Bound to surprise

A new exhibit of books at the Boston Athenaeum travels to the ends of the earth, across thousands of years, and into the darkest recesses of the human psyche. One volume contains hangings from Egyptian shrines and inscribed mummy wrappings dating to 1500 BC. An otherwise nondescript memoir was written by a thief in Boston in the 1800s who stipulated in his will that his reminiscences be bound in his own skin.

The exhibit -- which celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Athenaeum, one of the oldest independent libraries in the nation -- also features books from the libraries of George Washington and Henry Knox, his war secretary . In addition, it showcases the Athenaeum's many collections, including those of Civil War, Gypsy, and Native American books. One of the biggest books is a history of the world, printed in Germany in 1493, with 1,800 hand-colored illustrations. This being Boston, the library once had a "Scruples" collection, whose scandalous offerings were available only by special request to the library director.

Due to their delicate condition, books will be rotated in and out of the exhibit, which ends July 13. "Acquired Tastes: 200 Years of Collecting for the Boston Athenaeum" is the exhibit's companion volume.

Daniel Alarcón, who was born in Lima, Peru, and raised in Birmingham, Ala., writes about his homeland with grace and intimacy.

After graduating from Columbia University, Alarcón lived in one of Lima's poorest neighborhoods -- parts of which were controlled by the guerrilla group Shining Path -- and taught photography. "In the shadow of the [civil] war, you would hear stories," he said. Among the stories that captivated him were those he heard on the radio show "Busca Personas " (People Finder).

Such stories lie at the heart of his debut novel, "Lost City Radio." Set in an unnamed South American country torn apart by civil war, it is a beautifully written tale of love and loss. In it, Norma, whose husband disappeared years before , hosts a radio show. Every night she takes calls from listeners hoping to reunite with a loved one. "Lost City Radio" is dedicated to an uncle of Alarcón's who disappeared in 1989.

Alarcón will speak at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, and at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Newtonville Books , 296 Walnut St., Newtonville .

"Devotion," by Howard Norman (Houghton Mifflin)

"No Way Renée: The Second Half of My Notorious Life," by Renée Richards (Simon & Schuster)

"Magic City," by Drew Lerman (PUSH)

Lois Ava-Matthew, formerly of Toadstool Bookshop in Milford, N.H., recommends "Zoli," by Colum McCann (Random House): "I was completely captivated by this portrait of Zoli, a gypsy poetess. It's an amazing window into another culture and, like the Romani people, the story travels from place to place, from Slovakia, to Czechoslovakia, to Austria and northern Italy."

Jan Gardner can be reached at JanLGardner@yahoo.com.