1491 by Charles C. MannThe Hot Zone by Richard   PrestonThe Mother Tongue by Bill BrysonThe Botany of Desire by Michael PollanFreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt
Best Non-Fiction (no biographies)
6,239 books — 8,068 voters
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas PynchonWhite Noise by Don DeLilloThe Maltese Falcon by Dashiell HammettTropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
Best Books of the 20th Century
7,899 books — 49,790 voters