A journalist and a linguist visit 30 small towns in search of local stories that reveal the grit, character and regional particulars of our country. Kelsey Thomas reviews “Our Towns” by James Fallows and Deborah Fallows.
A philosopher argues that truth is humble, not absolute: “A tentative judgment . . . is not the same as a dogmatic assertion of certainty.” Julian Baggini reviews “On Truth” by Simon Blackburn.
Donald Trump’s first White House spokesman compares the president to a rock star, the Energizer Bunny and a unicorn. Jonathan Karl reviews “The Briefing” by Sean Spicer.
A new strategy revived American sea power in the face of a Soviet bid for supremacy—and offers lessons for confronting global rivals today. Arthur Herman reviews “Oceans Ventured” by John Lehman.
The race to import tea to the U.S.—and smuggle opium to China—gave rise to a technological marvel: the clipper ship.
A prolific writer of frightful fare must rely on his storytelling abilities to stay alive when he encounters a real-life witch with a devouring appetite for ghoulish tales.
Time has not diminished the appeal of Raymond Chandler’s iconic Los Angeles investigator.
The author, most recently, of ‘Cattle Kingdom: The Hidden History of the Cowboy West’ picks the best novels about cowboys, bad guys and battles in the borderlands.
For seven months after Pearl Harbor, they scourged the enemy with breathtaking courage.
The late William Gay’s last book is a road novel without a final stop, full of people who are rarely up to any good.
A well-bred man, it was felt, should not scratch, wriggle, pick at his ears, crook his back or sing or whistle in public places.
What made Marciano the only undefeated heavyweight champion in history? His capacity to absorb a punch and his fierce round-house right.
John Wesley Powell planned an arduous journey: 1,000 miles down the Colorado River through what he would later name the Grand Canyon. Some said the expedition succeeded not because of its leader but despite him.
A $1.7 billion industry, and an age-old way of American life, is threatened by overfishing, warming waters and international trade wars. Heller McAlpin reviews “The Last Lobster” by Christopher White.
A new private university may be needed, one that reflects the intellectual opinions of a spectrum of educated Americans outside academe. John Leo reviews “The University We Need” by Warren Treadgold.
Subscription businesses are proliferating because billions of digital customers are increasingly favoring access over ownership. Philip Delves Broughton reviews “Subscribed” by Tien Tzuo with Gabe Weisert.
How the Houston Astros used a combination of data-driven analytics and team-building to go from last place to World Series champions. Paul Dickson reviews “Astroball” by Ben Reiter.
Upon taking control, Vladimir Putin began to rein in Russia’s independent civil society and discourage free expression and pluralism. Joshua Rubenstein reviews “The Code of Putinism” by Brian D. Taylor.
Challenging the well-worn fictions about the life and legacy of Nur Jahan, the 20th wife of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir.
Fiction and reporting by an Australian writer with a cinematic prose style and an unflinching eye.
‘Dapper’ Joe Farren, a Jewish dancer from Vienna, was the Ziegfeld of Shanghai. He teamed up with the ‘Slots King,’ an American prison escapee who changed his name and burned off his fingerprints.
At the height of the Cold War, a series of secret missions nearly caused one war but averted another.
Andrew Johnson said death was ‘too easy a punishment’ for Lee. But by 1868 he had declared a full amnesty.
Journalist and food writer Eugenia Bone confronts angst, loneliness, bemusement and jealousy as a 55-year-old going back to school—all for the sake of learning about microbes.