Our Founding Contradiction
The entrenched dichotomy at the center of the national story
By Fergus M. Bordewich Thursday, December 1, 2022
American Inheritance: Liberty and Slavery in the Birth of a Nation, 1765–1795 by Edward J. Larson
Head of the State
How the FBI’s founding director ruled from the shadows
By Charles Trueheart Thursday, December 1, 2022
G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century by Beverly Gage
Structural Foundations
The buildings that defined the Western world
By Amanda Kolson Hurley Thursday, December 1, 2022
The Story of Architecture by Witold Rybczynski
Quark of Habit
Scientists keep pushing for larger particle colliders—but is this really wise?
By Sabine Hossenfelder Thursday, December 1, 2022
The Matter of Everything: How Curiosity, Physics, and Improbable Experiments Changed the World by Suzie Sheehy
Beauty Born of Ashes
The story of a lyrical masterpiece that almost wasn’t
By A. E. Stallings Thursday, December 1, 2022
The Waste Land: A Biography of a Poem by Matthew Hollis
To Hell and Back
An Italian master’s unlikely depictions of Dante’s dark vision
By Graeme Wood Monday, November 7, 2022
Botticelli’s Secret: The Lost Drawings and the Rediscovery of the Renaissance by Joseph Luzzi
Of Dharma and Doom
A fresh translation revives the ending of an ancient Indian epic
By Sunil Iyengar Monday, September 5, 2022
After the War: The Last Books of the Mahabharata Wendy Doniger
Power of the Peoples
American history was shaped as much by Native Americans as by their colonizers
By Andrew Graybill Thursday, September 1, 2022
Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America by Pekka Hämäläinen
Building Up and Breaking Down
What happens when the structures we erect plunge us into despair?
By Amanda Kolson Hurley Thursday, September 1, 2022
Bold Ventures: Thirteen Tales of Architectural Tragedy by Charlotte Van den Broeck (trans. from the Dutch by David McKay)
Jena-Gadda-Da-Vida
The brief flowering of an intellectual mecca in 1790s Germany
By Steven G. Kellman Thursday, September 1, 2022
Magnificent Rebels: The First Romantics and the Invention of the Self by Andrea Wulf
Chief Misunderstanding
A speculative, sputtering study of leadership
By Elizabeth D. Samet Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Our Energetic World
Life is not an accident but an inevitable result of physical laws
By Rebecca Boyle Tuesday, September 8, 2026
The Co-Creation: How Earth Made Life and Life Made EarthBy Olivia Judson
Finding Marty
Zooming in on a storied director
By Michael O'Donnell Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Just a Shot Away: Martin Scorsese’s Life in FilmBy Mark Binelli
Dramatic Paws
On the trail of the elusive big cat of the Himalaya
By David Gessner Tuesday, September 8, 2026
The Ghost of the Mountains: Unraveling the Secrets of the Snow LeopardBy Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi
Shooting for the Camera
A portrait of the 20th century’s most infamous assassin
By Anne Matthews Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Translating the Past
Modern wit meets age-old wisdom
By Rachel Hadas Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient LiteratureBy Emily Wilson
Sound Barrier
How Marian Anderson made and managed history
By Matthew Guerrieri Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Voice of a Century: The Life and Artistry of Marian AndersonBy Anthony Tommasini
Unfriendly Exchange
The tale of a nuclear war that almost was
By Jeffrey Lewis Tuesday, September 8, 2026
The Six Minute War: Reagan, Russia, and the Race to Automate ArmageddonBy Michael Dobbs
Knot in my Back Yard
Not all non-native plants and animals need to be eradicated
By Sam Kean Thursday, August 27, 2026
Undesirable: Invasive Species, Humans, and Where We All BelongBy Amy Crawford
Hidden Truths
A new portrait of one of the 20th century’s most controversial philosophers
By Robert Zaretsky Thursday, August 13, 2026
Hannah Arendt: A Life of the MindBy Thomas Meyer (tr. Shelley Frisch)
