Banker to the Poor— The Story of the Grameen Bank; Muhammad Yunus with Alan Jolis (First published by Aurum Press in 1998, This edition by Penguin Books, 2007, pp 313, Rs 395) Muhammad Yunus, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 set up the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh to lend tiny sums to the poorest of the poor who were shunned by ordinary banks. This is his remarkable story.

India 60— Towards a New Partition; Edited by Ira Pande (HarperCollins, 2007, pp 355, Rs 495) A thoughtful compendium of elegantly presented arguments supported by facts and a real understanding of the way things work in this country of a billion ideas and a nation both young and old.

Socialism and its culture; Nikolai Bukharin (Seagull Books, 2006, pp 258, Price not mentioned) Bukharin’s Prison Manuscripts were written in Moscow’s Lubyanka prison during 1937-1938 while awaiting his inevitable liquidation.

The Second Partition— Fault-lines in India’s Democracy; Patwant Singh (Picus Books, 2007, pp 318, Rs 395) A fearless and incisive commentary on 21 Century India and the problems that imperil its future, at a time when the nation is at a crossroads. This volume is a wake-up call to the country’s leadership and its citizens.