Top Five

Memorial Volumes

New Yorkers seem to fall into two camps: those who never want to see another photo from September 11 and those who work through grief with words and pictures. For the latter, a selection from the remarkable number of books timed to the anniversary.

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By Boris Kachka

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1. Above Hallowed Ground

No one had more access to the site than New York City cops -- who were also among the hardest hit. Previously unpublished and uninterrupted by text, the cops' photos from high above and point-blank range are hard to absorb and impossible to find elsewhere. (Viking Studio; $29.95.)

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2. 110 Stories

A decent 9/11 novel may be far off, but the best first passes at essays, fiction, and poetry (written by locals and edited by Ulrich Baer) are finally in one place. Contributors include Paul Auster, John Guare, Darren Aronofsky, and Art Spiegelman, who also did the cover. (NYU Press; $22.95.)

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3. September 11: An Oral History

Times reporter Dean E. Murphy compiles accounts from 41 plainspoken survivors to create a profound portrait of horror and humanity. (Doubleday; $22.95.)

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4. American Ground

Subtitled Unbuilding the World Trade Center, William Langewiesche's narrative of a disaster zone -- and a society -- in recovery, first published in The Atlantic Monthly, says more about our essential character than a thousand maudlin tributes. (North Point Press; $22; October 1.)

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5. Lamentation 9/11

Ragtime novelist and quintessential New Yorker E. L. Doctorow wrote the text accompanying David Finn's 96 photos of the posters turned impromptu memorials that blanketed the city. (Ruder Finn; $29.95.)

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