Slate's Bizbox
the breakfast table: An e-mail conversation about the news of the day.

Beam and Howard

the breakfast table
entries
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243
from: Alex Beam

Ah, Boston

Posted Wednesday, Sept. 9, 1998, at 3:16 PM ET

Yes, I had also noticed the ever-changing, fiery hues of Mr. Dershowitz's aging mane. But of course I agree with you that he's one of God's great individual creations and a model to us all.

I have a story idea for Eliza Truitt, our editor. (This is just to check if she actually reads these dispatches.) She wrote an interesting article on best-seller lists for Slate the other day; now a friend turns me on to the astonishingly stupid Modern Library Readers Pollof the 100 best novels in the English language. This is more or less a follow-on, and a corporate apology for, the astonishingly stupid Modern Library Board's selection of the 100 best novels that received so much attention a few weeks ago.

The conceit of course, is that we are hearing the vox populi in these latest selections. But because it is a web-based "poll," it appears to be subject to egregious fraud. Either that, or they gave Ayn Rand groupie Alan Greenspan 3 million votes. That's right, the top four novels all hail from A.R.: Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, We the Living, and Anthem. L. Ron Hubbard's works occupy numbers 10 and 12. Draw your own conclusions.

Random House isn't returning my phone calls, so I thought a dose of public ridicule might perk things up.

Did they assign Ulysses at Brandeis? I bet they did.

XXXX

the breakfast table
entries
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243
from: Alex Beam

Ah, Boston

Posted Wednesday, Sept. 9, 1998, at 3:16 PM ET
Print This ArticlePRINTDiscuss this in The FrayDISCUSSEmail to a FriendE-MAIL
Share on FacebookPost to MySpace!Share with MixxDigg ThisShare with RedditShare with del.icio.usShare with FurlShare with Ma.gnolia.comShare with SphereShare with Stumble Upon
Margo Howard is Slate's advice columnist. Alex Beam is a columnist for the Boston Globe.
Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum
What did you think of this article?
POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES
Washington Post
The Washington Post
OPINIONS
Imagine if...
Hiatt | What if McCain had waged his campaign based on respect?
Editorial: Meddlesome PalinKing: The Danger of Palin Power