WHAT’S GOING ON HERE? The Harper’s Magazine...

WHAT’S GOING ON HERE? The Harper’s Magazine Book of Annotations edited by Colin Harrison (Delta: $10, illustrated). This revealing collection juxtaposes reproductions of miscellaneous documents of contemporary American life (a death certificate, a network exit poll, a ticket to Carnegie Hall) with brief analytical paragraphs that explain their significance. Harpers editor Lewis Lapham states, “The object is not to make easy jokes about the fatuity of this or that bureaucracy but rather to make clear the meanings of the language too often used like paint to conceal the plaster of thought.” HIV-positive author John Preston describes what the results of a $270 blood work-up tell about the condition of his compromised immuno-system; architect Michael Sorkin and editor D. D. Guttenplan dissect the plans for a hideous, $1.6-billion redevelopment scheme for 42nd Street and Times Square in New York City. Other writers analyze a fancy wine label, the front page of a tabloid and the artfully doctored products in a slick food advertisement. This intriguing anthology leads viewers behind the scenes and shows them the braces and struts that support the media-generated facades.