Mental Floss Magazine Names 25 Unique Books as Most Influential
The March/April cover story in the knowledge-based magazine Mental Floss (on sale next week), “The 25 Most Influential Books of the Past 25 Years,” penned by veteran editor Rosemary Ahern, is attempting to put the spotlight back on the published, written word. The magazine is not only highlighting 25 unique choices for a top book list, but is also attempting to draw subscribers in with a teaser: online you can find only the first five reads mentioned in the printed issue.
“This list isn’t just about story arcs or beautiful prose,” says editor-in-chief Neely Harris. “It’s about books with spine. Whether they’ve saved lives or gotten people killed, predicted America’s future or uncovered its past, these 25 books have all had real world impact. Narrowing the list was an almost impossible task, but we’re confident our picks pass the test and will give even the biggest bookworms something to think about.”
According to Mental Floss, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami is “the Book that Lost Nothing in Translation;” Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin is “the Book that Explained Autism from the Inside Out,” and And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts is “the Book that Forced Us to Acknowledge AIDS.”
The other two online teasers will be revealed soon on the Mental Floss blog. You have to subscribe to find out the other 20. If you do so now you will not only get a most affordable rate - just under $30 for 6 intellectually packed issues - but also a hip tee shirt.
Other highlights from the March/April issue include: “Who’s the Fittest Now?,” a story about a new biology field called epigenetics that refutes some of Darwin’s theories; “The Startling Origins of the Boy Scouts;” an expose on “4 Holy Women Transformed By Cheese;” “Real Scientific Reasons to Believe in Vampires;” a piece on how “Art is Saving Aborigines,” and a surprising history of how “Early Pirates Embraced Democracy.”
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