Bestseller Stat Shot

We have rock star chefs and rock star librarians and rock star rock stars, so why not a rock star economist? That would be Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century, a 700-page work of economics, politics, and philosophy that publisher Belknap claims “will transform debate and set the agenda for the next generation of thought about wealth and inequality.” The book has been hailed on the left and called “the most important economics book of the year—and maybe of the decade” by Paul Krugman, and roundly panned on the right as, among other things “unworthy of discussion” (David Harsanyi on Reason.com). But, as ever, controversy is great for sales, and Capital is no exception. Since its March publication, the book has sold just over 19,000 print copies, with this week being the busiest yet. Here’s how it’s done since publication.

From the Newsletters

Tip Sheet

Mary Miller, author of the rapture road-trip novel The Last Days of California (Liveright), picks her favorite road-trip books.

Children’s Bookshelf

In case you missed it, we revealed the cover for Ally Condie’s Atlantia (Dutton Children’s), the author’s follow-up to her bestselling Matched trilogy.

PW Select Report

How one indie author put together her editorial A-team.

The most-read review on publishersweekly.com last week was Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami, trans. from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel (Knopf).

Blogs

Some recent highlights from the PW Tumblr: a Google Map of the road trip in Roberto Bolaño’s The Savage Detectives, dancing with cats, and of course a .gif of Matt Damon and Robin Williams talking.

ShelfTalker

On that increasingly rare feeling: delayed gratification, particularly as it applies to waiting for the next book in a series you love.

Podcasts

More to Come

Everything you ever wanted to know (and more) about Captain America: Winter Soldier, and the movie plot’s linkage to the TV series Agents of Shield.

Authors

Laura McBride, whose novel We Are Called to Rise (Simon & Schuster), is set in Las Vegas, defends sin city as a great place to raise kids.

PW Radio

Mike Wagner discusses his book, A Trust Betrayed (Da Capo), about the mass poisoning at Camp Lejeune. Plus, religion reviews editor Marcia Nelson recaps the Calvin College Festival of Faith and Writing.