A Forgotten Master of Pulp Fiction
The only thing more noir than the work of writer Cornell Woolrich may have been his own life
Hallucinating Graydon Carter
Following the publication of When the Going Was Good, A.I.-generated rip-offs have flooded the market—how do they stack up?
The Mother of Surrealism
How one woman born into a world on the brink of turmoil inspired Paul Éluard, Max Ernst, André Breton, and the love of her life, Salvador Dalí
Hidden Treasures
An exhibition on the anonymous creators behind pieces for the best Paris maisons, from Cartier to Boucheron, offers a master class in the art of jewelry-making
“Brad Pitt’s” Kidney Transplant and the French Divorcée
On this week’s podcast, Mark Seal explains how amateur sleuths busted a multi-national cyber-scam
Palm Springs Eternal
Two new coffee-table books capture the timeless allure of Palm Springs, a favorite destination of Sinatra and Capote and a birthplace of modernist architecture
Private Predicaments and Natural Disasters
Meghan Daum wrote a book called The Catastrophe Hour. Three months before it was published, her house burned down.
Hailee Steinfeld
The True Grit child star returns to the big screen with Sinners, starring alongside Michael B. Jordan
Her Again (Historically Informed)
Bizet’s Carmen more or less as it looked and played in 1875, when the opera was new
Editor’s Picks
This week, don’t miss a history of Russian espionage, a window into the world of snakes, and a curated guide to the best of international cinema
Nina Yashar’s Guide to Milan
The founder of Nilufar Gallery shares her favorite spots in her home city
When Bezos Met Bridezilla
An exclusive look inside Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s Venice wedding—zero-gravity Botox, diamanté candelabras, Dom Pérignon, and all
Positively 4th Street
When New York was still called New Amsterdam, a former slave ran a farm on the very terrain that would become the Greenwich Village stomping ground of folk singers and Beat poets
Stephen Sondheim’s Phantom Menace
As a new Sondheim revue opens on Broadway, producer Cameron Mackintosh reflects on their friendship—and on Sondheim’s rivalry with Andrew Lloyd Webber
To Edward R. Murrow. Love, Marlene Dietrich
He was America’s pre-eminent newsman. She was an international sex symbol. They both hated bullies
Flower Power
A Dior designer’s take on floral arrangements, a visual history of the rose, and a gardening guide by Martha Stewart … Ring in spring with three new coffee-table books
One Hundred Years of Gatsby
Editions of The Great Gatsby—which achieved popularity only after F. Scott Fitzgerald’s death—abound, but the mysteries surrounding the Great American Novel endure
The Other Saturday Night Live
A famous host. A gifted cast. A stream of celebrity guests. The result? One of the worst shows in TV history
Another Reason to Hate on the Ivy League and Nepo Babies!
On this week’s podcast, Andrew Zucker looks at the Versailles-level housing being built for super-rich kids
