)结(🔎)合十年间的两大热门主题：(🛍)犯罪和都铎王朝。
60 《剥洋(🐽)葱》（(🎿)Peeling the Onion）--作者：(🕦)君特•格(🤭)拉(🤧)斯（Günter Grass）(🎲)（德(🔬)国）(👄) 译者：迈(💷)克尔•亨利•海(🔍)姆（Michael Henry Heim ）
(🌺)Harvill Secker, 2007 £9.99
作者揭露(🔚)自己曾参(🚻)加武装党卫军的经历(🦏)。
59 《家有女神》（How to Be a Domestic Goddess ）--尼(🌊)格拉•劳(🏁)森（(👤)Nigella Lawson）
(🤥)Chatto & Windus, 2000 £15.99
(🐉) 美味可口的(🌠)食物和精美文字(🔊)的俏皮组合。
58 《美丽曲线》（The Line of Beauty ）--艾伦(📌)•霍林赫斯特（Alan Hollinghurst）
(🎴)Picador, 2004 £7.99
将同性(🥡)恋小说推(🚶)向主流(📥)世界，嘲(🍪)讽撒切尔夫人当政时期的英国。
57 《海(🐋)边的卡夫(👞)卡》--作者：村上春树（Haruki Murakami）译者：(👊)菲利(😠)普•加布里尔（Philip Gabriel）
(🧘)Harvill Secker, 2005 £7.99
会说(🐐)话的猫，巨大邪恶的鼻涕虫，不明飞行物(🖱)，神话中的无人(💊)荒地和模棱两可的(🐓)性欲，读者们为之欣喜(🚦)若(🏒)狂(💛)。
56 《陷入(💓)混沌》（Descent into Chaos）--阿(🚖)哈玛•拉希德（Ahmed Rashid）
(🏫) Allen Lane, 2008 £10.99
洞悉9/11后的(🕺)阿富汗。
55 《狼厅》（Wolf Hall）--希拉里•曼特尔（Hilary Mantel）
Fourth Estate, 2009 £16.99
将(🎴)历史小(🐺)说放在文学界的聚光灯下，一部不可思议的都(➕)铎王朝(⏱)长篇小说。
54 《反(🈷)美阴(👘)谋》（The Plot Against America ）--菲利(🏔)普•罗斯（(🐵)Philip Roth）
(⛄) Jonathan Cape, 2004 £7.99
罗斯影(🈹)响(🎻)广泛的小说影射当代(❌)美国(👼)政治(⏺)，虚构有(🥨)纳粹主(🤤)义倾向(🦍)的查尔斯•林(🏾)德(🌀)伯格（Charles Lindbergh）（译者注：,美国著名飞行家，曾驾(🚀)驶一架“圣路易斯精神”号飞机,不间断飞行33.5小时,完成了人类首次从纽约到巴黎横跨大西(♋)洋的壮(👉)举,成为世界航空(🥩)史上划时代(📸)的英雄人物。）成为美国总统。
53 《白热化：动荡(🏌)六零(📖)年(🤺)代的英(💲)国》（White Heat: a History of Britain in the Swinging Sixties）(💭)--多(🚳)米尼克•桑德布(🤳)鲁克（Dominic Sandbrook）
(🈺) Little, Brown, 2006 £11.99
历史书中的领袖讲述六零年代的故事。
52 《路》（the Road）--科(🥓)马克(👕)•麦卡锡（Cormac McCarthy）
Picador, 2006 £7.99
(📈) 一部发生(🔸)在毁灭(🌃)世界的末日小说，定(🚘)义(🐡)了这一个十(😢)年的(📗)恐惧(🖕)情绪和对希望的渴求。
51 《爱维娜•嘉莉(🔦)的日记1987-1992》--爱(🏌)维娜•嘉莉（Edwina Currie）
Little, Brown, 2002 n/a
谁会想到呢？揭秘爱维娜•嘉莉与英国前首相约翰•梅杰的风流韵事。
(🎠)50 《绘(💷)画大(🆘)师马蒂斯》（Matisse the Master）--希拉里•斯珀林(📛)（Hilary Spurling）(🌰)
Hamish Hamilton, 2005 £12.99
(💕) 对绘画(😘)大师奇迹一生的探寻第(🎠)二卷。斯帕林(💘)的传(📽)记乃是艺术界(🌋)的一块丰碑。
49 《经历》（(🦉)Experience）--马丁•艾米(👲)斯（Martin Amis ）
(🏙) (☝)Jonathan Cape, 2000 £9.99
(💧) 马(🕕)丁(👙)•艾米斯原汁(⛄)原味(🍍)的生(🏄)活(📮)写(🥀)照，包括他同父亲的关系。
48 《最(🐻)好年月(🔁)：丘吉尔的戎马生涯》（(📂)Finest Years: Churchill as Warlord ）--马克斯•哈斯丁(🥉)（Max Hastings）(🚯)
HarperPress, 2009 £22.99
大烟枪丘吉尔被(🖖)描写成(⛪)拯救英国与(💞)水深火热之(🌈)中的(🏡)大英雄。
47 《非(🈹)常瘦(❔)身》（I Can Make You Thin）--保罗(🍧)•麦肯纳（Paul McKenna）
(🚢) Bantam, 2006 £7.99
如果(⚓)还(🏝)需要证明我们是如何痴迷于减肥瘦(❌)身，这本书(😧)是不二选择。
46 《原味主厨的(🔛)回(💒)归》（The Return of the Naked Chef）(👉)--杰米•奥利弗(💛)（Jamie Oliver）(🍄)
Michael Joseph, 2000 £12.99
金童的厨艺展示。让男人们系上围裙下(🍗)厨房，烧烤箱(🐵)靠边站(🐌)（厨房(👥)才是王道）(🍈)。同女(🤦)权斗士杰梅茵•格里尔一样具有号召力。
(⏸)45 《重返艳阳下》（It’s Not About the Bike ）--兰斯(😕)•阿姆斯(🕡)特朗（Lance Armstrong）
Yellow Jersey, 2000 £8.99
他是来自(🚘)得克萨斯州的自行车手，他战胜了癌症，赢得(🗣)环法自行车赛冠军。过去十年他顽强抗争癌症的(🤲)事迹激励(🍕)过无数运动员。
(🚓)44 《我(💜)们需要谈谈凯(🎖)文》（We Need to Talk About Kevin）--莱昂内尔•施赖弗（Lionel Shriver）
Serpent’s Tail, 2003 £7.99
一个女人的儿子在学校大(♑)开(🎶)杀戒，颇具(📱)争议性的桔子文学(🥝)奖(⛪)获奖作品。
(🧠)43 《琥(👮)珀望远镜(🕡)》（The Amber Spyglass ）--菲利(🗿)普•普(🔲)尔曼（(⬇)Philip Pullman）
Scholastic, 2001 £8.99
《黑暗物质》三部曲(💖)精彩绝伦(🈴)的终极之作，让我们对儿童文学刮目相看。
42 《牛津国家人物(⬆)传记词典》（Oxford Dictionary of National Biography）--H•G•马(💤)修&布莱(🖌)恩(🌇)•哈里(🍪)森编著（H•G Matthew and Brian Harrison）
OUP, 2004 n/a
(🚏)全书分60册(🐸)，包含50,000份人物传记，共6000万字。记录不能被遗忘的人物。
41 《音乐(🚣)房间》（the Music Room）--威廉•法因斯（William Fiennes）
(🍅) Picador, 2009 £12.99
(👬)记(🤺)录了作者和他患(🏔)有癫痫症的哥(🤲)哥在布劳顿城堡度过的童年时光，一本美丽质朴的回忆录。
(⚽) 40 《傻瓜的金子》（(✖)Fool’s Gold ）--吉莲•邰蒂（Gillian Tett）
(🥐) Little, Brown, 2009 £16.99
(👐)邰蒂认为是银行家的贪婪，而非金融衍生产品引发了信贷危机。
(🌅)39 《王室职责》（A Royal Duty ）--保罗•伯勒尔(♐)（(🔢)Paul Burrell）
Michael Joseph, 2003 £6.99
(🔂)王室生活(🌠)揭秘(🙋)。
(🎤)38 《百万(🚽)碎片(⏩)（(📥)岁(🌝)月如沙）(🔢)》（A Million Little Pieces ）--詹姆士•弗(🕑)雷（James Frey）
John Murray, 2004 £7.99
在奥(🚵)普拉(🚣)的脱口秀中(🕝)承(📃)认其回忆录(🛐)的内容都(📼)是谎(🚟)言，弗雷说出(🏪)了痛苦回忆录的真相。
37 《终点(🙂)前某处(🤨)》（Somewhere Towards the End）--黛安(👄)娜•阿西(⚽)尔（Diana Athill ）(💷)（(🚴)91岁）
Granta, 2008 £7.99
毫不煽情的描写老年生活，其坦率清晰的散文实乃十(👠)年间回忆录(💿)的登峰之(🎷)作。
36 《生命的奇迹(🕷)》（Miracles of Life）--詹姆斯•格雷厄姆•巴拉德（JG Ballard）
Fourth Estate, 2008 £7.99
这(🔗)部回忆录向人们展示了(🥔)巴拉(🐳)德非同寻常的经历(🍇)对其作品(🍂)和心灵的影响，饱含深情，令人震惊。
(🆎) 35 《局内人》（the Insider）(💯)--皮(📬)尔(👤)斯(♐)•摩根（Piers Morgan）(🥡)
(🏸) (🌤)Ebury, 2005 £7.99
(💲) 星探摩(📨)根成名前(📱)是怎样的人，跟着作者去窥(🎄)探一番。
34 《伊丽莎白一(🌙)世(🗓)》（Elizabeth）--大卫•斯达克(🕉)（(🎷)David Starkey ）
Chatto & Windus, 2000 £8.99
成为(🏪)“荣光女王”前公主的动荡岁月(🕠)，给这部传记(🔶)增色不少。
33 《第二人生》（Second Lives）--蒂(🌆)姆•盖斯特（Tim Guest）
Hutchinson, 2007 £7.99
已故(🎖)蒂姆•盖斯特对虚拟世界的(🤬)自由模式的透彻解析。
32 《暮色》（Twilight ）(🚫)--斯蒂芬妮(🧦)•梅(📵)耶（Stephenie Meyer）(🍲)
(🍔)Atom, 2005 £6.99
散文(🎛)技巧匮乏。吸血鬼爱情小说掀起年轻人(❓)的阅读风潮。
31 《情(🏏)色(🗿)度假村》（Platform）--作(🛵)者：米(🛵)歇尔•维勒贝克（Michel Houellebecq）（(🔓)法(🥙)国(📝)）译者：弗(🍽)兰克(❤)•韦恩（Frank Wynne）(💄)
这部描(🏇)写买春旅(🍔)游的小说引起了有关伊斯兰(📘)教的争议，概括了我们所处时代死气沉(〰)沉的道德观(🍡)。
30 《丑闻(🦔)笔记》（Notes on a Scandal ）(❄)--佐伊•海勒（Zoë Heller ）(🍢)
(🛄)Viking, 2003 £8.99
不可(🥔)靠的叙述者为(🙀)这部扣人(🐑)心弦的小说注入新的活力，内容关乎女性之间的迷恋，未成年(🦈)性行为和压抑的激情(🏬)。
29 《一(🎣)生的工作》（(♑)A Life's Work）(🍎)--蕾切尔(🛏)•卡斯克（Rachel Cusk ）
对母亲身(💻)份坦(🚏)诚而又些许无奈的叙(👵)述，向人们介绍了家庭写(📬)作的一种新(😈)体裁。
28 《柏林》（Berlin）--安东(🎌)尼•比弗（Antony Beevor ）
(🏈)Penguin, 2002 £9.99
二战末期柏林沦陷的(🤜)悲(🏦)壮历史。
27 《砖石小径》（Brick Lane）--莫妮(🌫)卡•阿里（(💑)Monica Ali ）
一个孟加(🔲)拉女(👇)人在伦敦东区的(🍳)生活。作者阿(👪)里被誉为新一(🔹)代(🎖)的扎迪•史密斯(🤗)。
26 《向盖亚致敬(📛)》（Homage to Gaia ）--詹(🙃)姆斯•洛夫洛(✝)克(🛂)（James Lovelock）
地球(🤭)是个会呼吸的有机体：(🎈)这(🐆)是众多关于环境，关于地(🗽)球末日中的(🦈)一本科普书。
25 《杀人(😕)犯》（Homicide）--大卫•西蒙（David Simon）
Canongate, 2008 £8.99
《火线》创作者的最新力作，在犯罪(🎸)猖獗的巴尔的摩(🏋)市(🤭)随(🗄)同警察一(🛺)起破案进行报道。
24 《纠正》（the Corrections）--乔纳森(💥)•弗兰(🐰)岑（Jonathan Franzen）(🔂)
Fourth Estate, 2001 £8.99
美国(🥦)中西部的一对(🚞)夫妇和他们三个成(🔖)年子女(🦓):具(📢)有时代特征的充(♐)满争议性的家庭长篇(🔥)小说。
23 《布莱尔的时代》（The Blair Years ）(👑)--阿拉斯代尔•坎贝尔（Alastair Campbell）
Hutchinson, 2007 £11.99
这(👻)本日记(🕎)不(🍵)够审慎，非常粗(🚏)俗，有点自负，但是相当引人入胜。
22 《影子写(🌓)手(🏆)》（The Ghost）(🚀)--罗伯特•哈里斯（(⛩)Robert Harris）
Hutchinson, 2007 £7.99
(🅰) 一部关(🛒)于首相(🔟)代(💣)笔者的扣人心弦的(👠)政治惊(🌖)悚小说。
(🌎) 21 《魔鬼经济学》（Freakonomics）--史蒂文•莱维特 & 斯蒂芬•J•杜布(♈)纳(🏠)（Steven Levitt and Stephen J Dubner）
(🤔) Allen Lane, 2005 £9.99
将“枯燥无味的科学(⚓)（经济学）”写得通俗易懂(🖤)，写得与我们的(🧣)生(🎃)活息息相关。
20 《肖特的原创(👂)文集》--本•肖特（(🎯)Ben Schott）
Bloomsbury, 2002 £10.99
这些价值(🅿)不大(🎂)，仅供消遣的资料可(🏕)以在《每日电讯报》周末版上找到(🧣)来源。
19 《雪》（Snow）--作者：奥(🍱)尔罕(💿)•帕慕克（Orhan Pamuk）(🧣)（土耳其） 译者：莫琳•弗雷(💕)丽（Maureen Freely）
Faber & Faber, 2004 £8.99
一(🔚)个政治流亡者回到土耳(⬅)其，直面一个日益衰败(📫)的(😵)国家。
18 《追风筝的人》（(🤓)the Kite Runner）--卡勒德(📴)•胡(📐)塞尼（Khaled Hosseini）
Bloomsbury, 2004 £7.99
笨重的(🎊)文字描述一个悲痛(🚯)酸楚的故事，这本关于一个阿富(🎩)汗男孩的(🙁)应景小说成为畅销书。
17 《麦(👘)道夫：盗走650亿的(🥧)人》（Madoff: the Man Who Stole $65 billion）--伊•恩亚温卢德（Erin Arvedlund）
Penguin, 2009 £9.99
被(💟)忽视的(🏪)告密者(🏇)深入调查巨骗背后的故事。
16 《第(🥪)一(🖤)夫人侦探(💚)事务所(🧝)》（The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency ）--亚历山大•麦考尔•史密(🖌)斯（Alexander McCall Smith）
Abacus, 1998 £7.99
平(🔨)装本的小说也(🔒)会如(💸)此大受欢迎。书中女主角兰马(🕉)翠1998年问世，至今仍魅力不减当年。
15 《萨缪尔•毕博思》（Samuel Pepys ）--克莱尔•托玛(🕰)林（Claire Tomalin）
Viking, 2002 £10.99
人人都(🔂)爱的复辟时期日记作者的权威传记。
(⭐)14 《童(👭)年》（1997），《青年》（2002），《夏日时光》（2009）(😉)--JM•库(🌺)切（(⏸)JM Coetzee）(🖌)
Harvill Secker £7.99 each
挑战(🧐)传(🥁)统小说体裁的虚构式(🕟)回忆(💀)录三部曲，文字优美(🌬)。
(🍔) 13 《9/11调(🥢)查报(💄)告》（9/11 Commission Report）(🌪)
(🏛)WW Norton, 2004 £6.99
(🐁)兼具文学可读性和写实性，好评连(🙅)连。
(🐘)12 《我的自传》（Jade: My Autobiography ）--杰德(🥑)•古迪（(🚐)Jade Goody）
HarperCollins, 2006 £7.99
我们恨她，但(🌛)也爱她。这位“非名人”名人的众多回忆录的开篇(🆙)之作(🗃)。
11 《引爆(🔊)点》（The Tipping Point ）--马尔科姆•格拉德(🐃)威尔（Malcolm Gladwell）
Abacus, 2000 £7.99
对文(🐤)化现象(📁)如何(🏰)发生的精彩阐述。书名(🔅)已成为流行新词汇。
10 《带龙(🐼)纹身的女孩》（The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo）--作者：斯蒂格•拉森（Stieg Larsson）（(🚢)瑞典） 译者：雷格•基(🎍)兰(🚠)德（Reg Keeland）(📓)
(🈶)Maclehose Press, 2008 £6.99
一(🈚)个记者和一个朋克女孩组成的最不靠谱的侦探搭(📨)档，一同探寻瑞典社会的(🎠)阴暗深处。
9 《赎罪》（Atonement）--伊恩•麦克尤恩（Ian McEwan）
Jonathan Cape, 2001 £7.99
(🌻)布里奥妮(🐬)•塔丽斯撒了个谎并为此后悔终生。元小说式，充满乡村(🚠)气息的战争小说一跃成为畅销文学作品。
8 《白牙》（White Teeth ）--扎迪•史密斯（Zadie Smith）
Hamish Hamilton, 2000 £7.99
史密斯用尖(📇)锐诙谐(👄)的笔法描(❓)写两(👼)个朋友(🔕)在伦敦紧密相连的生活。移民的困窘(🍆)遭遇嘲讽与同情。
7 《荒野侦探》（The Savage Detectives ）--作者：罗贝托•波拉尼(✈)奥（Roberto Bolaño）（智利） 译者：(🏣)娜塔莎(🔞)•维(🏻)穆尔
Picador, 2007 £8.99
这本引人入胜的小说讲述的是一段(🎬)探寻(🚱)“本能现实主义”发起者(🔉)的旅程(🐦)，充分展(💆)示了波(🎈)拉尼奥充(🐍)满(💷)神奇魔力的文字之美。他(⛩)将此书称之(🥪)为“写给我这一代人的情书”。
(💥) 6 《成为乔丹》（Being Jordan）--凯蒂•普莱斯（Katie Price）
(💍)John Blake, 2004 £7.99
凯蒂•普莱斯正向出版界(🏕)发展，创作了儿(🤠)童(🥨)书，小说和四部自传，这是第一部，也是最露骨的(🍹)一部。
5 《上帝的错(🧠)觉》（The God Delusion）--理查德•道金斯（Richard Dawkins ）
Bantam, 2006 £8.99
理查德(🎹)•道金(🍻)斯说，信(🕵)仰上帝不仅(🌇)是毫无道理可言，而且还危害社会。不管你赞同与否，这本(🏨)书都是对全世(💞)界最普遍信(😑)仰的巨(🐐)大冲击。
4 《怪才的(👍)荒诞与(🎹)忧伤》（A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius ）--戴夫(🙌)•艾格斯（Dave Eggers）
Picador, 2000 £7.99
“创(🏚)作(📠)型”回(🕴)忆录(🗝)的先(😃)驱之作，此书记录了在父母(🌚)罹患癌症去世后，艾(😡)格斯(💿)同他(💴)年幼兄弟姐妹(✍)的生活。大胆的创作(✉)，荒诞不经，一种全新的(📶)写作风(🛤)格。
3 《达芬奇(🌽)密码》（The Da Vinci Code）--丹•布朗（Dan Brown）
(💩)Corgi, 2003 £7.99
丹•布朗也许不擅长写作，但却懂得如(🐀)何吸引读者的眼球。将有关耶稣的阴(🐗)谋(🐗)论融合(👯)一起(🖋)构成的惊悚小说，其(🎦)销量堪比(🗣)《圣经(⏳)》，让世界为之(🦏)亢奋(🧔)激动。
2 《我(🚿)父亲的梦想(🗑)》（Dreams from My Father）--贝拉克•奥巴马
Canongate, 2007 £8.99
(🐙) 该书最早(🐸)于1995年在美国面世，在第一位黑人总统登台前此书在英(⛱)国引起巨大反响。这部回(🛄)忆录是对父亲（奥巴马两岁时离开的）和种族认同感的探寻。此书为未来(♐)政客出(💭)书的衡量标准。
(😖) 1 《哈利波特与死亡圣器》
