Nurtural Intelligence
The discoverer of the Flynn effect claims that genes control IQ less than you’d expect
By Richard Restak Saturday, September 1, 2007
What Is Intelligence? Beyond the Flynn Effect By James R. Flynn
Words and Music
Two ways of thinking about what our brains can do
By Jennifer Michael Hecht Saturday, September 1, 2007
The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human NatureBy Steven Pinker / Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain By Oliver Sacks
The Whirling Princess
How a little rich girl known as Pussy Jones became Edith Wharton, writing her way into the aristocracy of American letters
By Sandra M. Gilbert Friday, June 1, 2007
Edith Wharton By Hermione Lee, Alfred A. Knopf
The Heroic and the Crass
Case studies in American presidential backbone
By Gary Hart Friday, June 1, 2007
Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America, 1789-1989 By Michael Beschloss, Simon & Schuster
Wide World
An essayist and activist who makes eloquent connections
By Sarah Fay Friday, June 1, 2007
Storming the Gates of Paradise: Landscapes for Politics By Rebecca Solnit
The Meandering Naturalist
By William Howarth Friday, June 1, 2007
A Wanderer All My Days: John Muir in New England By J. Parker Huber
Magical Mind
Albert Einstein’s life
By Stephen Petranek Friday, June 1, 2007
EINSTEIN: His Life and Universe By Walter Isaacson
Dismantling the Dream
By Sandra Beasley Friday, June 1, 2007
The Trap: Selling Out to Stay Afloat in Winner-Take-All America By Daniel Brook, Henry Holt
Happy Talk
What did we know about joy, and when did we know it?
By Wayne Curtis Thursday, March 1, 2007
The Happiness Myth: Why What We Think Is Right Is WrongBy Jennifer Michael Hecht / Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy By Barbara Ehrenreich
The Impulse to Exclude
Ralph Ellison wrote one great novel and then lived a life that is hard to admire
By Phyllis Rose Thursday, March 1, 2007
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)
