Russia
A top-ten book list, as of August 2005, based on sales data compiled by Moscow's Dom Knigi (House of Books).
1. I Take My Words Back, by Viktor Suvorov. A Russian military historian finds flaws in the memoirs of the late Soviet World War II hero Marshal Zhukov—and takes his words back for him.
2. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, by John Perkins. World economic institutions are purportedly shown to be as corrupt and conspiracy-ridden as Russians always believed them to be.
3. The Blue Day Book, by Bradley Trevor Greive. Animal photos and corny captions as mood enhancers, compiled by a Tasmanian author.
4. My Life, by Bill Clinton. The memoirs of Russia's favorite American president.
5. Catherine the Great: The Diamond Cinderella, by Aleksandr Bushkov. A patriotic account of a German noblewoman's rise to the Russian throne and of her rule as an enlightened despot.
6. Hunting for Werewolves, by Aleksandr Khinshtein. A Duma deputy's exposé of the gravest threat to law and order in Russia: "werewolves" (corrupt law-enforcement officers).
7. Business Is Psychology, by Marina Meliya. Self-help for the disgruntled Russian businessman.
8. Lost Civilization: In Search of Lost Mankind, by Aleksei Maslov. The "true" history of mankind, including Atlantis, our vanished horned ancestors, and mysterious giants.
9. Doctor Sinelnikov's Practical Course: How to Learn to Love Yourself, by V. Sinelnikov and S. Slobodchikov. A step-by-step course in supermarket psychology, Russian-style, for sufferers of low self-esteem.
10. The Mafia Manager: A Guide to the Corporate Machiavelli, by V. An anonymous author confirms what Russian entrepreneurs already know: business isn't about mission statements, but about who whacks whom—commercially, of course.
Jeffrey Tayler is an Atlantic contributing editor.
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