I want to say just one word to you: politics.

		Related coverage Year's best in fiction Some great talents didn't display them in 2004

That topic dominated the year in books starting in January when Paul O'Neill, former U.S. treasury secretary and Alcoa boss, published "The Price of Loyalty," the first of many books critical of the Bush administration.

Co-written with reporter Ron Suskind, the book set the tone for 2004's nonfiction releases.

It was followed quickly by Kevin Phillips' "American Dynasty," which outlasted all competitors as the most definitive history of the Bush family stretching back to the 19th century.

When Kitty Kelley tried to follow in Phillips' footsteps with her gossipy "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty," she managed to step in the dog do-do that Phillips avoided.

Other notable entries in the politics of Bush were:

"The Politics of Truth" by Joseph Wilson, the former State Department staff member whose wife was outed as a CIA operative after he discounted claims that Iraq was seeking nuclear materials in Africa.

"Against All Enemies" by Richard Clarke, former counterterrorism expert who alleges that George W. Bush's priorities always put Saddam Hussein ahead of Osama bin Laden.

"A Pretext for War" by James Bamford, a civilian expert on the history of American espionage, who echoes Clarke on the chronology of the White House's obsession with Iraq.

"Chain of Command" by Seymour Hersh, which traces the roots of the prisoner abuses at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.

For a provocative argument on American politics in general, there's "What's The Matter With Kansas" by Thomas Frank.

Founder of the cultural journal The Baffler, Frank pinpoints the reasons why blue-collar folks (rather than blue staters) vote for a Republican Party that ignores their economic welfare in favor of the rich.

Shoved aside in the political rush was the recent interest in the Founding Fathers, so this year's output is slim but worthwhile:

"Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow and "His Excellency George Washington" by Joseph Ellis are the best of the small lot.

Overall standouts are "The Working Poor" by David Shipler, "Namath" by Mark Kriegel, "The Fall of Baghdad" by Jon Anderson," "Arc of Justice" by Kevin Boyle and "Grace and Power" by Sally Bedell Smith.

And, we can't let the year go by without a nod to "My Life" by Bill Clinton, a folksy memoir blended with policy wonking from the ex-prez.

Here's the rest of the best:

• "John James Audubon" by Richard Rhodes.
  
• "Will in the World" by Stephen Greenblatt.
  
• "Mediterranean Winter" by Robert Kaplan.
  
• "Shadow Divers" by Robert Kurson.
  
• "The Last Mountain Dancer" by Chuck Kinder.
  
• "In the Shadow of No Towers" by Art Spiegelman.
  
• "Chronicles" by Bob Dylan.
  
• "Devastation and Renewal: An Environmental History of Pittsburgh and Its Region," edited by Joel Tarr.
  
• "Plan of Attack" by Bob Woodward.
  
• "Path to Victory" by Douglas Porch.
  
• "American Dream" by Jason DeParle.
  
• "The Island at the Center of the World' by Russell Shorto.
  
• "Life on The Outside" by Jennifer Gonnerman.
  
• "Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War" by Douglas Brinkley.
  
• "The WPA History of the Negro in Pittsburgh," a reprint by the University of Pittsburgh Press.
  
• "House of Bush, House of Saud" by Craig Unger.
  
• "Rise of the Vulcans" by James Mann.
  
• "At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig" by John Gimlette.