Simone de Beauvoir: A Life . ....

Simone de Beauvoir: A Life . . . a Love Story, Claude Francis and Fernande Gontier; translated by Lisa Nesselson (St. Martin’s). “A compelling book about a remarkable woman’s life, and her love affair with herself and the world” (Helene Vivienne Wenzel).

On the Run, Philip Agee (Lyle Stuart). “This is a crafty account, contradicting versions of events Agee has told in the past . . . intriguing material for those who can’t get enough about national security” (David Johnston).

The Monkey King, Timothy Mo (Morrow). “Like its illustrious forebear (one of China’s most popular and enduring works of fiction), this 20th-Century tale is at turns comic and serious, sympathetic and cruel, and certainly never dull” (Gayle Feldman).

The Big Smoke: A History of Air Pollution in London Since Medieval Times, Peter Brimblecombe (Methuen), “is a lively work of history that has much to say to contemporary cities with smog problems” (Lee Dembart).