Unfriendly Exchange
The tale of a nuclear war that almost was
By Jeffrey Lewis Monday, October 26, 2026
The Six Minute War: Reagan, Russia, and the Race to Automate Armageddon By Michael Dobbs
Battle for the Ballot Box
How decades of legal attacks and court decisions have undermined the crown jewel of the civil rights movement
By Brandon Tensley Thursday, October 8, 2026
An American Problem: How the Country Built—and the Supreme Court Broke—the Voting Rights Act by Michael G. Miller and Kevin T. Morris
Shooting for the Camera
A portrait of the 20th century’s most infamous assassin
By Anne Matthews Monday, September 28, 2026
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 Earth By 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 Film By 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 Leopard By Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi
Translating the Past
Modern wit meets age-old wisdom
By Rachel Hadas Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature By 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 Anderson By Anthony Tommasini
Dean of Satire
A writer’s many masks
By George O’Brien Friday, December 6, 2013
Jonathan Swift: His Life and His Work By Leo Damrosch
Abolition Gone Wrong
Despite good intentions, some opponents of the Atlantic slave trade caused more harm
By Fergus M. Bordewich Friday, December 6, 2013
Ship of DeathBy Billy G. Smith /The Empire of Necessity: Slavery, Freedom, and Deception in the New World By Greg Grandin
Ministry of Talent
JFK’s thousand days of crisis
By Ernest B. Furgurson Friday, December 6, 2013
Camelot’s Court By Robert Dallek
Soaring Ambitions
Early hot-air balloonists ascended to previously unimaginable heights, stirring humanity’s sense of perspective and possibility
By Toby Lester Thursday, September 5, 2013
Falling Upwards By Richard Holmes
Southern Son
The wit and wisdom of a master
By William S. McFeely Thursday, September 5, 2013
The Letters of C. Vann Woodward Edited by Michael O'Brien
Upward Bound
Abraham’s merciful stay of hand
By Sarah Ruden Thursday, September 5, 2013
But Where Is the Lamb?: Imagining the Story of Abraham and Isaac By James Goodman
Priestly Powers
A comic writer’s critical eye
By George O’Brien Thursday, September 5, 2013
Suitable Accommodations: An Autobiographical Story of Family Life: The Letters of J. F. Powers, 1942–1963 Edited by Katherine A. Powers
On the Brink
How safe are our nukes?
By Scott D. Sagan Thursday, September 5, 2013
Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety By Eric Schlosser
Lives of the Ancients
Animating the Greeks and Romans
By A. E. Stallings Thursday, September 5, 2013
Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures, and Innovations By Mary Beard
Two of a Kind
A postwar friendship
By David Brown Thursday, September 5, 2013
Brave Genius: A Scientist, a Philosopher, and Their Daring Adventures from the French Resistance to the Nobel Prize By Sean B. Carroll
