《丹青赋》一文，是关于工笔仕女画大师王叔晖先生的生平传略。关于本文，作者蒋力先生有一段解说：
1988年，我写出《丹青赋——王叔晖传略》的初稿。1993年修改后，收入我的纪实文学作品集《变革中的文化潮》（中国和平出版社出版）。1997年，我又做了一次修订后，将此文交《文艺报》，发表时的题目是《洁来洁去岂常人乎？——一代画师王叔晖传略》，内容则不及原文的三分之一。现在留在网上的基本都是这个版本的缩编，标题则只保留了后一半。此标题是编辑定的，前一半出自一副挽联，后一半中的“一代画师”不是我的提法。同年，我又将此文中的“西厢情愫”一章投寄天津的《艺术家》杂志，1998年第三期发表时题为《一套震撼邮市的邮票》。前几年看到某位女性美术理论家（我没记住她的名字）的一本评述中国现代女画家的专著，涉及到王叔晖时，几乎通篇引用的都是我在《文艺报》上发表的文字。没想到的是，2008年9月的一天，接到素不相识的《读库》主编张立宪先生的约稿电话。由此，引出这篇在我二十年前旧作基础上第三次修订的《丹青赋》。我很乐意做这件事，因为我知道，这是我对先生的一次新的再认识。所以，我也希望走进《读库》的是一个未做任何删节的全本。
除这篇文章的全文外，本辑《读库》还刊发了王叔晖的若干代表作品，以及她从未公开发表的一些画页。这些作品，均是根据原作电分扫描，希望藉由我们的呈现，大家可以看出目前流行坊间的王先生作品与原作之间的差距。
《今夜我们说相声》是一部电视专题片的文稿，选择刊载在本辑《读库》中，是因为文中提到的几段相声，当年遭受禁播的命运。而这些重见天日的段落，又因为篇幅问题，未能在电视片中得以完整保留。
《断章》是北岛先生的回忆录，记录的是七十年代的历史风云和个人遭际，此前一些关于他个人的传言，在这篇文章中一一得到澄清。建议大家看就此文后，去找北岛老师的中篇小说《波动》（作者署名“赵振开”）来看看，那是我心目中最优秀的新时期小说。
《学子慕绥新》，写的是风光一时又遭法办的慕绥新的学生时代。作者余昌民老师是慕的大学同学，他在文中写道：“如今国人已经不再把伟人看作神，但感兴趣他们何以成为伟人；也不简单地把罪人理解为鬼，而关心他们何以成为了罪人，否则成功就会被当作幻影，为官便会被视为畏途。从慕绥新的悲剧来看，横亘将近三十年的空档，看清因果关系很难，但越是这样，越需要重视它的警世意义。我和所有的庶民百姓一样痛恨贪官，在一种情况下我更多几回扼腕叹息，那就是我深知他本来具有出众的智慧、魄力和雄心，却偏偏不是走进天堂，而是下了地狱。”
《南方人物周刊》总编说：“人性地述写一个问题人物，国内媒体少见。”
2006年1月27日，美国西联国际汇款公司正式宣布停止电报业务，这标志着电报在美国彻底进入历史。让人感慨的是，因为几乎没人使用电报了，这条公告一直到一周后才被人注意到。
电报在中国也是惨淡经营，到2008年，全国只保留了八个电报中心，电报也已基本淡出了我们的生活。斯事已逝，现在回想当年电报的辉煌以及辉煌背后的种种故事，叫人不胜感慨，马伯庸遂成就此鸿篇巨制，聊作纪念。而这些电报八卦，又与中国近代史紧密相连。

2009年是“五四”运动九十周年，有着各种各样的纪念活动和纪念文字。本辑《读库》刊发的《穿越“五四”》一文，是一部正在筹拍的同名电视纪录片的解说文稿。按照一位学者的说法，“五四”研究应该“删简就繁”，不再依从简单的历史评价，而还原其更为丰富的时代背景和历史细节。本文在这方面做出了卓有成效的努力。
尤为值得一提的是，本文作者，多是中学教师，或有过中学执教经历的人。
威廉·林赛是一个英国人，1987年开始，他从嘉峪关出发，计划沿长城跑一趟。就在这一年，榆林地区公安处以“非法入境”的罪名将他遣送出境。他再次申请入境。这一次，他终于完成了自己艰辛的独步长城之旅。
为了在一百五十个地点重摄长城，林赛从玉门关到老龙头，行程估计超过三万五千公里。许多地方他去过多次，为的是确保新照片在取景、光线、背景、拍摄季节等方面尽可能与老照片一致。林赛表示，重摄长城的工作还会继续。
2007年，榆林市政府授予威廉·林赛“荣誉市民”称号。
1989年3月25日上午，海子从中国政法大学北京学院路校址出发，前往山海关。到达山海关并在那里住了一个晚上后，第二天中午，他沿着铁道朝龙家营方向慢慢行走，最终在山海关与龙家营之间的一段铁轨上躺下。列车呼啸而来，他持续了二十五年的人生随之结束。
海子之死，是一曲唱给田园与淳朴精神的挽歌。
二十年过去了，当今时代更多的是仰慕钢铁的秩序，不再需要古典而温润的心灵，而海子依然被大家纪念。
每年清明节前后，全国各地都会有大量诗人和读者用自己的方式怀念这个早逝的诗人。2009年是海子去世二十周年纪念日，各种纪念活动层出不穷，他的家乡县政府甚至要把海子作为一种文化产业。
《海子的事》一文，写的就是海子的生前身后事，当然，还有海子的诗。
十七年，用来指称从1949年到1966年。有一个概括是“三红一创，青山保林”，“三红一创”即《红岩》、《红日》、《红旗谱》、《创业史》；“青山保林”即《青春之歌》、《山乡巨变》、《保卫延安》、《林海雪原》。藏书家谢其章先生又自编了“三花一铁，新敌艳野”，“三花一铁”即《苦菜花》、《迎春花》、《朝阳花》、《铁道游击队》；“新敌艳野”即《新儿女英雄传》、《敌后武工队》、《艳阳天》、《野火春风斗古城》。
谢先生写的并不是如何淘这些书的故事，而是如何发现了这些书背后的故事。
1947年的奥斯卡颁奖典礼上，美国电影学院把特殊荣誉奖颁给了德裔喜剧导演恩斯特·刘别谦，表彰他二十五年来为美国电影作出的贡献。刘别谦是第三个获得这一殊荣的导演，在他之前是卓别林和格里菲斯，两位电影巨人，而在他之后的获奖导演是西希尔·戴米尔，好莱坞的奠基人之一。从这个意义上来说，刘别谦是一位可以和格里菲斯、卓别林、戴米尔相提并论的导演。
刘别谦是喜剧大师，他的轻喜剧如同希区柯克的悬疑惊悚片、约翰·福特的西部片一样家喻户晓。同样的，正如悬疑是希区柯克的标签，刘别谦也有自己特有的一个商标，叫做“刘别谦式触动”。
《刘别谦式触动》和《谁是刘别谦》两篇文章，向我们形象而细致地呈现了“刘别谦式触动”。
竹久梦二是日本明治、大正年代的画家。作为从未受过专门艺术教育的在野艺术家，他娴熟地运用传统日本画和洋画的各种技法，在自身独特而纯粹的审美观的观照下，独创了被命名为“梦二式美人”的东洋风俗画，风靡了何止一代人。川端康成评价说：“无论是作为明治到大正初期的风俗画家，还是作为情调画家，梦二都是相当卓越的。他的画不仅感染了少女，也感染了青少年，乃至上了年纪的男人……我少年时代的理想，总是同梦二联系在一起。”
他的漫画，成为后来“子恺漫画”的艺术酵母。我们在丰子恺先生的画作中，也能找到竹久梦二的影子。
本辑《读库》，同时辑选了梦二的绘画作品，特别是他风格独特的美人画，这种后来被称为“梦二式美人”的作品。

《读库0804》曾刊发《电影编剧的秘密》一文，芦苇、王天兵从类型与艺术的关系切入，回顾了芦苇如何从写作类型片《疯狂的代价》起步，直到创作出《霸王别姬》的编剧历程。该文反响异常热烈，两位老师也一发不可收，延续上次谈话的话题，又做了一次深入访谈，从芦苇《霸王别姬》之后的从影经历开始，回顾了他过去十五年的职业生涯，谈话内容侧重电影编剧技巧，包括几部未能面世的电影剧本。
《我是六零后》是荆方女士的图文作品。在审校过程中，几位老师均表示，写的文字比画的画儿好看。等书印出来——这些绘画全部彩印，看到的人又说，画得真好看。
好看的并不是作者的功底，而是画中无所不在的生活细节。
北京奥运会期间，画家苏坚为四位奥运民工入画。他把画作取名为《他们》，他希望强调的是——这些民工被隔阂于另一世界，不是“你们”，也不是“我们”。
苏坚许了一个愿：如果这幅画卖出去，就请大家在北京看奥运会，住宾馆，吃大餐。
这件事儿最终得以实现，四个民工看奥运，也成为一众媒体报道的热点。
《他们》一文，则以开阔的视角捡拾了这一事件的纵深背景，让我们看到“同一个世界，不同的梦想”。
雷蒙德·卡佛的小说集《大教堂》在2008年出版了中文版，一帮迷恋“极简主义小说”的读者雀跃不已——尽管卡佛本人并不喜欢“极简主义”这个标签。本辑《读库》做了一个卡佛专题，《一座墓园，两个女人》讲了卡佛的生命八卦和题外话，《刻小说的人》则侧重卡佛的创作和文学主张：“我不喜欢写作中的不诚实，我不喜欢玩儿花招。我喜欢那些讲得很好、很诚实的故事。”
《对梦境的蓄意投奔》一文，节选自祝勇老师的著作《反阅读》。
鲁迅在“文革”期间，成为声望仅次于毛泽东的人。他在毫不知情的情况下“介入”“文革”。在五四一代知识分子普遍噤若寒蝉的上世纪六、七十年代，正是鲁迅先生最为忙碌的年代，他在“文化革命”的各条战线上疲于奔命。
余秋雨老师的一篇署名文章说：
（鲁迅）自己亲身体察过的历史和现实的经验一次次证明了马列主义的正确，从而信仰愈益坚定；反过来，又用马列主义判别和提炼着这些经验，通过思想内部的矛盾运动，辛勤地在头脑里做着吐故纳新的工作。从中我们可以看到，鲁迅既不同于狭隘的经验主义者，也不同于死板的教条主义者。在中国近代思想文化界，论经历革命风涛之多，积累斗争经验之丰富，能与鲁迅相比的人，并不很多。但鲁迅却不沉耽于经验之中，而是为革命现实斗争的需要不断学习，努力把历史和现实的经验上升到马列主义真理的高度，“使经验带上条理性、综合性，上升为理论”；正因为如此，他所学得的马列主义，也就不是一些抽象空洞的概念、教条，而是与中国革命的历史、身边的现实斗争和他自己的思想实际紧紧扭结在一起，新鲜活泼，充溢着蓬勃的生命力。
祝勇老师从文本的角度阐释了《野草》：《野草》是鲁迅为政治阐释预留的一块绊脚石。
这辑《读库》开始连载张铁志的一个系列，按历史顺序写二十世纪的抗议歌手。《昨夜我梦见了乔希尔》是首篇。他根据琼·贝兹一首歌的意境写道：
昨夜我梦见了乔希尔，那个二十世纪初惨死的工运歌手。眼前的他虽然浑身是血，但却显得精神饱满、眼中充满斗志，彷佛正要前往一场激烈的抗争。
我惊讶地说：“乔，你不是已经死了几十年了吗？”
长期待在矿场和其它工厂而显得粗砺黝黑的他，缓缓地说出：“不，我从来没有死。”
“可是，可是那些贪婪的铜矿财主们不是枪杀了你吗？”我说。
“枪是杀不了一个人的。我从来没被他们打死。”他说。
“你知道，”乔微笑着说，“凡是没被他们击倒的人，都会继续坚持下去，继续去组织更多人。而我，不会这样就死去的。”
藏书票由姬炤华绘制，内容既古典，又魔幻。绘画方法是传统的工笔技法，材料却是水彩，纸用英国的手工水彩纸。2009年的六辑《读库》，将全部采用他创作的这一系列做藏书票。

Charles Strickland, a conventional stockbroker, abandons his wife and children for Paris and Tahiti, to live his life as a painter. Whilst his betrayal of family, duty and honour gives him the freedom to achieve greatness, his decision leads to an obsession which carries severe implications. Inspired by the life of Paul Gauguin, The Moon and Sixpence is at once a satiric caricature of Edwardian conventions and a vivid portrayal of the mentality of a genius.

DAZZLING.
--Time
"[THEROUX'S] WORK IS DISTINGUISHED BY A SPLENDID EYE FOR DETAIL AND THE TELLING GESTURE; a storyteller's sense of pacing and gift for granting closure to the most subtle progression of events; and the graceful use of language. . . . We are delighted, along with Theroux, by the politeness of the Turks, amazed by the mountainous highlands in Syria, touched by the gesture of an Albanian waitress who will not let him pay for his modest meal. . . . The Pillars of Hercules [is] engrossing and enlightening from start (a damning account of tourists annoying the apes of Gibraltar) to finish (an utterly captivating visit with Paul Bowles in Tangier, worth the price of the book all by itself)."
--Chicago Tribune
"ENTERTAINING READING . . . WHEN YOU READ THEROUX, YOU'RE TRULY ON A TRIP."
--The Boston Sunday Globe
"HIS PICARESQUE NARRATIVE IS STUDDED WITH SCENES THAT STICK IN THE MIND. He looks at strangers with a novelist's eye, and his portraits are pleasantly tinged with malice."
--The Washington Post Book World
"THEROUX AT HIS BEST . . . An armchair trip with Theroux is sometimes dark, but always a delight."
--Playboy
"AS SATISFYING AS A GLASS OF COOL WINE ON A DUSTY CALABRIAN AFTERNOON . . . With his effortless writing style, observant eye, and take-no-prisoners approach, Theroux is in top form chronicling this 18-month circuit of the Mediterranean."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

From an orphan with a clubfoot, Philip Carey grows into an impressionable young man with a voracious appetite for adventure and knowledge. Then he falls obsessively in love, embarking on a disastrous relationship that will change his life forever.

A journey into the heart of Sicily, using art, food, history and literature to shed light on southern Italy's legacy of political corruption and violent crime. The book takes as its starting point the ongoing trial of seven-times Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti.

Larry Darrell is a young American in search of the absolute. The progress of his spiritual odyssey involves him with some of Maugham's most brilliant characters - his fiancée Isabel whose choice between love and wealth have lifelong repercussions, and Elliott Templeton, her uncle, a classic expatriate American snob.Maugham himself wanders in and out of the story, to observe his characters struggling with their fates.

In this wide-ranging third installment of Malcolm Gladwell's exploration of how people and social phenomena work, the New Yorker journalist takes a close look at what constitutes high levels of success. That is, what makes people at the top of their respective fields get there? As we've come to expect from Gladwell's previous books, the answer to the question is a bit complicated.
He says that upbringing, culture and even random luck have something to with success, but there is another important quality that anyone can control. Two chapters are dedicated to the "revelation" that IQ is only a baseline quality and success has little to nothing to do with having a high IQ or a low IQ. Rather, success is substantially a product of cultivating a high degree of what Robert Sternberg calls "practical intelligence" or what most refer to as "emotional intelligence."
Gladwell uses the example of Nobel laureates coming from unknown schools as often as ivy league schools. At this level of mastery IQ is no longer a factor. Success has little to do with where you were educated and everything to do with your level of practical/emotional intelligence and willingness to put in the 10,000 hours of practice required to reach mastery of your field.
All in all, it's an interesting read that isn't too heady and goes by pretty quickly, as the interesting anecdotes are what you would expect from Gladwell.

By 1938, Maugham had become a legend as a playwright, novelist and magician of the short story. He then wrote The Summing Up to give some account of how he learned his craft and why he became such an acute observer of human beings.

《大江东去》是著名财经作家阿耐继《不得往生》畅销后创作的一部全景表现改革开放30年来中国社会、经济、生活变迁历史的长篇小说。小说以经济改革为主线，全面、细致、深入地表现了1978年以来中国改革开放三十年的伟大历史进程。展现了中国改革开放三十年来经济领域的改革、社会生活的变化、政治领域的变革以及人们精神面貌的改变等方方面面；生动而真实地刻画了活跃在改革开放前沿的代表人物，如国营企业的领导，农民企业家，个体户，政府官员，海归派，知识分子等等。人物典型，故事精彩！从表现历史的深度和广度上来说，在表现中国改革开放历史进程这一题材里，这部作品具有很大的分量和特殊意义，是一部“改革开放三十年之书”。应该书在部分网络选载后获得高度关注和追捧。

From Publishers Weekly
Irrational behavior is a part of human nature, but as MIT professor Ariely has discovered in 20 years of researching behavioral economics, people tend to behave irrationally in a predictable fashion. Drawing on psychology and economics, behavioral economics can show us why cautious people make poor decisions about sex when aroused, why patients get greater relief from a more expensive drug over its cheaper counterpart and why honest people may steal office supplies or communal food, but not money. According to Ariely, our understanding of economics, now based on the assumption of a rational subject, should, in fact, be based on our systematic, unsurprising irrationality. Ariely argues that greater understanding of previously ignored or misunderstood forces (emotions, relativity and social norms) that influence our economic behavior brings a variety of opportunities for reexamining individual motivation and consumer choice, as well as economic and educational policy. Ariely's intelligent, exuberant style and thought-provoking arguments make for a fascinating, eye-opening read. (Feb.)
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这是一本《纽约时报》畅销书。这本颇具革命意义的书改变了读者对饮食生态学的看法。金牌作家迈克尔·波伦向我们提出一个看似简单的问题：饭桌上应该吃什么？通过追溯食物链从挑选食材到端上饭桌的全过程——包括工业、有机、替代品、加工品，作者向我们描绘了一幅美国式饮食的肖像。该书提出一个让人吃惊的发现——饥饿塑造了人类进化，也谈到食物选择对人类健康乃至地球未来的深远影响。
A New York Times bestseller that has changed the way readers view the ecology of eating, this revolutionary book by award winner Michael Pollan asks the seemingly simple question: What should we have for dinner? Tracing from source to table each of the food chains that sustain uswhether industrial or organic, alternative or processedhe develops a portrait of the American way of eating. The result is a sweeping, surprising exploration of the hungers that have shaped our evolution, and of the profound implications our food choices have for the health of our species and the future of our planet.

In this collection of interviews, articles, and editorials, Nabakov ranges over his life, art, education and politics amoung other subjects.

The stories in this collection move from Malaya to America and England, and include some of Maugham's most famous tales; 'Flotsam and Jetsam', the story of an old woman trapped for years in a loveless marriage in the remote rubber plantations; 'The Man with the Scar', and notably the opening story 'The Vessel of Wrath', a tale of the unexpected love that grows between a devout missionary nurse and a drunken reprobate. In this second volume of his collected stories, Maugham illustrates his characteristic wry perception of human foibles and his genius for evoking compelling drama from an acute sense of time and place.

In his landmark bestseller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. Now, in Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant-in the blink of an eye-that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work-in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others?In Blink we meet the psychologist who has learned to predict whether a marriage will last, based on a few minutes of observing a couple; the tennis coach who knows when a player will double-fault before the racket even makes contact with the ball; the antiquities experts who recognize a fake at a glance. Here, too, are great failures of "blink": the election of Warren Harding; "New Coke"; and the shooting of Amadou Diallo by police. Blink reveals that great decision makers aren't those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of "thin-slicing"-filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables.

A new work of fiction by the Nobel Prize–winning author of Disgrace
In this brilliant new work of fiction, J. M. Coetzee once again breaks new literary ground with a book that is, in the words of its main character, “a response to the present in which I find myself.” Diary of a Bad Year takes on the world of politics—a new topic for Coetzee—and explores the role of the writer in our times with an extraordinary moral compass.
At the center of the book is “Señor C,” an aging author who has been asked to write his thoughts on the state of the world by his German publisher. These thoughts, called “Strong Opinions,” address a wide range of subjects and include a scathing indictment of Bush, Cheney, and Blair, as well as a witheringly honest examination of everything from Machiavelli and the current state of the university to music, literature, and intelligent design, offering unexpected perceptions and insightful arguments along the way. Meanwhile, someone new enters the writer’s life: Anya, the beautiful young woman whom he hires to type his manuscript. The relationship that develops between Señor C and Anya has a profound effect on both of them. It also changes the course of Anya’s relationship with Alan, the successful, swaggering man whom she lives with—and who has designs on Señor C’s bank account. Through these characters, Coetzee creates an ingenious literary game that will enthrall readers and surprise them with its emotional power. Bold, funny, and sad, as well as intellectually clever and satisfying, Diary of a Bad Year is a journey into the mind and heart of one of the world’s most acclaimed and accomplished writers.

Starting off on the Eurostar from London, Paul Theroux once again sets out on a railway journey through the East, travelling overland through Eastern Europe, and eventually reaching India and Asia. Infused with the changes that have shaped the exterior landscape and enriched with developments to his own perceptions and psychology, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star is an absorbing and beautifully written follow-up to The Great Railway Bazaar. Full of life and impeccably evoked, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star is Paul Theroux at his very best.

A man trapped in a millionare's deadly game of political and sexual betrayal. Filled with shocks and chilling surprises, "The Magus" is a masterwork of contemporary literature. In it, a young Englishman, Nicholas Urfe, accepts a teaching position on a Greek island where his friendship with the owner of the islands most magnificent estate leads him into a nightmare. As reality and fantasy are deliberately confused by staged deaths, erotic encounters, and terrifying violence, Urfe becomes a desperate man fighting for his sanity and his life. A work rich with symbols, conundrums and labrinthine twists of event, "The Magus" is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining, a work that ranks with the best novels of modern times.