The Twelve Chairs

Why it’s on the list: Ostap Bender hunting a set of dining chairs with jewels sewn into one of them — the great satirical novel of Soviet NEP-era hustle, and a portrait of an economy improvised by con men.

Where I saw it: A reply to @WillManidis’s question on X, June 2, 2025 — “what is the single best book you can read that will explain an entire industry?” — recovered from that thread and saved to Kyle’s Apple Note “Books To Read”. Thread: https://x.com/willmanidis/status/1929527399718269081

Connections

• what is the single best book… (tweet) — the saved thread this recommendation came from.
• Literature · Russia — where this sits in the corpus.