The Lovable Leviathan
Whales hold a special place in our imagination, but their situation is dire
By Sy Montgomery Monday, March 1, 2010
The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea By Philip Hoare
A Long, Cold Road to Paris
The 2,000-mile, 40-day journey of future first lady Louisa Catherine Adams
By Paul C. Nagel Monday, March 1, 2010
Mrs. Adams in Winter: A Journey in the Last Days of Napoleon By Michael O’Brien
The Debacle Before the Disaster
At Dien Bien Phu, the French got a lesson the U.S. would take two decades to learn
By Charles Trueheart Monday, March 1, 2010
Valley of Death: The Tragedy of Dien Bien Phu That Led America into the Vietnam War By Ted Morgan
In the Shadow of Genocide
Impressions of a Turkish town that was once in Armenia
By Graeme Wood Monday, March 1, 2010
Rebel Land: Unravelling the Riddle of History in a Turkish Town By Christopher de Bellaigue
Science Doubters
When healthy skepticism turns into unhealthy antagonism
By Natalie Angier Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms The Planet, and Threatens Our Lives By Michael Spector
Laissez-Faire Run Amok
The extremist, and enduring, philosophy of Ayn Rand
By Ethan Fishman Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right By Jennifer Burns
Riffs and Raptures
Zadie Smith’s essays offer crisp prose and hard-won insights
By Sarah L. Courteau Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays By Zadie Smith
Wrestling the Moose
Jefferson debunked a French theory of natural history, launching American exceptionalism
By Miranda Weiss Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose: Natural History in Early America By Lee Alan Dugatkin
The Tales Buildings Tell
Architects can overwhelm their creations; time can make a hash of great visions
By Stanley Abercrombie Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Secret Lives of Buildings: From the Ruins of the Parthenon to the Vegas Strip in Thirteen Stories By Edward Hollis
Through Fire and Flood
Faulkner’s best fiction emerged from his willingness to face crises
By Jay Parini Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Becoming Faulkner: The Art and Life of William Faulkner By Philip Weinstein
Who Would I Be Off My Meds
Can weaning oneself off pharmaceuticals ease the cycle of perpetual suffering?
By Scott Stossel Thursday, March 6, 2025
Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistanceby Laura Delano
Who’s to Say? 
A bewildering take from a noted scholar of Christianity
By Sarah Ruden Monday, March 3, 2025
Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesusby Elaine Pagels
Chapters and Verse
Looking for the poet between the lines
By Jay Parini Monday, March 3, 2025
Love and Need: The Life of Robert Frost’s Poetryby Adam Plunkett
Once More, Without Feeling
Can a memoir be effective when it lacks any warmth?
By Casey Schwartz Monday, March 3, 2025
Children of Radium: A Buried Inheritanceby Joe Dunthorne
Electrons That Bind
The molecule at the center of everything
By Priscilla Long Monday, March 3, 2025
Carbon: The Book of Lifeby Paul Hawken
Food for Thought
A pragmatic approach to one of humanity’s gravest threats
By Anne Matthews Monday, March 3, 2025
How to Feed the World: The History and Future of Foodby Vaclav Smil
Splitting Our Sides
A new biography of a comedy pioneer
By Stephen Macone Monday, March 3, 2025
Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Liveby Susan Morrison
In the Lions’ Studio
A new dual biography turns the lens on the towering architects of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
By Noah Isenberg Thursday, February 13, 2025
Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg: The Whole Equationby Kenneth Turan
Divided Providence
Faith’s pivotal role in the outcome of the Civil War
By Robert Wilson Thursday, January 23, 2025
Righteous Strife: How Warring Religious Nationalists Forged Lincoln’s Unionby Richard Carwardine
