Novelist, editor, and humorist Christopher Buckley’s most recent novel is No Way to Treat a First Lady, published this October by Random House ($25).

One-Upmanship: How to Win Life’s Little Games Without Appearing to Try by Stephen Potter (out of print). I keep this slim paperback compendium with me at all times, to cheer me up when they announce either that my flight has been delayed or hijacked.

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