In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching by P.D. Ouspensky (Mariner, $15). The story of George Gurdjieff, a Greek-Armenian philosopher and mystic, and his search for consciousness. It’s a very good introduction for anybody who is interested in esotericism and the esoteric nature of life.
Meetings With Remarkable Men by G.I. Gurdjieff (Penguin, $16). Gurdjieff’s own book about his wanderings. He formed his teachings around the series of people he met. It’s kind of a classic road book—and wonderful.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (Simon and Schuster, $7). This book traces the beginnings of Frankl’s theory of logotherapy, an approach to psychotherapy drawn from his experiences as a concentration-camp inmate. Frankl was interested in why certain people survived the Holocaust emotionally and others didn’t. Out of this horrific incident Frankl wrote a totally groundbreaking book that’s been constantly republished for 40 or 50 years.
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The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart (Overlook, $16). Published in 1971, this novel about a psychiatrist who makes decisions by rolling dice is very much a book about the ’60s, about luck and fortune and the arbitrary nature of life. Psychologist George Cockcroft wrote The Dice Man under the pen name Luke Rhinehart. It is entertaining, thrilling, and very funny.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (Bantam, $5). One of the great stories. The quintessential obsessive love story. Truly amazing.
David Lean: A Biography by Kevin Brownlow (out of print). This is one of the best biographies of a filmmaker I’ve read. It shows brilliantly David Lean’s metamorphosis from editor to director over a period of years, and the
contrast between his days in the editing suite and those he spent shooting Lawrence of Arabia in the vast open desert of Morocco. If you want to understand anything about film, I highly recommend this great, tremendously enjoyable book.
—Actor Brian Cox is appearing on Broadway in a revival of That Championship Season. The show, which has its official opening March 6, also stars Jason Patric, Chris Noth, Jim Gaffigan, and Kiefer Sutherland
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