We know it's insane. We know people will ask why on earth we think that an 1875 British satirical novel is the book you need to read right now—or, for that matter, why it even made the cut. The fact is, no one needs another best-of list telling you how great The Great Gatsby is. What we do need, in a world with precious little time to read (and think), is to know which books—new or old, fiction or nonfiction—open a window on the times we live in, whether they deal directly with the issues of today or simply help us see ourselves in new and surprising ways. Which is why we'd like you to sit down with Anthony Trollope, and these 49 other remarkably trenchant voices.

Declaring the best book ever written is tricky business. Who's to say what the best is? We went one step further: we crunched the numbers from 10 top books lists (Modern Library, the New York Public Library, St. John's College reading list, Oprah's, and more) to come up with The Top 100 Books of All Time. It's a list of lists — a meta-list. Let the debate begin.

Like old friends and favorite haunts, some books reward revisiting.

Stieg Larsson's crime novels conquered the world. his countrymen are following suit.

The Collyer Brothers were the world's most famous pack rats. In his forthcoming book, the novelist fashions a treasure from their trash.

A new book promises incontrovertible proof of the afterlife. That's cold comfort to those of us left behind.

Twenty-five years later, Jay McInerney's debut novel is still a classic. What the world looks like now to the writer who defined an era.

Charles London thinks that Zionism doesn't depend on the Jewish state. He makes a good argument, but he's wrong.

Former secretary of state Madeleine Albright tells NEWSWEEK about the pins she wore for diplomacy, and the stories behind them.

More Americans believe in angels than in evolution—and Richard Dawkins isn't going to take it anymore.

A quick look at the oft-panned works of politico minds.